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.
However the seed is
planted, in that way the fruit is gathered. Good things come from doing
good deeds, bad things come from doing bad deeds. (SN 11.10) What is the
purpose of a mirror? For the purpose of reflection. So too mental
action is to be done with repeated reflection. (MN 61)
When you are doing an action with the mind, reflect upon that same
mental action thus: “Does this action I am doing with the mind lead to
the affliction of another?” If, upon reflection, you know that it does,
then stop doing it; if you know that it does not, then continue. (MN 61)
Reflection
Being mindful
allows us to gain access to the flow of internal mental states that
might otherwise be overlooked. Insight develops as you are able to
reflect upon the quality of your thoughts and understand their impact on
yourself and others. Becoming aware of mental states is one thing;
understanding their quality—their level of healthiness or
unhealthiness—is another. This is the practice described here.
Daily Practice
Whether or not
your mental and emotional states cause affliction to yourself and
others is something about which you can develop an intuitive sense. It
is not about examining the question intellectually and conceptually but
about accessing an inner appreciation for what is helpful and what is
harmful. If your attitude feels off in some way, abandon it and turn to
something else. Use your own wisdom to guide yourself along the path.
Tomorrow: Abstaining from Misbehaving Among Sensual Pleasures One week from today: Reflecting upon Social Action
Share your thoughts and join the conversation on social media #DhammaWheel
When
a lion roars in the forest, all the animals tremble and scurry to their
places of refuge. This is not the fear of a helpless victim but a fear
that stirs them to action for their own safety. In the same way, when a
Buddha roars out the truth of impermanence, suffering, and nonself,
those who are wise are moved by the profound sense of spiritual urgency.
Harsh speech is unhealthy.
Refraining from harsh speech is healthy. (MN 9) Abandoning harsh speech,
one refrains from harsh speech. One speaks words that are gentle,
pleasing to the ear, and affectionate, words that go to the heart, are
courteous, and are agreeable to many. (DN 1) One practices thus: “Others
may speak harshly, but I shall abstain from harsh speech.” (MN 8)
When one says, “All those disengaged from the pursuit of
self-mortification have entered upon the right way,” one thus extols
some. But when one says instead, “The disengagement from the pursuit of
self-mortification is a state without suffering, and it is the right
way,” then one is not extolling anyone but simply stating the truth. (MN
139)
Reflection
The principle
we reviewed earlier about criticizing the negative actions of people
rather than criticizing them as people also applies in the positive
direction. It is better to extol, to praise, positive words and deeds
than to extol the person. While the negative comments lead to protective
defensive behaviors, the positive comments could result in an increase
of pride and conceit.
Daily Practice
Praising
someone for being a great person boosts their sense of self, and while
this may be a good thing in the case of the developing egos of
youngsters, it is not something encouraged for Buddhist practitioners.
By all means extol the value and benefit of benevolent words and deeds,
for example, but practice the habit of not feeding people’s view of
self, lest you contribute to their self-aggrandizement. Help people be
humble.
Tomorrow: Reflecting upon Mental Action One week from today: Refraining from Frivolous Speech
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L to R: Terrence McNally, Mayor de Blasio and Tom Kirdahy
2010 -
The late great playwright TERRENCE MCNALLY
wed Tom Kirdahy in Washington D.C. ceremony. During a small ceremony
under a tree blooming with white flowers, Kirdahy read from a scene in
McNally's play "Corpus Christi," in which a Gay, Christ-like figure
named Joshua marries two apostles:
"It is good
when two men love as James and Bartholomew do and we recognize their
union," Kirdahy read. "Love each other in sickness and in health."
Kirdahy, a lawyer
and Broadway producer, choked up as he recalled seeing the play before
meeting the playwright. Actress Tyne Daly, who was then starring in
McNally's "Master Class" at the Kennedy Center festival, served as a
witness at the sunlit wedding and read Shakespeare's Sonnet 116. Actors
John Glover and Malcolm Gets, both starring in "The Lisbon Traviata,"
also looked on.
The Rev. George
Walker of the People's Congregational United Church of Christ presented
them as husbands and signed their marriage certificate.
In 2015, in
celebration of the Supreme Court decision in favor of marriage equality,
the couple renewed their vows at a ceremony officiated by Kirdahy's
former college roommate, New York City Mayor Bill De Blasio.
McNally's most recent play, Mothers and Sons opened on Broadway in March, 2014. Kirdahy was the lead producer of the runaway hit It's Only A Play on Broadway and the five-time Tony Nominated Broadway premiere of TheVisit; he most recently presented TheInheritance.
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Gay Wisdom for Daily Living from White Crane Institute
"With the
increasing commodification of gay news, views, and culture by powerful
corporate interests, having a strong independent voice in our community
is all the more important. White Crane is one of the last brave
standouts in this bland new world... a triumph over the looming
mediocrity of the mainstream Gay world." - Mark Thompson
We can see death as a gift - we don’t usually see it this way, but an
awareness of death changes our lives. Fundamentally, it helps us know
how to love.
Whatever you intend,
whatever you plan, and whatever you have a tendency toward, that will
become the basis on which your mind is established. (SN 12.40) Develop
meditation on appreciative joy, for when you develop meditation on
appreciative joy, any discontent will be abandoned. (MN 62)
The proximate cause of appreciative joy is seeing the success of other beings. (Vm 9.95)
Reflection
It comes
naturally to us, for the most part, to feel good about good things
happening to us. But this does not necessarily happen all the time. What
if we could feel good twice as often or more? Why not experience that
same emotion of appreciative joy when other people meet with success or
good fortune? Instead of feeling jealousy or resentment, we can develop
the skill of sharing in the good fortune of others.
Daily Practice
Look around you
for examples of good things happening to other people. It can seem hard
to find because of the negative bias of our news sources, but if you
search a little you can find good news. When you do, allow yourself to
feel gladness and joy for the good fortune of those people. Share in the
appreciation and gratitude. You can only feel appreciative joy when you
see or think about the success of others, so look for it.
Tomorrow: Refraining from Harsh Speech One week from today: Cultivating Equanimity
Share your thoughts and join the conversation on social media #DhammaWheel
RIGHT VIEW Understanding the Noble Truth of the Cessation of Suffering
What is the cessation of
suffering? It is the remainderless fading away and ceasing, the giving
up, relinquishing, letting go, and rejecting of craving. (MN 9)
When one knows and sees bodily sensations as they actually are, then one
is not attached to bodily sensations. When one abides unattached, one
is not infatuated, and one’s craving is abandoned. One’s bodily and
mental troubles are abandoned, and one experiences bodily and mental
well being. (MN 149)
Reflection
Since craving
is the cause of suffering, the ending of craving will bring about the
end of suffering. This is both a general principle and a dynamic that
happens in every moment of lived experience. We are aware of something
different every moment, and when we either hold on to that object or
push it away, we feel discontent. Observing it with equanimity takes
away the affliction, and everything simply becomes interesting.
Daily Practice
Sensations flow
through your body in a constant stream. Some you like, some you don’t
like. It is natural to feel attached to the ones that feel good and to
resist and resent the ones that don’t, but this itself is the cause of
suffering—attachment and aversion. Practice just observing each
sensation without attachment, without infatuation, and see for yourself
how mindful equanimity results in bodily and mental well being.
Tomorrow: Cultivating Appreciative Joy One week from today: Understanding the Noble Truth of the Way to the Cessation of Suffering
Share your thoughts and join the conversation on social media #DhammaWheel
Recognize
the distinction between what intuitively and spontaneously arises, and
what ego manipulates. When you recognize the difference, you will
wholeheartedly say Yes!
Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche, “Follow the Trail of ‘Yes’”
