Via Daily Dharma / June 8, 2016: A Living Offering

To cut a bloom is to destroy a living thing. The best flowers to offer are those that have not been picked at all but fall from the tree and are gathered in a cloth before they reach the ground.

—Hans Georg Berger, "The Most Suitable Offerings"

Via Sri Prem Baba: Flor do dia - Flor del día - Flower of the day - 07/06/2016

“Uma das principais características do ego humano é a necessidade de ser amado exclusivamente. A criança nasce amando e, ao mesmo tempo, querendo ser amada. Então, com o passar do tempo, o amor é eclipsado por crenças e choques adquiridos, o que faz com que a necessidade de receber amor seja maior do que a necessidade de amar. A pessoa acaba se desconectando do seu núcleo interior e se conecta à superfície, às máscaras - um falso centro é criado a partir da carência. Essa é a causa de grande parte disso que conhecemos como sofrimento.”

“Una de las principales características del ego humano es la necesidad de ser amado exclusivamente. El niño nace amando y, al mismo tiempo, queriendo ser amado. Entonces, con el paso del tiempo, el amor es eclipsado por creencias y shocks adquiridos, que hace que la necesidad de recibir amor sea mayor que la necesidad de amar. La persona termina desconectándose de su núcleo interior y se conecta a la superficie, a las máscaras - un falso centro se crea a partir de la carencia. Esta es la causa de gran parte de eso que conocemos como sufrimiento.”

“One of the main characteristics of the human ego is the need to be exclusively loved. A child is born loving and, at the same time, wanting to be loved. Then, with the passing of time, love is eclipsed by acquired beliefs and shocks, which makes the need to receive love greater than the need to give love. As adults, we wind up disconnected from our core and connected to the superficial layer called masks, which is a false center created out of our neediness. This disconnection is the cause of so much of what we experience as suffering.”

Via Daily Dharma / June 7, 2016: What the World Is Made Of

Something I have come to understand slowly over my lifetime is that nature, earth, the world—whatever you call it—is not simply something I am on but something I am. It is not outside of me: it is me, and I am it. There is no outside.

—Paul Kingsnorth, "The Witness"

Via FB:

Fleetwood Mac - Bare Trees [Full Album]

Via Sri Prem Baba: Flor do dia - Flor del día - Flower of the day - 06/06/2016

“Estamos trabalhando para ressignificar as nossas vidas e para que todos encontrem e realizem o programa da sua alma. Trabalhamos para que possamos cumprir nossa missão. Porque, ao realizar essa missão, nos sentimos encaixados e ficamos em paz - nós nos realizamos. Então, nós descobrimos que a felicidade é a causa da felicidade, ou seja, ao nos realizarmos, criamos um círculo benigno no qual felicidade gera felicidade.” 

“Estamos trabajando para resignificarnuestras vidas y para que todos encuentren y realicen el programa de su alma. Trabajamos para poder cumplir con nuestra misión. Porque, al realizar esta misión, nos sentimos encajadosy estamos en paz - nos realizamos. Entoncesdescubrimos que la felicidad es la causa de la felicidad, es decir, al realizarnos, creamos un círculo benigno en el cual felicidad genera felicidad.”

“We are working to give new meaning to our lives so that we all may discover and fulfill the program of our souls. We are working so that we can complete our mission. When we are able to accomplish our mission, we feel as if we belong, and we are at peace; we become self-realized. We discover that happiness breeds even more happiness. As we become self-realized, we create a healthy circle in which happiness fosters even more happiness.”

Via Daily Dharma / June 6, 2016: The Bodhisattva’s Commitment

May I become an island for those seeking dry land
A lamp for those needing light,
A place to rest for those who desire one,
And a servant for those needing service.

—Shantideva, "May I Become an Island"

Via Lessons Learned In Life Inc. / FB:

Via Tim McGraw / FB:

Via Bernie Sanders for President 2016:

Ban Ki-moon: Discrimination can never be justified We must right these wrongs!

“We should all be outraged when people suffer discrimination, assault or even murder simply because they are lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender. We should all speak out when someone is arrested and imprisoned because of who they love or how they look. This is one of the great neglected human rights challenges of our time. We must right these wrongs! […] Some may oppose change. They may invoke culture, tradition or religion to defend the status quo. Such arguments have been used to try to justify slavery, child marriage, rape in marriage and female genital mutilation. I respect culture, tradition and religion, but they can never justify the denial of basic rights. My promise to the lesbian, homosexual, bisexual and transgender members of the human family is this: I’m with you. I promise that as Secretary-General of the United Nations I will denounce attacks against you and I will keep pressing leaders for progress.”

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to the International Conference on Human Rights, Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity (Oslo, 15-16 April 2013).

Via Ram Dass:

June 5, 2016 Acting with compassion is not doing good because we think we ought to. It is being drawn to action by heart-felt passion. It is giving ourselves into what we are doing, being present in the moment — no matter how difficult, sad or even boring it feels, no matter how much it demands. It is acting from our deepest understanding of what life is, listening intently for the skillful means in each situation, and not compromising the truth. It is working with others in a selfless way, in a spirit of mutual respect.

Via Sri Prem Baba: Flor do dia - Flor del día - Flower of the day - 05/06/2016

Dia Mundial do Meio Ambiente
“Se você quer ver um mundo melhor, vá atrás da sua felicidade. Uma pessoa feliz não destrói, não rouba, não engana, não polui, não degrada a natureza. A infelicidade em nós é o que tem causado tanto sofrimento e destruição, para nós e para a natureza. 

Día Mundial deMedio Ambiente
“Si quieres ver un mundo mejor, persiguetu felicidad. Una persona feliz no destruye, no roba, no engaña, no contamina, no degradala naturaleza. La infelicidad en nosotros es lo que ha causado tanto sufrimiento y destrucción, a nosotros y a la naturaleza. 

World Environment Day
“If we want to see a better world, we have to first take an honest look at our own happiness. A truly happy person does not destroy, doesn’t rob, doesn’t lie, doesn’t pollute, and doesn’t treat nature with disrespect. Our unhappiness is what has caused so much suffering and destruction, both in ourselves and to the environment.

Via Daily Dharma / June 5, 2016: Action Without a Cause

True mindfulness has arisen when there is only the action but no doer. —Ayya Khema, "No Satisfaction"

Via Tiny Buddha / FB:

Krishna Das-Mere Guru Dev (original)

Via Sri Prem Baba: Flor do dia - Flor del día - Flower of the day - 04/06/2016

“Muitas vezes você quer chegar ao final do curso sem ter passado pelas etapas e provas necessárias. Isso é absolutamente natural porque, às vezes, o curso é cansativo, entediante, chato e desgastante - e às vezes é maravilhoso. É preciso aprender a lidar com essa dualidade. O que ocorre é que, ao passar por um momento difícil, você quer que o diploma chegue logo e acaba sofrendo com isso. Porém, nessa universidade da vida não é possível obter o diploma antes da hora. Não tem como dar um jeitinho, nem como comprar o diploma. Estando matriculado nessa escola você será chamado a demonstrar se realmente absorveu os aprendizados ou se terá que repetir as lições.”

“Muchas veces quieres llegar al final del curso sin haber pasado por las etapas y pruebas necesarias. Esto es absolutamente natural, porque, a veces, el curso es cansador, tedioso, aburrido y desgastante– ya veces es maravilloso. Es necesario aprender a lidiar con esta dualidad. Lo que sucede es que,al pasar por un momento difícil, quieres que el diploma llegue pronto y terminas sufriendo con eso. Sin embargo, en esta universidad de la vida no es posible obtener el diploma antes de tiempo. No hay manera de negociar, ni cómo comprar el diploma. Al estar matriculado en esta escuela serás llamado para demostrar si realmente absorbiste los aprendizajes o si tendrás que repetir las lecciones.”

“Often times, we want a course to be over without having to go through all the necessary subject matter or taking the exams. This is absolutely natural because the course material can often be tiresome, boring, tedious and taxing; but it may also be wonderful at times. It is necessary to learn how to deal with this duality. When we are undergoing a difficult moment, we want to get our diploma immediately and put an end to our suffering. However, in this university of life, it is not possible to get our diploma ahead of time. There is no shortcut, and it’s not possible to bribe our way out of it or to pay money for our diploma. As we are enrolled in this school, we will be called on to demonstrate if we have really absorbed the lessons, or else we will have to repeat the course.”

Via Daily Dharma / June 3, 2016: Reverence Through Ritual

Prostrations and offerings are admittedly just forms—just a human way of expressing what cats express by rubbing themselves against a beloved person’s legs. If it were natural for humans to stand on their heads or stick out their rumps to express reverence, then Buddhists would stand on their heads or stick out their rumps as a matter of course.

—John Blofeld, "A Spirit of Reverence"

Via Planting Peace / FB: