Via The Good Men Project: At the End of the Day, Love is Love

When faced with a world that can be cold and harsh, we all long for a warm protective embrace of another, regardless of gender.

It’s been a long day, a long week. I have not been my best self lately — with my students, my colleagues, and even myself. The inner critic’s voice seems to be turned to full volume. Looking in the mirror most mornings I am only capable of seeing the imperfections and scars. I am feeling my age as of late. The wrinkles on my face seem deeper, the gray hair more pronounced and out of control. New growths seem to be popping up on my skin, rough patches—barnacles—acquired from many years at life’s turbulent sea. I feel unattractive, undesirable, and to a certain extent, unloveable.

I first notice the scent of him, soap and deodorant and shampoo. It’s a scent I know now in my DNA.

I am standing at the kitchen sink now running a scouring sponge for the fiftieth time across a grease encrusted pan. The soapy water stings my dry chapped hands. I stare blankly out the kitchen window at the landscape, parched of color and detail. The wind sweeps up drifts of snow and scatters flakes in front of my view. They fail to sparkle in the dim gray light. As the snowflakes drift from sight I let out an audible sigh. Though the temperature inside is a comfortable warmth, the chilling wind outside seems to have penetrated through the walls and glass, anchoring itself deep in my bones and joints. I am no longer the idealistic, charismatic, adventurous, sensual person I used to be . . . at least not today.
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Via Daily Dharma / July 5, 2016: The Stories We Tell

To see stories as the problem is to blame the victim. Instead of getting rid of stories one can liberate them: storying more flexibly, according to the situation. Shunyata, “emptiness,” is a heuristic device to free us from wherever we are stuck.

— David Loy, "A Second Arrow Story"

Via Sri Prem Baba: Flor do dia - Flor del día - Flower of the day - 04/07/2016

“O que podemos considerar como êxito para o ser humano é a capacidade de identificar suas contradições ou insanidades, pois esse é o início da sanidade. A identificação da doença é o início da cura. Mas, entre a identificação e a cura da doença, existe um caminho e, às vezes, é um longo caminho. Às vezes, são necessários muitos procedimentos; às vezes é necessário mudar hábitos e reeducar muita coisa na sua vida. Esse é um processo atemporal porque a cura depende de muitos fatores. Então, não se preocupe com o tempo, apenas trabalhe para identificar suas contradições.”

“Lo que podemos considerar como éxito para el ser humano es la capacidad de identificar sus contradicciones o insania, porque este es el inicio de la sanidad. La identificación de la enfermedad es el inicio de la cura. Pero entre la identificación y la cura de la enfermedad, existe uncamino y,a veces, es un largo camino. A veces, se necesitan muchos procedimientos; a veces es necesario cambiar hábitos y reeducar muchas cosas en tu vida. Este es un proceso atemporal porque la cura depende de muchos factores. Entonces no te preocupes por el tiempo, sólo trabaja para identificar tus contradicciones.”

“What we can consider as a success for the human being is the capacity to identify one’s contradictions or insanity, because this is the beginning of sanity. Identifying the illness heralds the beginning of the cure. However, between the identification and the cure of an illness, there is a path one must travel and sometimes it is a very long path. Sometimes, it is necessary to undergo various procedures. It may be necessary to change one’s habits and to become reeducated regarding certain things in one’s life. This is a process that can not simply be measured in time because healing involves many factors. So, time should not be our concern. We simply work to identify our contradictions.”

Via Daily Dharma / July 4, 2016: Happy Interdependence Day!

It is when we begin to witness interdependence that we see the true importance of personal responsibility. Once we see that nothing happens in a vacuum, that’s the exact moment when we are properly inspired to become accountable for our own mind.

—Ethan Nichtern, "Awake with Others"

STEVE HAYES: Tired Old Queen at the Movies - THE WOMEN

Via JMG: CANADA: Justin Trudeau Becomes First Sitting Prime Minister To March In LGBT Pride Parade [VIDEO]

 

The Toronto Pride Parade just kicked off with Justin Trudeau making Canadian history as the first sitting Prime Minister to march in such an event. From the Ottawa Citizen: Other notable politicians marching include Ontario’s premier, Kathleen Wynne, and the mayor of Toronto, John Tory.  

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Via Ram Dass

July 3, 2016

The most exquisite paradox…as soon as you give it all up, you can have it all. As long as you want power, you can’t have it. The minute you don’t want power, you’ll have more than you ever dreamed possible.

Via Sri Prem Baba: Flor do dia - Flor del día - Flower of the day - 03/07/2016

“O sol te ilumina, independentemente do que você pensa sobre ele. A água sacia a sua sede, independentemente do que você pensa sobre ela. Sempre digo que a última prova da universidade dos relacionamentos é amar mesmo que o outro não te ame. Em algum momento o ser humano desenvolve essa qualidade e se torna o amor, pois esse é o seu destino. Tornar-se o amor significa ter essa qualidade do sol e da água - significa amar desinteressadamente.”

“El sol te ilumina, independientemente de lo que piensasacerca de él. El agua calmatu sed, independientemente de lo que piensasde ella. Siempre digo que el últimoexamen de la universidad de las relaciones es amaraunque el otro no te ame. En algún momento el ser humano desarrolla esta cualidad y se convierte en amor, porque ese es su destino. Convertirse en amor significa tener esta cualidad del sol y del agua, significa amar desinteresadamente.”

“The sun shines on us, regardless of what we think about it. Water quenches our thirst, regardless of what we think about it. The ultimate test in the university of relationships is to remain loving even if the other doesn’t love us in return. At one point, the human being develops this quality and becomes love itself because this is the being’s destiny. To become love means to have the same quality as the sun and water. It means to love selflessly.”

Via Daily Dharma / July 3, 2016: Neither Suffering nor Non-suffering

There is a difference between ordinary beings and those who are on the path. The latter can simultaneously know suffering and the emptiness of suffering that is the state of wisdom.

—Khyentse Rinpoche, "Invisible Realities"

Se você nunca encontra razões para agradecer. A falha está em você.
[ Buda ]

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

“A transformação só é possível agora. A questão é se libertar do tempo psicológico. E o que nos mantêm presos ao tempo psicológico são os sentimentos negados e as máscaras que usamos para escondê-los. Não importa qual é a máscara, ela não tem saída. A máscara não pode ser livre e por isso você tem de se livrar dela.”

“La transformación sólo es posible ahora. La cuestión es liberarse del tiempo psicológico. Y lo que nos mantiene atados al tiempo psicológico son los sentimientos negados y las máscaras que usamos para ocultarlos. No importa cuál sea la máscara, ellano tiene salida. La máscara no puede ser libre y por esotienes que deshacerte de ella.”

“Transformation is only possible in the here and now. It is a matter of us being set free from psychological time. What keeps us prisoners of psychological time are our repressed feelings and the masks we use to hide them. It doesn’t matter what mask we use, there is no way out through the mask. With the mask, there is no freedom and for this very reason we must liberate ourselves from it.”

Via Daily Dharma / July 2, 2016:

There is nothing other than this present moment; there is no past, there is no future; there is nothing but this. So when we don’t pay attention to each little this, we miss the whole thing.

—Charlotte Joko Beck, "Attention Means Attention"

Via Daily Dharma / July 1, 2016:

Right understanding (and right functioning) of the mind does not come from thinking, but from actively and attentively observing the complex constellation of energies and activities of mind.

—Stuart Smithers, "Minding the Storehouse"

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

“O corpo, desde o início da encarnação, está em processo de deterioração. A alma busca a vida, mas o corpo naturalmente se move para a morte. Embora o corpo tenha o potencial de viver determinado número de anos, se a alma diz: ‘não quero mais’, ela entrega o corpo à própria sorte; à mercê dos vírus, das bactérias e de todas as influências que conduzem o corpo de volta para a terra.”

“El cuerpo, desde el inicio de la encarnación, está en proceso de deterioro. El alma busca la vida, pero el cuerpo naturalmente se dirige hacia la muerte. Aunque el cuerpo tenga el potencial de vivir determinado número de años, si el alma dice: ‘no quiero más’, entrega el cuerpo a la propia suerte, a merced de los virus, de las bacterias y de todas las influencias que conducen al cuerpo de vuelta a la tierra.”

“From the beginning of its incarnation, the body is in the process of deterioration. The soul seeks life, but the body naturally moves towards death. Even though the body has the potential to live a certain amount of years, if the soul says, ‘I don’t want to be here anymore’, it leaves the body to its own demise. The body is then at the mercy of viruses, bacteria and all the influences that make the body return to the earth.”

Via Pink News: Muslims invite LGBT community to break Ramadan fast

Dublin's Muslim community invites the LGBT community to annual Ramadan meal

 
The LGBT community in Ireland has been invited to a Muslim community meal for Ramadan.


The Irish Muslim Peace and Integration Council has invited LGBT individuals to their second annual community Iftar – the meal which marks the end of the daily Ramadan fast – in Dublin next Saturday. 

Ramadan is the annual month in the Islamic calendar during which Muslims abstain from food, drink and sex between dawn and sunset.

The fast is performed to learn discipline, self-restraint and generosity and is seen one of the “five pillars” of Islam.

Read the full article and more here

Via the Advocate:

Leaders at the United Nations and Human Rights Campaign say the vote to create a special LGBT Independent Expert will have global repercussions.

By JEAN FREEDBERG and RYAN KAMINSKI

 

History was made today as the top human rights body at the United Nations voted to create the world’s first global-level envoy position focused on the human rights of LGBTQ people.

In a resolution passed today, a plurality of members of the U.N. Human Rights Council voted to establish the position of independent expert with a groundbreaking mandate to combat violence and discrimination against LGBTQ people around the world. While this resolution is the third passed by the council concerning sexual orientation and gender identity since 2011, it is the first to create such a position and institutionalize this mandate.

This is a major victory for LGBTQ rights advocates who have long been pressing for the creation of this position. Independent experts, or special rapporteurs (known as “special procedures”), are part of the U.N. system but are technically independent. They have been called the “crown jewels” of the human rights system because of their outsized influence in the international human rights landscape and the expanse of their roles engaging governments, civil society, and more.

This effort was led by a group of Latin American member countries of the U.N.’s 47-member Human Rights Council, including Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Chile, Costa Rica, Mexico, and Uruguay. More than 620 nongovernmental organizations from 151 countries on every continent signed a joint statement of support, declaring: 

“It is time to move beyond one-off initiatives and piecemeal measures. … The establishment of a dedicated protection mechanism to address [sexual orientation and gender identity]-related human rights violations is a necessary step towards urgently addressing the serious abuses on these grounds in every region of the world.”

The creation of this position was not without controversy. A predictable minority of U.N. member-states argued that there was no need for such a position. Their opposition was driven and supported by international anti-LGBT groups.

Ultimately, support for the effort came from diverse regions of the world. The resolution passed with 23 states in favor, 18 against, and six abstaining.

At minimum, the new position will help ensure that LGBTQ rights remain in the international spotlight and are integrated into the portfolios of both public officials and diplomats. The independent expert can also play a crucial role in sharing best practices concerning the protection of the human rights of LGBTQ persons among the U.N.’s 193 member states.

By its very nature, the job will be extremely challenging, as there is no shortage of ground to cover. The independent expert will have to conduct country visits to assess the status of LGBTQ rights; connect with human rights defenders on the ground; and constructively and diplomatically engage officials and decision-makers on recommendations for reform. They will also periodically report back to the U.N. General Assembly on more specific issues under their mandate, both establishing a critical repository of evidence and data where it is sorely needed and building an important bridge between the Human Rights Council in Geneva and the broader U.N. system in New York and elsewhere. The independent expert will also be able to issue private communications to governments, including in emergency situations when an individual’s life may be at risk.

The recent massacre of 49 people in an LGBTQ nightclub in Orlando demonstrated once again that violence targeting people for who they are or they love is a persistent global problem. Seventy-three countries still criminalize same-sex relationships — and in as many as 10 countries, being LGBT is punishable by death.

There are a few simple, early steps the new Independent Expert can take to catalyze change, raise global visibility for LGBTQ rights, and most critically, get the position renewed at the end of the initial three-year term. These include recognizing the overlapping discriminations that limit access of LGBTQ people to social and economic development; finding common ground with the other special procedures mandate holders — including the 14 that focus on specific countries, like Syria, and the 41 that work on thematic issues such as freedom of assembly and combating racism — to help address discrimination against LGBTQ people; and finally, committing to continued engagement with the diverse coalition of governments and civil society groups from across the global that drove this resolution across the finish line.

The outcome that was reached today in Geneva represents a key milestone for the LGBTQ community and its advocates and allies everywhere. It is yet another indication of the ever-increasing global recognition of the human rights and dignity of LGBTQ people. And even though we continue to face setbacks, today’s vote demonstrates that the momentum for equality is unstoppable.  

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Via Sri Prem Baba: Flor do dia - Flor del día - Flower of the day - 30/06/2016

“A causa das doenças incuráveis está no nível da alma. Em determinado estágio da jornada evolutiva, a alma percebe que o corpo não acompanha o seu desenvolvimento, então ela começa a querer deixar o corpo, mesmo que conscientemente a pessoa não saiba disso. Ocorre que algumas pessoas chegam nesse estágio onde elas experienciam uma profunda divisão, a alma não acredita na possibilidade do corpo acompanhar a evolução, aí ela começa a se desligar e, quando ela começa a se desligar, o corpo entra em processo de deterioração.”

 

“La causa de las enfermedades incurables está en el nivel del alma. En determinado estadio del camino evolutivo, el alma percibe que el cuerpo no acompaña su desarrollo, entonces comienza a querer dejar el cuerpo, aunque la persona, conscientemente, no sepa esto. Ocurre que algunas personas llegan a este estadio donde experimentan una profunda división, el alma no cree en la posibilidad que el cuerpo acompañe la evolución, entonces comienza a desconectarse y cuando se comienza apagar, el cuerpo entra en proceso de deterioro.” 

“The cause of incurable illness exists at the level of the soul. At one stage of the evolutionary journey, a soul perceives that the body is not accompanying its development. It begins to want to leave the body, even though consciously, the person is unaware of this. Some people get to the point in this stage where they experience a deep division. The soul doesn’t believe that it’s possible for the body to accompany its evolution, so it begins to disconnect from the body. When this disconnect begins, the body starts to deteriorate.”

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.”