Via Sri Prem Baba: Flor do dia - Flor del día - Flower of the day - 13/01/2016

“Os aspectos da personalidade que chamamos de eu inferior são como entidades que têm autonomia própria. Quando se aproximam, elas trazem uma frequência de energia específica; determinada cor e uma expressão corporal específica. Através do autoconhecimento, você vai se tornando capaz de reconhecê-las. Sempre que um aspecto começa a se aproximar (vindo de dentro e também de fora) você sabe, porque sente em determinados pontos do seu corpo. Às vezes fecha o estomago, causa enjoo, aperta o peito ou a garganta. Essas são algumas das possíveis reações. Então você precisa aprender a identificar quem está se aproximando e a transmutar essas energias, dentro e fora de você.”

"Los aspectos de la personalidad que llamamos de yo inferior son como entidades que tienen autonomía propia. Cuando se aproximan, traen una frecuencia de energía específica, determinado color y una expresión corporal específica. A través del autoconocimiento, vas siendo capaz de reconocerlas. Siempre que un aspecto comienza a aproximarse (viniendo de adentro y también de afuera) lo sabes, porque lo sientes en determinados puntos de tu cuerpo. A veces se cierra el estómago, causa naúseas, aprieta el pecho o la garganta. Estas son algunas de las posibles reacciones. Entonces necesitas aprender a identificar quién se está aproximando y a transmutar esas energías, dentro y fuera de ti.” 

"The aspects of personality that we call the lower self are like self-driven entities. When they come close to us, they bring with them a specific energy frequency as well as a color frequency. Through self-knowledge, we are able to recognize them and even identify the body language that they manifest in us. Whenever an aspect of the lower self begins to approach us, whether it is coming from inside or outside of us, we know it is coming because we feel something in certain points of our bodies. Sometimes we may experience reactions such as getting knots in our stomachs, feeling nauseous, or a tightening in our chest or throat. We must learn to identify which lower self is approaching us and transform these energies within and without.”

Via Daily Dharma: Examining Labels

You can’t go preventing pleasure and pain, you can’t keep the mind from labeling things and forming thoughts, but you can put these things to a new use. If the mind labels a pain, saying, “I hurt,” you have to examine the label carefully, contemplate it until you see that it’s wrong: the pain isn’t really yours. It’s simply a sensation that arises and passes away, that’s all.  

—Upasika Kee Nanayon, "Tough Teachings To Ease The Mind"

 

Read More 

Via Sri Prem Baba: Flor do dia - Flor del día - Flower of the day - 12/01/2016

“Se eu tivesse que usar uma única palavra para traduzir aquilo que compreendo como espiritualidade eu utilizaria desapego. O ego tende a desejar e a se apegar a tudo aquilo que conquista. Mas, toda essa energia usada para a conquista e para manter aquilo que se conquistou deve ser direcionada para o Espírito.”

“Si tuviese que usar una única palabra para traducir aquello que comprendo como espiritualidad, utilizaría desapego. El ego tiende a desear y a apegarse a todo aquello que conquista. Pero toda esa energía usada para la conquista y para mantener aquello que se conquistó debe ser direccionada hacia el Espíritu.”

"If I had to use one word to translate what we understand as spirituality, I would use ‘detachment’. The ego tends to desire and cling to everything that it achieves. All this energy spent on gaining things and sustaining our accomplishments should be directed towards the Spirit.”

Via Daily Dharma: Small Blessings, Large Consequences

So many factors demand our attention; isn’t it awesome that we have at least some influence over what we choose to focus on? And if there is power in acknowledging and being thankful for even small blessings, the power of finding meaning in the face of suffering can be transformative. 

—Pamela Gayle White, "Skunked by Gratitude"

 

Read More 

Via Sri Prem Baba: Flor do dia - Flor del día - Flower of the day - 11/01/2016

“Comparo o processo de autoconhecimento a uma autoescola na qual estamos aprendendo a conduzir um veículo. E como a autoescola está aberta para todos (embora a sua aula seja pessoal e intransferível), é inevitável que um carro ou outro se cruze; é inevitável que aconteçam coisas que você não concorda. Talvez você prefira dirigir numa estrada vazia, sozinho com o seu professor; e talvez você possa fazer isso durante um tempo. Mas, em algum momento você terá que dirigir no trânsito e passar por avenidas congestionadas. Em algum momento você terá que aprender ocupar e conduzir o seu veículo enquanto se relaciona com o mundo.”

"Comparo el proceso de autoconocimiento con una autoescuela en la cual estamos aprendiendo a conducir un vehículo. Y como la autoescuela está abierta para todos (aunque tu clase sea personal e intransferible), es inevitable que un auto u otro se crucen, es inevitable que sucedan cosas con las que no concuerdas. Tal vez prefieras manejar en una ruta vacía, solo con tu profesor, y tal vez puedas hacer esto durante un tiempo. Pero en algún momento tendrás que manejar en el tránsito y pasar por avenidas congestionadas. En algún momento tendrás que aprender a ocupar y conducir tu vehículo mientras te relacionas con el mundo.”

"I compare the process of self-discovery to driving classes wherein we are learning to drive a vehicle. Since driver’s ed classes happen out on the road in traffic, other drivers may cut us off or make us upset. Though we may prefer to drive on empty roads alone with our teacher, we can only do so for a certain amount of time. At some point we will have to drive on crowded streets and learn the harder lessons. We need to learn how to occupy our bodies and drive our ‘vehicles’ well, even while relating with the outside world.”

Via Daily Dharma: Striking a Balance

Just as meditation requires an understanding of the practice as well as determination to carry it out, likewise it requires a sense of balance to determine when to push ourselves harder and when to step back and relax where we are, without falling into either of two extremes.  

—Lama Dudjom Dorjee, "Heartfelt Advice"

Read More

Via Towleroad: Pope Francis Expands on Remarks About Gays: ‘God Loves All His Creatures’

In a new book set for publication on Tuesday, Pope Francis explains for the first time the remarks about gays he made to reporters aboard a plane from Brazil to Rome in 2013.
The Pope was asked how he would respond to learning that a cleric in the Catholic Church was gay, but not sexually active. “Who am I to judge a gay person of goodwill who seeks the Lord?” the pontiff replied. “You can’t marginalize these people.”

RELATED: Pope Francis Met Privately with Gay Couple During U.S. Visit: VIDEO

Now, in The Name of God is Mercy, a conversation with journalist Andrea Tornielli, Francis elaborates on those remarks according to National Catholic Reporter:

“On that occasion I said this: If a person is gay and seeks out the Lord and is willing, who am I to judge that person? I was paraphrasing by heart the Catechism of the Catholic Church where it says that these people should be treated with delicacy and not be marginalized.”

He adds:

“I am glad that we are talking about ‘homosexual people’ because before all else comes the individual person, in his wholeness and dignity. And people should not be defined only by their sexual tendencies: let us not forget that God loves all his creatures and we are destined to receive his infinite love…I prefer that homosexuals come to confession, that they stay close to the Lord, and that we pray all together. You can advise them to pray, show goodwill, show them the way, and accompany them along it.”

http://www.towleroad.com/2016/01/pope-francis-gays/

Via JMG: Jim Obergefell To Sit With First Lady During SOTU

January 10, 2016 LGBT History, Marriage Equality

This morning the White House announced that Jim Obergefell will be among the guests seated with the First Lady during President Obama’s final State Of The Union address. From their bio on Obergefell:

Jim Obergefell was the named plaintiff in the landmark marriage equality case Obergefell v. Hodges, which ruled same-sex couples nationwide have the Constitutional right to marry. In 2013, Jim married his partner of 20 years, John, who was dying of ALS. Their marriage – performed in Maryland – wasn’t recognized in their home state of Ohio, setting off a legal proceeding over whether the marriage should be recognized under Ohio law and listed on John’s death certificate.

While they won the initial legal battle, Ohio appealed, and their case eventually made its way to the Supreme Court, which declared marriage equality the law of the land. Jim considers himself an accidental activist, one who became entwined in a political statement larger than himself – a statement of equality and dignity that Americans have been fighting for since this nation’s founding – and he now remains committed to ensuring the civil rights for all Americans.

Other guests to be seated with the First Lady include a Syrian refugee, an Obamacare navigator, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, and USAF Sgt. Spencer Stone, who helped thwart a terrorist attack on a Paris-bound train. The press release includes this important notation:

We leave one seat empty in the First Lady’s State of the Union Guest Box for the victims of gun violence who no longer have a voice – because they need the rest of us to speak for them. To tell their stories. To honor their memory. To support the Americans whose lives have been forever changed by the terrible ripple effect of gun violence – survivors who’ve had to learn to live with a disability, or without the love of their life. To remind every single one of our representatives that it’s their responsibility to do something about this.

Make the jump here to read the original on JMG

Via Sri Prem Baba: Flor do dia - Flor del día - Flower of the day - 10/01/2016

“É impossível estar no mundo sem se relacionar. Você pode trabalhar na Wall Street, viver numa praia deserta, num monastério ou comunidade espiritual, mas os desafios do relacionamento sempre estarão presentes. Isso porque muda o cenário e os personagens, mas não muda o que você carrega dentro de si. Enquanto você não olha de frente, compreende e aceita as suas imperfeições, sempre haverá alguém que te incomoda. Mas quando você aceita e integra as partes da sua personalidade que foram negadas, ocorre uma cura, e você se torna capaz de viver em harmonia com o outro, não importa o lugar.”

“Es imposible estar en el mundo sin relacionarse. Puedes trabajar en Wall Street, vivir en una playa desierta, en un monasterio o comunidad espiritual, pero los desafíos de las relaciones siempre estarán presentes. Esto es porque cambia el escenario y los personajes, pero no cambia lo que cargas dentro de ti. Mientras no mires de frente, comprendas y aceptes tus imperfecciones, siempre habrá alguien que te. Pero cuando aceptas e integras las partes de tu personalidad que fueron negadas, sucede una cura, y te vuelves capaz de vivir en armonía con el otro, no importa el lugar.”

"It is impossible to live in this world without relating. Whether one works on Wall Street, lives on a deserted beach, in a monastery or a spiritual community, the challenges of relationships will always be present. The setting or characters may change, but what we carry inside does not. As long as we do not face this straight on and understand and accept our imperfections, there will always be someone who throws us off center. On the other hand, when we accept and integrate the parts of our personality that were denied, a healing occurs. We are then able to live in harmony with each other, regardless of where we may be."

Via Daily Dharma: Before It’s Too Late

There’s a wonderful Kagyu saying: “When we are young, we don’t realize the importance of dharma practice; when we are middle-aged, we think we are too busy to do it; and when we are old, it’s too late.” 

—Reggie Ray, "The Power of Solitude"

 

Read More 

Dra Yang Project " Namo Buddhaya, namo Dharmaya, namo Sanghaya "

Via Medical News Today: What is the difference between sex and gender?

The words sex and gender are commonly used interchangeably, but many linguists would argue that their usage is quite distinct. Sex refers to the biological and physiological characteristics, while gender refers to behaviors, roles, expectations, and activities in society.

Sex refers to male or female, while gender refers to masculine or feminine.
The differences in the sexes do not vary throughout the world, but differences in gender do.
Here are some examples of characteristics related to sex:

• Females have a vagina, males do not
• Males have a penis, females do not
• Male newborns tend to weigh more than female newborns
• Females can breastfeed their babies, males cannot
• Males have deeper voices than females
• Females can get pregnant, males cannot
• Males have testicles and females have ovaries

Here are some examples of characteristics related to gender:

• Women tend to do more of the housework than their spouses do
• A higher percentage of US doctors are women, compared to Egypt
• Nursing is often seen as a woman's job, although many men enter the profession
• In some countries women have to cover their heads when they go outside the house
• 120 years ago women were not allowed to vote in elections.

Another way of putting it is:
Sex refers to a natural or biological feature. Gender refers to cultural or learned significance of sex.

According to Medilexicon's medical dictionary:

Sex is "The biologic character or quality that distinguishes male and female from one another as expressed by analysis of the person's gonadal, morphologic (internal and external), chromosomal, and hormonal characteristics."
Gender is "The category to which an individual is assigned by self or others, on the basis of sex."

The word gender comes from Middle English gendre, which came from Old French, which in turn came from the Latin word genus, meaning "kind," "type," or "sort."
The word sex probably comes from Middle English, meaning "section" or "divide." In Latin, the word sex means the number "six." 

Written by Christian Nordqvist

Via Sri Prem Baba: Flor do dia - Flor del día - Flower of the day 08/01/2016

"Conheça-te a ti mesmo e conhecerás o Universo. O homem é um microcosmo - absolutamente tudo que existe lá fora está dentro. Todas as respostas para todas as perguntas podem ser encontradas nos nossos mundos internos, assim como o antídoto para todas nossas as doenças encontra-se dentro de nós mesmos."

“Conócete a ti mismo y conocerás el Universo. El hombre es un microcosmos- absolutamente todo lo que existe allá afuera está adentro. Todas las respuestas a todas las preguntas pueden encontrarse en nuestros mundos internos, así como el antídoto para todas nuestras enfermedades se encuentra dentro de nosotros mismos.”

"Know thyself and you will know the Universe. Humans are a microcosm. Absolutely everything that exists on the outside exists within. The answer to every question can be found in our inner worlds – that’s where we find the antidote to all our ailments."

Via Daily Dharma: Seeing Through Failure

Disappointment and failure bring us down to the ground so we can see through our ideas to the way things really are.  

—Natalie Goldberg, "Beyond Betrayal"

 

Read More 

Via Sri Prem Baba: Flor do dia - Flor del día - Flower of the day - 07/01/2016

“No mais profundo, a causa pela qual temos gerado tanta destruição neste planeta, é a ignorância a respeito da nossa verdadeira identidade. Por trás dessa destruição está o impulso de acumular bens materiais. Não sabendo quem somos, agimos a partir de uma crença a respeito de quem somos, e isso gera um vazio que se traduz em uma profunda angústia. Nós tentamos preencher esse vazio através de coisas. Você acumula para agregar valor e poder à sua falsa identidade; para aliviar a angústia causada pela falta de conexão consigo mesmo. E para ter mais coisas, você faz qualquer coisa. Essa é a raiz da destruição.”

En lo más profundo, la causa por la cual hemos generado tanta destrucción en este planeta, es la ignorancia al respecto de nuestra verdadera identidad. Por detrás de esta destrucción está el impulso de acumular bienes materiales. Al no saber quiénes somos, actuamos desde una creencia acerca de quién somos, y eso genera un vacío que se traduce en una profunda angustia. Tratamos de llenar este vacío a través de cosas. Acumulas para agregar valor y poder a tu falsa identidad; para aliviar la angustia causada por la falta de conexión contigo mismo. Y para tener más cosas, haces cualquier cosa. Esta es la raíz de la destrucción.”

"The root cause for all this destruction we wage on the planet is our ignorance regarding our true identity. Behind this destruction lies the impulse to accumulate material goods – and we’ll do anything to get more things. Not knowing who we truly are, we act out of our mistaken beliefs about who we are, and this creates a void that turns into profound anguish. We try to fill this void by hoarding material things, striving to add value and power to our false identity. We do so to alleviate the anguish caused by our lack of connection with our own selves. This is the root of destruction."

Via Daily Dharma: Finding Your Direction

There is nothing to hang on to. The path emerges from a personal, surprisingly innate sense of direction and not from what’s expected of us by those who supposedly know better. Staying awake means continually reevaluating the ground on which we walk. 

—Stephen Schettini, "A Sense of Belonging"

Via Queerty: Queen Elizabeth II Says Gay Marriage Is Absolutely “Wonderful”

Just when we didn’t think she could get any more amazing, Queen Elizabeth II called gay marriage in England “wonderful.”

Or at least according to comedian/newlywed Stephen Fry.

During an interview over the weekend, Fry explained how the 88-year-old monarch expressed her approval of gay marriage in July 2013 when signing the Marriage Act, which granted same-sex couples the right to legally marry in England.

“It was only last summer that Her Majesty The Queen gave the Royal Assent,” he told The Jonathan Ross Show.

The Queen must remain politically neutral and has never spoken publicly about gay marriage, but according to sources who Fry describes as “well-founded,” her royal majesty is all for marriage equality.

“When the Queen signed the Royal Assent for the equal marriages act, allowing gay people to marry for the first time, she put it down and said ‘Well, who’d have thought 62 years ago when I came to the throne, I’d be signing something like this? Isn’t it wonderful?'”

Wonderful, indeed!

h/t: Gay Star News

Related stories:
Queen Elizabeth Makes Marriage Equality Law Final
Police Concerned Over Threat Grindr Poses To Queen Elizabeth II
Queen Elizabeth Makes Historic First Statement Supporting LGBT Rights

Via Sri Prem Baba: Flor do dia - Flor de día - Flower of the day - 06/01/2015

“A espiritualidade pode ser traduzida como uma experiência da realidade – um processo de despertar de um sonho. A iluminação espiritual começa quando a imaginação cessa. Imaginação quer dizer fantasias criadas pela mente. Num clássico exemplo utilizado pelo Vedanta: uma pessoa que olha para um pedaço de corda vê uma cobra, e a partir dessa visão, ela cria toda uma história em torno da cobra. Quando começa a ver a corda no lugar da cobra, o seu processo de despertar se iniciou.”

“La espiritualidad puede ser traducida como una experiencia de la realidad - un proceso de despertar de un sueño. La iluminación espiritual comienza cuando la imaginación cesa. Imaginación quiere decir fantasías creadas por la mente. En un ejemplo clásico utilizado por el Vedanta: una persona que mira hacia un trozo de cuerda ve una serpiente, y a partir de esta visión, crea toda una historia alrededor de la serpiente. Cuando comienzas a ver la cuerda en lugar de la serpiente, tu proceso de despertar comenzó.” 

"Spirituality can be translated as the experience of reality. It is a process of awakening from a dream. Spiritual enlightenment begins when one ceases to imagine things, meaning the mind stops fantasizing. A classic example used in Advaita Vedanta is that a rope seen in dim light is mistaken for a snake, and with this image in mind, the rope affects the person as much as an actual snake would. When the person begins to realize it was a rope rather than a snake, their process of awakening begins."

Via Daily Dharma: Already Enlightened

We don’t practice to attain enlightenment, just as we don’t eat or breathe to be alive. Because we’re alive, we breathe. Because we’re alive, we eat. Because we’re enlightened, we do zazen. 

— Bernard Gassman and Rick Fields, "Instructions to the Cook"