Via Daily Dharma

Liberated Mind | April 9, 2015 One of the results of meditation practice is the transformation of self-preoccupation into inclusive, open, connected awareness. We can easily go from morning until night engrossed in worries: “What do they think of me? Does he like me? Am I winning?” This habitual state of disconnection leaves us feeling uncertain, afraid, and often exhausted. Practices of ethics, meditation, generosity, and service shift this anxious tendency toward broader engagement and eventually become, in and of themselves, the manifestations of a liberated mind. - Sharon Salzberg, "In the Spirit of Service" Read More →

Via Daily Dharma

The Gift | April 8, 2015 When someone gives you something precious it means that, beyond the usefulness of the gift, you are precious. The gift marks a moment when you are welcomed into the other person’s heart. - John Tarrant, "The Erotic Life of Emptiness" Read More →

Why am I so gay? | Thomas Lloyd | TEDxGeorgetown

Via JMG: Freedom From Religion Foundation Runs Full-Page Anti-RFRA Message In NYT

 

The above message ran in Sunday's New York Times.

Labels: atheism, Freedom From Religion Foundation, Indiana, LGBT rights, New York Times, religion, RFRA

Reposted from Joe Jervis

The Young Professionals - All Of It But Me ft. Anna F.

JMG HomoQuotable - Dan Savage

"Rand Paul is a different kind of Republican! Rand Paul has all sorts of new ideas! New ideas like, um, opposing same-sex marriage, backing the 'Life Begins at Conception Act' (which would make abortion illegal), and keeping marijuana illegal. Rand Paul also has a big new idea about climate change: it's not happening and Paul opposes efforts to regulate carbon emissions! Rand Paul wants to increase defense spending by $190 billion! He opposes Obama's nukes deal with Iran, and he fully backs the Supreme Court's Citizens United decision that allows unregulated and unlimited contributions to flow into campaigns! Rand Paul also supports the Supreme Court decision that gutted the Voting Rights Act! Paul opposes all gun control measures, has pledged to repeal Obamacare, and wants to use drones to police our border with Mexico and increase the number of deportations. Rand Paul isn't like all of those other Republicans who want to do all of the exact same things Rand Paul wants to do." - Dan Savage, writing for the Stranger.

Labels: 2016 elections, Dan Savage, GOP, marriage equality, Rand Paul, religion, Tea Party, teabaggers

Reposted from Joe Jervis

Obama Takes Jab at Critics in Prayer Breakfast

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!

Labels: Evan Wolfson, Freedom To Marry, General Mills

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.

Jon Stewart Weighs In On Indiana, Anti-LGBT Businesses

The Daily Show
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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."

Sesame Street: Game of Chairs (Game of Thrones Parody)

Via Daily Dharma

The Self as Process | April 7, 2015 The Buddha’s teaching is highly radical in its break with essentialist thinking, which usually conceives of the 'real' as that which does not change. The Buddha’s view was that absolutely everything was changing and therefore the self was not exempt. As a result, Buddhist thinking conceives of the self as process rather than as a fixed and immutable essence. - John Peacocke, "Investigating the Buddha's World" Read More →

Via Spirit Science

The Impact of Meeting Harvey Milk.

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."

Via Daily Dharma

How Clinging Works | April 5, 2015 The most important insight is to understand how clinging works—the nature of grasping and clinging in all its gross and subtle forms. All of Buddhism will open up for you if you understand the nature of clinging, what you cling to, and how to let go. - Gil Fronsdal, "Evaluate Your Meditation" Read More →

Via Wheneftalks: Dear American Christians

April 3, 2015

 

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 UCubed: