Sunday, October 12, 2014
Flower of the Day: 10/12/14
"As
you cultivate silence, even if it may be in one-minute intervals, you
begin to lord over your mind, until you are able to abandon it and use
it only when necessary. You can use the mind to make calculations or
plan your day, but should be able to let it rest when it is not needed.
This is the key to freedom."
Sri Prem Baba
Via Daily Dharma
What to Do When Anger Gets Hot | October 12, 2014
Americans think it is beneficial to
‘get in touch with’ their anger. That’s just the first step—recognizing
your anger. The second step is analyzing and meditating on your anger.
- Ngawang Gelek Demo Rinpoche, “What to Do When the Anger Gets Hot”
Saturday, October 11, 2014
Via Daily Dharma
The Science of Enlightenment | October 11, 2014
It is tempting for teachers to leverage
the prestige and power of science to promote a particular religious
view. Scientists used to quote scripture. Now religious leaders quote
scientific theories!
- Brad Marston, “The Science of Enlightenment”
Flower of the Day: 10/11/14
"We
want to sustain the idea of 'me' and 'mine,' and to maintain what we
call the ego. We want to keep our story, however miserable it may be,
because it is our story, and gives us some sense of identity.
But getting closer to a spiritual master means giving up this story of
ours, or at least beginning a new story, which is now based on the
present, not the past. Therefore, becoming a disciple actually means
being reborn."
Sri Prem Baba
Friday, October 10, 2014
Flower of the Day: 10/10/14
"Transformation
refers to a structural change that is possible only when we are able to
identify the fragmented parts of our personality. This occurs when we
predispose ourselves to studying these parts of our personality,
understanding that they are there to protect us from pain. When we
realize how attached we are to the negative pleasure they activate, a
pleasure that keeps us repeating negative actions, then we create the
conditions for the transformation to take place."
Sri Prem Baba
The Moon Reflected on the Water | October 10, 2014
Enlightenment is like the moon
reflected on the water. The moon does not get wet, nor is the water
broken. Although its light is wide and great, the moon is reflected even
in a puddle an inch wide. The whole moon and the entire sky are
reflected in dewdrops on the grass, or even in one drop of water.
- Eihei Dogen, "Genjokoan"
Thursday, October 9, 2014
Flower of the Day: 10/09/14
"Another
way to understand karma is as the traces that we leave behind. It is
our open accounts: the words unspoken or feelings unexpressed. Presence
is the master key, because only through presence can we act without
leaving a trace. If there are still traces left, then it isn’t possible
to merge with the ocean and free ourselves. We have to erase all of our
traces by settling our open accounts with all others. This is why I have
been focusing on the work of reconciliation."
Sri Prem Baba
Via Daily Dharma
The Power of Custom | October 9, 2014
That the Buddhist religion has survived
so long in the world is a result not so much of the durability of
manuscripts as of the power of ideas embodied in custom; and custom, for
all our abundant sources of information, is what we lack and cannot in
the long run do without.
- Bhikkhu Nyanasobhano, "Selective Wisdom"
Wednesday, October 8, 2014
Flower of the Day: 10/08/14
"Divine
justice makes use of human injustice to bring about the ultimate
justice. The human mind, although it is a great power, has its
limitations. One of the aspects of the mind is memory, but human memory
is flawed. We send out an invitation and forget we sent it, so that when
the guests arrive we don’t think we invited them. This limitation
prevents us from noticing the relationship between cause and effect. But
there is no effect without a cause."
Sri Prem Baba
The Presence of Beauty | October 8, 2014
Thomas Aquinas said that beauty arrests
motion. He meant, I think, that in the presence of something gorgeous
or sublime, we stop our nervous natterings, our foot twitchings and
restless tongues. Whatever that fretful hunger is, it seems momentarily
filled in the presence of beauty.
- Barbara Hurd, "On Silence"
Tuesday, October 7, 2014
Via JMG: Human Rights Campaign Inducts 19 Members Of Congress Into Hall Of Shame
“If you want to understand why LGBT equality has hit a roadblock in Congress, you don't need to look any further than these leaders of anti-LGBT obstruction and animus,” said David Stacy, HRC’s Government Affairs Director. “These members go out of their way to oppose any step toward equal protection under the law or to protect LGBT Americans from violence, discrimination and harassment. They proactively work to undermine existing legal protections and promote anti-LGBT discrimination.”The only Democrat on the list, Rep. Mike McIntrye, has signed Rep. Randy Weber's laughably doomed bill that would limit the federal government to only recognizing same-sex marriages that are legally conducted in the state where the married couple resides. McIntrye is retiring after the current term.
Released in advance of the HRC Scorecard for the 113th Congress, HRC identified these elected officials as the most anti-equality members of Congress by looking at their voting records in this and previous Congresses, their introduction and co-sponsorships of anti-LGBT legislation, and their public statements. While there are other anti-LGBT members of Congress, these elected officials’ legislative actions, votes and anti-LGBT vitriol unfortunately marks them with a modern day scarlet letter.
Labels: GOP, HRC, Jeff Sessions, LGBT rights, Louie Gohmert, Michele Bachmann, Mike Lee, Randy Weber, Steve King, Tea Party, teabaggers, Ted Cruz, Tim Huelskamp
Via JMG: UPDATED: Wikipedia Marriage Map
UPDATE: JMG reader Bill directs us to the Flag Of Equal Marriage, which after today will be adding more stars.
Reposted from Joe Jervis
Flower of the Day: 10/07/14
"It
would be tremendously positive for the evolution of human consciousness
if parents were aware of the significance of bringing a child into the
world. I have inspired people to see children as Atma, the divine spirit in development. Although the child is in a body, they have the spark of Parmatma,
the supreme ineffable Absolute, and they have much to teach us. The
child arrives on this plane with a well-defined purpose. They already
arrive with their talents, and with a vision to share with the world.
What they need is support so that this vision may be revealed."
Sri Prem Baba
Via Daily Dharma
What Haiku Requires | October 7, 2014
[Basho] practiced Zen without insignia
or ordination. Every decade he experienced a catastrophic reordering of
his life. 'Let my name be "Traveler,"' he implored, following the narrow
road of poetry to the far north. He shattered clever wordplay haiku to
create a new mosaic of language, solitary and raw. 'The old verse can be
about willows,' he observed, 'but haiku requires crows picking snails
in a rice paddy.'
- Wendy Johnson, "Seventeen Syllable Medicine"
Monday, October 6, 2014
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