Via Christianity Today: Obama appoints transgender woman, Sikh and Baha'i to faith advisory council

A transgender woman will join representatives from the Sikh and Baha'i communities as new advisers to President Obama on faith-based issues.

The White House announced the additions to the President's third and final advisory council on faith-based and neighbourhood partnerships last week.

 

National LGBT Task Force

Barbara Satin was involved in the UCC's decision to fully include LGBT people as members and ministers in 2003

 

Barbara Satin is the assistant faith work director for the National LGBTQ Task Force and a member of the United Church of Christ (UCC). She was the first openly transgender member of the UCC's executive council and has served on the board of a number of other LGBT community groups.

Of her appointment, Satin said: "Given the current political climate, I believe it's important that a voice of faith representing the transgender and gender non-conforming community — as well as a person of my years, nearly 82 — be present and heard in these vital conversations."

The other appointments included Naseem Kourosh, human rights officer at the US Baha'i office of public affairs and Manjit Singh, co-founder and chairman of the Sikh American Legal Defence and Education Fund.

Along with a number of other appointments, Obama said Satin, Kourosh and Singh were "fine public servants" and would bring "depth of experience and tremendous dedication" to their roles.

"I look forward to working with them," he said.

The President's advisory council is charged with making policy recommendations to the administration as well as suggesting improvements and best practices for services that relate to faith-based groups. The council currently has fifteen members, most of whom are Christian.

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Via Ram Dass:

July 6, 2016

From the soul’s point of view, you come to appreciate that each one of us is living out his or her own karma. We interact together, and those interactions are the grist for each other’s mill of awakening.

From a personality point of view, you develop judgment, but from the soul’s point of view, you develop appreciation. This shift from judging to appreciating — to appreciating yourself and what your karmic predicament is, and who other beings are with their own karma — brings everything into a simple loving awareness. To be free means to open your heart and your being to the fullness of who you are, because only when you are resting in the place of unity can you truly honor and appreciate others and the incredible diversity of the universe.

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

“Quando você completa um ciclo de cura a gratidão é iluminada e novos caminhos se abrem na sua vida - pelo menos os caminhos relacionados ao padrão que foi curado. Você percebe que está se harmonizando com a lei do mínimo esforço, o que significa que, com um pequeno esforço, grandes coisas se manifestam. Você sente que o universo está a seu favor e tudo flui facilmente.”

“Cuando completas un ciclo de cura la gratitud es iluminada y nuevos caminos se abren en tu vida, al menos los caminos relacionados con el patrón que fuecurado. Percibes que te estás armonizando con la ley del mínimo esfuerzo, lo que significa que, con un pequeño esfuerzo, grandes cosas se manifiestan. Sientes que el universo está atu favor y todo fluye fácilmente.”

“When we are able to complete a certain healing cycle in life, gratitude becomes illuminated and new paths open to us- at least paths related to the pattern that was healed. We see that we are in harmony with the law of least effort. Withthe minimum of force, great things are manifested. We feel as though the universe is on our side and everything flows easily.”

Via Daily Dharma / July 6, 2016: Digging Toward the Sky

We think we know our own life, but what we know is only an edited version, colored by our emotions and narrow vision. How close can we come to the original draft? By staring at truth, the soil is warmed, and we begin digging toward the sky.

—Gregg Krech, "Naikan Therapy"

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.
- See more at: http://goodmenproject.com/featured-content/at-the-end-of-the-day-love-is-love-dg/#sthash.uUQsrpig.dpuf

 Make the jump here to read the full article and more

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.  

Make the jump here to read the full story on JMG and much more

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