May 18, 2015
To all Local Spiritual Assemblies
and registered Bahá'í groups
Dearest Bahá'í Friends,
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 letter—dated May 9, 2014,
to an individual believer in response to a personal inquiry—was indeed
issued by the Supreme Body through its Department of the Secretariat. We
enclose it here for your reference.
We hope that you will find this letter helpful to your work and in strengthening the friends’ understanding.
With loving Bahá'í greetings,
Kenneth E. Bowers
Secretary
National Spiritual Assembly
of the Bahá’ís of the United States
Enclosure
-------------------------------------------------------
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
Should you encounter any difficulty accessing the files, please contact
Bahai_National_Center@usbnc.org for assistance. These letters are also
provided, per usual, in the Guidance Library of our member services
website, http://american.bahai.us/,
under the 2015 communications of the Universal House of Justice. This
email is being sent only to Local Spiritual Assembly secretaries and
group correspondents.
With loving Bahá'í greetings,
Office of the Secretary
National Spiritual Assembly
of the Bahá’ís of the United States
Monday, June 1, 2015
Via WGB: PROFILES IN PRIDE :: June 1st - Aaron Copland
Classical composer/Conductor
(1900 –1990)
With a distinctive ability to blend classical, folk, and jazz styles into his music, Aaron Copland broke away from “European” sensibilities to become one of the most vibrant composers of the 20thCentury. Premiering his first symphony at the age of 24, he went on to earn countless awards and accolades, including the Pulitzer Prize for Appalachian Spring; an Academy Award for his film score to “The Heiress;” and the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Among his other well know works are El Salon Mexico, A Lincoln Portrait, Rodeo, and Fanfare for the Common Man.
. "If it's in the music, it's in the man."
-- Aaron Copland
Via JMG: Maytag Celebrates Pride Month
Memo to Brian Brown: Maytag was acquired by Whirlpool Corporation in
2006. The largest home appliance maker in the world, Whirlpool is
currently ranked at #154 on the Fortune 500 and has annual sales of $20
billion. Other Whirlpool brands include Amana, KitchenAid, and Jenn-Air.
Reposted from Joe Jervis
Sri Prem Baba: Flor do Dia- Flor del Día- Flower of the day 01/06/2015
“Estamos atravessando tempos difíceis. O sofrimento e a crueldade do
mundo estão por toda parte e é inevitavelmente que você sinta isso
passando por você. Em tempos como esse é preciso aprender a transmutar
essas energias no seu próprio aparelho, no seu corpo, caso contrário
você se desespera. É como se houvesse uma nuvem negra encobrindo sua
visão e gerando medo. Você se sente muito solitário. E por mais que
existam hierarquias espirituais te dando proteção e apoio, essa nuvem impede que você perceba essa conexão.”
“Estamos atravesando tiempos difíciles. El sufrimiento y la crueldad
del mundo están en todas partes y es inevitable que sientas eso pasando a
través de ti. En tiempos como este, es necesario aprender a transmutar
estas energías en tu propio aparato, en tu cuerpo, de lo contrario te
desesperas. Es como si hubiese una nube negra cubriendo tu visión y
generando miedo. Te sientes muy solo. Y por más que existan jerarquías
espirituales dándote protección y apoyo, esta nube impide que percibas
esa conexión”
“We are experiencing difficult times on Earth. Suffering and cruelty are all around us in the world, and it is inevitable that we will feel this passing through us. At times like this we need to learn how to transform these energies within ourselves through our bodies, otherwise we will enter into despair. It’s as though a black cloud is blocking our vision and generating fear. We feel very alone, and even though spiritual hierarchies really are protecting and supporting us, this cloud prevents us from perceiving this connection.”
“We are experiencing difficult times on Earth. Suffering and cruelty are all around us in the world, and it is inevitable that we will feel this passing through us. At times like this we need to learn how to transform these energies within ourselves through our bodies, otherwise we will enter into despair. It’s as though a black cloud is blocking our vision and generating fear. We feel very alone, and even though spiritual hierarchies really are protecting and supporting us, this cloud prevents us from perceiving this connection.”
Today's Daily Dharma: A Voice from the Outside
A Voice from the Outside
The
recluse appears to be useless. He?s off in the middle of nowhere, doing
nothing. And yet what he?s able to see because of his doing nothing is
important for everyone. It would be nice if the shakers and the movers
were able to see what the recluse sees, now and then.
- David Budbill, "A Voice from the Outside"
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Sunday, May 31, 2015
Via Washington Post: If I understand the history correctly…
"If I understand the history correctly, in the late 1990s, the President
was impeached for lying about a sexual affair by a House of
Representatives led by a man who was also then hiding a sexual affair,
who was supposed to be replaced by another Congressman who stepped down
when forced to reveal that he too was having a sexual affair, which led
to the election of a new Speaker of the House who now has been indicted
for lying about payments covering up his sexual contact with a boy. "
Make the jump here to read the full article
Make the jump here to read the full article
Sri Prem Baba: Flor do Dia- Flor del Día- Flower of the day 31/05/2015
“Espiritualidade é poder manifestar a consciência amorosa em qualquer
situação ou lugar. Não é mais tempo de fugir para as cavernas ou para as
montanhas e ficar meditando sozinho. Isso é injusto com a sociedade que
trabalha tanto. Se você pode, de alguma maneira ser canal da luz, é
preciso compartilhar com os outros.”
Para ler o Satsang completo, acesse: bit.ly/1C7lIW2
“Espiritualidad es podes manifestar la consciencia amorosa en cualquier
situación o lugar. Ya no es tiempo de huir a las cavernas o a las
montañas y quedarse meditando solo. Esto es injusto con la sociedad que
trabaja tanto. Si puedes de alguna manera ser canal de la luz, es
necesario compartirla con los otros.”
“Spirituality is being able to bring loving awareness into any situation or place. It’s no longer the time to retreat to caves or to the mountains and to meditate alone. This is unfair in a society that works so hard. If in some way you can be a channel of light, you must share this with others.”
“Spirituality is being able to bring loving awareness into any situation or place. It’s no longer the time to retreat to caves or to the mountains and to meditate alone. This is unfair in a society that works so hard. If in some way you can be a channel of light, you must share this with others.”
Today's Daily Dharma: Salvation Beyond Self.
Salvation Beyond Self
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Each deepening of refuge is a lessening of ego. More faith, less ego. Thus Buddhism finds salvation beyond self.
- David Brazier, "It Needs Saying" |
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Saturday, May 30, 2015
JMG REPORT: Pentagon Set To Add Sexual Orientation As A Protected Class
Via the Washington Blade:
Reposted from Joe Jervis
The Pentagon is preparing to update its Military Equal Opportunity Policy to include sexual orientation as a protected class and the change could be made final as soon as the end of next month, the Washington Blade has learned. A senior defense official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, confirmed late Friday the Defense Department is planning to update the Military Equal Opportunity Policy to add the words “sexual orientation” as part of the non-discrimination policy.
The proposed change is set to be delivered as early as the middle of next week to Defense Secretary Ashton Carter for his review and final approval, the official said. Each of the military services has already agreed to the change, the official said. The planned change follows an internal review at the Pentagon of the Military Equal Opportunity Policy, which the official said lasted about 12 months. Efforts to include sexual orientation in the revision were languishing, but were re-energized after the appointment in April of Brad Carson as under secretary of defense for personnel and readiness, the official said.
The Military Equal Opportunity Policy identifies classes of service members that should be protected from discrimination to allow them to rise to highest level or responsibility possible. As it stands, the Military Equal Opportunity Policy includes race, color, religion, age, physical or mental disability, sex and national origin. However, service members as of right now have no recourse for anti-gay discrimination outside of their chain of command.
Via Sri Prem Baba: Flor do Dia- Flor del Día- Flower of the day 30/05/2015
“Porque tratamos a natureza como um objeto a ser comercializado? Porque
não podemos ver o espirito divino que está na árvore, no rio, no
animal? Essa indiferença é um mecanismo de defesa que nos mantém
distante da dor – a dor de não ter sido amado. Quando criança, seus pais
fizeram algo diferente do que você esperava, e você compreendeu isso
como desamor. E até pode ser que eles realmente não tenham te amado. Mas
o problema é que, até hoje, você está preso nisso. Você não quer perdoar, e por isso segue destruindo tudo ao seu redor.”
Para ler o Satsang completo, acesse: bit.ly/1QYPXF2
Para ler o Satsang completo, acesse: bit.ly/1QYPXF2
“¿Por qué tratamos a la naturaleza como un objeto para ser
comercializado? ¿Por qué no podemos ver el espíritu divino que está en
el árbol, en el río, en el animal? Esta indiferencia es un mecanismo de
defensa que nos mantiene distantes del dolor – el dolor de no haber sido
amado. Cuando niño, tus padres hicieron algo diferente de lo que
esperabas, y comprendiste esto como desamor. Y hasta puede ser que ellos
realmente no te hayan amado. Pero el problema es que, hasta hoy, estás
preso en eso. No quieres perdonar, y por eso sigues destruyendo todo a
tu alrededor.”
“Why do we treat nature like an object to be commercialized? Why can’t we see the Divine Spirit in trees, rivers and animals? This indifference is a defense mechanism that we use to keep pain at a distance: the pain of not having been loved. As a child, our parents did something different from what we had expected, and we understood this to mean that they did not love us. Maybe they didn’t actually love us, but the problem is that until today we still remain trapped in these thoughts. We don’t want to forgive them, which is why we continue to destroy everything around us.”
“Why do we treat nature like an object to be commercialized? Why can’t we see the Divine Spirit in trees, rivers and animals? This indifference is a defense mechanism that we use to keep pain at a distance: the pain of not having been loved. As a child, our parents did something different from what we had expected, and we understood this to mean that they did not love us. Maybe they didn’t actually love us, but the problem is that until today we still remain trapped in these thoughts. We don’t want to forgive them, which is why we continue to destroy everything around us.”
Today's Daily Dharma: Searching for Ego
Photo: Bill Armstrong
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Searching for Ego
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If we carefully analyze our body and mind, we will never find in them anything that corresponds to the ego?ego really is an illusion. Being selfish, then, is merely enacting an illusion, not being what we truly are, which is awakened, a buddha. - Karma Trinlay Rinpoche, "What We've Been All Along" |
Friday, May 29, 2015
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