Friday, October 23, 2015
Via Ram Dass - Love Serve Remember Foundation / FB:
Greetings,
When
I look back on the suffering in my life, I now see it as a gift.
I
would have never asked for it for a second, I hated it while it was happening
and I protested as loudly as I could, but suffering happened anyway. Now, in
retrospect I see the way in which it deepened my being immeasurably.
I
recently spent time in the local hospital as a result of a wound that I
incurred accidentally. The hospital was filled with staff who were more or less
karma yogis without having any idea of what karma yoga is in it’s Eastern
definition.
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I also used the perspective of the witness. I
witnessed the suffering, I witnessed my body as it got hold of my mind in
reaction to the pain. I witnessed the capturing of my consciousness.
Eventually, that witness gave me the leverage to transform my suffering.
It was interesting; my sadhana (spiritual work) came
through, my years and years of practice. Everyone who encountered me saw that
my spirit was strong if not my body. I immediately settled on the fact that
what happened to me was simply a matter of nature. Once I realized that it
was nature and karma, I was content and with that contentment I was able to
surrender to the One: to the Guru, God, and Self.
I had Maharajji’s photo in the hospital and I talked
to him, not about the suffering, because I accepted early on that this was
just nature and inevitable. But rather, I talked to him about love. About
truth. About joy. Of course, that’s the time to be able to burrow into that
moment in any of life’s twists and turns. I was very grateful to have this
grace in those very difficult circumstances.
And that grace is always available; we just need to
sink into our spiritual hearts, our souls, and see our lives as a passing
show from that perspective.
The body is the body, the soul is the soul.
Namaste,
Ram Dass
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Via Huffington Comments: Buddhist Priest Invites Same-Sex Couples To Marry At His Temple
"We mustn't act as if it's all right to cast the LGBT community aside because they're a minority group," says priest at Japan's Shunkoin temple.
Posted: 10/22/2015 01:35 PM EDT | Edited: 10/22/2015 01:37 PM EDT
Deputy Head Priest Zenryu Kawakami at Shunkoin temple in Kyoto, Japan.
Same-sex marriages are not legal in Japan. However, there is a Japanese Buddhist temple
where lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people and members of
other sexual minority groups can wed: the Shunkoin temple in Hanazono,
Kyoto. Same-sex couples from around the world visit the temple.
How did the Shunkoin temple start holding LGBT wedding ceremonies? HuffPost Japan posed the question to the Rev. Taka Zenryu Kawakami, deputy head priest at Shunkoin.
The priest admits he was prejudiced against the LGBT community when he was younger. "I am not gay myself, and there were no LGBT people around me when I was growing up. The old me was prejudiced against sexual minorities," he said.
Kawakami was born into a family that has produced Shunkoin chief priests for generations. After graduating from the Hanazono School (which is affiliated with Rinzai Buddhism's Myoshinji temple), he studied English at Rice University in Texas, and then enrolled at Arizona State University.
"One day I was having tea with a friend, and a person walked past who you could tell at a glance was gay. I made a discriminatory comment. My friend replied, 'I'm gay, too. Is that the way you feel about me, Taka?’” Kawakami recounted.
“When he said that, I remembered being discriminated against as an Asian person when I traveled in the South," he said. "Especially because I had been the victim of prejudice myself, I felt terrible shame, and I completely changed my position. As I changed, my friends began to open up to me about the fact that they were gay or lesbian."
How did the Shunkoin temple start holding LGBT wedding ceremonies? HuffPost Japan posed the question to the Rev. Taka Zenryu Kawakami, deputy head priest at Shunkoin.
The priest admits he was prejudiced against the LGBT community when he was younger. "I am not gay myself, and there were no LGBT people around me when I was growing up. The old me was prejudiced against sexual minorities," he said.
Kawakami was born into a family that has produced Shunkoin chief priests for generations. After graduating from the Hanazono School (which is affiliated with Rinzai Buddhism's Myoshinji temple), he studied English at Rice University in Texas, and then enrolled at Arizona State University.
"One day I was having tea with a friend, and a person walked past who you could tell at a glance was gay. I made a discriminatory comment. My friend replied, 'I'm gay, too. Is that the way you feel about me, Taka?’” Kawakami recounted.
“When he said that, I remembered being discriminated against as an Asian person when I traveled in the South," he said. "Especially because I had been the victim of prejudice myself, I felt terrible shame, and I completely changed my position. As I changed, my friends began to open up to me about the fact that they were gay or lesbian."
A monk at Shunkoin stands in front of the temple's sliding door panels, which were painted by artist Eigaku Kano.
Kawakami majored in religious studies and psychology at Arizona
State, and lived in the U.S. for approximately eight years. In 2004, he
returned to Japan to start his ascetic training at the Zuiganji temple
in Miyagi prefecture, since having experience as a priest would help
prepare him for graduate school.
In 2006, Kawakami finished his training and returned to Shunkoin, where he had the opportunity to give an American acquaintance zazen meditation classes in English. Word got out about the classes, and tourists started calling. In 2007, Kawakami officially became deputy head priest at Shunkoin, and started offering meditation classes to more and more English speakers.
The first person to ask about same-sex wedding ceremonies was a woman from Spain who had visited Shunkoin many times to learn about zazen meditation.
"'Can you hold wedding ceremonies here?' she asked me," Kawakami recalled. "I told her, ‘Yes, we can.' Then she said, 'I have one more question. My partner is a woman.' And I responded, 'That's fine.'"
In 2006, Kawakami finished his training and returned to Shunkoin, where he had the opportunity to give an American acquaintance zazen meditation classes in English. Word got out about the classes, and tourists started calling. In 2007, Kawakami officially became deputy head priest at Shunkoin, and started offering meditation classes to more and more English speakers.
The first person to ask about same-sex wedding ceremonies was a woman from Spain who had visited Shunkoin many times to learn about zazen meditation.
"'Can you hold wedding ceremonies here?' she asked me," Kawakami recalled. "I told her, ‘Yes, we can.' Then she said, 'I have one more question. My partner is a woman.' And I responded, 'That's fine.'"
A
view of a garden at Shunkoin. The temple dates back to the 16th century
and was one of the most important places for Zen Buddhism in the early
20th century.
Kawakami looked over the sacred
texts of Mahayana Buddhism, and confirmed that such a wedding would not
contradict scripture. He expected to be criticized for holding the
ceremony, but was also sure that his willingness to hold same-sex
wedding ceremonies at the temple would support the LGBT cause by paving
the way for more acceptance in Japanese society.
"The reasons why LGBT people are not accepted are different in the West than in Japan," Kawakami said. "In Japan, there is no religious pressure from groups like Christian conservatives. So you don’t see the same sort of strong opposition as in the West. On the other hand, in Japan, there is an underlying pressure to conform, a sense of ‘We are all the same; we are all heterosexual’ -- and that makes it hard to live as an LGBT person."
"I thought that if places such as my temple could show that we actively accept same-sex marriage, it would draw more attention to the problem," he added.
In 2010, the Spanish couple held a public wedding ceremony.
In the spring of 2014, Shunkoin partnered with Hotel Granvia Kyoto to offer Buddhist wedding package tours for LGBT couples. Five couples signed up that year. So far in 2015, eight couples have come to pledge their love, Kawakami said. Six of the couples were from abroad, and two of the couples were Japanese -- two men, and two women.
"A lot of the couples are women. This was the first year we had a couple where both individuals were Japanese, which made me happy. I hope we get even more couples like them in the future," Kawakami said.
"The reasons why LGBT people are not accepted are different in the West than in Japan," Kawakami said. "In Japan, there is no religious pressure from groups like Christian conservatives. So you don’t see the same sort of strong opposition as in the West. On the other hand, in Japan, there is an underlying pressure to conform, a sense of ‘We are all the same; we are all heterosexual’ -- and that makes it hard to live as an LGBT person."
"I thought that if places such as my temple could show that we actively accept same-sex marriage, it would draw more attention to the problem," he added.
In 2010, the Spanish couple held a public wedding ceremony.
In the spring of 2014, Shunkoin partnered with Hotel Granvia Kyoto to offer Buddhist wedding package tours for LGBT couples. Five couples signed up that year. So far in 2015, eight couples have come to pledge their love, Kawakami said. Six of the couples were from abroad, and two of the couples were Japanese -- two men, and two women.
"A lot of the couples are women. This was the first year we had a couple where both individuals were Japanese, which made me happy. I hope we get even more couples like them in the future," Kawakami said.
Same-sex couples from around the world come to Kyoto to marry at Shunkoin temple.
Since the same-sex wedding ceremonies started at Shunkoin, Kawakami
has given lectures at General Electric and the University of Tokyo, and
has been invited to speak at other institutions.
"The missionary Luís Fróis recorded that in the Warring States period, daimyo [lords] had sexual relationships with their pages. Same-sex love is depicted in the shunga [erotic] art of the Edo period, and was accepted," Kawakami said.
"This changed during [the Meiji period]. During the ‘Leave Asia, Join Europe’ phase, the definition of a 'civilized country' as a Protestant-based Western nation was blindly imported, and it came to be thought that gay love was a sin. If we look carefully at history, we can see that pre-Meiji Japan was 'gay friendly,'" he added.
"We mustn't act as if it's all right to cast the LGBT community aside because they're a minority group," Kawakami said. "According to surveys, 7.6 percent of Japan's population is LGBT. That means about seven percent of the people in Japan don't have the option to get married. This cannot lead to happiness in the country."
And it’s not just about gay rights, Kawakami believes. Becoming a society where women, people with disabilities, immigrants, and other minority groups can be happy is the road to happiness for the whole country, he says.
"The missionary Luís Fróis recorded that in the Warring States period, daimyo [lords] had sexual relationships with their pages. Same-sex love is depicted in the shunga [erotic] art of the Edo period, and was accepted," Kawakami said.
"This changed during [the Meiji period]. During the ‘Leave Asia, Join Europe’ phase, the definition of a 'civilized country' as a Protestant-based Western nation was blindly imported, and it came to be thought that gay love was a sin. If we look carefully at history, we can see that pre-Meiji Japan was 'gay friendly,'" he added.
"We mustn't act as if it's all right to cast the LGBT community aside because they're a minority group," Kawakami said. "According to surveys, 7.6 percent of Japan's population is LGBT. That means about seven percent of the people in Japan don't have the option to get married. This cannot lead to happiness in the country."
And it’s not just about gay rights, Kawakami believes. Becoming a society where women, people with disabilities, immigrants, and other minority groups can be happy is the road to happiness for the whole country, he says.
This story originally appeared on HuffPost Japan. It has been translated into English and edited for clarity.
Via Sri Prem Baba: Flor do Dia- Flor del Día - Flower of the Day 23/10/2015
“O trânsito da ilusão para a percepção da Realidade na qual
experimentamos Satchitananda – existência, consciência e bem aventurança
absolutos - inevitavelmente envolve episódios de cura. Ocorre uma
espécie de cirurgia psicoespiritual na qual tumores de autoengano são
removidos. Essa cirurgia pode ser bastante desafiadora. O desafio será
proporcional ao tamanho do apego ao que precisa ser removido.”
“Cuando puedas dejar de reproducir la guerra y los juegos de poder en tus relaciones íntimas, estarás abriendo caminos hacia una nueva y más armoniosa forma de relacionarte en todas las áreas de tu vida, incluso en tu empresa. Pero si todavía necesitas humillar y rechazar a tu compañero para sentirte más fuerte, apenas podrás soñar con un nuevo modelo de gestión para tu negocio. Para que el cambio sea exitoso, tienes que ser un ejemplo. Ideas y modelos son muchos, pero la mayoría todavía se basa en la guerra.”
“Cuando puedas dejar de reproducir la guerra y los juegos de poder en tus relaciones íntimas, estarás abriendo caminos hacia una nueva y más armoniosa forma de relacionarte en todas las áreas de tu vida, incluso en tu empresa. Pero si todavía necesitas humillar y rechazar a tu compañero para sentirte más fuerte, apenas podrás soñar con un nuevo modelo de gestión para tu negocio. Para que el cambio sea exitoso, tienes que ser un ejemplo. Ideas y modelos son muchos, pero la mayoría todavía se basa en la guerra.”
"We are moving
from a perception of illusion to the perception of reality in which we
experience Sat-chit-ananda: existence, consciousness and absolute bliss.
This transition inevitably involves a healing process. A type of
psychospiritual surgery may occur where tumors of self-deceit are
removed. This surgery can be quite challenging, and how challenging it
will be depends on how attached we are to what is needing to be
removed.”
Today's Daily Dharma: Ethics in the Moment
Ethics in the Moment
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Thursday, October 22, 2015
Via Sri Prem Baba: Flor do Dia- Flor del Día - Flower of the Day 22/10/2015
“A palavra “pecado”, por ter sido mal utilizada e distorcida, gera um
grande estranhamento. Na essência, pecado é sinônimo de equívoco. E
enquanto houver desamor nesse mundo haverá equívocos. O desamor que se
manifesta através de pensamentos, palavras e ações equivocados gera
consequências ou karmas. A felicidade que buscamos a partir de um estado
interior equivocado faz com que plantemos sementes contaminadas e
consequentemente colhamos aquilo que plantamos. Se você planta sofrimento, você colhe sofrimento.”
“La palabra "pecado", por haber sido mal utilizada y distorsionada,
genera una gran desconcierto. En esencia, pecado es sinónimo de
equívoco. Y mientras haya desamor en este mundo habrá equívocos. El
desamor que se manifiesta a través de pensamientos, palabras y acciones
equivocadas genera consecuencias o karmas. La felicidad que buscamos a
partir de un estado interior equivocado hace que plantemos semillas
contaminadas y consecuentemente cosechemos aquello que sembramos. Si
plantas sufrimiento, cosechas sufrimiento.”
“The word ‘sin’ has been poorly used; it's been so distorted that it has created a huge estrangement between us and this word. The word sin literally means "to miss the mark," or simply, making a mistake. And as long as we still have a lack of love in this world, we will have mistakes. This un-love that manifests through our thoughts, words, and mistaken actions generates consequences known as karma. Happiness that is sought from a misguided inner state leads us to plant contaminated seeds. Being that we reap what we sow, then if we plant suffering, we will reap suffering.”
“The word ‘sin’ has been poorly used; it's been so distorted that it has created a huge estrangement between us and this word. The word sin literally means "to miss the mark," or simply, making a mistake. And as long as we still have a lack of love in this world, we will have mistakes. This un-love that manifests through our thoughts, words, and mistaken actions generates consequences known as karma. Happiness that is sought from a misguided inner state leads us to plant contaminated seeds. Being that we reap what we sow, then if we plant suffering, we will reap suffering.”
Today's Daily Dharma: Improve Your Mind
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Wednesday, October 21, 2015
Via Sri Prem Baba: Flor do Dia- Flor del Día - Flower of the Day 21/10/2015
“Neste ciclo do tempo, no qual profundas purificações estão acontecendo e diferentes frequências de energias estão se propagando por todos os cantos da Terra, é possível que sentimentos como tristeza, medo, ansiedade e pânico visitem sua mente. A mente é um fluxo de pensamentos que, ao entrar em contato com o corpo, se transforma em sentimentos e emoções. E a chave para não entrar nesse sofrimento é ancorar a presença pois aqui, agora, não há sofrimento e é possível até mesmo observá-lo sem se apegar a ele.”
“En este ciclo del tiempo en el que profundas purificaciones están
sucediendo y diferentes frecuencias de energías se están extendiendo a
todos los rincones de la Tierra, es posible que sentimientos como
tristeza, miedo, ansiedad y pánico visiten tu mente. La mente es un
flujo de pensamientos que, al entrar en contacto con el cuerpo, se
transforman en sentimientos y emociones. Y la llave para no entrar en
ese sufrimiento es anclar la presencia pues aquí, ahora, no hay
sufrimiento e incluso es posible observarlo sin apegarse a él.”
“During this cycle of time, there are deep purifications taking place, and different frequencies of energy are spreading throughout every corner of the planet. It is possible that feelings such as sadness, fear, anxiety and panic may pass through our minds. The mind consists of a flow of thoughts, and as these thoughts come into contact with the body, they become feelings and emotions. The key to not falling into suffering as a result of these sensations is to anchor presence, because here and now there is no suffering. In a state of presence, it is possible even to observe these feelings and not get attached to them.”
“During this cycle of time, there are deep purifications taking place, and different frequencies of energy are spreading throughout every corner of the planet. It is possible that feelings such as sadness, fear, anxiety and panic may pass through our minds. The mind consists of a flow of thoughts, and as these thoughts come into contact with the body, they become feelings and emotions. The key to not falling into suffering as a result of these sensations is to anchor presence, because here and now there is no suffering. In a state of presence, it is possible even to observe these feelings and not get attached to them.”
Today's Daily Dharma: Satisfaction Amid Difficulty
Satisfaction Amid Difficulty
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Tuesday, October 20, 2015
Via Sri Prem Baba:Flor do Dia- Flor del Día - Flower of the Day 20/10/2015
“Religião, no seu aspecto mais profundo, é um caminho de volta para
casa; é o que proporciona a experiência da Unidade. A palavra religião
vem do latim religare, a religação da alma individual com o Absoluto.
Nesse sentido, religião é sinônimo de yoga que significa união. Porém, a
mente humana se apropriou desse conhecimento e aquilo que deveria ser o
caminho de volta para a casa tem sido um caminho que nos leva ao aprisionamento. Portanto é importante saber discernir o que te liberta e o que te aprisiona.”
“Religión, en su aspecto más profundo, es un camino de vuelta a casa;
es lo que proporciona la experiencia de Unidad. La palabra religión
viene del latín religare, la unión del alma individual con el Absoluto.
En este sentido, religión es sinónimo de yoga que significa unión. Sin
embargo, la mente humana se apropió de este conocimiento y aquello que
debería ser el camino de regreso a casa termina siendo un camino que nos
lleva al encarcelamiento. Por lo tanto es importante saber discernir lo
que te libera y lo que te aprisiona.”
“At its most profound essence, religion is a path that leads back home. It is what allows for the experience of oneness. The word ‘religion’ comes from the Latin word ‘religare,’ which is the reconnection of the individual soul with the Absolute. In this sense, religion is synonymous with yoga, which means union. Over time, however, the human mind appropriated this knowledge and has actually turned religion into a path that leads us to imprisonment instead of leading us back home. It's vital for us to discern between what sets us free and what imprisons us.”
“At its most profound essence, religion is a path that leads back home. It is what allows for the experience of oneness. The word ‘religion’ comes from the Latin word ‘religare,’ which is the reconnection of the individual soul with the Absolute. In this sense, religion is synonymous with yoga, which means union. Over time, however, the human mind appropriated this knowledge and has actually turned religion into a path that leads us to imprisonment instead of leading us back home. It's vital for us to discern between what sets us free and what imprisons us.”
Today's Daily Dharma: Compassion Means No Separation
Compassion Means No Separation
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Monday, October 19, 2015
Via Sri Prem Baba: Flor do Dia- Flor del Día - Flower of the Day 19/10/2015
“Até um determinado estágio do processo de autodesenvolvimento o ego se
sente seguro, forte, e acredita estar no controle do destino. Nos casos
em que o ego ainda está enfraquecido, ele precisa primeiro se
fortalecer e acreditar que tem poder. Esse processo de cristalização do
ego ocorre até que ele possa dar um passo adiante e perceber que ele tem
um certo poder, mas é extremamente limitado. Nesse momento normalmente o
ego entra em crise porque quer continuar acreditando que controla. Mas,
para continuar o processo evolutivo, ele precisa se libertar dessa
crença.”
“Hasta una
determinado estadio del proceso de auto-desarrollo, el ego se siente
seguro, fuerte, y cree controlar el destino. En los casos en que el ego
todavía está debilitado, primero necesita fortalecerse y creer que tiene
poder. Este proceso de cristalización del ego ocurre hasta que pueda
dar un paso adelante y darse cuenta de que tiene cierto poder, pero que
es extremadamente limitado. En este momento normalmente el ego entra en
crisis porque quiere seguir creyendo que controla. Pero para continuar
el proceso evolutivo, necesita liberarse de esta creencia.”
“Up until a certain stage in the process of self-development, the ego feels secure, strong and believes itself to be in control of its destiny. In certain cases where the ego is still weak, it first needs to become stronger and believe that it has power. This process of crystallizing the ego goes on until it can take one more step forward and perceive that it does have a certain power, yet it is extremely limited. At this point, the ego usually enters into a crisis because it continues wanting to believe that it is in control. But, in order to continue in the process of evolution, the ego must let go of this belief.”
“Up until a certain stage in the process of self-development, the ego feels secure, strong and believes itself to be in control of its destiny. In certain cases where the ego is still weak, it first needs to become stronger and believe that it has power. This process of crystallizing the ego goes on until it can take one more step forward and perceive that it does have a certain power, yet it is extremely limited. At this point, the ego usually enters into a crisis because it continues wanting to believe that it is in control. But, in order to continue in the process of evolution, the ego must let go of this belief.”
Today's Daily Dharma: End of the Story
End of the Story
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Sunday, October 18, 2015
Via Instinct: The Dalai Lama Approves Same-Sex Marriage, Says Bullying And Homophobia Is What's Wrong
The Dalai Lama has taken Pope Francis' softened approach to modern
civil rights for the LGBT community and raised the stakes.
Significantly.
In a sit down interview for Larry King Now, His Holiness says same-sex marriage is fine—it's really bullying and homophobia that is morally wrong.
When asked about homosexuality in general and gay rights (with a lead in from Russia's current War on Gays), the Dalai Lama responds:
When asked about homosexuality in general and gay rights (with a lead in from Russia's current War on Gays), the Dalai Lama responds:
"That's a personal matter. People who have a special tradition, you should follow according to your own tradition. ... But non-believer, that's up to them. Different form of sex? So long as it's safe, okay! And fully agreed, okay! Bullied? Abused? That's what is wrong. That's a violation of human rights."When asked about same-sex marriage rights, the Dalai Lama replies:
"That's up to the countries' laws. It's okay, I think individual business. If a couple really feels that way, practical, satisfaction ... if both sides fully agree, then okay!"Make the jump here to read the full article and get the video
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