Watchtower's Anti-Gay Indoctrination Cartoon - Cedars' vlog no. 117

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Via Sri Prem Baba: Flor do dia / Flor del dia / Flower of the Day – 03/05/2016

"A criança nasce amando e confiando; ela nasce espontânea e natural. Mas, logo ela começa a aprender a sentir medo, ciúme, inveja e ódio, assim como também aprende a usar máscaras para agradar os outros, para poder ser aceita e amada. Então, aos poucos, ela vai se distanciando da sua essência até que chega um momento em que ocorre uma cisão interna: ela se esquece completamente de quem ela é e passa a acreditar ser a máscara."

“El niño nace amando y confiando; nace espontáneo y natural. Pero luego aprende a sentir miedo, celos, envidia y odio, así como también aprende a usar máscaras para agradar a los otros, para poder ser aceptado y amado. Entonces, de a poco, se va distanciando de su esencia hasta que llega un momento en el que sucede una división interna: se olvida completamente de quién es y pasa a creer que es la máscara.”

“Children are born loving and trusting the world. They are born with the ability to be spontaneous and natural. But they soon learn how to feel fear, jealousy, envy and hatred, as well as how to use masks to please others so that they will be accepted and loved. Bit by bit, children get further and further away from their essence, until there comes a moment where an internal split occurs. The child completely forgets who they are, and starts to believe that they actually are their masks.”

Via Daily Dharma / May 3, 2016: The Path Transforms Us

Since the instant of your birth,
You are being transformed.
It is your path.
It is making you.

—Douglas Penick, "Becoming Buddha"

Via Ram Dass

Via Sri Prem Baba: Flor do dia / Flor del dia / Flower of the Day – 02/05/2016

“A identificação com processos mentais gera rigidez no corpo físico; ela cria bloqueios na circulação da energia a ponto de alterar o metabolismo e a química do corpo, o que pode causar doenças.O corpo humano tem suas limitações, isso é verdade. Mas o que temos observado é que, de uma forma geral, o ser humano pouco sofre pelas limitações reais do corpo -ele sofre por conta da identificação com a mente que por sua vez influencia o corpo. Às vezes o pneu do carro fura e você troca o pneu; isso é mecânico e faz parte da natureza do aparelho mas, de uma forma geral, o ser humano sofre porque imagina um problema. E é essa imaginação, esse conteúdo mental, que cria o bloqueio no fluxo da energia.”

“La identificación con procesos mentales genera rigidez en el cuerpo físico; crea bloqueos en la circulación de la energía al punto de alterar el metabolismo y la química del cuerpo, lo que puede causar enfermedades. El cuerpo humano tiene sus limitaciones, esto es verdad. Pero lo que hemos observado es que, en general, el ser humano sufre poco por las limitaciones reales del cuerpo – sufre a causa de la identificación con la mente que a su vez influye en el cuerpo. A veces, el neumático del auto se pincha y cambias el neumático; esto es mecánico y es parte de la naturaleza del aparato, pero, en general, el ser humano sufre porque imagina un problema. Y es esta imaginación, este contenido mental, lo que crea una obstrucción en el flujo de la energía."

“Being identified with mental processes generates a rigidity in the physical body. This blocks the circulation of energy to the point of altering the body’s metabolism and chemistry, which can lead to illnesses. It’s true that the human body has its physical limitations, but people tend to suffer more due to their identification with the mind and its influences on the body than they do because of the body’s actual physical limitations. Sometimes we may get a flat tire and need to change it, but that's just a practicality inherent to driving cars. Human beings suffer unnecessarily with such situations, magnifying the problem with their imagination. It is this mental fixation that creates energetic blockages in our bodies.”

Via Daily Dharma / May 2, 2016: Accepting Desire

Can you accept your desires graciously? When you sit on the cushion and see one desire after another and feel how consuming each is—if you remain on your cushion, then you are graciously accepting them.

—Tim Burkett, "Brief Teachings"

Via Ram Dass

May 1, 2016

The predicament with loving is the power of the addiction of the practice of loving somebody; of getting so caught in the relationship that you can’t ever arrive at the essence of dwelling in love.

When you say “I’m in love with you,” what you’re really saying is that you are the key stimulus that is opening me to the place in myself where I am love, which I can’t get to except through you. Can you hear that one?

Via Sri Prem Baba: Flor do dia / Flor del dia / Flower of the Day – 01/05/2016

"Tenho te inspirado a servir, pois compreendo que o serviço é a forma mais rápida de transformar o sofrimento em alegria. Através dele, você se sente ocupando seu lugar no mundo. E somente quando encontra seu lugar no mundo, você pode sentir alegria ao levantar pela manhã. Mas, para que o serviço tenha esse poder de iluminar sua vida, ele precisa ser verdadeiro, ou seja, ele precisa ser desinteressado."

“Vengo inspirándote a servir, porque comprendo que el servicio es la forma más rápida de transformar el sufrimiento en alegría. A través de él, te sientes ocupando tu lugar en el mundo. Y solo cuando encuentras tu lugar en el mundo, puedes sentir alegría al levantarte por la mañana. Pero para que el servicio tenga este poder de iluminar tu vida, debe ser verdadero, es decir, debe ser desinteresado.”

“I encourage people to serve, for I understand that service is the fastest way to transform suffering into joy. Through service, we feel that we have found our place in the world, which brings us the joy of waking up in the morning. In order for service to have the power to illuminate our lives, the service needs to be authentic: it must be selfless service.”

Via Daily Dharma / May 1, 2016: Practice Is Circular

A circle is both a forward movement, a step on the path, and a constant return to the place of origin.

—Emily Strasser, "Beneath the Eyes of the Buddha"

Via Sri Prem Baba: Flor do dia / Flor del dia / Flower of the Day – 29/04/2016

“Amar requer uma grande coragem, a coragem de ser humilde. Somente com muita coragem você pode ser humilde. Todo orgulhoso é um grande covarde, pois o orgulho é uma armadura que serve para impedir a revelação. Para amar, você terá que se tornar extremamente suscetível. Terá que lidar com uma profunda fragilidade, terá que expor seus pontos mais vulneráveis.”
Sri Prem Baba
Do livro “Amar e Ser Livre”

“Amar requiere de un gran coraje, el coraje de ser humilde. Solamente con mucho coraje puedes ser humilde. Todo orgulloso es un gran cobarde, pues el orgullo es una armadura que sirve para impedir la revelación. Para amar, tendrás que volverte extremadamente susceptible. Tendrás que lidiar con una profunda fragilidad, tendrás que exponer tus puntos más vulnerables.”
Del libro “Amar y Ser Libre”

“Being able to love requires great courage – the courage to be humble. Only with a lot ofcourage can we be truly humble. Pride is nothing but cowardice, because pride is merely an armor that serves to prevent us from revealing ourselves. In order to love, we must become extremely vulnerable. We need to deal with a profoundsense of fragility, and expose our most vulnerable points.”
From Love and Be Free

Via Daily Dharma / April 29, 2016: Where Do Thoughts Come From?

On the deepest level, even the thoughts that arise in our head during meditation are cocreated with the society in which we live. When we think any thought, it is a reflection of our cultural heritage, our education, and our socialization.

—Ethan Nichtern, "Awake with Others"

Via Sri Prem Baba: Flor do dia / Flor del dia / Flower of the Day – 28/04/2016

“Para um explorador da consciência realmente disposto a se conhecer, o medo é uma ferramenta de autoconhecimento. O medo tem sempre algo a ensinar. Por isso, quando ele bater na sua porta, procure colocar-se presente, mesmo se estiver tremendo da cabeça aos pés. A partir daí, observe: Quem em você está se sentindo ameaçado? Quem em você vê a vida como um perigo? Você verá que existe um eu encantado com uma história de terror que você acredita ser a sua vida. Você acredita ser esse eu amedrontado, mas ele é apenas um personagem que você criou para se defender; ele é um produto das crenças instaladas no seu sistema a partir de eventos traumáticos do passado. E devido à identificação com o passado você fantasia o futuro – um futuro que não existe.”

“Para un explorador de la consciencia realmente dispuesto a conocerse, el miedo es una herramienta de autoconocimiento. El miedo tiene siempre algo que enseñarte. Por eso, cuando golpee tu puerta, busca colocarte presente, incluso si estuvieras temblando de la cabeza a los pies. A partir de ahí, observa: ¿Quién en ti está sintiéndose amenazado? ¿Quién en ti ve la vida como un peligro? Verás que existe un yo encantado con una historia de terror que crees que es tu vida. Crees ser ese yo amedrentado, pero es apenas un personaje que creaste para defenderte, es un producto de las creencias instaladas en tu sistema a partir de eventos traumáticos del pasado. Y debido a la identificación con el pasado, fantasías con el futuro, un futuro que no existe.”

“For an explorer of consciousness who istrulycommitted to knowing oneself, fear is just a tool forself-awareness. Fear always has something to teach us. For this reason, when fear knocks on our door, we should aim to return to the present moment, even if we have been completely shaken from head to toe. From this place of presence, we can observe and ask ourselves, ‘Who in me feels threatened? Who in me views life as dangerous?’Then, we can begin to see that there is a particular psychological self that is mesmerized by this horror story that we believe our lives to be. We believe that we are this terrified self, but it is merely a character we have created as a self-defense. It is a product of the beliefs that were programmed into our systems due to traumatic events from thepast. This identification with the past is what causes us to fantasize about the future; a future that doesn’t even exist.”

Via FB:

A man and his dog were walking along a road. The man was enjoying the scenery, when it suddenly occurred to him that he was dead.

He remembered dying, and that the dog walking beside him had been dead for years. He wondered where the road was leading them.

After a while, they came to a high, white stone wall along one side of the road. It looked like fine marble... At the top of a long hill, it was broken by a tall arch that glowed in the sunlight.

When he was standing before it he saw a magnificent gate in the arch that looked like mother-of-pearl, and the street that led to the gate looked like pure gold. He and the dog walked toward the gate, and as he got closer, he saw a man at a desk to one side.
When he was close enough, he called out, 'Excuse me, where are we?'

'This is Heaven, sir,' the man answered.. 'Wow! Would you happen to have some water?' the man asked.

Of course, sir. Come right in, and I'll have some ice water brought right up. 'The man gestured, and the gate began to open.

'Can my friend,' gesturing toward his dog, 'come in, too?' the traveler asked.

'I'm sorry, sir, but we don't accept pets.'

The man thought a moment and then turned back toward the road and continued the way he had been going with his dog.

After another long walk, and at the top of another long hill, he came to a dirt road leading through a farm gate that looked as if it had never been closed. There was no fence.

As he approached the gate, he saw a man inside, leaning against a tree and reading a book.

'Excuse me!' he called to the man. 'Do you have any water?'

'Yeah, sure, there's a pump over there, come on in.'

'How about my friend here?' the traveler gestured to the dog.

'There should be a bowl by the pump.'

They went through the gate, and sure enough, there was an old-fashioned hand pump with a bowl beside it.

The traveler filled the water bowl and took a long drink himself, then he gave some to the dog.

When they were full, he and the dog walked back toward the man who was standing by the tree..

'What do you call this place?' the traveler asked.

'This is Heaven,' he answered.

'Well, that's confusing,' the traveler said. 'The man down the road said that was Heaven, too.'

'Oh, you mean the place with the gold street and pearly gates? Nope. That's hell.'

'Doesn't it make you mad for them to use your name like that?'

'No, we're just happy that they screen out the folks who would leave their best friends behind.

Via Daily Dharma / April 28, 2016: Learn Your Thought Patterns

As we become more familiar with our thoughts in meditation, we will see how repetitive our thoughts are. We often think very similar things over and over again and it is actually rare to have what I would call a creative, original thought.

—Martine Batchelor, "Meditation, Mental Habits, and Creative Imagination"

Liberal Redneck - American Family Association Boycotts Target

Via Sri Prem Baba - Flor do dia / Flor del dia / Flower of the Day – 27/04/2016

“Apesar de ser bastante influenciado pelo hinduísmo, o caminho que eu proponho é o da síntese. Comumente faço uso da cosmovisão das escrituras védicas para explicar determinados fenômenos e celebro as datas do calendário hindu, mas também celebro datas de outras tradições, como a cristã, judaica, budista, entre outras datas que, de alguma maneira, nos auxiliam a lembrar do propósito de estarmos encarnados aqui na Terra. Além disso, não deixo de agradecer e reverenciar os canais que deram passagem para o conhecimento científico, especialmente aqueles que se dedicaram a entender a psique humana como Freud, Jung, William James entre outros.”

“A pesar de ser bastante influenciado por el hinduismo, el camino que propongo es el de la síntesis. Comúnmente hago uso de la cosmovisión de las escrituras védicas para explicar determinados fenómenos y celebro las fechas del calendario hindú, pero también celebro fechas de otras tradiciones, como la cristiana, judía, budista entre otras fechas que, de alguna manera, nos ayudan a recordar el propósito de estar encarnados aquí en la Tierra. Más allá de eso, no dejo de agradecer y reverenciar los canales que dieron pasaje para el conocimiento científico, especialmente aquellos que se dedicaron a entender la psique humana como Freud, Jung, William James entre otros.”

“Despite being strongly influenced by Hinduism, the path that I propose is a synthesis of all paths. I often make use of the worldview of Vedic scriptures to explain certain phenomena. I celebrate Hindu holidays as well, but I also celebrate the holidays of other traditions such as Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism and other auspicious dates.In one way or another, all of these holidays serve as a reminder of the purpose behind our incarnation here on Earth. Additionally, I give thanks and reverence to the channels that opened up the pathways for scientific knowledge, especially those dedicated to understanding the human psyche, such as Freud, Jung, and William James, amongst others.”

Via Ram Dass:

April 27, 2016

Total truth is necessary. You must live by what you say.

- Neem Karoli Baba

Via Daily Dharma / April 27, 2016: Cultivating Sangha

As Buddhist practitioners, we take refuge in the Three Jewels of Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha. Sometimes, in our enthusiasm for meditating, bowing, chanting, and lighting sticks of incense, we emphasize the first two jewels and neglect sangha, or community. Working for social justice provides ample opportunity for the cultivation of sangha.

—Susan Moon, "Ten Practices to Change the World"

Via Sri Prem Baba: Flor do dia / Flor del dia / Flower of the Day – 26/04/2016

“Quando você carrega o sentimento de incompletude, de não pertencimento ou de não estar no lugar certo, isso quer dizer que existe algo a ser integrado dentro de você. E você identifica isso que precisa ser integrado observando as situações negativas que se repetem na sua vida, especialmente nos seus relacionamentos. Enquanto existirem partes da sua personalidade a serem integradas, não importa onde você esteja, a situação irá se repetir. Você pode até se esconder dentro de uma caverna, mas se algo em você precisa ser integrado, você arranja briga com a pedra.”

 

“Cuando cargas el sentimiento de no estar completo, de no pertenecer o de no estar en el lugar correcto, esto quiere decir que existe algo a ser integrado dentro tuyo. E identificas eso que necesita ser integrado, observando las situaciones negativas que se repiten en tu vida, especialmente en tus relaciones. Mientras existan partes de tu personalidad a ser integradas, no importa dónde estés, la situación se va a repetir. Puedes hasta esconderte dentro de una caverna, pero si algo en ti necesita ser integrado, te arreglas para pelearte con la piedra.”

“When we carry around the feeling of incompletion, of not belonging, or of not being in the right place, it means that there is something which still needs to be integrated within ourselves. By observing the negative situations that repeat in our lives, especially in our relationships, we gain more clarity as to what needs to be integrated. As long as there are parts of our personalities that still need to be integrated, regardless of where we are, these situations will repeat themselves. Onecan even try to hide away in a cave, b