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.
Wednesday, January 18, 2017
Via Daily Dharma / Preventing Moral Atrophy
This
is the moment to return to whichever practice reinforces our moral
clarity, so that we do not wake up one day to find it eroded beyond
recognition.
—Sofia Ali-Khan, "A Time for Discernment"
—Sofia Ali-Khan, "A Time for Discernment"
Tuesday, January 17, 2017
Via Daily Dharma / Two Ways:
One
can cross the mountains on foot, as did Siddhartha, or you can hop a
ride on the great dharma vehicle that he subsequently launched. Trusting
in ourselves, we are headed for the mountains and probable failure.
Trusting in Buddha, we just might find ourselves gliding effortlessly
into the field of merit that he has so graciously spread out to receive
us.
—David Brazier, "The ‘Inner Logic’ of Other Power"
—David Brazier, "The ‘Inner Logic’ of Other Power"
Monday, January 16, 2017
Via Daily Dharma / In Honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day...
There’s
nothing about birth or social status that makes a person good or bad.
People are good or bad solely in terms of their actions, and so that’s
how they should be judged—not by the color of their skin.
—Thanissaro Bhikkhu, "What the Buddha Taught Us About Race"
—Thanissaro Bhikkhu, "What the Buddha Taught Us About Race"
Sunday, January 15, 2017
Via Ram Dass
Truth
is one of the vehicles for deepening spiritual awareness through
another human being, and if there is a license for that in the
relationship, in any relationship – with guru, with friend, with lover,
with whatever it is – it is an absolutely optimum way of coming into a
liquid spiritual relationship with another person.
But it’s very, very delicate because people feel very vulnerable. They have parts of their mind that are cut off, that the idea that’s been socialized is, “If I show this part of me, I would not be acceptable.” And the ability to risk that, finally you learn how to have your truth available.
But it’s very, very delicate because people feel very vulnerable. They have parts of their mind that are cut off, that the idea that’s been socialized is, “If I show this part of me, I would not be acceptable.” And the ability to risk that, finally you learn how to have your truth available.
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"
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)