Via The ManKind Project / FB:

Via Ram Dass / September 18, 2016:

This love is actually part of you; it is always flowing through you. It’s like the subatomic texture of the universe, the dark matter that connects everything. When you tune into that flow, you will feel it in your own heart—not your physical heart or your emotional heart, but your spiritual heart, the place you point to in your chest when you say, "I am."

Rainbow Buddha

Via Sri Prem Baba: Flor do dia - Flor del día - Flower of the day - 18/09/16

“Antigamente, as práticas de yoga eram apenas para aqueles que estavam em processo de desligamento do mundo, vivendo em monastérios ou em cavernas. Hoje em dia, elas estão acessíveis e podem ser praticadas por todos, mesmo por aqueles que vivem nos grandes centros urbanos. Não é preciso deixar o trabalho e a família para ser uma pessoa espiritual. Você pode, em algum momento, fazer um retiro, mas a sua prática deve ser sustentar a presença enquanto se relaciona com o outro e manter a equanimidade mental diante dos desafios do relacionamento.”

“Antiguamente, las prácticas de yoga eran solo para los que estaban en proceso de desconectarse del mundo, viviendo en monasterios o en cuevas. Hoy en día, son accesibles y pueden ser practicadas por todos, incluso por aquellos que viven en los grandes centros urbanos. No hacefalta dejar el trabajo y la familia para ser una persona espiritual. En algún momento, puedes hacer un retiro, pero tu práctica debe ser sostener la presencia mientras te relacionas con el otro y mantener la ecuanimidad mental ante los desafíos del relacionarse.”

“In the past, yoga practices were only for those who were in the process of disconnecting from the world, living in monasteries and caves. Today, yoga is more accessible and can be practiced by all, even those living in large urban cities. It isn’t necessary to quit our jobs or leave our families in order to follow a spiritual path. Perhaps, at some point, we may decide to participate in a retreat. However, our practice should allow us to sustain presence and mental equanimity while facing the challenges of relationship.”

Via Daily Dharma / September 18, 2016: A Life of Awareness

Many things help you with concentration, like chanting or bowing, so they can be useful parts of practice. But finally, there is no substitute for insightful seeing or for understanding how you create suffering for yourself; and in the process—in seeing into and through it—how to let go of it. It’s a life of awareness.

—Larry Rosenberg, "The Art of Doing Nothing"

Via JMG: Math Quiz: If 70% Of Men Are Married To A Woman As God Intended, What Are The Odds Teacher’s A Jerk?

Britain’s Bucks Free Press reports:

A grammar school has been accused of handing out ‘homophobic’ work after a maths question sparked fury amongst parents and students. The shocking question, handed out by a school volunteer to a group of students at the all-boys Royal Grammar School, in High Wycombe, suggests only men and woman should get married “as God intended”.

The questions reads: “If in a town 70 per cent of the men are married to 90 per cent of the women (and each marriage is between one man and woman, as God intended when he made humans male and female) what percentage of the adult population are married?”

The optional math test “posers” could have been picked up by all the school’s 1,300 students, including children as young as 11. One parent, who did not want to be named, slammed the homework as being “homophobic” and having an “anti-LGBT bias”.

Speaking to the Bucks Free Press this morning, headmaster Philip Wayne said: “I’m sorry on behalf of the whole school community of governors, staff and boys for any offence this has caused.” LGBT rights charity Stonewall has highlighted the importance of tackling discrimination within school, while praising RGS for dealing with concerns quickly.

What’s the correct answer, anyway? I hated these questions. (Via Christian Nightmares)

Make the jump here to read the original and more on JMG

Shields and Brooks on Trump’s ‘birther’ lie, Clinton’s ‘deplorables’ effect

Via Sri Prem Baba: Flor do dia - Flor del día - Flower of the day - 17/09/16

“A meditação envolve diversos estágios ou estados de consciência. Às vezes, você tem acesso a lugares de dor onde entra em contato com sentimentos difíceis como medo, raiva e insegurança. São infernos internos que precisam ser atravessados, pois ali tem algum aprendizado para você. Às vezes, você entra em uma zona neutra, na qual não sente raiva nem medo, mas também não sente amor - você não sente nada. E, às vezes, você vai para o céu e experimenta um amor infinito; uma alegria sem causa; paz e unidade. Você expande e contrai até que, em algum momento, aprende a sustentar o coração aberto e a comunhão com o Divino.”

“La meditación involucra varias etapas o estados de consciencia. A veces, tienes acceso a lugares de dolor, donde entras en contacto con sentimientos difíciles como miedo, rabia e inseguridad. Son infiernos internos que necesitanser atravesados, porque hay ahíalgún aprendizaje para ti. Otras veces, entras en una zona neutra, en la cual no sientesrabiani miedo, pero tampoco sientes amor,no sientes nada. Y, a veces, vas al cielo y experimentas un amor infinito; una alegría sin causa; paz y unidad. Expandes y contraes hasta que, en algún momento, aprendes a sostener el corazón abierto y la comunión con lo Divino.”

“Meditation involves different stages or states of consciousness. Sometimes, we access places of pain and we come into contact with difficult feelings like fear, anger and insecurity. They are like an internal hell that needs to be crossed, because through this passage, there lies a lesson for us. Sometimes, we enter into a neutral zone in which we don’t feel anger or fear, but we don’t feel love either. We feel nothing. Other times, we soar to the heavens and experience an infinite love, a joy without reason, peace and unity. We expand and contract until the moment comes when we learn to sustain an open heart and communion with the divine.”

Via Daily Dharma / September 17, 2016: Speaking Truth

No separation between speaker, speaking, and the reality spoken about. This is the precept of non-lying.

—Roshi Nancy Mujo Baker, "Non-lying"

Via Daily Dharma / September 16, 2016: A Tulku’s Take on Nirvana

The essence of our consciousness is already love and wisdom. Karma, concepts, and emotional patterns are only temporarily preventing our consciousness from unfolding its enlightened nature.

—Tulku Thubten Rinpoche, "Nirvana: Three Takes"

Haikus On Hotties 2017 Calendar Kickstarter Video

The Pass - Trailer

Via The Huffingtonpost and Mormons for Equality / FB: LGBT Mormons Boldly Claim Both Their Orientation And Their Faith

More and more LGBT Mormons are stepping up to claim both their religious heritage and their identity--no longer buying into the false choice that they have to choose one over the other, and recognizing that they are exactly who we are supposed to be.

"I’m proud to walk with my LGBT Mormon brothers and sisters on this journey — as some have called it, a Hero’s Journey. And as we continue our journey, we welcome our Latter-day Saint fellows to walk by our side — gay, straight, and everywhere in between. For those who cannot yet do so, we will hold a space for you. But we will no longer believe that we are broken, suffering, or unworthy of Christ’s love and full inclusion."

----

Artist Melinda Hannah finalizing portraits of LGBT Mormons. Photo courtesy of Melinda Hannah.

“You can be gay, or you can be Mormon. But you can’t be both.”

I grew up hearing that a lot as a gay Mormon kid in Idaho. I guess in some ways it was no surprise to hear that from my Mormon friends, family and leadership since by and large, most of them didn’t understand what it actually meant to be LGBT. But as I grew up, I heard it from some of my friends in the LGBT community as well — and for a time, I actually allowed myself to believe it. 

It was a painful place to be. I felt tossed back and forth between two communities, neither of them wanting to claim me as a whole, integrated person. One the one hand, I had no choice over whether or not I was gay — I’m a firm believer I was this way before I came to this life and I’ll be this way when I get to the next. And on the other, being Mormon is much more complicated than just an activity I practiced for a few hours on Sunday; it is a culture deeply steeped into my identity, and it’s not something I could turn my back on without leaving behind a core part of who I am (not to mention my family, friends, and faith practice). 

My world was full of people who weren’t shy about telling me how to live my life — and on any given day, I couldn’t be Mormon enough for my Latter-day Saint family and friends, and I couldn’t be gay enough for my LGBT community. I felt like a man with a foot in two worlds, but I didn’t fully belong in either. No matter which one I chose, I still lost part of myself.

But today that’s different. Today, when someone tells me, “You can’t be both gay and Mormon,” I gently reply, “Watch me. I do it every day.” 

And I am not alone. 

Today, there are thousands — perhaps tens of thousands — of LGBT Mormons like me throughout the world, and we claim both our religious roots and our orientation without apology. We don’t view ourselves as “broken and suffering,” the way many inside Mormonism see us. Instead, we have come to realize that the only thing “broken” about us is the way we were taught to understand ourselves in relation to God and our fellow humans; and any “suffering” we have experienced has come largely at the hands of our brothers and sisters inside the Mormon church — including our leadership. 

Health, wholeness, and happiness for us comes not from choosing one side of ourselves at the expense of the other — but instead, from integrating them and forging our path through life as LGBT Mormons. And while it may once have felt like we were people with a foot in two worlds that didn’t seem to intersect, we’ve come to understand that those two worlds do indeed intersect — and that we are that intersection point. 

An art show opening in Provo, Utah later this month features portraits of some of these LGBT Mormons — many of them alongside their partners and spouses of the same gender. The show runs from September 22-25 with a special reception on Friday, September 23 at 5:30 P.M., at Writ and Vision Rare Books and Fine Art in downtown Provo. 

The exhibit is officially named “The Hero’s Journey of the LGBT Mormon,” after the book by prominent Latter-day Saint author and LGBT ally Carol Lynn Pearson. The exhibit coincides with the annual conference of Affirmation, an organization run by and for LGBT Mormons. 

Melinda Hannah is the artist and brainchild behind the event. 

“I’ve long held that art can be a unique and powerful way to capture the beauty that is found inside authenticity, and the LGBT Mormons I’ve had the honor to work with in this show have a genuine spirit of authenticity and wholeness that I wanted to bring to life—and bring to others,” said Hannah, who is based in Seattle. 

Hannah has prior experience with communities who’ve suffered trauma yet emerged whole and healthy. Her art show in 2014 focused on women survivors of cancer and it’s her passion for ‘healing through art’ that inspired her again here. 

In November of last year, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints enacted a worldwide policy that mandates church discipline (the process that leads to excommunication) for LGBT Mormons who choose to live authentic lives and marry someone of their same gender and bars children with LGBT parents from being baptized into the faith until those children turn 18 — and only then if they openly disavow the relationship of their parents.
“When the November policy was announced in church, I sat with a gay Mormon friend of mine for several hours one Sunday. I saw her pain, her fear, and I held her as she cried. I recognized that there is healing to be done here — and I feel called to help,” added Hannah. 

She continued: “Not every LGBT Mormon is in the same place spiritually and emotionally as the ones depicted in the show — it is my hope that their portraits will inspire others to begin to view themselves as whole and loved by God. Even if the Mormon Church itself is unable to welcome and love its LGBT members right now, I have a firm testimony that God certainly does. He always has.”

The LGBT Mormons featured in the show agree with Hannah. A few of my fellow LGBT Latter-day Saints featured in the exhibit shared their thoughts with me here. 

“I have always believed that there could be a place for everyone in the Mormon Church, and that happiness and love could be a real part for everyone in this life, too. As a lesbian Mormon, I felt called to boldly be in the pews; to be tolerant while creating tolerance, and hold space to help stop so much unnecessary grief and pain. Like many that held this space before me and those that will follow, I feel a deep honor that I have had a chance to run my lap; to carry the baton for the team and pass it to the next gay Mormon advocate, until I am called to run another leg for change.”

-A. Celeste Carolin, Seattle, WA

“I’m gay and very proud of it. I suspect I’m the first gay rights activist to join the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints after the November policy. I was baptized Dec. 5, 2015. I’m reclaiming the place I had in our pre-mortal family council, where all of God’s LGBT children had an honored place. If we LGBTs didn’t have an honorable place, we wouldn’t have a body right now. We were loved and nurtured before the world began. My Heavenly Father manages this universe. He would not send me here only to forget about me. God is arranging all things gloriously for his LGBT children. We only have to watch it unfold.”

-Derek Knox, Boston, MA

“Mormonism is my home — it is my religion and the religion of my family—and through it I have developed a firm testimony of the Gospel of Christ. It is through Christ’s Gospel that I found the courage to come out, to be honest about who I am as a gay man. A tenet of living the Gospel of Christ is living an authentic life. And because I am now living an authentic life as a follower of Christ, I have an abundance of peace and joy that I never had while I was denying my orientation. For me, living my truth is part of living the gospel—I cannot be a true follower of my Savior and be dishonest about who I am.”

-Roger Sanchez, Roseburg, OR

Each of the LGBT Mormons in the art show have written similar statements about their journey as LGBT Mormons, and you can learn more about the show on the Facebook event page. 

I’m proud to walk with my LGBT Mormon brothers and sisters on this journey — as some have called it, a Hero’s Journey. And as we continue our journey, we welcome our Latter-day Saint fellows to walk by our side — gay, straight, and everywhere in between. For those who cannot yet do so, we will hold a space for you. But we will no longer believe that we are broken, suffering, or unworthy of Christ’s love and full inclusion. 

When you are ready, we will take your hand as equals in our family of humanity, and together we will build a better Zion.

Follow Mitch Mayne on Twitter: www.twitter.com/mitchmaynecom

See the orginla nd more here:  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mitch-mayne/refusing-to-choose-lgbt-mormons_b_12011380.html 

Via Sri Prem Baba: Flor do dia - Flor del día- Flower of the day - 15/09/2016

“O que te impede de assumir compromisso e responsabilidade? Sendo o compromisso e a responsabilidade aspectos do movimento natural da vida, assim como o rio que se move em direção ao oceano, qual é a pedra que te impede de fluir nesse movimento natural? Quais são as crenças e imagens congeladas no seu sistema que te fazem crer que assumir compromisso e responsabilidade é ruim? A pedra representa algum aspecto do passado te impedindo de manifestar a presença. A presença é a unidade com o Ser; é de onde flui a espontaneidade.O Ser assume compromisso e responsabilidade, pois esses são aspectos do amor, e o amor é a essência do Ser.”

“¿Qué es lo que te impide asumir compromiso y responsabilidad? Siendo el compromiso y la responsabilidad aspectos del movimiento natural de la vida, así como el río que se mueve en dirección al océano, ¿cuál es la piedra que te impide fluir en ese movimiento natural? ¿Cuáles son las creencias e imágenes congeladas en tu sistema que te hacen creer que asumir compromiso y responsabilidad es malo? La piedra representa algún aspecto del pasado que te está impidiendo manifestar la presencia. La presencia es la unidad con el Ser, es de donde fluye la espontaneidad.El Ser asume compromiso y responsabilidad puesestos son aspectos del amor, y el amor es la esencia del Ser.”

“What prevents us from making commitments and assuming responsibility? Commitments and responsibility are like natural movement in life, just like a river that moves in the direction of the ocean. What is the rock that prevents the flow of this natural movement? What are the beliefs and frozen images in our system that makes us believe commitments and responsibility are bad? The rock represents something from the past that robs us of presence. Presence is unity with the being. From presence flows spontaneity. The being assumes responsibility and commitment, because these are aspects of love, and love is the essence of the being.”

Via Daily Dharma / September 15, 2016: At The End

Within the silence that follows the final breath of a dying person is the certainty that something is occurring. In the nonmoving movement of air in the room one senses a deep, deep loneliness and at the same time the connectedness of everything.

—Robert Chodo Campbell, "Death Is Not an Emergency"

Via Sri Prem Baba: Flor do dia - Flor del día- Flower of the day - 14/09/2016

“Só é possível haver crescimento real se houver comprometimento com a verdade. Mas, muitas vezes, é difícil distinguir entre a mentira e a verdade, entre o falso e o real. Por isso, tenho transmitido instrumentos que possibilitam mensurar até que ponto estamos alinhados ou não com a verdade. Um deles é muito simples:observe suas insatisfações e identifique as situações negativas que se repetem na sua vida; situações que você tenta mudar através da vontade consciente, mas não consegue. Isso indica a existência de uma máscara, uma camada de falsidade encobrindo a verdade. Em algum ponto você está sendo desonesto consigo mesmo; você está fugindo de alguma coisa. A disposição para se ver é a base para o real crescimento.”

“Solo es posible que haya crecimiento real si hay compromiso con la verdad. Pero muchas veces es difícil distinguir entre la mentira y la verdad, entre lo falso y lo real. Por eso hetrasmitido instrumentos que posibilitan medir hasta qué punto estamos alineados o no con la verdad. Uno de ellos es muy simple: observa tus insatisfacciones e identifica las situaciones negativas que se repiten en tu vida; situaciones que intentas cambiar a través de la voluntad consciente, pero no lo consigues. Eso indica la existencia de una máscara, una capa de falsedad encubriendo la verdad. En algún punto estas siendo deshonesto contigo mismo;estás huyendo de alguna cosa. La disposición para mirarte es la base para el real crecimiento.”

“We can only have real growth when there is commitment to truth. Many times, it is difficult to distinguish between lies and truth, between the false and the real. For this reason, I have given many instruments to determine the extent to which we are aligned with truth or not. One of the more simple tools is to observe our dissatisfactions and identify repetitive negative situations in our lives. These are the situations that we try to change through our conscious will, but are unable to shift. This shows us that there is a mask, acting in us, that there is a layer of falseness covering the truth. Somewhere we are being dishonest with ourselves; we are hiding from something. Having the willingness to see ourselves is what is needed for real growth.”

Via Daily Dharma / September 14, 2016: What Giving Is

Generosity takes many forms—we may give our time, our energy, our material possessions, our love. All are expressions of caring, of compassion, of connection, and of renunciation—the ability to let go.

—Joseph Goldstein, "The Evolution of Happiness"

Via Sri Prem Baba: Flor do dia - Flor del día- Flower of the day - 13/09/2016

“Sem honestidade só é possível crescer no mundo material(se é que podemos chamar isso de crescimento). Alguns chegam a construir impérios com base na mentira, mas tudo o que é construído sobre fundações de mentira - fundações irreais - está fadado a, em algum momento, desmoronar. Tudo que nasce da mentira é ilusório e temporário; tudo que nasce da verdade é real e eterno.”

“Sin honestidad solo es posible crecer en el mundo material (si es que podemos llamar a eso crecimiento). Algunos llegan a construir imperios en base a la mentira, pero todo lo que es construido sobre cimientos de mentira – cimientos irreales – está destinado a desmoronarse en algún momento. Todo lo que nace de la mentira es ilusorio y temporario; todo lo que nace de la verdad es real y eterno.”

“Without honesty it is only possible to grow in the material world, if we can actually call this growth. Some even build empires with foundations based on lies, but everything built on falsehood with unreal foundations, sooner or later, is bound to fall. Everything that is born from deceit is illusory and temporary. Everything that is born from truth is real and eternal.”

Via DailyDharma / September 13, 2016: Natural Creativity

When we trust our creative energy, we encounter a supreme kind of enjoyment—an amazement at the natural unfolding of life beyond our ordinary way of looking at things. When we talk about creating art—or more importantly, the art of living a sane life—it means trusting our basic nature and its natural creativity.

—Dzigar Kongtrul, "Free Expression"