A personal blog by a graying (mostly Anglo with light African-American roots) gay left leaning liberal progressive married college-educated Buddhist Baha'i BBC/NPR-listening Professor Emeritus now following the Dharma in Minas Gerais, Brasil.
Sunday, January 15, 2017
Via Daily Dharma / The Only Answer:
To
the degree and extent a person practices dharma, to that degree and
extent that person gets protection from the dharma. We can never get
protection from anything else, no matter how much security, or
insurance, or how many secure locks we have—never.
—Bhante Henepola Gunaratana, "Going Upstream"
—Bhante Henepola Gunaratana, "Going Upstream"
Saturday, January 14, 2017
Via Daily Dharma / There’s Work to Be Done
Focus
on the present because you know that there’s work to be done in
training the mind in developing skillful present intentions, and you
don’t know how much more time you have to accomplish that training.
—Thanissaro Bhikkhu, "The Buddha’s Baggage"
—Thanissaro Bhikkhu, "The Buddha’s Baggage"
Thursday, January 12, 2017
Via Daily Dharma / Empty Views
What
makes us miserable, what causes us to be in conflict with one another,
is our insistence on our particular view of things: our view of what we
deserve or want, our view of right and wrong, our view of self, our view
of other, our view of life, our view of death. But views are just
views. They are not ultimate truth.
—Norman Fischer, "Beyond Language"
—Norman Fischer, "Beyond Language"
Wednesday, January 11, 2017
Via Quora / Why is it so hard for educated liberals to empathize with Trump supporters?
The autistic author Sparrow R. Jones said it well:
I am not mad at you that Clinton lost. I am unconcerned that we have different politics. And I don’t think less of you because you vote one way and I vote another. No… I think less of you because you watched an adult mock a disabled person in front of a crowd and still supported him. I think less of you because you saw a man spouting clear racism and backed him. I think less of you because you listened to him advocate for war crimes, and still thought he should run this country. I think less of you because you watched him equate a woman’s worth to her appearance and got on board. It isn’t your politics that I find repulsive. It is your personal willingness to support racism, sexism, and cruelty. You sided with a bully when it mattered and that is something I will never forget. So, no… you and I won’t be “coming together” to move forward or whatever. Trump disgusts me, but it is the fact that he doesn’t disgust you that will stick with me long after this election.
Via Ram Dass: Be Here Now!
I’ve
begun to expand my awareness to be able to look at the universe as it
is, and see what is called the horrible beauty of it. I mean, there’s
horror and beauty in all of it, because there is also decay and death in
all of it. I mean, we’re all decaying – I look at my hand and it’s
decaying. It’s beautiful and horrible at the same time; and I just live
with that. I see and live with the beauty of it.
So we’re talking about appreciating what is.
So we’re talking about appreciating what is.
Via Daily Dharma / A Wider Identity:
The
force needed to empower wisdom is compassion. Both wisdom and
compassion shift our sense of identity away from ourselves toward the
wider human, biotic, and cosmic community to which we belong.
—Ven. Bhikkhu Bodhi, "The Need of the Hour"
—Ven. Bhikkhu Bodhi, "The Need of the Hour"
Tuesday, January 10, 2017
Via Daily Dharma / Staying Grounded:
If
we want to overcome our anxiety and feel good about ourselves, it’s not
enough to invest in outer things. We have to make investments in our
inner life as well. . . . It’s about keeping grounded and having
perspective. It’s never too late to open that door.
—Lawrence Levy, "Why Former Pixar CFO Lawrence Levy Walked Away from It All"
—Lawrence Levy, "Why Former Pixar CFO Lawrence Levy Walked Away from It All"
Monday, January 9, 2017
Via Daily Dharma / Tasting Peace
When
we explore directly, in our experience, the meaning of the Buddha’s
declaration, we can see for ourselves how craving obscures the natural
ease and openness of mind, and how in moments free of desire, wanting,
and clinging, we can recognize the taste of happiness and peace.
—Joseph Goldstein, "The End of Suffering"
—Joseph Goldstein, "The End of Suffering"
Sunday, January 8, 2017
Via Ram Dass
For each of us, you’ve got to be very quiet to hear your unique dharma, your unique way of expression.
Somebody comes along and their major thing in life is to regain the rights of indigenous peoples.
Someone else comes along and their major thing is to awaken people to environmental degradation.
Someone else comes along and their major thing is to clean up the incredible oppression of women.
It isn’t a question of which thing is worse, or which is more worthwhile. Each person has to hear what is their part in the whole process of how their compassion expresses itself.
I am doing this gig. This is my part. It’s no better than your part, it’s just my part. I’m not under some illusion that I have a different part and I honor everybody else’s part, I just have to constantly keep listening to hear what my part is anew.
-Ram Dass
Somebody comes along and their major thing in life is to regain the rights of indigenous peoples.
Someone else comes along and their major thing is to awaken people to environmental degradation.
Someone else comes along and their major thing is to clean up the incredible oppression of women.
It isn’t a question of which thing is worse, or which is more worthwhile. Each person has to hear what is their part in the whole process of how their compassion expresses itself.
I am doing this gig. This is my part. It’s no better than your part, it’s just my part. I’m not under some illusion that I have a different part and I honor everybody else’s part, I just have to constantly keep listening to hear what my part is anew.
-Ram Dass
Via Daily Dharma / Who Are You?
If
I were really asked to define myself, I wouldn’t start with race; I
wouldn’t start with blackness; I wouldn’t start with gender; I wouldn’t
start with feminism. I would start with stripping down to what
fundamentally informs my life, which is that I’m a seeker on the path.
—bell hooks, "Agent of Change: An Interview with bell hooks"
—bell hooks, "Agent of Change: An Interview with bell hooks"
Saturday, January 7, 2017
Via Daily Dharma / The Heart Holds Two Truths
Take
refuge in the dharma when you’re hurting; gain perspective; expand your
capacity for empathy; uncover the biases you carry within yourself; and
also see all arisings as empty. And then, see with complexity, and hold
both conventional and ultimate truths in your heart.
—Jay Michaelson, "Retreat or Fight? Both are Right."
—Jay Michaelson, "Retreat or Fight? Both are Right."
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