Via Daily Dharma: You Can’t Force Your Heart Open

A wide and caring heart is not a “should” or an obligation but a longing that awakens naturally.

—Radhule Weininger, “Brief Teachings”

Via 3 of 13 Daily Dharma: The Seed of True Kindness

When we start to develop maitri for ourselves—unconditional acceptance of ourselves—then we’re really taking care of ourselves in a way that pays off. We feel more at home with our own bodies and minds and more at home in the world. As our kindness for ourselves grows, so does our kindness for other people.

—Pema Chödrön, “Unlimited Friendliness”

Via BBC / Inter-American Human Rights Court backs same-sex marriage

The Inter-American Court of Human Rights has ruled that same-sex marriages should be recognised.

The court's rulings apply to countries which have signed the American Convention on Human Rights.

Some of the signatories already recognise same-sex marriages while others recognise same-sex civil unions.

But others, such as Bolivia, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Honduras, Paraguay and Peru do not recognise either and will be expected to change their laws.

The court was established by the regional body, the Organization of American States (OAS), and signatories to the Inter-American Convention on Human Rights are bound by its rulings.

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Western hemisphere countries where same-sex marriage is legal:

Image copyright Reuters

• Argentina
• Brazil
• Canada
• Colombia
• Mexico (certain states only)
• US
• Uruguay

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The ruling comes as a number of Latin American countries have changed or are debating changing their laws to allow same-sex couples to marry.

Most recently, outgoing Chilean President Michelle Bachelet sent a gay marriage bill to Congress for debate.

Other western hemisphere countries, such as Ecuador, have introduced same-sex civil unions.

'Without discrimination'

The judges said that governments "must recognise and guarantee all the rights that are derived from a family bond between people of the same sex".

They also said that it was inadmissible and discriminatory for a separate legal provision to be established just for same-sex marriages.

The judges demanded that governments "guarantee access to all existing forms of domestic legal systems, including the right to marriage, in order to ensure the protection of all the rights of families formed by same-sex couples without discrimination".

Recognising the difficulty in passing such laws in countries where there is strong opposition to same-sex marriage, they recommended that governments pass temporary decrees until new legislation was brought in.

The judges issued the ruling in response to a motion brought by Costa Rica.

The Central American government asked the court to give its opinion on whether it had an obligation to extend property rights to same-sex couples. The court ruled that it did.

The Costa Rican government also wanted to know whether it should allow transgender people to change their name on their identity documents. Again, the court ruled that it should.

Costa Rica's Vice-President Ana Helena Chacón welcomed the court's ruling, saying it would be adopted "in its totality".

Read the article and more here

Via Ram Dass / 4 of 21 Words of Wisdom - January 10, 2018

I don't want people doing their practices because they ought to be good. I want you doing your practices like you go to the toilet. You don't go to the toilet because you're good, I mean, you know why you go to the toilet. That's the way spiritual practices should be done. It's a great advertisement for spiritual practice: Come spend the weekend with spiritual practices, it's like going the toilet!

-  Ram Dass -

Via Daily Dharma: Zig Zag Practice

Practice is never a straight line to a fixed goal. It is always a mixture of moments of confusion and moments of clarity, periods of discouragement and periods of aspiration, times of feeling like a failure and times of going deeper.

—Ezra Bayda, “Reflect, Without Thinking”

Via Daily Dharma: Finding Freedom Through Attitude

The attempt to look at your attitude—what you are feeling and thinking and the frame that holds it, and then your attitude to your attitude, is one of the routes to freedom.

—John Tarrant, “In the Wild Places”

Via Daily Dharma: Honesty’s Advantage

Being honest about our limitations protects us from becoming patronizing and self-satisfied. When we are more honest, we don’t have as much to prove.

—Judy Lief, “On Beginning at the Beginning”

Via FB

Via Ram Dass / Words of Wisdom - January 7, 2018

The reason we are addicted to power is because of separateness—separate nations, separate states, separate religions, and separate people. When you are separate the whole universe is powerful, and you are so little…When you get into your soul, the whole world is made of love—trees are made of love; beings, in their souls, are made of love.

- Ram Dass -

Via Daily Dharma: Sorting Out Love and Attachment

Attachment is the very opposite of love. Love says, “I want you to be happy.” Attachment says, “I want you to make me happy.”

—Tenzin Palmo, “No Excuses”

Via Daily Dharma: The Compassion We Give, The Compassion We Want

To be compassionate to those we do not have to be compassionate towards, and to those who expect little if any compassion—is this not the same contract we hope exists between us and some further, more powerful force?

—Rick Bass, “Animal Realm”

Via Daily Dharma: Jealousy Is a Warning

When I start feeling jealous of others, it’s a warning sign that I’ve become a little bit too entranced by some idea of myself and have lost touch with the reality of my life.

—Shozan Jack Haubner, “Middle Way Manager”

Via Daily Dharma: Letting Go of Perfection

A good fit is not the same as a perfect fit, if such a thing even exists. Rather, a good fit contains good imperfections, things that don’t fit, problems you can sink your teeth into.

—Andrew Cooper, “The Good Fit”

Via Daily Dharma: Right Action through Community

Connection with others loosens the bonds of self-concern and helps us find our best course of action in the world.

—Henry Shukman, “The Meeting”

Via Ram Dass / 7 of 25 Words of Wisdom - January 3, 2018

  You can get to the place of being loving awareness, but before you can love the universe or other people you have to be able to love yourself. That love throws you into the next plane, which I call the soul plane. It is spiritual, but it also deals with separation, because the soul wants to meld with the One. The One is love, light; the One is peace, compassion. The soul wants to meld with that.

-  Ram Dass -

Via Daily Dharma: Joyful Reflection

The process of setting intentions and joyfully reflecting on them is how, over time, we transform extrinsic into intrinsic motivations, and thereby sustain the energy and purpose to live true to our best aspirations.

—Thupten Jinpa, “Two Exercises for Turning Intention into Motivation”

Via Ram Dass / Words of Wisdom - December 31, 2017

You can't push yourself into enlightenment... You can only wait for grace.

- Ram Dass -

Via Daily Dharma: Wise Resolutions

The most comfortable and wisest people are those who watch their health when they are healthy; guard their country when it is untroubled; and cultivate their fields well when weeds are nonexistent or scarce.

—Venerable Chwasan, “The Grace in This World”

Via Daily Dharma: True Self-Refinement

Through the constant refining of the self—of teasing out what is not self and letting it go—we suffer less, get unburdened, feel lighter.

—Mary Talbot, “Saving Vacchagotta”