Revoked

Saturday, February 13, 2016

Via GayBahai.net: To the Universal House of Justice and the National Spiritual Assembly of the United States of America

Letter to the UHJ and NSA of the USA

Friday, February 12, 2016

To the Universal House of Justice and the National Spiritual Assembly of the United States of America,

Last time I wrote you I was writing to ask permission to travel to Iran in order to pursue my study of Persian and Baha'i history. It was my hope to become a scholar of the Faith. That letter marked, in many ways, the pinnacle of my immersion in the Baha'i community. Growing up, Baha'i children's classes were held at my house every weekend, and feasts, holy days, firesides, and potlucks joyfully paraded through my home with comforting regularity. I remember crawling out of bed and dangling my legs over the second floor banister to listen surreptitiously to the late night consultations and deliberations of the Local Spiritual Assembly, which included both of my parents. One day I hoped to join their ranks.

My father founded one of the first theater companies in the world to dedicate itself to themes and stories from Baha'i history, and when I was fifteen I began touring with him across the USA, UK, and Canada – enacting plays about the beloved heroes and heroines of the Faith. When I was eighteen I served at the Lotus Temple in New Delhi and later at my university plunged headlong into what could have been subtitled a degree in Baha'i Culture (Persian, Arabic, and Middle Eastern Studies). My marriage vows were Baha'i vows, my daily prayers Baha'i prayers, and my hopes for humanity and myself — those hopes outlined in the sacred writings of the Faith. I write all this, not to brag about my Baha'i pedigree, or to prove a legitimate degree of devotion, but to illustrate how fundamentally rooted I have been in the Faith and to contextualize my profound grief that this is a letter of resignation.

There was a time when the Faith was everything to me and the Baha'i community a family like no other, but for the last ten years I have had difficulty feeling that I belong to it or want to belong to it.

There are perhaps several issues at play, but the most fundamental of them has been the official position espoused by the Universal House of Justice on homosexuality. I am a heterosexual woman and I am married to a man, but many of my dearest friends and colleagues belong to the LGBTQ community. You advise that I should consider their sexual orientation to be a kind of "handicap" which they should "pray to overcome", but I find this position impossible to maintain.

As a child and young adult, I prided myself in belonging to a religion that was not weighed down by outdated social laws, not caught up in untangling and interpreting archaic customs to fit the modern age. In comparison to other religions, the principles of gender and racial equality which the Baha'i Faith upheld often felt revolutionary and refreshingly modern. Even in 1914, Abdu'l- Bahá encouraged the marriage of people of different races in America! It felt good to be ahead of the curve and on the right side of history. But when it comes to the civil rights issues pertaining to the LGBTQ community, Baha'is are so woefully behind the curve, that I have for many years been embarrassed to be associated with the community. Current attempts to legitimize the LGBTQ community, such as legalizing gay marriage, do not only represent "changing trends in popular thought" (which to my ear sounds like characterizing significant changes as a superficial fad) but the emancipation of a community that has existed in human society as long as men and women have existed.

Some years ago, when people asked me about my religious affiliation, I started answering that "I was raised as a Baha'i" instead of saying "I am a Baha'i." After the birth of my first child a few months ago, I fell into a deep depression in regards to my ambiguous relationship to my own faith community. It grieves me deeply that I will not raise my daughter within the embrace of the Baha'i Faith, which has meant so much to me. But it disturbs me further that she would be raised to believe that to be loyal to Bahá'u'lláh means to categorize a substantial and precious portion of the human race as "self-indulgent", "shameful", "aberrant", "abhorrent", "immoral", "disgraceful", "handicapped", or "afflicted". When my daughter was born I plunged into a studious and thorough interrogation of the writings on the subject of homosexuality, hoping I would be able to justify a way to return. When I found your letter – dated 9 May 2014 – I realized instead that I would prefer to officially resign.

My father has pleaded with me in the past to stay — to remain in a state of questioning while maintaining my role in the community.

He tells me that the Baha'i community needs ardent seekers to ask difficult questions, or it has no chance of evolving and meeting the needs and ailments of the current age. "Don't throw the baby out with the bath water," he has said – a metaphor that rings more profoundly in my ears now that I have a baby of my own! But when I read this sentence from your May 9th letter — "It would be a profound contradiction for someone to profess to be a Bahá'í, yet reject, disregard, or contend with aspects of belief or practice He ordained" — it feels as if the Universal House of Justice is calling me a hypocrite rather than encouraging those believers who struggle with aspects of the Faith to persevere. Regardless, I no longer want to live in a constant state of schizophrenia and contradiction. For a long time I maintained that the writings of Bahá'u'lláh are in fact not clear on the issue of homosexuality, and therefore the retrograde attitudes towards homosexuality in the Baha'i community might shift. In regards to the passage often quoted from the Kitab-i-Aqdas ...

We shrink for very shame, from treating the subject of boys.

I was under the impression that "the subject of boys" implied the practice of pederasty, and did not extend to homosexuality in general. Why should it, when sex between an adult and a child (boy or girl) is so very different than sex between two consenting adults? The other passage which is often quoted...

Ye are forbidden to commit adultery, sodomy and lechery.

might seem more explicit, but in fact sodomy (if defined as "anal sex") is anatomically impossible between two women and not strictly a necessity between two men who wish to bring each other to a sexual climax. It feels foolish to delve into the nitty-gritty particulars of the sex act, when it is our immaterial souls that religion should occupy itself with. As you write in your letter dated the 9th of May 2014, it is the role of religion "to cultivate spiritual qualities and virtues – the attributes of the soul which constitute one's true and abiding identity." And yet you have involved yourself in tracing clear prohibitions against the sexual acts of people of the same gender in the Baha'i community. So I feel it is important to be equally explicit that sodomy and pederasty are NOT synonymous with homosexuality. Even if this was not your opinion, you would be amiss to say that two women or two men cannot be part of the "the bedrock of the whole structure of human society" which supports and nurtures the next generation because they cannot issue forth children. I've witnessed many healthy households headed by same-sex parents. Surrogate motherhood, sperm and egg donation, not to mention adoption, has redefined the family structure in the contemporary world.

You write "if such statements are considered by some to be unclear, the unambiguous interpretations provided by Shoghi Effendi constitute a binding exposition of His intent." I agree that the writings of Shoghi Effendi are less ambiguous than those enshrined within the Kitab-i- Aqdas, but are you not an infallible institution, capable of redefining his interpretations in a more enlightened manner without negating the divine covenant that has linked the series of institutions and individuals shepherding the Baha'i community towards its true potential? Do you not exist, not only to interpret and uphold what has already been written, but so that the Faith does not become calcified and intransigent — so that the Faith continues to be a living, thinking entity, able to adapt and respond to the needs and challenges of the age? As I write this letter, I realize I am writing it more for myself and my own sense of clarity than to enact any kind of response or change. I know a single letter cannot change the culture of a worldwide religion, and yet I would feel cowardly to leave the community without some clear act of protest or an attempt to communicate my grief. I wonder if you realize the emotional pain that you are inflicting upon the ardent believers of your community; radiant souls who want more than anything to be able to call themselves Baha'is.

Perhaps I am too rigid when I insist that this is a letter of resignation. The fact that I have decided that I can not be a part of the Baha'i community without being entirely a part of it, and so I must take myself entirely out of it, might, in itself, express a divisive breed of orthodoxy. Still, after much deliberation, I have concluded that this is the route I want to take.

I hereby relinquish my voting rights, and I ask that you strike me from the rosters.

I have no doubt that I will continue to love and respect the founders of the Faith, and to turn to their writings for guidance. I desperately hope that the official position of the Baha'i community in regards to LGBTQ individuals will change one day. If that day should come in my lifetime, I will be your valiant ensign once more.

Sincerely, Anisa George Philadelphia, PA

Read the original here

Via Sri Prem Baba: Flor do dia -Flor del día - Flower of the day 13/02/2016

“Proponho um trabalho de harmonização com o fluxo da vida e de resgate do estado de desprendimento e naturalidade original. Então, para aquele que está iniciando esse caminho comigo, eu sugiro que identifique tudo aquilo que o impede de ser natural e desprendido, ou seja, trabalhe para identificar os condicionamentos mentais, as crenças e as imagens que sabotam a sua felicidade. Identifique os aspectos da personalidade que estão trancados em negação e que o fazem ir na direção oposta daquela determinada pelo coração. Pois somente ao identificar esses aspectos será possível desbloquear o fluxo.”

“Propongo un trabajo de armonización con el flujo de la vida y de rescate del estado de desprendimiento y naturalidad original. Entonces, para aquél que está iniciando este camino conmigo, sugiero que identifique todo aquello que le impide ser natural y desprendido, es decir, que trabaje para identificar los condicionamientos mentales, las creencias y las imágenes que sabotean su felicidad. Que identifique los aspectos de la personalidad que están atascados en negación y que lo hacen ir en la dirección opuesta de aquella determinada por el corazón. Porque solamente al identificar estos aspectos será posible desbloquear el flujo.”

"I propose that we harmonize ourselves with the flow of life and rescue our original state of detachment and naturalness. For those who are just beginning on this path with me, I suggest that you identify everything that prevents you from being natural and unattached. Work towards identifying the mental conditioning, beliefs and images that sabotage your own happiness. Identify aspects of your personality that are locked up in denial and that make you move away from the heart's calling. Only by identifying these aspects can you unblock the flow.”

Via Dauly Dharma: Suffering World, Suffering Mind

Most of the suffering in the world is happening because of manifestations of people’s minds. But normally it’s not seen in that way. We are focused, and rightfully so, on the actual events and what we can do about them. But it’s also helpful to see where it’s all coming from.

—Joseph Goldstein, "Who Knows?"

Via Department of Homeland Stupidity / FB:

Via Sri Prem Baba: Flor do dia -Flor del día - Flower of the day 12/02/2016

“Parte da sua missão como trabalhador espiritual é tornar-se uma usina de transformação do sofrimento coletivo. Estando no mundo, principalmente nos grandes centros urbanos, é preciso aprender a transmutar e a digerir as energias que nos circundam e passam por nós. Cada um vai descobrir os instrumentos que o ajudam nesse trabalho: pode ser a música, a arte, uma atividade física intensa ou uma simples caminhada no parque; pode ser ficar em silêncio, rezando, ou apenas olhando para o céu. Então, através desses instrumentos, você vai se reconectando e realinhando. Esse é o trabalho do karmayogi.”

“Parte de tu misión como trabajador espiritual es convertirte en una usina de transformación del sufrimiento colectivo. Estando en el mundo, principalmente en los grandes centros urbanos, es necesario aprender a transmutar y a digerir las energías que nos rodean y que pasan por nosotros. Cada uno va a descubrir los instrumentos que lo ayudan en este trabajo: puede ser la música, el arte, una actividad física intensa o un simple paseo por el parque; puede ser estar en silencio, rezando, o simplemente mirando hacia el cielo. Entonces, a través de estos instrumentos, te vas reconectando y realineando. Este es el trabajo del karmayogi.”

"Part of your mission as a spiritual worker is to become a 'power plant' that transforms the collective suffering. While being in the world, especially in large urban centers, we must learn to transmute and digest the energies that surround and pass through us. Each of us will find the tools that help us in this work, whether it be through music, art, intense physical activity, a simple walk in the park, being in silence, praying, or just looking at the sky. Through these instruments, we go on reconnecting and realigning ourselves. This is the work of the karma yogi.”

Via Daily Dharma: Settled Mind

With practice, that space—which is the mind’s natural clarity—begins to expand and settle. We can begin to watch our thoughts and emotions without necessarily being affected by them quite as powerfully or vividly as we’re used to.

—Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche, "The Aim of Attention"

Via Sri Prem Baba: Flor do dia -Flor del día - Flower of the day 11/02/2016

“O que ocorre durante os nossos encontros é um fenômeno: nós criamos condição para o Divino se manifestar e proporcionar o milagre da cura, do insight, da abertura do coração, da lembrança de quem somos. Às vezes somos levados para lugares de purificação, onde nada parece se encaixar, mas tudo isso faz parte do processo de expansão da consciência. Então, independentemente das palavras, o mais importante é a transmissão de energia. Essa é a essência do jogo que chamamos satsang(encontro com a verdade).”

“Lo que ocurre durante nuestros encuentros es un fenómeno: creamos condiciones para que lo Divino se manifieste y proporcione el milagro de la cura, del insight, de la apertura del corazón, del recuerdo de quienes somos. A veces somos llevados a lugares de purificación, donde nada parece encajarse, pero todo eso es parte del proceso de expansión de la conciencia. Entonces, independientemente de las palabras, lo más importante es la transmisión de energía. Esta es la esencia del juego que llamamos satsang (encuentro con la verdad).”

"What happens during our encounters is a phenomenon: we create the conditions for the Divine to manifest and deliver the miracle of healing, insights, heart-openings, and the remembrance of who we are. Sometimes we are led to places of purification where nothing seems to fit in place, but it's all part of the process of expanding consciousness. Regardless of what words are spoken, what's truly important in these encounters is the energy transmission. This is the essence of the play we call satsang, an encounter with the truth.”

Via Daily Dharma: The True Self

What is the true self? It's brilliantly transparent like the deep blue sky, and there's no gap between it and all living beings.

—Kodo Sawaki Roshi, "The True Self"

Via Ram Das

February 10, 2016

Everybody you know, you see, you remember, you will meet, is another face of God, is another doorway through. Is another way that God has come to you to awaken your attachments, to bring them to the forefront, to allow you to see through them.

Via Sri Prem Baba: Flor do dia - Flor del día - Flower of the day - 10/02/2016

“A jornada evolutiva tem seus altos e baixos. Muitas vezes, vamos de um extremo para o outro numa velocidade radical. Ora você está no vale, ora está no pico. Às vezes você vai às profundezas das suas emoções e acessa sentimentos aterrorizantes, verdadeiros infernos internos; e às vezes vai para o céu. Mas, se puder apenas testemunhar esse movimento, sem se identificar, você encontra a saída para o sofrimento. Você apenas observa até que possa ficar no céu, mantendo o coração aberto em qualquer situação; até que possa sustentar o êxtase".

“El camino evolutivo tiene sus altibajos. Muchas veces, vamos de un extremo al otro a una velocidad radical. En un momento estás en el valle, y otra en el pico. A veces vas a las profundidades de tus emociones y accedes a sentimientos aterradores, verdaderos infiernos internos; y a veces vas hacia el cielo. Pero si puedes simplemente ser testigo de este movimiento, sin identificarte, encuentras la salida del sufrimiento. Solo observa hasta que puedas permanecer en el cielo, manteniendo el corazón abierto en cualquier situación; hasta que puedas sustentar el éxtasis.”

"The evolutionary journey has its ups and downs. Oftentimes, we go from one extreme to the next at extreme speeds. At one moment we're in the valley, and then we’re at the peak. Sometimes we go to the depths of our emotions and access terrifying feelings that are truly like an inner hell. And sometimes we visit the heavens. If we were able to simply witness this movement without getting identified, we would find the way out of suffering. We simply observe until we’re able to remain in the heavens, maintaining an open heart in any situation, until we can sustain the ecstasy.”

Tuesday, February 9, 2016

Via Daily Dharma: Commit to One Another

Hang out with people who are capable of making a commitment to you and your life, and who require that you make a commitment to theirs. Hang out with people who care about you, with people who need you to develop and who say so. Make such a commitment and don’t break that bond until you and all beings are perfect.

—Reb Anderson, "In It Together"

Via Daily Dharma: The Head and the Heart

Your heart needs the help of your head to generate and act on more skillful emotions. Your head needs your heart to remind you that what’s really important in life is putting an end to suffering.

—Thanissaro Bhikkhu, "Head & Heart Together"

Via Sri Prem Baba: Flor do dia - Flor del día - Flower of the day 07/02/2016

“Paralelamente ao trabalho psicoespiritual, algumas práticas podem te ajudar a chegar à compreensão necessária. Pode ser a repetição de um mantra, uma meditação, mas também um kriya (purificação do corpo) ou um asana (postura de yoga). As práticas externas podem ajudar a transformar aspectos internos. Você pratica fora até que aprende a fazer sirsasana, padmasanae bhastrika dentro de você, na hora que o outro está ali, te desafiando, te provocando. É preciso ter muita firmeza e flexibilidade para lidar com a brutalidade que se manifesta no mundo. Algumas situações pedem muito alongamento e equilíbrio. E, às vezes, temos que ficar de ponta cabeça para dar conta.”

“Paralelamente al trabajo psicoespiritual, algunas prácticas pueden ayudarte a llegar a la comprensión necesaria. Puede ser la repetición de un mantra, una meditación, pero también una kriya (purificación del cuerpo) o un asana(postura de yoga). Las prácticas externas pueden ayudar a transformar aspectos internos. Practicas afuera hasta que aprendes a realizar sirsasana, padmasana y bhastrikadentro tuyo, en el momento en que el otro está allí, desafiándote, provocándote. Es necesario tener mucha firmeza y flexibilidad para lidiar con la brutalidad que se manifiesta en el mundo. Algunas situaciones piden mucha elongación y equilibrio. Y a veces, tenemos que estar cabeza abajo para conseguirlo.”

"In conjunction with our psycho-spiritual work, there are some practices that can help us reach understanding. These practices may include the repetition of a mantra, meditation, or even a kriya (a bodily purification) or an asana practice (yoga postures). External practices can help to transform internal aspects of ourselves. We continue with these external practices until we learn to do sirsasana (headstand), padmasana (lotus pose) and bhastrika (bellows breath) within ourselves at the moments when someone is challenging and provoking us. It takes great steadiness and flexibility to deal with the brutality that manifests in the world. Some situations call for us tostretch out and balance ourselves. Sometimes, we even need to stop and go into a full headstand in order to cope.”

Via Dialy Dharma: Bow by Bow

We offer our whole body and mind to wisdom or to compassion, opening ourselves, in the act of the bow, to that quality letting go of everything else in our life but that quality, bringing it out, making it big, fashioning it day by day, bow by bow.

—Norman Fischer, "Why Do We Bow"

Via Daily Dharma: The Ordinary Self

Holding to an ordinary notion of self, or ego, is the source of all our pain and confusion. The irony is that when we look for this "self" that we're cherishing and protecting, we can't even find it.

—Dzigar Kongtrül Rinpoche, "Searching for Self"

Via Sri Prem Baba: Flor do dia - Flor del día - Flower of the day 05/02/2016

Compreenda que é preciso ser honesto, mas também é preciso ser gentil. Parte fundamental do processo de evolução da consciência é extirpar a violência do nosso sistema. Por isso precisamos encontrar maneiras de sermos honestos sem machucar o outro. E mesmo sendo gentil, pode ser que a verdade machuque o outro (porque nem sempre é fácil lidar com ela). Mas, nesse caso, isso não é um problema seu, é um problema do outro.”

“Comprende que es necesario ser honesto, pero también es necesario ser gentil. Parte fundamental del proceso de evolución de la consciencia es extirpar la violencia de nuestro sistema. Por eso necesitamos encontrar maneras de ser honestos sin herir al otro. Incluso siendo gentil, puede ser que la verdad lastime al otro (porque no siempre es fácil lidiar con ella). Pero en ese caso, eso no es un problema tuyo, es un problema del otro.”

"Understand that we must be honest, but we also need to be kind. A key step in the process of the evolution of consciousness is to weed all traces of violence from our systems. We need to find ways to be honest with one another without hurting each other. Even if we are being kind, the truth may hurt others, because it is not always easy to deal with the truth – but that's a challenge the other must work with.”

Via Daily Dharma: Discovering the Gems Within

People who are attached to sutras and a scriptural teaching of words can lack faith in the living, mysterious experience of meditation that leads to a sudden insight. They are . . . attached to the stubborn habit of distinguishing between "true" and "not true." Believing only what is written in holy texts, they are conceptually mesmerized by the treasures of others, instead of digging inside to discover the priceless gems of their own, lying deep within.

—So Sahn, "The Zen of Confidence"