Today's Daily Dharma: The State of Pure Awakening

Friday, May 22, 2015 Daily inspiration and practical advice

The State of Pure Awakening

Dismiss all the thoughts which bother your mind. Train yourself during many days, many months, many years, to retain this pure mind. One day, when your empty mind has become crystallized, suddenly it will be illumined by its own intrinsic wisdom. At that instant you will realize the state of pure awakening.  - Sokei-an, "Return to Your Original State!"

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Today in "I am so proud of you Steve!" this:

From my gay dad/mentor who is a Deacon in the Episcopal Cathedral of Sacramento, California:  

Greg Holden - "Boys in the Street" (Live at WFUV)

Via WGB: U.S.: Support For Marriage Equality Reaches All Time High

U.S.: Support For Marriage Equality Reaches All Time High

Now more than ever, those who fight the equal rights of same-sex couples are having a lot of trouble convincing the rest of the American population to side with bigotry.

A little over a month ahead of an expected decision from the Supreme Court on national marriage equality in the United States arrives a new poll from Gallup covering the issue. Support for full marriage equality has reached a whopping 60 percent, according to the just-released survey.

Though same-sex marriage continues to be politically divisive, support for its legal status has reached new highs among Americans of all political stripes -- with Democrats at 76% support, independents at 64% and Republicans at 37%. 

The party divide between Democrats and Republicans may hinge largely on the age groups that compose each party. Gallup has found that younger Americans are significantly more likely to lean Democratic, while older Americans skew Republican.  

 

Full story here on WGB!

Via Sri Prem Baba: Flor do Dia- Flor del Día- Flower of the day 21/05/2015

“Enquanto não renunciarmos os pactos de vingança em relação aos nossos pais, seguiremos destruindo a natureza, aos outros e a nós mesmos. Porque, enquanto não perdoamos, seguimos projetando esses pais em tudo que está ao nosso redor. Porque seguimos poluindo rios, devastando florestas, matando animais? Porque estamos tão distante da natureza? Se tivermos coragem de olhar para dentro e investigar, encontraremos esses pactos de vingança.”
Para ler o Satsang completo, acesse: bit.ly/1QYPXF2

“Mientras no renunciemos a los pactos de venganza en relación a nuestros padres, vamos a seguir destruyendo la naturaleza, a los demás y a nosotros mismos. Porque mientras no perdonamos, seguimos proyectando estos padres en todo lo que está a nuestro alrededor. ¿Por qué seguimos contaminando ríos, devastando bosques, matando animales? ¿Por qué estamos tan distantes de la naturaleza? Si tuviéramos el coraje de mirar hacia dentro e investigar, encontraríamos estos pactos de venganza.”

“Until we give up our pacts of revenge against our parents, we will continue to destroy nature, other people and ourselves. Until we are able to forgive, we will continue to project our parents onto everything around us. Why are we still polluting rivers, destroying forests and killing animals? Why are we so cut off from nature? If we are brave enough to look inside and investigate into this, we will discover that the source is our pacts of revenge.”

Today's Daily Dharma: Fearless Generosit.

Thursday, May 21, 2015 Daily inspiration and practical advice

Fearless Generosity

I see a fearless generosity in the flowers and trees, in the way birds sing out at dawn, in the steady drumming of the rain. As I grew older and found I had things to protect, I forgot. I completely forgot that I had always had enough in the first place. Now I am trying to learn this once again?total abundance, nothing begrudged.  - Sallie Tisdale, "As If There Is Nothing to Lose"

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A Four-page Letter from the Universal House of Justice on the Subject of Homosexuality

A four-page letter from the Universal House of Justice on the subject of homosexuality has recently been receiving wide circulation via the Internet and through personal email lists, and we are increasingly being asked to comment on its authenticity.

The enclosure referred to in the letter, a letter from the Universal House of Justice to an individual believer dated May 9, 2014, can be accessed using the following hyperlink:

May 9, 2014 from the Universal House of Justice to an individual believer: https://app.box.com/s/g8mghbjmii8vabu1mlt9bmaom45lkzdt

The two enclosures to the May 9 letter, dated April 19 and April 23, have been available on the member services website for some time, but hyperlinks to those letters are also provided here for the friends’ ease of reference:

April 19, 2013 from the Universal House of Justice to individual believers: https://app.box.com/s/7o5p64siz6zw9qw9cckrspp00iumgigj

April 23, 2013 from the Universal House of Justice to a National Spiritual Assembly: https://app.box.com/s/w6hrimjehc5n6u6w12h87wz9rfejshs1

 

Today in "I love my people":

https://www.facebook.com/dsj.austin/videos/10152943421489372/

Via Sri Prem Baba: Flor do Dia- Flor del Día- Flower of the day 20/05/2015

“Como você está em relação a sua mãe e ao seu pai? Muitos buscam soluções mágicas enquanto a resposta está bem diante de seus olhos. Isso é o resultado de um fenômeno chamado ‘normose’, uma profunda indiferença alimentada por um falso sentimento de que tudo está bem, tudo está normal. Quando tomado pela normose, você não consegue fazer relação de causa e efeito para compreender o porquê de certos problemas na sua vida. É como uma anestesia que você usa para não sentir. Você pode achar que está tudo “normal”, mas se existe repetição negativa, é sinal de que há mágoas, ressentimentos e pactos de vingança guardados no seu sistema”.

Para ler o Satsang completo, acesse: bit.ly/1QYPXF2

“¿Cómo estás en relación a tu madre y a tu padre? Muchos buscan soluciones mágicas mientras la respuesta está justo delante de sus ojos. Este es el resultado de un fenómeno llamado 'normosis' una profunda indiferencia alimentada por un falso sentimiento de que todo está bien, todo está normal. Cuando eres tomado por la normosis (normalidad patológica), no puedes hacer relación de causa y efecto para comprender el porqué de ciertos problemas en tu vida. Es como una anestesia que utilizas para no sentir. Puede creer que todo está "normal", pero si existe repetición negativa, es señal de que hay heridas, resentimientos y pactos de venganza guardados en tu sistema”.

“How do you relate to your mother and father? Many people seek magical solutions when the answer is right in front of them. This is the result of a phenomenon called ‘normosis,’ a pathological state of normality, in which a profound indifference feeds off the false feeling that everything is well and normal. When overcome with normosis, we are unable to make the link between cause and effect in order to understand the reason behind certain problems in our lives. This normosis acts like an anesthetic that we use so as not to feel. We may think that everything is ‘normal,’ but if there is a negative repetition in our lives, it’s a sign that there are hurt feelings, resentments and pacts of revenge lodged in our systems.”

Today's Daily Dharma: Don't Get Stuck in Neutral

Wednesday, May 20, 2015 Daily inspiration and practical advice

Don't Get Stuck in Neutral

As long as we make no effort to transform the mind, we cannot escape the ordinary state of grasping tightly at mental objects—dualistically, emotionally, and sensorily. A merely neutral state in which concepts are temporarily suspended won’t help us progress. 

- Tulku Thondup, "Don't Get Stuck in Neutral"

Via FB:

Via Equality House / FB:

Tracy Chapman: "Stand By Me" - David Letterman

Via JMG: US Rep. Ted Lieu To Introduce Bill To Ban "Ex-Gay" Torture As Fraudulent Practice

Chris Geidner reports at Buzzfeed:

On Tuesday morning, Democratic Rep. Ted Lieu of California will introduce a federal bill to ban commercial efforts to change people’s sexual orientation or gender identity — often called conversion therapy. “The public views conversion therapy as quackery, as something that harms people,” Lieu told BuzzFeed News on Monday afternoon, just after landing back in D.C. from California. “Eventually, I believe Congress will catch up to that, but you do need to start somewhere, so that’s why we’re introducing this legislation.” He faces an uphill battle: The legislation, which would label conversion therapy an “unfair or deceptive act or practice” that would be illegal under the Federal Trade Commission Act, is being introduced with less than three dozen co-sponsors — all of whom are Democrats. Lieu does, however, have a powerful ally in his effort. Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi has signed on as an original co-sponsor of the bill.

While a state Senator in California, Lieu was behind his state's successful ban on the "ex-gay" torture of those under age 18. His federal bill, however, would not limit the ban to minors. Lieu tells Buzzfeed, "Fraud is fraud, whether you practice it on a 16-year-old or a 45-year-old." The SPLC is currently suing an "ex-gay" group in New Jersey on the same grounds.

 

Labels: brainwashing, Democrats, ex-gay, feds, FTC, LGBT youth, religion, Ted Lieu, torture, U.S. House

Reposted from Joe Jervis   46 Comments

Be My Yes #2

Via Sri Prem Baba: Flor do Dia- Flor del Día- Flower of the day 19/05/2015

“Ninguém quer estar no inferno sozinho. A pessoa que está perdida sempre quer levar com ela alguém que já se encontrou e que está bem. Se você está em busca de um caminho, tudo bem, esse é o seu momento. O problema é você convidar o outro pra ir com você. Assim você gera um karma para si e para o outro. Então, antes de fazer o convite, veja se você sabe mesmo para onde está indo. E se você é quem recebe o convite e dá ouvidos a ele, talvez você ainda esteja precisando sofrer mais um pouco. Sofrimento se alimenta de sofrimento. Essa é uma estratégia da natureza inferior para continuar existindo.”
Para ler o satsango completo, acesse: http://bit.ly/1QYPXF2

“Nadie quiere estar en el infierno solo. La persona que está perdida siempre quiere llevarse con ella a alguien que ya se encontró y que está bien. Si estás en búsqueda de un camino, todo bien, este es tu momento. El problema es que invites al otro a ir contigo. Así generas un karma para ti y para el otro. Entonces, antes de hacer la invitación, fíjate si realmente sabes a dónde estás yendo. Y si eres tú quien recibe la invitación y le das oídos a ella, tal vez todavía estés necesitando sufrir un poco más. El Sufrimiento se alimenta del sufrimiento. Esta es una estrategia de la naturaleza inferior para continuar existiendo.”

“No-one wants to be in hell alone. A person who is lost always wants to take someone down with them who has already found him or herself and is doing well. If one is searching for a path, that’s fine. This is one’s time to do so. The problem arises when we invite someone else to come along with us, because then we generate karma for ourselves and for the other. So, before we issue an invitation, we must think about whether we actually know where we are going. If we are the ones receiving an invitation and we give it our attention, perhaps we still need to suffer a little more. Suffering feeds off of suffering. This is one strategy the lower self uses to continue existing.”

Today's Daily Dharma: "Get-What-You-Want" Buddhism

Tuesday, May 19, 2015 Daily inspiration and practical advice

"Get-What-You-Want" Buddhism

Some of us already have the material basics; some of us do not. All of us want a respite from suffering. And the thirst for nirvana is no less a desire than is the hope for a better job or the wish that one's grandchildren will carry on the family's Buddhist traditions. We all practice get-what-you-want Buddhism; we just want different things.

- Jan Nattier, "Visible & Invisible"

Texas vs. Supreme Court: May 18 MNW

Via JMG: RBG Emphasizes The Word "Constitution" As She Officiates Third Gay Wedding

 

Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg coyly poked the haters this weekend as she officiated her third same-sex wedding. Via the New York Times:

Wearing her black robe with her signature white lace collar, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg presided over the marriage on Sunday afternoon of Michael Kahn, the longtime artistic director of the Shakespeare Theater Company in Washington, and Charles Mitchem, who works at an architecture firm in New York.

The gilded setting was elegant: Anderson House in the Embassy Row neighborhood, the headquarters in Washington of the Society of the Cincinnati, a club for the descendants of the French and American soldiers who fought in the Revolutionary War. During the ceremony, the couple slipped black and gold Harry Winston rings onto each other’s fingers.
But the most glittering moment for the crowd came during the ceremony. With a sly look and special emphasis on the word “Constitution,” Justice Ginsburg said that she was pronouncing the two men married by the powers vested in her by the Constitution of the United States. No one was sure if she was emphasizing her own beliefs or giving a hint to the outcome of the case the Supreme Court is considering whether to decide if same-sex marriage is constitutional. But the guests began applauding loudly, delighted either way.

I guess it's too late for the wingnuts to demand that she double-extra recuse. (Tipped by JMG reader Ed)

Labels: gay weddings, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, SCOTUS

Reposted from Joe Jervis