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Via NPR / On His Debut Album, Jonah Mutono Embraces His Identity And His Name

After recording as "Kidepo," Jonah Mutono's switch to his real name coincided with his decision to come out as gay. His debut album GERG is about reconciling that identity with his Ugandan upbringing. 

Jonah Mutono's debut album GERG is really more of a re-entry. Until late last year, Mutono released music under the name "Kidepo." But starting with the single "Shoulders," and now with GERG, he's sharing his real name and story of self-acceptance for the first time.

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Via Daily Dharma: Becoming Silence Itself

In order to be in a relationship with the sacred, we must be willing to become still and quiet. We must be willing to be if only for a short while, silence itself.

—Vanessa Zuisei Goddard, “The Places We Go to Be Here”

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Via Lion´s Roar / I Vow Not to Burn Out

Mushim Ikeda says it’s not enough to help others. You have to take care of yourself too.

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Via Lion´s Roar / The Fourteen Precepts of Engaged Buddhism

Thich Nhat Hanh’s guidelines for anyone wishing to live mindfully.

The Order of Interbeing (Tiep Hien) was formed by the Vietnamese monk Thich Nhat Hanh in the mid-1960’s, at a time when the Vietnam War was escalating and the teachings of the Buddha were desperately needed to combat the hatred, violence, and divisiveness enveloping his country.

On the full moon day of February 1966, Zen Master Nhat Hanh ordained six members into the Order—three men and three women ranging in age from twenty-two to thirty-two. All were board members of the School of Youth for Social Service, which he had helped found the year before. During the ceremony, the six ordainees vowed to study, practice, and observe the Fourteen Precepts of the Order of Interbeing, a wonderful blend of traditional Buddhist morality and contemporary social concerns.

For ten years, no new members were permitted to join the Order’s core community. In fact, this “period of experimentation” was extended until 1981, when Nguyen Anh Huong, a microbiologist and lay meditation teacher, became the seventh member of the Order.

Today, there are thousands worldwide who regularly recite the Fourteen Precepts of Engaged Buddhism, which remain uniquely applicable to contemporary moral dilemmas. They are guidelines for anyone wishing to live mindfully. By developing peace and serenity through ethical and conscientious living, we can help our society make the transition from one based on greed and consumerism to one in which thoughtfulness and compassionate action are of the deepest value.
—Fred Eppsteiner

The Fourteen Precepts of Engaged Buddhism

1. Do not be idolatrous about or bound to any doctrine, theory, or ideology, even Buddhist ones. Buddhist systems of thought are guiding means; they are not absolute truth.
2. Do not think the knowledge you presently possess is changeless, absolute truth. Avoid being narrow-minded and bound to present views. Learn and practice nonattachment from views in order to be open to receive others’ viewpoints. Truth is found in life and not merely in conceptual knowledge. Be ready to learn throughout your entire life and to observe reality in yourself and in the world at all times.
3. Do not force others, including children, by any means whatsoever, to adopt your views, whether by authority, threat, money, propaganda, or even education. However, through compassionate dialogue, help others renounce fanaticism and narrowness.
4. Do not avoid contact with suffering or close your eyes before suffering. Do not lose awareness of the existence of suffering in the life of the world. Find ways to be with those who are suffering, including personal contact, visits, images, and sounds. By such means, awaken yourself and others to the reality of suffering in the world.
5. Do not accumulate wealth while millions are hungry. Do not take as the aim of your life Fame, profit, wealth, or sensual pleasure. Live simply and share time, energy, and material resources with those who are in need.
6. Do not maintain anger or hatred. Learn to penetrate and transform them when they are still seeds in your consciousness. As soon as they arise, turn your attention to your breath in order to see and understand the nature of your hatred.
7. Do not lose yourself in dispersion and in your surroundings. Practice mindful breathing to come back to what is happening in the present moment. Be in touch with what is wondrous, refreshing, and healing both inside and around you. Plant seeds of joy, peace, and understanding in yourself in order to facilitate the work of transformation in the depths of your consciousness.
8. Do not utter words that can create discord and cause the community to break. Make every effort to reconcile and resolve all conflicts, however small.
9. Do not say untruthful things for the sake of personal interest or to impress people. Do not utter words that cause division and hatred. Do not spread news that you do not know to be certain. Do not criticize or condemn things of which you are not sure. Always speak truthfully and constructively. Have the courage to speak out about situations of injustice, even when doing so may threaten your own safety.
10. Do not use the Buddhist community for personal gain or profit, or transform your community into a political party. A religious community, however, should take a clear stand against oppression and injustice and should strive to change the situation without engaging in partisan conflicts.
11. Do not live with a vocation that is harmful to humans and nature. Do not invest in companies that deprive others of their chance to live. Select a vocation that helps realize your ideal of compassion.
12. Do not kill. Do not let others kill. Find whatever means possible to protect life and prevent war.
13. Possess nothing that should belong to others. Respect the property of others, but prevent others from profiting from human suffering or the suffering of other species on Earth.
14. Do not mistreat your body. Learn to handle it with respect. Do not look on your body as only an instrument. Preserve vital energies (sexual, breath, spirit) for the realization of the Way. (For brothers and sisters who are not monks and nuns:) Sexual expression should not take place without love and commitment. In sexual relationships, be aware of future suffering that may be caused. To preserve the happiness of others, respect the rights and commitments of others. Be fully aware of the responsibility of bringing new lives into the world. Meditate on the world into which you are bringing new beings.

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From “Interbeing: Fourteen Guidelines for Engaged Buddhism,” Revised edition: Oct. 1993 by Thich Nhat Hanh, published by Parallax Press, Berkeley, California.

Via Daily Dharma: Acting with Full Engagement

Meditation is just to be here. This can mean doing the dishes, writing a letter, driving a car, or having a conversation—if we’re fully engaged in this activity of the moment, there is no plotting or scheming or ulterior purpose. This full engagement is meditation. 

—Steve Hagen,“Looking For Meaning”

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Via Ram Dass - Love Serve Remember Foundation / Words of Wisdom - May 13, 2020 💌

"It's like a moth being drawn to the Light. As you reach a certain point, you realize that you only see the projections of your own mind. Everything that's happening to you is a teaching designed to burn out your stuff. Your humanity isn't an error. All your desires are part of the journey."

- Ram Dass -

Via Daily Dharma: The Joy of Giving

Generosity entails relinquishing some aspects of one’s self-interest, and thus is a giving of one’s self. 

—Gil Fronsdal,“The Joy of Giving”

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Via Daily Dharma: Find the Solution That Is Here Now

If there’s one lesson that runs through pretty much every Buddhist tradition, it’s this: there are no magic solutions. Our belief in magic solutions that may happen someday in the future keeps us from doing what we really need to do right here and right now.

—Brad Warner, “A Minty Fresh Mind”

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Via Daily Dharma: Loving Beyond Flaws

When we talk of the bodhisattva vow in Buddhism, we talk about extending our arms and our hearts outward, about reaching out to the whole world and embracing all, without exception. We talk about truly seeing the ones standing before us and loving them deeply, just as they are.

—Vanessa Sasson, “Teaching Ground”

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Sri Argala Stotram (Selected Verses) / Show Me Love - YouTube

Lyrics

Jayantii Manggalaa Kaalii Bhadrakaalii Kapaalinii
Durgaa Shivaa Kssamaa Dhaatrii Svaahaa Svadhaa Namostu Te
Madhu-Kaittabha-Vidhvamsi Vidhaatr-Varade Namah
Mahissaasura-Nirnaashi Bhaktaanaam Sukhade Namah
Dehi Saubhaagyam-Aarogyam Dehi Devi Param Sukham
Vidhehi Devi Kalyaannam Vidhehi Vipulaam Shriyam
Himaacala-Sutaa-Naatha-Samstute Param-eshvari
Indraannii-Pati-Sadbhaava-Puujite Param-eshvari
Ruupam Dehi Jayam Dehi Yasho Dehi Dvisso Jahi
I wanna know what Love is
I want You to show me
I wanna feel what Love is
I know You can show me

 

Source: Musixmatch

Songwriters: Krishna Das / Michael L Jones

Via Ram Dass - Love Serve Remember Foundation // Words of Wisdom - May 10, 2020 💌

"If we are to help heal the world, we need to remember that it is a sacred place. Our actions need to be positive statements, reminders that even in the worst times there is a world worth struggling for. We need to find ways to keep the vision alive, to acknowledge but not get caught in the dark side, to remember that even the worst aspects of suffering are only part of the whole picture. We need to enter lightly."

- Ram Dass -

Via Daily Dharma: Practice Radical Stillness

In our times, it is radical to choose to sit still and be silent, to resist an identity of busyness, ceaseless motion, and noise, and to reclaim our sanity and humanity by coming home to ourselves.

—Sumi Loundon Kim, “How to Meditate While Raising Kids”

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Via Daily Dharma: The Ethics of Self-Care

We can’t live ethically without caring about ourselves as well as others.

—Winton Higgins, “Treading the Path with Care”

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#TinaTurnerBlog #TinaTurner #TinaTurnerMantras Tina Turner - Lotus Sutra / Purity of Mind (2H Meditation)

Via Daily Dharma: Powerful Compassion

Compassion is not quiet; it is an enthusiastic, active, empathetic wish to help.

—Jeffrey Hopkins,“Breaking the Habit of Selfishness”

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Via Daily Dharma: Dealing Mindfully with Difficult Emotions

We can be angry, jealous, or scared without having to act on those emotions or let them take over our lives. We can experience joy or love without becoming attached to the object that we think is the cause of our joy.

—Tsoknyi Rinpoche, “Allow for Space”

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Via White Crane Institute // 1869 - Marks the first known published use of term “homosexuality”

Noteworthy

Károly Mária Kertbeny

1869 -

Marks the first known published use of term “homosexuality” by Károly Mária Kertbeny, a German-Hungarian advocate, in a letter to Karl Ulrichs. The neologism “heterosexuality” came later. The word homosexual is a Greek and Latin hybrid. The prefix homo is not from the Latin homo "man" but from the Greek homos, which means "the same," thus giving the word homosexual its definition of "same sex relationship." 

Homosexual is not as widely accepted because it emphasizes the word as just a sexuality but not as a cultural and social attitude which gay and lesbians have and it has the overtones of pathology derived from its original usage to define it in medical terminology. Gay generally refers to male homosexuality, but may be used in a broader sense to refer to all LGBT people. In the context of sexuality, Lesbian refers only to female homosexuality. The word Lesbian is derived from the name of the Greek island Lesbos, where the poet Sappho wrote about her emotional relationships with young women.