Tuesday, March 10, 2015
JMG REPORT: ISIS Beheads Gay Men In Iraq
Via News 24:
ISIS has publicly beheaded three men in northern Iraq, two of them for allegedly engaging in homosexual acts, according to photos shared by sympathisers on social media on Tuesday. The jihadist group, which controls swathes of Iraq and neighbouring Syria, has carried out hundreds of executions as it has imposed its brutal version of Islamic law, many of them photographed or videotaped. The latest images did not show the claimed beheadings and their authenticity could not be independently verified. A series of photographs shows the blindfolded men kneeling in the centre of what appears to be a traffic circle with a crowd of people looking on as a masked, black-clad executioner stands by with a long, rusty blade. Accompanying captions said the trio were then executed, the third of them for alleged blasphemy.Some reports say all three young men were accused of homosexuality, adding that two of them may have been a couple. However ISIS is known to accuse its enemies of being gay in order to "justify" their executions.
Via Sri Prem Baba: Flor do Dia- Flor del Día- Flower of the day 10/03/2015
“A mente é um veículo que precisa ser bem conduzido. Se um veículo não é
bem conduzido, inevitavelmente haverá acidentes. E o principal acidente
de uma mente mal conduzida são as repetições negativas. Durante algum
tempo, você segue acreditando que a vida pode ser diferente, mas quando
menos espera, o drama se repete. Então, aos poucos você se torna uma
pessoa sem esperança.”
“La mente es un vehículo que necesita ser bien conducido. Si un vehículo no es bien conducido, inevitablemente habrá accidentes. Y el principal accidente de una mente mal conducida son las repeticiones negativas. Durante algún tiempo, sigues creyendo que la vida puede ser diferente, pero cuando menos lo esperas el drama se repite. Entonces, de a poco, te vuelves una persona sin esperanza.”
“La mente es un vehículo que necesita ser bien conducido. Si un vehículo no es bien conducido, inevitablemente habrá accidentes. Y el principal accidente de una mente mal conducida son las repeticiones negativas. Durante algún tiempo, sigues creyendo que la vida puede ser diferente, pero cuando menos lo esperas el drama se repite. Entonces, de a poco, te vuelves una persona sin esperanza.”
“The mind is a vehicle that needs to be driven well. If we do not drive
a car properly, we will unavoidably have accidents. The main accident
resulting from a poorly driven mind is negative repetitions in our
lives. For a while, we continue to believe that life can be different,
but when we least expect it, the drama repeats itself. Then, little by
little, we begin to lose hope.”
Via Daily Dharma
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Monday, March 9, 2015
On the Path with Thay A longtime student reflects on 30 years with the Vietnamese master.
From the moment that I laid eyes on Thich Nhat Hanh (known to students as “Thay,” meaning “teacher” in Vietnamese), I was struck by how quietly impassioned he was. I will always remember how he began the talk: “Dear brothers and sisters—our appointment with life is only available in the present moment.” One had the sense that this gentle yet vehement monk was offering himself as a living example of a Buddha for us to scrutinize.
Read the full article here
Via Sri Prem Baba: Flor do Dia- Flor del Día- Flower of the day 09/03/2015
"Rezar para que todos os seres sejam felizes é algo realmente
significativo. Mas, até que você possa manifestar esse amor por todos os
seres (até que possa se tornar essa oração), será preciso aprender a
amar quem está perto de você; aquele a quem você está vinculado
emocionalmente. Para que possa em algum momento amar a grande família,
você precisará amar a sua pequena família. Às vezes os obstáculos para
amar a pequena família são tão grandes
que você primeiro tem um vislumbre do amor pela grande família – mas,
somente um vislumbre, pois não é possível sustentar essa abertura sem
ter purificado o núcleo do amor. E você só completa essa purificação
quando aprende determinadas lições que dizem respeito à pequena
família.”
“Rezar para que
todos sean felices es algo realmente significativo. Pero hasta que
puedas manifestar ese amor por todos los seres (hasta que puedas
volverte esa oración), será necesario aprender a amar a quien está cerca
tuyo, aquel con quien estás vinculado emocionalmente. Para que puedas
en algún momento amar a la gran familia, necesitarás amar a tu pequeña
familia. A veces los obstáculos para amar a la pequeña familia son tan
grandes que primero tienes un vislumbre del amor por la gran familia –
pero solamente un vislumbre, porque no es posible sustentar esa apertura
sin haber purificado el núcleo de amor. Y solo completas esa
purificación cuando aprendes determinadas lecciones que dicen respecto a
la pequeña familia.”
“Praying for all beings to be happy is a truly significant thing. For you to be able to manifest this love for all beings, and to become this prayer, you will first have to learn to love those near you who you are linked to emotionally. In order for you to love the big family, you have to love your small family. Sometimes, the obstacles to loving your immediate family are so great that you get a glimpse of love for the global family first – but only a glimpse, as it’s impossible to sustain this opening if you have not purified the nucleus of love first. You only complete this purification process when you learn certain lessons related to your direct family.”
“Praying for all beings to be happy is a truly significant thing. For you to be able to manifest this love for all beings, and to become this prayer, you will first have to learn to love those near you who you are linked to emotionally. In order for you to love the big family, you have to love your small family. Sometimes, the obstacles to loving your immediate family are so great that you get a glimpse of love for the global family first – but only a glimpse, as it’s impossible to sustain this opening if you have not purified the nucleus of love first. You only complete this purification process when you learn certain lessons related to your direct family.”
Via Daily Dharma
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Sunday, March 8, 2015
Via http://higherperspective:
1. Anitya – Impermanence.
We aren’t permanent. Nor is anything else in this world. Things change every day. Each day, our bodies are different, our environment is different – our whole universe is different!Celebrate the idea that our lives change every day. Accept this constantly moving existence. When you look at it through new eyes, it’s pretty exciting, isn’t it! Each new day brings new opportunities.
2. Dukkha – Life is suffering.
This one sounds kind of negative, doesn’t it? But it’s not just trying to tell you that life is tough and you need to buck up, but that attachment to people, things, and expectations is a cause of pain. Try not to buy into the idea that you’re a broken person. Expect that your body will decay over time and that strife will happen and you’ll be more resilient in the face of it.3. Anatma – Life is constantly changing.
Buddhism doesn’t assume that there is a fixed self, but rather, a constantly changing self. Our thoughts, names, jobs, titles, and even personalities identify us, but those things can change overtime. As Thich Nhat Hanh says, “Thanks to impermanence, anything is possible.”Instead of trying to find yourself, focus on creating yourself. Create the best possible self for this moment. Worry about the kind of self you need to be for tomorrow tomorrow. Focus on the you you want to be now.
Read more at http://higherperspective.com/2015/03/3-buddhist-teachings.html#crctShTPOmAMPzMI.99
Via JMG: President Obama Speaks At Selma, Gives Nod To Battle For LGBT Rights
Via the New York Times:
In an address at the scene of what became known as “Bloody Sunday,” Mr. Obama rejected the notion that race relations have not improved since then, despite the string of police shootings that have provoked demonstrations. “What happened in Ferguson may not be unique,” he said, “but it’s no longer endemic. It’s no longer sanctioned by law or custom, and before the civil rights movement, it most surely was.” But the president also rejected the notion that racism has been defeated. “We don’t need the Ferguson report to know that’s not true,” he said. “We just need to open our eyes and our ears and our hearts to know that this nation’s racial history still casts its long shadow upon us. We know the march is not yet over; we know the race is not yet won. We know reaching that blessed destination where we are judged by the content of our character requires admitting as much.”And of course he mentioned LGBT rights.
On the 50th anniversary of the march, Obama honored the protesters by saying, “Because of what they did, the doors of opportunity swung open not just for African-Americans, but for every American. Women marched through those doors. Latinos marched through those doors. Asian-Americans, gay Americans, and Americans with disabilities came through those doors. Their endeavors gave the entire South the chance to rise again, not by reasserting the past, but by transcending the past.”
He further noted, “We do a disservice to the cause of justice by intimating that bias and discrimination are immutable, or that racial division is inherent to America. If you think nothing’s changed in the past 50 years, ask somebody who lived through the Selma or Chicago or L.A. of the ’50s. Ask the female CEO who once might have been assigned to the secretarial pool if nothing’s changed. Ask your gay friend if it’s easier to be out and proud in America now than it was 30 years ago. To deny this progress — our progress — would be to rob us of our own agency; our responsibility to do what we can to make America better.”
President Obama Delivers Remarks on the 50th Anniversary of the Selma Marches
Labels: Alabama, American history, Barack Obama, civil rights, civil unrest, racism, Roy Moore, Selma
Via JMG: SCOTUSblog On The DOJ's Brief
Lyle Denniston writes at SCOTUSblog:
The brief was limited to defending same-sex marriage under an “equal protection” standard, leaving unmentioned the other constitutional argument that some challengers to state bans have made: that marriage is a fundamental right that cannot be closed to such couples, a “due process” argument.Hit the link for more analysis.
The government’s new filing, signed by U.S. Solicitor General Donald B. Verrilli, Jr., and other Justice Department officials and staff lawyers, sought to persuade the Court to embrace a constitutional test that this administration has been pressing for some time in gay rights cases.
It called for what is known as “heightened scrutiny” — the middle level of three ascending tests for judging claims that laws discriminate on the basis of a forbidden personal trait. The easiest standard to meet is “rational basis,” and the toughest is “strict scrutiny.”
Under the middle level, a law that is challenged as discriminatory can be upheld only if it serves an “important government objective” and its terms are “substantially related” to such a policy goal.
In a series of decisions in recent years that have added to gay rights, the Supreme Court has never specified an explicit standard for use in the field of sexual orientation. At times, it has seemed to adopt something like “rational basis-plus,” but it has never given a specific definition of the test or tests it has used.
Via JMG: Popular Street Names By State
From the Washington Post:
Reposted from Joe Jervis
For decades we have believed that the most popular name for a road was “2nd.” But by my analysis, that crown actually goes to “Park.” (Again, look to the methodology section for a discussion of this.) Out of over a million roads in the United States, 9,640 are named “Park.” Only 8,232 are named “2nd,” or “Second.” Still, both the Census and I agree that “2nd” is a more popular road name than “1st.” The most convincing explanation anyone has come up with so far is that in many towns the primary thoroughfare is “Main” street instead of “1st” street. Because those two names split the honor, so to speak, they tumble in the rankings. Trees, numbers, and presidents are the most popular names for streets, which is understandable.
Sri Prem Baba: Flor do Dia- Flor del Día- Flower of the day 08/03/2015
“Deus e Amor - essas são palavras que têm sido muito distorcidas ao
longo do tempo. Poucos são os que realmente conhecem seu significado.
Estou citando essas duas palavras porque entre elas existe uma sinergia -
elas são sinônimas. Mas, como falar de algo tão profundo? Posso tentar
fazer uso adequado das palavras para descrever o que é Deus, e o que é o
Amor, mas no máximo poderei criar um campo para você viver uma experiência.
Podemos tentar descrever o sabor de uma fruta e, dependendo da nossa
habilidade com as palavras, você poderá imaginar esse sabor, mas para
realmente conhecer o sabor da fruta você terá que saboreá-la.”
“Dios y Amor – esas son palabras que han sido muy distorsionadas a lo
largo del tiempo. Pocos son los que realmente conocen su significado.
Estoy citando estas dos palabras porque entre ellas existe una sinergia –
ellas son sinónimos. Pero ¿cómo hablar de algo tan profundo? Puedo
intentar hacer un uso adecuado de las palabras para describir lo que es
Dios, y lo que es el Amor, pero como máximo podré crear un campo para
que vivas una experiencia. Podemos intentar describir el sabor de una
fruta y dependiendo de nuestra habilidad con las palabras, podrás
imaginar ese sabor, pero para realmente conocer el sabor de la fruta
tendrás que saborearla.”
“God is love. These words have been distorted over time, and few people really know what they mean. I am mentioning these two words because a synergy exists between them; they are synonyms. But how can I speak about something that is so profound? I can try to make an appropriate use of words to describe what God and love are, but the best I can do is create a field for you to experience them in. We can try to describe what a fruit tastes like and, depending on how good we are with words, you could even imagine what it tastes like. But if you really want to know what the fruit tastes like, you have to try it for yourself.”
“God is love. These words have been distorted over time, and few people really know what they mean. I am mentioning these two words because a synergy exists between them; they are synonyms. But how can I speak about something that is so profound? I can try to make an appropriate use of words to describe what God and love are, but the best I can do is create a field for you to experience them in. We can try to describe what a fruit tastes like and, depending on how good we are with words, you could even imagine what it tastes like. But if you really want to know what the fruit tastes like, you have to try it for yourself.”
Via Daily Dharma
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Saturday, March 7, 2015
Via Sri Prem Baba: Flor do Dia - Flor del Día - Flower of the Day - 07/03/2015
“A preguiça é uma matriz psicológica que se relaciona a sentimentos
negados e congelados no corpo emocional. Esses sentimentos agem como uma
barreira que impede a circulação da energia. Com o tempo, esse bloqueio
do sistema energético começa a provocar somatizações, ou seja, começa a
provocar desequilíbrio até mesmo no corpo físico. A preguiça provoca
uma paralisia - ela impede a ação, que é nossa resposta aos estímulos da vida. E é a ação que possibilita o movimento e o desenvolvimento da consciência.”
“La pereza es una matriz psicológica que está relacionada a
sentimientos negados y congelados en el cuerpo emocional. Estos
sentimientos actúan como una barrera que impiden la circulación de la
energía. Con el tiempo, ese bloqueo del sistema energético comienza a
provocar somatizaciones, es decir, comienza a provocar desequilibrio
hasta mismo en el cuerpo físico. La pereza provoca una parálisis - ella
impide la acción, que es nuestra respuesta a los estímulos de la vida. Y
es la acción lo que posibilita el movimiento y el desarrollo de la
conciencia.”
“Laziness is a psychological matrix related to denied feelings that are frozen in the emotional body. These feelings act as a barrier that prevents our energy from circulating. Over time, these blockages in our energy systems begin to create somatizations. In other words, they eventually cause imbalances in the physical body. Laziness leads to paralysis, which prevents us from acting. Action is our response to the stimulus of life; it is what allows for movement and the development of consciousness.”
“Laziness is a psychological matrix related to denied feelings that are frozen in the emotional body. These feelings act as a barrier that prevents our energy from circulating. Over time, these blockages in our energy systems begin to create somatizations. In other words, they eventually cause imbalances in the physical body. Laziness leads to paralysis, which prevents us from acting. Action is our response to the stimulus of life; it is what allows for movement and the development of consciousness.”
Via Daily Dharma
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