Friday, October 14, 2016
Via Daily Dharam / October 14, 2016: The Best Season of Your LifeTen thousand flowers in spring, the moon in autumn, a cool breeze in summer, snow in winter. If your mind isn’t clouded by unnecessary things, this is the best season of your life. —Wumen Huikai, "The Best Season"
Ten thousand flowers in spring, the moon in autumn,
a cool breeze in summer, snow in winter.
If your mind isn’t clouded by unnecessary things,
this is the best season of your life.
—Wumen Huikai, "The Best Season"
a cool breeze in summer, snow in winter.
If your mind isn’t clouded by unnecessary things,
this is the best season of your life.
—Wumen Huikai, "The Best Season"
Via Red Rocks Zen Circle: Thich Naht Hahn – A Dharma Reflection…
November 18, 2014
Offered by David Mushin Keeber:
This evening, our teacher Eisho offered a lovely Dharma Reflection as we sat zazen. Given that Vietnamese Zen teacher Thich Naht Hanh has taken seriously ill recently, she brought to us a gatha he often sits with.Breathing in, I calm my body
Breathing out, I smile.
Dwelling in the present moment
I know this is a wonderful moment.
He has offered these reflections on the gatha.
Breathing in, I calm my body. This line is like drinking a glass of ice water on a warm day. You feel the freshness permeate your body. When I breathe in and recite this line, I actually feel the breathing calming my body, calming my mind.
Breathing out, I smile. A smile can relax hundreds of muscles in your face and relax your nervous system. Smiling means that we are ourselves, that we have sovereignty over ourselves, that we are not just drowned in forgetfulness. This kind of smile can be seen on the faces of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas.
Dwelling in the present moment. While I sit here, I don’t think of somewhere else, of the future or the past. I sit here and know where I am. The only moment to be alive is the present moment.
I know this is a wonderful moment. This is the only moment that is real. To be here and now, and enjoy the present moment is our most wonderful task.
As we sit, we can easily remember this gatha by thinking of these words on each breath, one by one: Calming, Smiling, Present, Wonderful
Make the jump here to read the original and more
Thursday, October 13, 2016
Wednesday, October 12, 2016
Via Daily Dharma / October 13, 2016: Investigating Anger
Because
we imagine anger is never a good thing, it is easy to think we should
practice simply not being angry. But that approach is too general and
abstract. It’s important for each of us to be precise, to be real, to be
personal and honest, to find out exactly what my anger is. To do that
we need to ask ourselves lots of questions about its actual nature.
—Nancy Mujo Baker, "Precious Energy"
—Nancy Mujo Baker, "Precious Energy"
Via Ram Dass - Love Serve Remember Foundation: Dive deeper into your relationships with wisdom from Ram Dass
Hi there,
I’d like to talk about relationships for a minute. When looking at the “big picture” how do they fit into our existence?
I have to admit that sometimes I get addicted to the idea of loving somebody; and I get so caught up in the relationship that I can’t ever arrive at the place where I’m dwelling in love – not as an external tangible force to gain or lose, but at a place where I’m being love, as Ram Dass would say.
I wanted to find out how to break out of this addictive pattern, and I found that a lot of Ram Dass’ teachings helped me to open myself up to the possibility of dwelling in love without conditions.
With that, I invite you to explore our new free offering. It’s a goldmine of knowledge and wisdom on relationships from Ram Dass that we’ve curated just for you. This “hub” includes audio podcasts, videos and articles that help you to answer big questions like:
- How can you integrate sexuality and spirituality?
- How do you overcome fear of opening up to love?
- How do you maintain conscious relationships?
Access to the Ram Dass relationships collection is completely free, and I encourage you to take some time this week to check it out and expand your view of what connection means to you. Whatever type of relationship you find yourself in, this wisdom will help you to navigate it in a more healthy and balanced way.
Click Here to check it out.
I hope you enjoy this offering, feel free to reply to this email and let me know what you think about it.
Have a great week!
Rachael
Via Sen's Daily: Interfaith group asks US government to reject report of U.S. Commission on Civil Rights
Editorial, October 12, 2016.
Kit Bigelow, who was Director of external affairs for the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahais of the U.S. until her retirement in June 2010, has appeared as co-signer of a controversial letter from an ad-hoc group of religious leaders. Kit Bigelow is not a leader of the Bahai community. The letter was sent to President Barack Obama, Orrin Hatch as Senate leader (pro-tem) and House Speaker Paul Ryan. The letter states:
Current policies in the Bahai community do not allow for the recognition of the legally performed civil unions or marriages of same-sex couples. The policy of the Universal House of Justice is that individuals who are in same-sex marriages should not be allowed to enrol in the Bahai community. This means that they cannot vote, or be elected, for the Spiritual Assemblies that govern the affairs of local Bahai communities, and cannot participate in the open consultations on community affairs by enrolled members which are part of the ‘Feasts’ held in each local community 19 times every year. Those who are excluded from enrollment are not shunned and are not barred from other occasions of worship. The Bahai community today does not campaign against the legal recognition of same-sex marriages.
While the exclusion of individuals in same-sex marriages from membership of the Bahai community is discriminatory, this has not been justified by Bahais under the highly politicized banner of preserving religious freedom. There is nothing in the Bahai teachings that would justify Bahais in discriminating against homosexuals in their business activities, or in any role they might have as public officials. It would be unfortunate if the description of Kit Bigelow as “Religious Freedom Advocate” gave the impression that she, or the Bahai community, were aligned with the political movement that has claimed a religious liberties justification for discrimation in public life.
A PDF of the controversial letter is available here.
The report it criticizes is available as a PDF here.
An example of the dialogues within the Bahai community on this question can be found here.
Short link: http://wp.me/pNMoJ-2Jx
Make the jump here to read the orginal and much more here
Kit Bigelow, who was Director of external affairs for the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahais of the U.S. until her retirement in June 2010, has appeared as co-signer of a controversial letter from an ad-hoc group of religious leaders. Kit Bigelow is not a leader of the Bahai community. The letter was sent to President Barack Obama, Orrin Hatch as Senate leader (pro-tem) and House Speaker Paul Ryan. The letter states:
We wish to express our deep concern that the Commission has issued a report, Peaceful Coexistence: Reconciling Non-Discrimination Principles with Civil Liberties, that stigmatizes tens of millions of religious Americans, their communities, and their faith-based institutions, and threatens the religious freedom of all our citizens.
The Commission asserts in its Findings that religious organizations “use the pretext of religious doctrines to discriminate.”
What we find even more disturbing is that, in a statement included in the report, Commission Chairman Martin Castro writes:Kit Bigelow’s name appears as a signatory in her individual capacity as “Religious Freedom Advocate.” The term has been tainted in the USA in the last two election seasons because of its use as a cover for religiously-motivated discrimination, but Kit Bigelow’s activism for real religious liberties goes back much further, and not primarily in relation to the USA.
“The phrases ‘religious liberty’ and ‘religious freedom’ will stand for nothing except hypocrisy so long as they remain code words for discrimination, intolerance, racism, sexism, homophobia, Islamophobia, Christian supremacy or any form of intolerance.”
Current policies in the Bahai community do not allow for the recognition of the legally performed civil unions or marriages of same-sex couples. The policy of the Universal House of Justice is that individuals who are in same-sex marriages should not be allowed to enrol in the Bahai community. This means that they cannot vote, or be elected, for the Spiritual Assemblies that govern the affairs of local Bahai communities, and cannot participate in the open consultations on community affairs by enrolled members which are part of the ‘Feasts’ held in each local community 19 times every year. Those who are excluded from enrollment are not shunned and are not barred from other occasions of worship. The Bahai community today does not campaign against the legal recognition of same-sex marriages.
While the exclusion of individuals in same-sex marriages from membership of the Bahai community is discriminatory, this has not been justified by Bahais under the highly politicized banner of preserving religious freedom. There is nothing in the Bahai teachings that would justify Bahais in discriminating against homosexuals in their business activities, or in any role they might have as public officials. It would be unfortunate if the description of Kit Bigelow as “Religious Freedom Advocate” gave the impression that she, or the Bahai community, were aligned with the political movement that has claimed a religious liberties justification for discrimation in public life.
A PDF of the controversial letter is available here.
The report it criticizes is available as a PDF here.
An example of the dialogues within the Bahai community on this question can be found here.
Short link: http://wp.me/pNMoJ-2Jx
Make the jump here to read the orginal and much more here
Via Ram Dass
October 12, 2016
When meditation works as it should, it will be a natural part of your being. There will no longer be anything apart from you to have faith in. Hope starts the journey, faith sustains it, but it ends beyond both hope and faith.
Via Daily Dharma / October 12, 2016: Beyond the Status Quo
We
come to the Buddha-dharma precisely because the suffering we have
experienced in the world of relativity forces us to question
“conventional” truth and the status quo.
—Charles Johnson, "The Dharma of Social Transformation"
—Charles Johnson, "The Dharma of Social Transformation"
Tuesday, October 11, 2016
Via Towleroad: NATIONAL COMING OUT DAY
National Coming Out Day, Galaxy Note 7, Billy Bush, Austin, Depeche Mode, Tyler Oakley: HOT LINKS
It’s that day again: “28 years ago, on the anniversary of the National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights, we first observed National Coming Out Day as a reminder that one of our most basic tools is the power of coming out. One out of every two Americans has someone close to them who is gay or lesbian.
For transgender people, that number is only one in 10. Coming out – whether it is as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer or allied – STILL MATTERS. When people know someone who is LGBTQ, they are far more likely to support equality under the law. Beyond that, our stories can be powerful to each other.”
Make the jump here to read the original and more at Towleroad
Via JMG: Democrats Applaud National Coming Out Day
Via press release:
Today, on National Coming Out Day, we celebrate one of the most powerful forces in the fight for LGBT equality. When someone decides to come out as member of the LGBT community, it gives their friends, family, loved ones and neighbors a personal reason to support LGBT rights, and it inspires more members and allies of the LGBT community to stand up for what is right, even in the face of discrimination, bigotry and violence.
Despite the great strides we’ve made in recent years – marriage equality, the end of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell and more – the sad fact remains that coming out is still a risky, even dangerous thing to do for too many Americans, young and old. But that’s why it’s so important. Together, we can end the discrimination and build a brighter, safer future for all.
“The Democratic Party is proud to stand with the LGBT community, and proud to support candidates for elected office who are fighting for the promise of full equality. If we hope to continue building on the progress of the last eight years, we must elect Hillary Clinton and Democrats up and down the ballot across the country.”Make the jump here to read the original and more on JMG
Via JMG: Tim Kaine Denounces Bullying On National Coming Out Day: Adults Need To Promote Acceptance [VIDEO]
October 11, 2016 2016 Election, Activism, LGBT News
Via press release from the Clinton campaign:In honor of National Coming Out Day, Vice Presidential nominee Tim Kaine sat down with ATTN: Editor-In-Chief Matthew Segal, telling him that it is incumbent upon adults in leadership positions to promote the message of acceptance.
Amid clips of LGBT kids describing the bullying and hate-speech directed at them, Senator Kaine says that National Coming Out Day is important because we need to let kids know that they should “be proud of who you are. You’re made the way you’re made for a reason…celebrate that and accept it.”
Senator Kaine also said that school districts receiving school safety funding should work to reduce the rate of bullying in their schools. As someone who has been standing up to bullies her whole life, Hillary Clinton, together with Tim Kaine, will continue fighting for the the LGBT community and celebrates National Coming Out Day.Make the jump here to read the original and see the video on JMG
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