Monday, June 15, 2015
Today's Daily Dharma: It Starts with Humility
Image: Elegy 2011 by Cara Barer
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It Starts with Humility
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Humility
is . . . the ground zero of spirituality, from which other helpful
conditions may arise, such as gratitude and compassion.
- Henry Shukman, "The Art of Being Wrong" |
Via Sri Prem Baba: Flor do Dia- Flor del Día- Flower of the day 15/06/2015
“A verdadeira felicidade é aquela que vem de dentro, pois ela
possibilita a experiência da liberdade. Uma coisa é você estar com o
outro por amor, porque é bom estar próximo, porque existe uma sinergia,
uma afinidade, e a energia cresce nesse encontro; e outra coisa bem
diferente é acreditar que depende do outro para ser feliz.”
“La verdadera felicidad es aquella que viene de adentro, porque ésta posibilita la experiencia de la libertad. Una cosa es que estés con otro por amor, porque es bueno estar cerca, porque existe una sinergia, una afinidad, y la energía crece en ese encuentro; y otra cosa bien diferente es creer que dependes del otro para ser feliz.”
“La verdadera felicidad es aquella que viene de adentro, porque ésta posibilita la experiencia de la libertad. Una cosa es que estés con otro por amor, porque es bueno estar cerca, porque existe una sinergia, una afinidad, y la energía crece en ese encuentro; y otra cosa bien diferente es creer que dependes del otro para ser feliz.”
“True happiness comes from within, and allows you to experience
freedom. You may be with someone out of love because it’s good to be
close to them, and there is a synergy. The energy of this affinity grows
with every encounter. That is the complete opposite of believing that
your happiness is dependent on this person.”
Friday, June 12, 2015
Today's Daily Dharma: Free of Fear
Image: Stephen Webster/Photonica
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Free of Fear
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Being
free of fear is not a matter of never feeling it, but of not being
flattened when we do. We can feel it and know it is a natural
phenomenon, also an impermanent one, which will have its say and be
gone.
- David Guy, "Trying to Speak: A Personal History of Stage Fright" |
Thursday, June 11, 2015
Via JMG: WaPo 2016 Net Favorability Poll
Of all the declared and potential 2016 candidates in the Washington Post's net favorability poll, only Sen. Bernie Sanders is (barely) in positive territory.
The real-world surveys show that the overwhelming majority of presidential candidates are running negative favorability scores. Quinnipiac has Bernie Sanders at +1 overall, although that's partly because 62 percent of Americans say they haven't heard enough about him to form an opinion. The closest Republican is Marco Rubio — the same number of Americans say they view him positively as those who view him negatively, meaning his score nets out to exactly zero. Clinton and Obama are tied at -4. And it's all downhill from there, all the way down to Donald Trump. Only 15 percent of Americans view him favorably, compared to 71 percent who have a negative opinion. That gives him a net favorability of -56, more than twice as bad as the next-lowest candidate, Chris Christie, with his -26 score.(Tipped by JMG reader Daddy Ray)
Via JMG: Hate Groups Publish Full-Page Message To SCOTUS In The Washington Post: We Won't Honor Your Ruling On Marriage
A coalition of hate groups and Christian pastors calling themselves Defend Marriage has published a full-page message to SCOTUS in the Washington Post.
Among the signers at the bottom of the ad are Mat Staver, Elaine
Donnelly, the Benham brothers, Alveda King, Jim Garlow, John Hagee, E.W.
Jackson, Don Wildmon, Dave Welch, Robert Jeffress, and Penny Nance.
From the text:
Reposted from Joe Jervis
We affirm that any judicial opinion which purports to redefine marriage will constitute an unjust law, as Martin Luther King Jr. described such laws in his letter from the Birmingham Jail. We are Christians who love America and who respect the legitimate rule of law. However, we will not honor any decision by the Supreme Court which will force us to violate a clear biblical understanding of marriage as solely the union of one man and one woman. We affirm that Marriage, as existing solely between one man and one woman, precedes civil government. Though affirmed, fulfilled, and elevated by faith, the truth that marriage can exist only between one man and one woman is not based solely on religion but on the Natural Law, written on the human heart.Bolding is theirs. (Tipped by JMG reader Jim)
Labels: AFA, Alveda King, Christianists, crackpots, David Benham, Donald WIldmon, E.W. Jackson, FRC, hate groups, John Hagee, Josh Duggar, Liberty Counsel, marriage equality, Mat Staver, Penny Nance, religion, SCOTUS, WaPo
Via JMG: LIST: America's Most Well-Read Cities
Amazon.com today announced its fifth annual list of the Most Well-Read Cities in America – just in time for summer reading season. The ranking was determined by compiling sales data of all book, magazine and newspaper sales in both print and Kindle format from April 2014 to April 2015, on a per capita basis in cities with more than 500,000 residents. Seattle, Wash., the home of Amazon headquarters, not only purchased the most books overall but also purchased the most Kindle books, magazines, and newspapers. Washington, D.C. residents, ranked #5 overall on the list, prefer the print book, outranking Seattle as the city with the most purchases of print books. California is for readers with three cities making the top 20 list this year: San Francisco, San Diego, and San Jose.The most-purchased book in seven of the above cities was Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn.
Via JMG: POLL: 65% Expect Supreme Court To Rule In Favor Of Same-Sex Marriage
Via the Associated Press:
Reposted from Joe Jervis
Nearly two-thirds of Americans expect the Supreme Court to legalize same-sex marriage nationwide when it rules on the issue within the next few weeks, according to a new poll. Only 25 percent expect the high court to leave existing state bans on gay marriage intact, while 65 percent expect the bans to be overturned, according to the poll conducted by the nonpartisan Public Religion Research Institute. Its nationwide survey of 1,009 adults was conducted from June 3 to June 7. Mirroring the findings of several other recent national polls, the new survey found 55 percent of Americans in favor of allowing gay and lesbian couples to marry legally, and 37 percent opposed.See more about the poll here.
The survey found sharp divisions over same-sex marriage along religious lines. Majorities of religiously unaffiliated Americans (79 percent), white mainline Protestants (60 percent) and Catholics (58 percent) favor allowing gay and lesbian couples to marry. But gay marriage was supported by only 29 percent of white evangelical Protestants and 35 percent of nonwhite Protestants. The survey also asked about perceptions of discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. Three-quarters of Democrats, 61 percent of independents and 50 percent of Republicans said there is a lot of discrimination against transgender people.
Via JMG: Australian Headline Of The Day
From an Australian version of The Onion:
"In response to threats from a Canberra couple to divorce were equal
marriage laws to pass, a local couple in a committed same-sex
relationship have in turn threatened to absolutely not give the
slightest shit were that to happen. Local couple Brett and Harry have
said that while they are not heterophobic and do their best to be open
to all different kinds of views if this divorce does go ahead they will
have no choice but to go on with their lives completely unaffected by
such a dumb stunt." (Tipped by JMG reader John)
RELATED: See my post about the Canberra couple.
Reposted from Joe Jervis
RELATED: See my post about the Canberra couple.
Via Sri Prem Baba: Flor do Dia- Flor del Día- Flower of the day 11/06/2015
“A vontade é talvez o maior poder da alma. E esse poder é desenvolvido
através da persistência e da disciplina. Por isso sempre incentivo a
prática da austeridade inteligente, aquela que nasce da compreensão.
Quando você faz a relação de causa e efeito e compreende a origem de
determinados hábitos negativos que sabotam sua felicidade, você tem
condições de reverter essa situação através dessa prática. Então,
reflita sobre qual seria a austeridade
que te ajudaria a fortalecer a vontade? Qual seria a prática que te
ajudaria nesse momento da sua jornada?”
“La voluntad es tal vez el mayor poder del alma. Y este poder es
desarrollado a través de la persistencia y de la disciplina. Por eso
siempre incentivo la práctica de la austeridad inteligente, aquella que
nace de la comprensión. Cuando haces la relación de causa y efecto y
comprendes el origen de determinados hábitos negativos que sabotean tu
felicidad, tienes condiciones de revertir esa situación a través de esta
práctica. Entonces reflexiona sobre ¿cuál sería la austeridad que te
ayudaría a fortalecer la voluntad? ¿Cuál sería la práctica que te
ayudaría en este momento del camino?”
“The will is perhaps the greatest power of the soul. This power is developed through the persistence of discipline. This is why I always encourage you to practice an intelligent austerity, one that is born out of comprehension. When you make the link between cause and effect and can understand the origin of certain negative habits that sabotage your happiness, you have the potential to revert the situation through this practice of an intelligent austerity. Take a moment to reflect on what kind of austerity would help you to strengthen your willpower. Which particular practice would help you most at this point of your journey?”
“The will is perhaps the greatest power of the soul. This power is developed through the persistence of discipline. This is why I always encourage you to practice an intelligent austerity, one that is born out of comprehension. When you make the link between cause and effect and can understand the origin of certain negative habits that sabotage your happiness, you have the potential to revert the situation through this practice of an intelligent austerity. Take a moment to reflect on what kind of austerity would help you to strengthen your willpower. Which particular practice would help you most at this point of your journey?”
Today's Daily Dharma: Replacing Addiction with Compassion
Image: Courtesy Don Farber
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Replacing Addiction with Compassion
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The
real purpose of Buddhist practice is to cut down your addictions and to
correct your habitual patterns and this can be achieved as a layperson
or as a monk or nun. That brings us to the question of Buddhist
ethics?changing habitual patterns and getting rid of the old addictions,
such as attachments, and replacing them with love, compassion,
generosity, and patience.
- Gelek Rinpoche, "A Lama for All Seasons" |
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Wednesday, June 10, 2015
Via FB: Jesus Cures Homophobia!
Na
Parada LGBT da maior cidade brasileira, evangélicos se unem para
mostrar que a intolerância não pode ter lugar na nossa sociedade.
#JesusCuraaHomofobia #MaisAmor #ParadaLGBTdeSP
#JesusCuraaHomofobia #MaisAmor #ParadaLGBTdeSP
Via Sri Prem Baba: Flor do Dia- Flor del Día- Flower of the day 10/06/2015
“As técnicas e práticas espirituais estão a serviço de propiciar
serenidade mental. Mas uma coisa é a técnica meditativa, outra coisa é a
meditação. Qualquer um pode praticar técnicas, mas nem todos podem
entrar em estado de meditação. Esse é um fenômeno que não se domina,
pois não está sob a jurisdição do ego. A técnica é uma escolha do ego
consciente, mas o fenômeno de ser arrebatado pelo Divino está além dele.
Você pode plantar sementes, mas não pode determinar quando elas brotarão.”
“Las técnicas y prácticas espirituales están al servicio de propiciar
serenidad mental. Pero una cosa es la técnica meditativa, y otra cosa es
la meditación. Cualquiera puede practicar técnicas, pero no todos
pueden entrar en estado de meditación. Este es un fenómeno que no se
domina, porque no está bajo la jurisdicción del ego. La técnica es una
elección del ego consciente, pero el fenómeno de ser arrebatado por lo
Divino está más allá de él. Puedes plantar semillas, pero no puedes
determinar cuando ellas brotarán.”
“Spiritual techniques and practices serve to make mental serenity possible. A meditative technique is different from meditation itself. Anyone can practice techniques, but not everyone can enter a state of meditation. This is a phenomenon that cannot be controlled, because it’s not under the jurisdiction of the ego. The technique is chosen by the conscious ego, but the phenomenon of being overtaken by the Divine happens beyond the ego. You can plant the seeds, but you cannot determine when they will sprout.”
“Spiritual techniques and practices serve to make mental serenity possible. A meditative technique is different from meditation itself. Anyone can practice techniques, but not everyone can enter a state of meditation. This is a phenomenon that cannot be controlled, because it’s not under the jurisdiction of the ego. The technique is chosen by the conscious ego, but the phenomenon of being overtaken by the Divine happens beyond the ego. You can plant the seeds, but you cannot determine when they will sprout.”
Today's Daily Dharma: Mindfulness from Beginning to End
Mindfulness from Beginning to End
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To know the truth of what is there . . . is the beginning and end of mindfulness.
- Joan Duncan Oliver, "Do I Mind?" |
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