Wednesday, July 29, 2015
From another Chat Group: Exclusion Works both Ways
"It
may be time to include in workshops for Baha'is and other anti-gay
religions to let them know that exclusion works both ways. Their dynamic
is that if one is gay, Baha'is cannot give you full Baha'is rights.
They are trying to sort that out within the
religion. My message is increasingly, there is pretty much NOTHING the
Baha'i Faith can do right now to ever win someone like me back. And lots
of people like me. Its not that the Faith doesn't want us; rather we
do not want the Faith. It is too late and too much damage has been done
for the Faith to decide how tolerant it wishes to be within its
administrative parameters it has set for itself. So while it is very
nice that some people will come to a meeting about how to better
tolerate and treat gay people, they should be clearly told many of us
gay people have no wish to be tolerated by them. It is not our problem;
it is their problem. It is not that they have excluded us, but in fact
we have excluded them. ... They (the Baha'i Admin Order) have a really bad discriminatory rule that has harmed
lots of people and which the world increasingly is rejecting and makes
them irrelevant and unwanted. People are not knocking down doors to get
in to this religion. They have a serious problem. And it is not gay
people. But they might use the gay issue and the poor way they have
managed it to gain some insight into their irrelevance. They have
excluded the very people they need. Now many of those excluded people do
not want in. So perhaps include a segment ... that in
reality not many gay people want into this exclusive club no matter how
well they try to tolerate us."
- Anon Amigo
Via Sri Prem Baba: Flor do Dia- Flor del Día - Flower of the Day 29/07/2015
“Esteja sempre atento, observando e testemunhando. Focalize na beleza e
realize sua prática espiritual diária. Faça uso da oração de forma
muito espontânea, como se estivesse conversando com a Divindade, assim
como faz uma criança que conversa com seus pais. De forma honesta e
pura, peça para que o véu da ilusão seja removido da sua visão.”
“Estate siempre atento, observando y atestiguando. Focaliza en la belleza y realiza tu práctica espiritual diaria. Haz uso de la oración de forma muy espontánea, como si estuvieras conversando con la Divinidad, así como hace un niño que conversa con sus padres. De forma honesta y pura, pide para que el velo de la ilusión sea removido de tu visión.”
“Estate siempre atento, observando y atestiguando. Focaliza en la belleza y realiza tu práctica espiritual diaria. Haz uso de la oración de forma muy espontánea, como si estuvieras conversando con la Divinidad, así como hace un niño que conversa con sus padres. De forma honesta y pura, pide para que el velo de la ilusión sea removido de tu visión.”
“Always remain attentive, observing and witnessing everything. Focus
on beauty and do your spiritual practice daily. Pray spontaneously, as
if you were having a conversation with the divine: like a child talking
to his or her parents. With honesty and purity, ask for the veil of
illusion to be removed from your sight.”
Today's Daily Dharma: The Process of Awakening
The Process of Awakening
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Awakening
is not a state but a process: an ethical way of life and commitment
that enables human flourishing. As such, it is no longer the exclusive
preserve of enlightened teachers or accomplished yogis. Likewise,
nirvana "the stopping of craving" is not the goal of the path but its very
source. For human flourishing first stirs in that clear, bright, empty
space where neurotic self-centredness realizes that it has no ground at
all to stand on. One is then freed to pour forth like sunlight.
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Tuesday, July 28, 2015
Via JMG: More Corporate Support For Equality Act
Via press release from the HRC:
Reposted from Joe Jervis
Today, just days after the introduction of the historic Equality Act in Congress, five new major American companies announced their support for comprehensive, federal LGBT non-discrimination protections. Each of these new leading corporations -- American Airlines, Facebook, General Mills, Google and Nike demonstrated their belief that all LGBT Americans should have the protections from discrimination in federal law that they deserve. These companies join Apple, The Dow Chemical Company, and Levi Strauss, & Co. in supporting comprehensive federal LGBT non-discrimination legislation.While few expect the Equality Act to get much traction in the current Congress, this sort of groundwork is critical. It's going to be a very long haul.
STATEMENT BY AMERICAN AIRLINES -- "We at American Airlines are proud of our long history of supporting LGBT equality. Now is the time for full equality for the LGBT community in the United States. Ensuring fairness in our workplaces and communities is both the right thing to do and simply good business."
STATEMENT BY FACEBOOK -- "We are open and vocal supporters of equality. Ensuring fairness in the workplace is a fundamental principle at Facebook and we support legal protections for LGBT Americans as outlined in the Equality Act."
STATEMENT BY GENERAL MILLS -- "At General Mills we have a long history of supporting LGBT equality and the time has come in this country for full, federal equality for the LGBT community. Ensuring fairness in our workplaces and communities is both the right thing to do and simply good business."
STATEMENT BY GOOGLE -- "Diverse perspectives, ideas, and cultures lead to the creation of better products and services and ideas. And it's the right thing to do. That's why we support protections for LGBT individuals as outlined in the Equality Act."
STATEMENT BY NIKE – "At NIKE, we are committed to diversity and inclusion, and we strive to treat our employees equally. We believe that diversity drives innovation and allows us to attract and retain world class talent. We need fair and equitable laws that prevent discrimination, and NIKE supports the Equality Act introduced by Senator Merkley and his colleagues in Congress. This is another important step in the fight for equality."
Thich Nhat Hanh: On Homosexuality
Posted on March 29, 2009
Thich Nhat Hanh, the noted Zen monk, poet, teacher who is the inspiration behind Deer Park Monastery and the Plum Village tradition, shares these words about the Buddhadharma’s view of “homosexuality” in the latest book, ANSWERS FROM THE HEART.
Thanks, Julia — for sharing the dharma for us to read!
excerpt from Thay’s new book Answers from the Heart
Q. What is the Buddhist view of homosexuality?
A.
The spirit of Buddhism is inclusiveness. Looking deeply into the nature
of a cloud, we see the cosmos. A flower is a flower, but if we look
deeply into it, we see the cosmos. Everything has a place. The base-the
foundation of everything-is the same. When you look at the ocean, you
see different kinds of waves, many sizes and shapes, but all the waves
have water as their foundation and substance. If you are born gay or
lesbian, your ground of being in the same as mine. We are different, but
we share the same ground of being. The Protestant theologian Paul Tillich
said that God is the ground of being. You should be yourself. If God
has created me as a rose, then I should accept myself as a rose. If you
are a lesbian, then be a lesbian. Looking deeply into your nature, you
will see yourself as you truly are. You will be able to touch the ground
of your being and find peace.
If
you’re a victim of discrimination, then your way to emancipation is not
simply by crying out against injustice. Injustice cannot be repaired by
recognition alone, but by your capacity to touch the ground of your
being. Discrimination, intolerance, and suppression stem from lack of
knowledge and lack of understanding. If you’re capable of touching the
ground of your being, you can be released from the suffering that has
been created in you through discrimination and oppression.
Someone
who discriminates against you, because of your race or the color of your
skin or your sexual orientation, is ignorant. He doesn’t know his own
ground of being. He doesn’t realize that we all share the same ground of
being; that is why he can discriminate against you.
Someone
who discriminates against others and causes them to suffer is someone
who is not happy with himself. Once you’ve touched the depth and the
nature of your ground of being, you’ll be equipped with the kind of
understanding that can give rise to compassion and tolerance, and you
will be capable of forgiving even those who discriminate against you.
Don’t believe that relief or justice will come through society alone.
True emancipation lies in your capacity to look deeply.
When you
suffer because of discrimination, there’s always an urge to speak out.
But even if you spend a thousand years speaking out, your suffering
won’t be relieved. Only through deep understanding and liberation from
ignorance can you be liberated from your suffering.
When you
break through to the truth, compassion springs up like a stream of
water. With that compassion, you can embrace even the people who have
persecuted you. When you’re motivated by desire to help those who are
victims of ignorance, only then are you free from your suffering and
feelings of violation. Don’t wait for things to change around you. You
have to practice liberating yourself. Then you will be equipped with the
power of compassion and understanding, the only kind of power that can
help transform an environment full of injustice and discrimination. You
have to become such a person-one who can embody tolerance,
understanding, and compassion. You transform yourself into an instrument
for social change and change in the collective consciousness of
mankind.
Thich Nhat Hanh, Answers from the Heart: Practical Responses To Life’s Burning Questions (Berkeley: Parallax Press, 2009), 119-122.
Via Shambala: 5 Practices for Nurturing Happiness
The great Buddhist teacher Thich Nhat Hanh suffered a serious stroke in November. (You can contribute to his relief effort, here.) We join practitioners around the world in sending our prayers and good wishes for his full recovery. Thich Nhat Hanh’s life is inspiring, his benefit great, and his teaching, like the dharma itself, profound and practical.
We all want to be happy and there are many books and teachers in the world that try to help people be happier. Yet we all continue to suffer.Mindfully make the jump here to read the full article
Via Sri Prem Baba: Flor do Dia- Flor del Día - Flower of the Day 28/07/2015
“Nós somos diferentes somente por fora. Por dentro nós somos iguais.
Quando experimenta essa realidade, você se torna o amor. Então não é uma
questão de amar, porque o outro te dá alguma coisa; você ama porque
você é o amor. Tudo que sai da sua boca torna-se uma prece para o eterno
Um. Tudo se torna sagrado e divino.”
“Somos diferentes solamente por fuera. Por dentro somos iguales. Cuando experimentas esta realidad, te vuelves amor. Entonces no es una cuestión de amar porque el otro te da algo, amas porque eres amor. Todo lo que sale de tu boca se vuelve una plegaria para el eterno Uno. Todo se vuelve sagrado y divino.”
“Somos diferentes solamente por fuera. Por dentro somos iguales. Cuando experimentas esta realidad, te vuelves amor. Entonces no es una cuestión de amar porque el otro te da algo, amas porque eres amor. Todo lo que sale de tu boca se vuelve una plegaria para el eterno Uno. Todo se vuelve sagrado y divino.”
“We are only different on the outside. On the inside, we are all one
and the same. When you experience this reality, you become love. Then,
you no longer love because the other gives you something; you love
because you are love. Every word that comes out of your mouth becomes a
prayer to the Eternal One. Everything becomes sacred and divine.”
Today's Daily Dharma: Waking up to Racism.
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Waking up to Racism |
I
am often asked when talking about racism in Buddhist circles to be
specific, give examples. In part, this longing emerges from the
reluctance of white people in power to accept, and see clearly by
opening their eyes, that white supremacy informs the shaping of Buddhist
communities, individual interactions, publications, etc. That
reluctance can only be transformed in spiritual practice, not by proof.
There is never enough proof.
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Monday, July 27, 2015
Via JMG: Quote Of The Day - Sen. Cory Booker
"You'd think this problem is relegated to the history books. But in 2015 — today — a couple can try to purchase a home and in 31 states be told it is not available to them on the basis of their sexual orientation. More than half a century after the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the federal government has yet to pass a large-scale law that protects Americans from discrimination on the basis of their sexual orientation or gender identity. It's time for that to change." - Sen. Cory Booker, writing in support of the Equality Act.
Via Sri Prem Baba: Flor do Dia- Flor del Día - Flower of the Day 27/07/2015
“Um passo fundamental para a desconstrução de um padrão negativo é
conseguir perceber que existe prazer investido nele. Primeiro você
identifica as situações negativas que se repetem e qual o ponto comum
entre elas, ou seja, o que causa a repetição. Depois você vai atrás da
voz dentro de você que diz: “Eu quero ficar isolado; eu quero do meu
jeito ou não quero nada”; “Eu quero fracassar”, ou ainda: “Eu quero
ficar doente, não quero mais viver”. Com isso você começa a identificar o prazer que dá sustentação ao sofrimento.”
“Un paso fundamental para la desconstrucción de un patrón negativo es
conseguir percibir que existe placer invertido en él. Primero
identificas las situaciones negativas que se repiten y cuál es el punto
en común entre ellas, es decir, lo que causa la repetición. Después vas
en busca de la voz dentro tuyo que dice: “Quiero quedarme aislado,
quiero que sea a mi manera o no quiero nada”, “Quiero fracasar”, o aún:
“Quiero enfermarme, no quiero vivir más”. Con esto comienzas a
identificar el placer que da sustento al sufrimiento.”
“A fundamental step towards deconstructing a negative pattern is being able to perceive the pleasure we feel in it. First, we identify the negative situations that repeat themselves in our lives and the common denominator between them. This means identifying what causes the repetition. Next, we go after the voices inside of us that may be saying, ‘I want to remain isolated,’ ‘It has to be my way or I don’t want it at all,’ ‘I want to fail,’ or even, ‘I want to get sick: I don’t want to live anymore’. By becoming aware of these aspects within us, we begin to identify the pleasure that sustains the suffering.”
“A fundamental step towards deconstructing a negative pattern is being able to perceive the pleasure we feel in it. First, we identify the negative situations that repeat themselves in our lives and the common denominator between them. This means identifying what causes the repetition. Next, we go after the voices inside of us that may be saying, ‘I want to remain isolated,’ ‘It has to be my way or I don’t want it at all,’ ‘I want to fail,’ or even, ‘I want to get sick: I don’t want to live anymore’. By becoming aware of these aspects within us, we begin to identify the pleasure that sustains the suffering.”
Today's Daily Dharma: The World Is Made of Stories
The World Is Made of Stories
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The
stories that make sense of this world are part of this world. It is not
by transcending the world that we are transformed but by storying it in
a new way.
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