In relation to a discussion about the Catholic Church possibly becoming more tolerant my Gay Baha'i amigo, Gary wrote:
In
the end, all the very conservative religions and political parties are
going to have to make a decision whether they want to cater to old
people who are dying off or young people of the progressive future. The
answer is, of course, obvious, but not to
them. Because until now, the older fearful bigoted population was
larger and more powerful. So they unwisely catered to that group (short
term thinking, which also infects western capitalists). For greedy
short-term easy gain, they made the worst possible long-term choice, to
be conservative rather the progressive (which is what religion is
supposed to be). And in doing so, they have made themselves irrelevant.
And they may very well go out of business because of their refusal to
adapt to an evolving world. Just like the guy who refused to stop
betting on buggy whips when the automobile was first introduced. My own
life is a perfect example of this huge mistake made by religion. My
religion belittled and scorned me, despite my lifelong devotion to it.
So I drifted away to be my true self, at a time when most of society
also scorned me. And now all these years later, much of society has come
around to accept me, but not my religion. In the meantime, my ordeal
taught me I actually prefer my life without the religion. My life is
actually much better. So now, even if the religion were to catch up with
society, I would not go back. I am just one example. I can only imagine
how many others have been similarly impacted by this process. It's too
bad religions and political conservatives got themselves caught up on
the wrong side of history in the gay civil rights movement, but they
did, and they did knowing full well what the repercussions would be and
they were also sufficiently warned; they did it anyway. They now will
pay the price.
Thursday, October 16, 2014
Dazzled by Technology | October 16, 2014
People today are dazzled by advances in
science and technology and take human progress to be identical with
scientific discovery. This is the fundamental group stupidity of our
modern times. We must clearly distinguish between scientific advancement
and human progress.
- Kosho Uchiyama, "The Chimera of Human Advancement"
Wednesday, October 15, 2014
Via Daily Dharma
Touching Enlightenment | October 15, 2014
My sense is that there is a very real
problem among Western Buddhist practitioners. We are attempting to
practice meditation and to follow a spiritual path in a disembodied
state, and our practice is therefore doomed to failure. The full
benefits and fruition of meditation cannot be experienced or enjoyed
when we are not grounded in our bodies.
- "Touching Enlightenment," Reggie Ray
Flower of the Day: 10/15/14
"The mantra Prabhu Ap Jago
is a ripe fruit from the tree of consciousness. Its power is
impressive when it is sung from the heart. It is a fragrance of the
Being, imbued with notes of compassion. This is a prayer that comes from
the depths of one’s emotional center. It is a request for God to awaken
in everyone, everywhere, and to illuminate the game of joy."
Sri Prem Baba
Tuesday, October 14, 2014
A ‘Pastoral Earthquake’: Catholic Church Proposes Extraordinary Shift On Gays And Lesbians
CREDIT: AP
A panel of high-ranking Catholic officials has proposed a dramatic change in the way the church treats gays and lesbians. The group of Cardinals, known as a synod, suggested the church is capable of “valuing their sexual orientation, without compromising Catholic doctrine.”
The document was called a “pastoral eathquake” by John Thavis, a prominent journalist who covers the Vatican. It was produced by Pope Francis’s ongoing extraordinary synod on the family. That group previously polled Catholics about their opinions on issues including same-sex marriage, divorce, and contraception. The document produced by the synod, however, does not represent a formal change in church policy.
To read the full article make the jump here
Flower of the Day: 10/14/14
"Sanatana dharma
is the path to enlightenment, the way of the eternal religion, which
leaves us some inheritances. These act like footprints of love that
serve as a map, a guide to the path of the heart. All the names and
forms of the Divine I allude to refer to the higher self that inhabits
each one of us. They’re like frequencies of light. Just as white light
is composed of all the colors of the rainbow, the higher self consists
of many aspects that act as virtues or qualities of the Being. Such
virtues are emanations of the same Being. They are scents of the
fragrance of love."
Sri Prem Baba
Via Daily Dharma
Discovering Truth | October 14, 2014
Trees bend and birds are tossed high.
Lives are thrown onto new courses by the spiritual tide. In our ordinary
struggles with life and our interminable retreat into the
compulsiveness of ordinary being, if we can look honestly, we may
experience our religious sense as fully as in many high-flown writings.
Looking deeply at our foolishness, we discover truth.
- Caroline Brazier, "Discovering Truth"
Monday, October 13, 2014
Via Daily Dharma
Not What You Think | October 13, 2014
The early teachings deconstruct many
habitual ways of being and seeing. We think we’re permanent, but we’re
not. We think that by craving things we’ll find happiness, but we won’t.
One after another the Buddha challenges our established views, our ways
of constructing our version of the world, and takes them apart: you
think it’s one way but it’s not; you want an answer, but the problem is
your very wanting of an answer.
- Henry Shukman, “The Unfamiliar Familiar”
Flower of the Day: 10/13/14
"I
have called your attention to this cycle of time we are living in. I
have almost no words to express the characteristics of this period;
suffice it to say that it’s a very strange or different period. We are
entering the peak of Parivartan, the great planetary
transformation, so fasten your seatbelts, for we are entering
turbulence. Tightening one’s seatbelt means becoming steadfast in one’s sadhana,
one’s spiritual practice, because everything will shake. At the same
time, we are having wonderful opportunities to serve and to grow in all
aspects."
Sri Prem Baba
Via JMG: UPDATED: Wikipedia Marriage Map
Labels: Alaska, marriage, United States
Via JMG/ Comments:
Top 10 schadenfreude marriage equality states (so far):
1. Utah (LDS)
2. Virginia (Matt Barber, Liberty U., so many others)
3. Oklahoma (Sally Kern)
4. California (Frank Schubert, Randy Thomasson, many others, prop 8 voters)
5. Alaska (Palins)
6. Illinois (Peter LaBarbarian)
7. Massachusetts (MassResistance)
8. North Carolina (a whollllle lotta folks)
9. Hawaii (5000 speakers at the House hearings)
10. Colorado (James Dobson)
More to come, including Mississippi & Texas!
Via JMG/ Comments:
Top 10 schadenfreude marriage equality states (so far):
1. Utah (LDS)
2. Virginia (Matt Barber, Liberty U., so many others)
3. Oklahoma (Sally Kern)
4. California (Frank Schubert, Randy Thomasson, many others, prop 8 voters)
5. Alaska (Palins)
6. Illinois (Peter LaBarbarian)
7. Massachusetts (MassResistance)
8. North Carolina (a whollllle lotta folks)
9. Hawaii (5000 speakers at the House hearings)
10. Colorado (James Dobson)
More to come, including Mississippi & Texas!
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
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