Via Daily Dharma / June 30, 2016: The Starting Line is the Self

Purify your mind. This is how you can help society; this is how you can stop harming others and start helping them.

—S. N. Goenka, "No Magic, No Miracle"

Via Sri Prem Baba: Flor do dia - Flor del día - Flower of the day - 29/06/2016

“Não há como controlar o processo do florescimento do perdão, pois esse é um fenômeno que se dá no plano do coração. E quem tenta controlar é a mente. O perdão só acontece quando você está suficientemente maduro, o que significa que você já pode compreender a razão maior de ter sido machucado.”

“No hay cómo controlar el proceso de florecimiento del perdón, porque este es un fenómeno que se da en el plano del corazón. Y quien intenta controlar es la mente. El perdón solo sucede cuando estás lo suficientemente maduro, lo que significa que ya puedes comprender la razón mayor de haber sido lastimado.”

“There is no way to control the blossoming of forgiveness. This is a phenomenon that happens at the level of the heart. The one who tries to control this process is the mind. Forgiveness only happens when we are mature enough to be able to understand the bigger picture why we ended up being hurt.”

Via Go Out And Play / FB:

Via Ram Dass:

June 29, 2016

The cosmic humor is that if you desire to move mountains and you continue to purify yourself, ultimately you will arrive at the place where you are able to move mountains. But in order to arrive at this position of power you will have had to give up being he-who-wanted-to-move-mountains so that you can be he-who-put-the-mountain-there-in-the-first-place. The humor is that finally when you have the power to move the mountain, you are the person who placed it there--so there the mountain stays.

Via Daily Dharma / June 29, 2016: Don't Let Insights Drag You Down

If you get excited, it ruins everything. You don’t see things clear through. You stop there and don’t go any further. For this reason, when you train the mind or contemplate the mind to the point of gaining clear realizations every now and then, regard them as simply things to observe.

—Upasika Kee Nanayon, "A Glob of Tar"

Via Occupy Democrats / FB:

 

Kudos to Pope Francis for leading the church away from bigotry and toward inclusion and love.

Read more here: http://n.pr/28XsHIQ
Image by Occupy Democrats, LIKE our page for more!

Via Sri Prem Baba: Flor do dia - Flor del día - Flower of the day - 28/06/2016

“Se você ainda não consegue perdoar aqueles que te fizeram mal, não se culpe. Ainda não chegou o momento. O perdão é uma flor que nasce de sementes compreensão. Quando eu lhe digo para procurar identificar as suas contradições; quando digo para se mover em direção à transcendência das mágoas e dos ressentimentos ou para esvaziar o seu coração da discórdia, eu estou lhe dando direções, apontando caminhos. E esses caminhos te levam ao plantio das sementes da compreensão. Mas quando elas irão florescer não é possível determinar.”

“Si aún no consigues perdonar a aquellos que te hicieron mal, no te culpes. Aún no llegó el momento. El perdón es una flor que nace de las semillas de la comprensión. Cuando te digo busca identificar tus contradicciones, cuando digo que te muevas en dirección a la trascendencia de las heridas y de los resentimientos o vaciar tu corazón de discordia, te estoy dando direcciones, apuntando caminos. Y esos caminos te llevan a la plantación de las semillas de la comprensión. Pero no es posible determinar cuándo ellasvan a florecer.”

“If you are still not able to forgive those that hurt you, don’t feel guilty. The moment has not yet arrived. Forgiveness is a flower that is born from seeds of comprehension. When I tell you to try to identify your contradictions, when I say to move towards the direction of transcendence of your wounds and resentments or to empty your heart of disharmony, I am giving directions, and showing you the way. These paths allow you to plant the seeds of comprehension, but when these seeds will flower, it is not possible to predict.”

Via Daily Dharma / June 28, 2016: Enlightened Devotion

Devotion (saddha) that develops from a deep understanding of the dharma and a heartfelt appreciation of the wisdom and compassion of the Buddha is not blind faith but rather a key factor in the “balance of faculties” necessary for final liberation.

—Asoka Bandarage, "Visiting the Four Sacred Sites"

Via Ram Dass

June 26, 2016

If I don’t meet you in this form, I’ll meet you in another.
 

- Neem Karoli Baba

Via Sri Prem Baba: Flor do dia - Flor del día - Flower of the day - 26/06/2016

“São poucos os seres humanos que sabem da existência da alma. Muitos acreditam que ela existe, mas poucos são os que sabem. Ainda menor é o número de pessoas que sabe que a alma tem um propósito. E é essa inconsciência a respeito da alma e do seu propósito que nos torna seres ‘desalmados’, sem valores espirituais desenvolvidos e que agem mecanicamente, guiados por impulsos físicos.”

“Son pocos los seres humanos que saben de la existencia del alma. Muchos creen que existe, pero pocos son los que saben. Aun menor es el número de personas que sabe que el alma tiene un propósito. Y es esa inconsciencia al respecto del alma y de su propósito que nos vuelve seres ‘desalmados’, sin valores espirituales desarrollados y que actúan mecánicamente, guiados por impulsos físicos.”

“Few human beings know of the soul’s existence. Many believe that it exists, but few have a direct experience of it. Even less people understand that the soul has a purpose. This unawareness of our souls’ purpose makes us become soul-less. We live without developed spiritual values which in turn makes us act mechanically, guided by our physical impulses.”

Via Daily Dharma / June 26, 2016: Having the Courage to Forgive

It takes great effort and resolution to endure pain and hardship. It requires tremendous confidence to bear insult and disgrace without a hint of retaliation or self-doubt.
—Master Hsing Yun, "Don't Get Mad, Get Even"

LGMC London Vigil

http://www.gaystarnews.com/article/london-gay-mens-chorus-releases-song-aid-victims-orlando-shooting/#gs.v0fY=kI

Via Sri Prem Baba: Flor do dia - Flor del día - Flower of the day - 25/06/2016

“A ambição gera inquietação. Ela não permite que você relaxe. Você se torna uma pessoa ansiosa, pois está sempre preocupada em como conquistar mais, como dar o próximo passo, como escalar novos degraus. Por trás da ambição existe um eu idealizado que precisa conquistar muitas coisas para ter segurança e sentir-se protegido. Ele vive em função de proteger a própria mentira, que é a sua autoimagem.”

“La ambición genera inquietud. No permite que te relajes. Te conviertes en una persona ansiosa, porque siempre estás preocupadaen cómo conquistar más, cómo dar el siguiente paso, cómo escalar nuevos peldaños. Por detrás de la ambición existe un yo idealizado que necesita conquistar muchas cosas para tener seguridad y sentirse protegido. Vive en función de proteger la propia mentira, que es tu autoimagen.”

“Ambition creates restlessness. It doesn’t allow us to relax. We become anxious,always concerned about how to get more, how to make the next move, how to get further up the ladder. Behind ambition, there is an idealized self that needs to conquer many things in order to feel secure and protected. The idealized self’s function isto protect its own lie which is it’s own self-image.”

Via Daily Dharma / June 25, 2016: The Expansive Self of the Bodhisattva

For us as bodhisattvas, all aspects of life, including the fate of humanity itself, live within us. It is with this in mind that we work to discover and manifest the most vital and alive posture that we can take in living out our life. —Kosho Uchiyama, "What Is a Bodhisattva?"

Via Daily Dharma / June 23, 2016: Multiplicity of the Self

We want to say a person is like this, or a person is like that. But that can’t tell the whole story.

—Tracy Franz, "Authentic Self"

Via Ram Dass

June 22, 2016

I would like to play the part of someone who has worked on my consciousness sufficiently so that if things get tough, in terms of environment, social structures, oppression, minority groups, whatever the thing is – I would like to be able to be in the scene without getting caught in my own reactivity to it, without getting so caught in my own fear that I become part of the problem instead of part of the solution.
 

Via Daily Dharma / June 22, 2016: The Beauty of Life All Around Us

Sitting still is a way of falling in love with the world and everything in it.

—Pico Iyer, "Dropping Distraction"

Via Sri Prem Baba: Flor do dia - Flor del día - Flower of the day - 21/06/2016

“Nós estamos aqui buscando a verdade; estamos batendo na porta dela. Mas, às vezes, quando a porta se abre, nos assustamos. Certa vez, uma buscadora que dizia querer encontrar a verdade (e por isso era muito dedicada às suas práticas espirituais diárias) um dia descobriu que o marido a estava traindo. Então ela entrou em desespero e me disse: ‘quanto mais eu rezo, mais assombração me aparece! Eu estava buscando a verdade do Ser e isso é o que eu encontro?’ Existem graus de verdade, mas a verdade é uma só. E comprometer-se com a verdade significa comprometer-se com todos os seus aspectos. Então, ela que se achava tão desapegada, teve que entrar em contato com o ciúme e a possessividade que ainda carregava.”

“Nosotros estamos aquí buscando la verdad; estamos golpeando su puerta. Pero, a veces, cuando la puerta se abre, nos asustamos. Una vez, una buscadora que decía que quería encontrar la verdad (y por eso era muy dedicada a sus prácticas espirituales diarias) un día descubrió que su marido la estaba engañando. Entonces entró en desesperación y me dijo: ‘¡cuánto más rezo, más fantasmas me aparecen! ¿Yo estaba buscando la verdad del Ser y esto es lo que encuentro?’ Existen grados de verdad, pero la verdad es una sola. Y comprometerse con la verdad significa comprometerse con todos sus aspectos. Entonces, ella que se creía tan desapegada, tuvo que entrar en contacto con los celos y la posesividad que todavía cargaba.”

“We are here seeking for truth and knocking on truth’s door. However, sometimes when the door opens, we get frightened. Once there was a disciple of mine, who said she wanted to find truth and as suchwas very dedicated to her daily spiritual practice. One day she discovered that her husband was cheating on her. She fell into despair and said to me, ‘the more I pray, the darker the shadow becomes! I was searching for the truth of my being and this is what I find?’ There are degrees of truth but there is only one truth. To be committed with the truth means to be committed to be willing to see the truth in all of its aspects. So, even though she thought she was free from her attachments, she had to get in touch with the jealousy and possessiveness she still carried within.”

Via Daily Dharma / June 21, 2016: The True Meaning of Renunciation

The ground of renunciation is realizing that we already have exactly what we need, that what we have already is good. Every moment of time has enormous energy in it, and we could connect with that.

—Pema Chödrön, "Renunciation"