The above message ran in Sunday's New York Times.
Reposted from Joe Jervis
Labels: atheism, Freedom From Religion Foundation, Indiana, LGBT rights, New York Times, religion, RFRA
Tuesday, April 7, 2015
JMG HomoQuotable - Dan Savage
Labels: 2016 elections, Dan Savage, GOP, marriage equality, Rand Paul, religion, Tea Party, teabaggers
Via JMG & Freedom to Marry: General Mills Puts Freedom To Marry Head Evan Wolfson On The Wheaties Box
Freedom To Marry:
"Wheaties is 'the breakfast of champions' and General Mills, its parent
company, is a supporter of the freedom to marry. So, it's pretty cool
that they created a commemorative box featuring Freedom to Marry's
President Evan Wolfson." Uh oh, time for double boycott!
posted by Joe Jervis
Via Lama Surya Das / FB:
The Middle Way is the way of balance, sanity, inner strength, purity and restraint, steadfastness, and moderation.
Via Sri Prem Baba: Flor do Dia- Flor del Día- Flower of the day 07/04/2015
“Alguns acreditam que a meditação ocorre através de um esforço pessoal,
outros entendem a meditação como ausência de esforço. Existem
diferentes técnicas e propósitos. Quando uso a palavra meditação, me
refiro a um processo de absorção: o praticante é tomado pelo Divino. Ele
entra num estado onde se percebe como satchitananda - existência,
consciência e bem-aventurança - e se torna uma testemunha passiva. Ele
entra nesse estado quando sua mente está
completamente serena, assim como um lago calmo que reflete
perfeitamente a luz do sol. Somente uma mente serena pode refletir a
perfeição do Eu divino.”
“Algunos creen que la meditación se produce a través de un esfuerzo
personal, otros entienden la meditación como la ausencia de esfuerzo.
Existen diferentes técnicas y propósitos. Cuando uso la palabra
meditación, me refiero a un proceso de absorción: el practicante es
tomado por lo Divino. Entra en un estado donde se percibe como
satchitananda - existencia, consciencia y bienaventuranza - y se
convierte en un testigo pasivo. Él entra en este estado cuando su mente
está completamente serena, así como un lago calmo refleja perfectamente
la luz del sol. Solamente una mente serena puede reflejar la perfección
del Yo divino.”
"Some people believe that meditation occurs through a personal effort, others understand meditation as effortlessness. There are different techniques and purposes. When I use the word ‘meditation,’ I refer to a process of absorption: the practitioner is taken over by the Divine. She enters a state that is perceived as satchitananda, existence, consciousness and bliss, and becomes a passive witness. One enters this state when the mind is completely serene, like a calm lake perfectly reflecting the light of the sun. Only a quiet mind can reflect the perfection of the divine self."
"Some people believe that meditation occurs through a personal effort, others understand meditation as effortlessness. There are different techniques and purposes. When I use the word ‘meditation,’ I refer to a process of absorption: the practitioner is taken over by the Divine. She enters a state that is perceived as satchitananda, existence, consciousness and bliss, and becomes a passive witness. One enters this state when the mind is completely serene, like a calm lake perfectly reflecting the light of the sun. Only a quiet mind can reflect the perfection of the divine self."
Via Daily Dharma
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Sunday, April 5, 2015
Via Sri Prem Baba: Flor do Dia- Flor del Día- Flower of the day 05/04/2015
“O seva ou serviço desinteressado é um instrumento de purificação do
ego. Por isso, em algum momento nos deparamos com os desafios do
processo de purificação interior, e precisamos usar instrumentos que nos
ajudem nessa travessia. Tenho dito que a meta principal é despertar o
amor, e se relacionar sem machucar a si e aos outros. Porque se puder
amar e ser um canal de bênçãos, você estará avançando na iniciação
espiritual. Nesse caso, a libertação da
mente desejosa e a conquista da morte está próxima. Se você desperta
esse amor, você está no caminho, e tudo que precisa chegará por
acréscimo.”
“El seva o
servicio desinteresado es un instrumento de purificación del ego. Por
eso, en algún momento nos enfrentamos a los retos del proceso de
purificación interior, y necesitamos utilizar instrumentos que nos
ayuden en esta travesía. Vengo diciendo que la principal meta es
despertar el amor, y relacionarse sin herirse a uno mismo y a los otros.
Porque si puedes amar y ser un canal de bendiciones, estarás avanzando
en la iniciación espiritual. En ese caso, la liberación de la mente
deseosa y la conquista de la muerte están cerca. Si despiertas este
amor, estás en el camino, y todo lo que necesitas llegará por
añadidura.”
"Seva or selfless service is a tool for purifying the ego. At some point, we face the challenges of the process of inner purification, and we need to use tools that can help us in this journey. The main goal is to awaken love, and to relate to others without hurting them or ourselves. If we can love and become a channel of blessings, we will be advancing in our spiritual initiation. After taking this step, the release of our mind’s desires and the conquest of death are near. When we can awaken this love, we'll be on our way, and everything we need will come as a result."
"Seva or selfless service is a tool for purifying the ego. At some point, we face the challenges of the process of inner purification, and we need to use tools that can help us in this journey. The main goal is to awaken love, and to relate to others without hurting them or ourselves. If we can love and become a channel of blessings, we will be advancing in our spiritual initiation. After taking this step, the release of our mind’s desires and the conquest of death are near. When we can awaken this love, we'll be on our way, and everything we need will come as a result."
Via Daily Dharma
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Saturday, April 4, 2015
Via Wheneftalks: Dear American Christians
Dear American Christians,
You need to get a grip, and I am tired of speaking to you politely. You are not being persecuted by being required to serve all customers in your store. If you serve all people in your store, you are simply being American.
As a fellow Christian, I can assure you, your faith will not be compromised, and God will not be displeased with you, if you make a cake or a pizza for gay people.
What many of you do not seem to realize is that this move for the “religious freedom” laws is designed to appeal to your basest fears. These bills are designed to do one thing, and one thing only: to make you feel offended and afraid that your faith is at stake. But your faith is not at stake. And if you think it is, then your faith is far, far too weak.
I’m all worked up about this, because of analogies made by State Representative Matt Krause of Fort Worth. Rep. Krause is a sponsor of one of these so-called “religious freedom” bills in Texas.
Among other things, Rep Krause said the following:
“Should a Jewish bakery have to bake a cake for the neo-Nazi convention coming into town? Nobody would say that. Nor would anybody say a gay florist couple has to give flowers to a Westboro Baptist protest at funerals..”At a time when everyone understands these bills as a reaction to increasing LGBT rights, Krause’s hypotheticals are ludicrous and offensive. It’s ludicrous and offensive to analogize situations where LGBT persons are cast in the place of neo-Nazis or Westboro Baptist.
In fact, this last comparison is head-exploding, given the fact that Westboro is most known for vile protests against LGBT people. To offer hypothetical analogies that casts LGBT citizens in the role of the actual people who actually engage in vile protests against them is ludicrous and offensive, even in the abstract.
Krause, then, attempts hypothetical examples that are completely implausible in the real world to defend a bill that would then become real-world law. And if you’re reading Krause’s comments and thinking, “Well, that COULD happen…” Then you are a part of the problem.
No. It couldn’t. And the fact that you think it can points to the fact that you have fallen victim to the lie that American Christians are victims of widespread and systematic persecution.
A Christian Business owner today, serving the LGBT community, is not being persecuted for their faith, anymore than Southern Christian business owners were being persecuted when society called them to open their lunch counter.
Oh yeah. And there’s no “War on Christmas” either. (Or Easter).
We Christians are absolutely as free to exercise our faith as we ever have been. We can go to church without fear of being hunted down for doing that. We can pray with our families. Our churches can create clinics, and schools, and non-profits that serve God and the world. And nobody is going to impinge that right in any real way.
So, stop with the being offended. You have no right to be offended if an LGBT person walks into your place of business. Even if you haven’t come to terms with the fact that people can be gay and also be Christian(1), you’ve at least got to remember that Jesus said that little thing about the “wheat” and the “tares.”
I can’t speak for Muslim, Jewish, Atheist, or any other kind of shop-keeper. But I do know, as Christians it’s not our job to separate out from society. Jesus said that.
You want to know what persecution really is? It’s 147 Christians being shot in Kenya. That’s persecution.
Your so-called “offense” at being required to serve LGBT people is an insult to their sacrifice.
And on Good Friday, I will say as a minister of the Gospel that it’s an insult to Jesus’ sacrifice too.
Grow up. Get a life. Be a real Christian. And a real American.
Via Sri Prem Baba: Flor do Dia- Flor del Día- Flower of the day 04/04/2015
“Apesar dos relacionamentos serem o principal material de escola, o
caminho espiritual é solitário, e é preciso aprender a discernir com
quem você está podendo interagir. Porque chega um momento em que você
fica muito sensível e vulnerável às distorções energéticas que te
cercam. Porém, alguns encontros são inevitáveis, e é possível que eles
derrubem sua energia. Nesse caso, é bom se recolher e ficar quieto para
poder digerir o veneno. Esse é o
trabalho de um karma yogi. Por onde passa, ele puxa para si as
distorções energéticas, transmuta e limpa o ambiente.”
” A pesar de que las relaciones son el principal material de escuela,
el camino espiritual es solitario, y hay que aprender a discernir con
quien estas pudiendo interactuar. Porque llega un momento en que te
vuelves muy sensible y vulnerable a las distorsiones energéticas que te
rodean. Sin embargo, algunos encuentros son inevitables, y es posible
que ellos derrumben tu energía. En este caso, es bueno recogerse y
guardar silencio para poder digerir el veneno. Este es el trabajo de un
karmayogi. Donde quiera que vaya, él toma para sí mismo las distorsiones
energéticas, transmuta y limpia el ambiente.”
"Despite relationships being our main school material, the spiritual path is a solitary one, and we must learn to discern who we will interact with. There comes a time when we become very sensitive and vulnerable to the distortions of energy that surround us. However, some encounters are inevitable, and they might bring our energy down. If this happens, it’s good to keep to yourself and remain quiet in order to digest the ‘poison’. This is the work of a karma yogi. Wherever she goes, she pulls the energetic distortions towards herself, transmutes them, and cleanses the environment."
"Despite relationships being our main school material, the spiritual path is a solitary one, and we must learn to discern who we will interact with. There comes a time when we become very sensitive and vulnerable to the distortions of energy that surround us. However, some encounters are inevitable, and they might bring our energy down. If this happens, it’s good to keep to yourself and remain quiet in order to digest the ‘poison’. This is the work of a karma yogi. Wherever she goes, she pulls the energetic distortions towards herself, transmutes them, and cleanses the environment."
Via Daily Dharma
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