Via Daily Dharma: Becoming More Human

We do not become less human by purging toxins from our emotional life but rather more nobly human. Abandoning greed, hatred, and delusion at every opportunity, we are still left with a rich, nuanced, and healthier emotional life.

Andrew Olendzki, “The Buddha’s Smile”

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Via Dhamma Wheel | Right Action: Reflecting upon Social Action

 

RIGHT ACTION
Reflecting Upon Social Action

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 social action is to be done with repeated reflection. (MN 61) One reflects thus: “I shall initiate and sustain verbal acts of kindness toward my companions, both publicly and privately.” One lives with companions in concord, with mutual appreciation, without disputing, blending like milk and water, viewing each other with kindly eyes. One practices thus: “We are different in body but one in mind.” (MN 31)

Reflection

As social beings we speak a lot in the course of our daily lives. Here is an invitation to focus on the quality of our verbal actions in a social setting. The way to live in harmony with others is lubricated, so to speak, by verbal acts of kindness. As the text says, “Good things come from doing good deeds,” and this includes the things we say. The skill of living "without disputing, blending like milk and water," is sorely needed these days.

Daily Practice

Speak with kindly intention to your friends, family members, and colleagues. The quality of mind behind our words is often more important than the words themselves, and here we are invited to emphasize the feeling of caring for others when we speak. When we speak with kindly intention we evoke kindness from others, as well as bring out and strengthen our own capacity for kindness. This contributes to social well-being.

Tomorrow: Abstaining from Intoxication
One week from today: Reflecting upon Bodily Action

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Questions? Visit the Dhamma Wheel orientation page.

Via White Crane Institute // TANABATA

 

Tanabata decorations 2018 - TANABATA, meaning "Evening of the seventh" is a Japanese star festival, derived from the Chinese star festival, Qi Xi "The Night of Sevens.” It celebrates the meeting of Orihime (Vega) and Hikoboshi (Altair). The Milky Way, a river made from stars that crosses the sky, separates these lovers, and they are allowed to meet only once a year on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month of the luni-solar calendar. Since the stars come out at night, the celebration is held at night.  The festival originated from The Festival to Plead for Skills. In the Edo period, girls wished for better sewing and craftsmanship, and boys wished for better handwriting by writing wishes on strips of paper. At this time, the custom was to use dew left on taro leaves to create the ink used to write wishes.

|8|O|8|O|8|O|8|O|8|O|8|O|8|O|8| 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 Exploring Gay Wisdom & Culture since 1989! www.whitecraneinstitute.org |8|O|8|O|8|O|8|O|8|O|8|O|8|O|8|

Via Daily Dharma: Trust in the Precious Nature of Every Moment

 No matter how off-kilter you feel, you are standing in a place of perfectly balanced forces. If you feel abandoned by all that might comfort you, you are held in the embrace of what you cannot see.

Kathleen Dean Moore, “We are Held by What We Cannot See”

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Via Lion´s Roar // The Essential Guide to Profound Practices of Tibetan Buddhism

 

New for subscribers: “The Essential Guide to Profound Practices of Tibetan Buddhism” Ebook

In this ebook available exclusively to Lion’s Roar subscribers, nine great dharma teachers including Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche, Lama Tsultrim Allione, Willa Blythe Baker, and more offer you a glance into the transformative practices of the Tibetan Buddhist tradition.

Via Lion’s Roar// Thich Nhat Hanh’s Hugging Meditation

 

How to Practice Hugging Meditation Nothing warms the heart like a loving hug. To make the experience even deeper and more healing, the late Thich Nhat Hanh teaches us this practice of hugging meditation he created.

07.05.2022

Via White Crane Institute // A Flemish artist Jérôme (Hieronymus) Duquesnoy

 This Day in Gay History

July 06

Born

Images of the artist himself are almost impossible to find. But I believe the images of the two on the far right were the referenced models which necessitated the punishment of Mssr. Duquesnoy.

1602 -

JÈRÔME DUQUESNOY, was a Belgian sculptor, born on this date (d: 1654); A Flemish artist Jérôme (Hieronymus) Duquesnoy was one of the most renowned sculptors of the 17th century, but for decades after his death he was better known for his conviction and execution on charges of sodomy than for his impish yet polished style of sculpture. Born into a Brussels family of artists at the beginning of the seventeenth century, Jérôme Duquesnoy lived his first twenty years in the shadow of his famous father, Jérôme Duquesnoy the Elder (who re-cast the famous Mannekin Pis [1619], the urinating boy that still stands as Brussels' signature fountain) and his brother François, who showed artistic promise at an early age.

Like his brother he was trained in his father’s studio. After a long stay in the service of Philip IV, he traveled to Florence in 1640 and a year later settled in Rome with his brother. On Francois’s death in 1643, Jérôme returned to Brussels where he carved several statues of the apostles. He was at work on several projects at the cathedral of St. Bavon in Ghent, where his best sculptures were executed, when he was, alas,  arrested for sodomy with two acolytes of the church who had served as his models.

The brilliance of his work for the church notwithstanding, he was strangled then burned at the stake, a double death, which, under the circumstances, seems to be a case of clerical overkill and a terrible waste of matches. But you know, the Roman Catholic Church has really strict rules about messing around with children.

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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

Exploring Gay Wisdom & Culture since 1989!
www.whitecraneinstitute.org

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Via Ram Dass - Love Serve Remember Foundation // Words of Wisdom - July 6, 2022 💌

 

The technique of the witness is to merely sit with the fear and be aware of it before it becomes so consuming that there’s no space left. The image I usually use is that of a picture frame and a painting of a gray cloud against a blue sky. But the picture frame is a little too small. So you bend the canvas around to frame it. But in doing so you lost all the blue sky. So you end up with just a framed gray cloud. It fills the entire frame.

So when you say, 'I'm afraid' or, 'I'm depressed', if you enlarged the frame so that just a little blue space shows, you would say ‘Ah, a cloud.’ That is what the witness is. The witness is that tiny little blue over in the corner that leads you to say, ‘Ah, fear.’

 - Ram Dass -

Via Dhamma Wheel | Right Speech: Refraining from Frivolous Speech

 

RIGHT SPEECH
Refraining from Frivolous Speech

Frivolous speech is unhealthy. Refraining from frivolous speech is healthy. (MN 9) Abandoning frivolous speech, one refrains from frivolous speech. One speaks at the right time, speaks only what is fact, and speaks about what is good. One speaks what is worthy of being overheard, words that are reasonable, moderate, and beneficial. (DN 1) One practices thus: “Others may speak frivolously, but I shall abstain from frivolous speech.” (MN 8) An authentic person is one who even unasked reveals their own faults—how much more so when asked. When asked, however, and obliged to reply to questions, one speaks of one’s own faults fully and in detail. (AN 4.73)

Reflection

The last time we looked at refraining from frivolous speech we focused on holding back from criticizing others. Now we look at the flip side of that—being willing to be forthcoming about your own faults. The idea here is not to put yourself down but to be honest with yourself. It is an example of speaking only what is fact and what is beneficial, since admitting your faults allows you to grow beyond them.

Daily Practice

This is a practice of humility and has to do with cultivating a humble attitude about yourself. It counteracts those qualities of mind that contribute to the inflation of the sense of self, such as pride and conceit, and helps moderate the tendency to aggrandize the self. You need not dwell on your faults, and it is okay to equally acknowledge your strengths, but simply stating both honestly is a form of right speech.

Tomorrow: Reflecting upon Social Action
One week from today: Refraining from False Speech

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Questions? Visit the Dhamma Wheel orientation page.

Via Daily Dharma: Random Acts of Kindness

 We never really know what’s going on with anyone else, but we know what it’s like to be human. So in the face of suffering, what appropriate response is there but compassion?

Taylor Plimpton, “Lessons From a Mostly Good Dog: #3: Be Kind”

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Via Dhamma Wheel | Right Intention: Cultivating Equanimity

 

RIGHT INTENTION
Cultivating Equanimity

Whatever you intend, whatever you plan, and whatever you have a tendency toward, that will become the basis upon which your mind is established. (SN 12.40) Develop meditation on equanimity, for when you develop meditation on equanimity, all aversion is abandoned. (MN 62)  The near enemy of equanimity is the ordinary indifference of the uninformed. (Vm 9.101) When a person, hearing a sound with the ear, is not attached to pleasing sounds and not repelled by unpleasing sounds, they have established mindfulness and dwell with an unlimited mind. For a person whose mindfulness is developed and practiced, the ear does not struggle to reach pleasing sounds, and unpleasing sounds are not considered repulsive. (SN 35.274)

Reflection

The idea of a near enemy is used in Buddhist commentaries to help define the meaning of words. A near enemy is something that seems like the right definition of a word (hence near), but is actually missing the mark and steering us in a wrong direction (hence enemy). What is being said here is that equanimity can easily be misconstrued as indifference, while in fact these two are miles apart. Real equanimity is fully engaged.

Daily Practice

Working with sound, see if you can hear sounds without favoring or opposing what you hear, without preferring some sounds and feeling aversion toward others. You will notice that this requires paying close attention and is thus far from indifference. When hearing a sound (bird calls, traffic, the refrigerator), just be aware of hearing the sound with an attitude of true equanimity: attentive but unattached.

Tomorrow: Refraining from Frivolous Speech
One week from today: Cultivating Lovingkindness

Share your thoughts and join the conversation on social media
#DhammaWheel

Questions? Visit the Dhamma Wheel orientation page.

Via Daily Dharma: The Best Time to Meditate

 The best time to meditate, the best place, the best length of practice is the one that you actually do. Showing up for the practice today, however long or short, is enough.

Kate Johnson, “Calming the Not Now Mind”

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Via Tumblr

 

Namaske!

 

Via Dhamma Wheel | Right View: Understanding the Noble Truth of the Way to the Cessation of Suffering

 

RIGHT VIEW
Understanding the Noble Truth of the Cessation of Suffering

And what is the way leading to the cessation of suffering? It is just this noble eightfold path: that is, right view, right intention, right speech, right action, right living, right effort, right mindfulness, right concentration. (MN 9) One perfects their ethical behavior by abandoning intoxication . . . (DN 2)

Reflection

Once again the importance of ethical behavior is emphasized, as the heart of walking the path toward the cessation of suffering, and so too is the particular value of keeping the mind clear and alert. Intoxication leads to a muddling of the mind, and the negligence that ensues can be the source of a lot of trouble. Sobriety in its many forms is a skill that can be learned, developed, strengthened, and ultimately perfected.

Daily Practice

Look at the many ways your diligence of mind is diminished throughout the day and becomes negligent. We get distracted by petty things, interrupted by random circumstances, confused by stray thoughts, or addled by any number of befuddling substances. The path to awakening winds its way among these obstacles. See if the image of gradually perfecting your ethical behavior can be useful in countering this.

Tomorrow: Cultivating Equanimity
One week from today: Understanding the Noble Truth of Suffering

Share your thoughts and join the conversation on social media
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Questions? Visit the Dhamma Wheel orientation page.

Via Daily Dharma: We Are All Interdependent

We are dependent on others, yet we also contribute to others. Such is the nature of our existence, which includes our relationships with our family, our friends, our community, the nation, the international community, and the natural world.

Rev. Dr. Kenneth Tanaka, “The Land of Many Dharmas”

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Via White Crane Institute \\ WALT WHITMAN published the first edition of Leaves of Grass

 

Walt Whitman

1855 -

On this day in 1855, WALT WHITMAN published the first edition of Leaves of Grass. The first edition consisted of twelve poems, and was published anonymously; Whitman set much of the type himself, and paid for its printing. Over his lifetime, he published eight more editions, adding poems each time; there were 122 new poems in the third edition alone (1860-61), and the final "death-bed edition," published in 1891, contained almost 400. The first edition received several glowing — and anonymous — reviews in New York newspapers. Most of them were written by Whitman himself.

The praise was unstinting: "An American bard at last!" One legitimate mention by popular columnist Fanny Fern called the collection daring and fresh. Emerson felt it was "the most extraordinary piece of wit and wisdom America has yet contributed." This wasn't a universal opinion, however; many called it filth, and poet John Greenleaf Whittier threw his copy into the fire.

 

2018 -

Preface to Leaves of Grass
by Walt Whitman

This is what you shall do: Love the earth and sun and the animals, despise riches, give alms to every one that asks, stand up for the stupid and crazy, devote your income and labor to others, hate tyrants, argue not concerning God, have patience and indulgence toward the people, take off your hat to nothing known or unknown or to any man or number of men, go freely with powerful uneducated persons and with the young and with the mothers of families, read these leaves in the open air every season of every year of your life, re-examine all you have been told at school or church or in any book, dismiss whatever insults your own soul; and your very flesh shall be a great poem and have the richest fluency not only in its words but in the silent lines of its lips and face and between the lashes of your eyes and in every motion and joint of your body.

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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

Exploring Gay Wisdom & Culture since 1989!
www.whitecraneinstitute.org

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Via Daily Living from White Crane Institute \\ Charlie Murphy

 

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Charlie Murphy

1953 -

CHARLIE MURPHY was an American singer-songwriter who was born on this date (d: 2016); Growing up during the civil rights and anti-war movements, Charlie devoted his life to social change. His conviction was fueled by his experience at Camp Claggett, a summer camp led by a group of extraordinary adult activists who were also involved in the human potential movement. He worked as a camp counselor throughout his college years while studying sociology at Loyola University in Baltimore. He also received training in group facilitation at the Center for mid-Atlantic Trainers, where he became their youngest facilitator.

After college, Charlie chose to work with youth through the Roanoke Virginia mental health services. Charlie soon discovered, however, that he was being asked to help these young people to adjust to a world in turmoil rather than to empower them to take an active role in making things better. So, he left the world of mental health and chose to express his passion for social change through music. From an early age Charlie loved music and played the guitar. This unleashed a passion for writing and composing songs.

In the mid seventies, Charlie toured the country as a folk singer, inspiring audiences with a passion for social change. He was a pioneer of the men’s movement and sang openly about Gay rights, making him one of the few out and proud Gay singer/songwriters of his day. He appeared on the landmark 1979 album “Walls to Roses”, that featured both Gay and straight men who supported the struggle against sexism. In the late ‘80s, Charlie founded the award-winning band, Rumors of the Big Wave, with creative partner and cellist Jami Sieber.

His AIDS anthem, I Choose Life, landed the band a spot as featured artists on a Barbara Walters special commemorating the 20^th anniversary of the AIDS crisis. Rumors of the Big Wave played with Ziggy Marley, Ann and Nancy Wilson of Heart, and Midnight Oil. They traveled nationally and internationally and produced several award-winning albums. 

Murphy's album Catch the Fire (1981), released on the Good Fairy Productions label, contained the original version of 'Burning Times', later covered by Christy Moore and Roy Bailey. The album also contained the LGBT rights anthem 'Gay Spirit'. The album is notable for addressing LGBT issues and pagan spirituality within its lyrics. The song "Burning Times" concerns the persecution of women accused of witchcraft in the Middle Ages and early modern periods. Its chorus mentions several pagan female deities: Isis, Astarte, Diana, Hecate, Demeter, Kali... Inanna. It also memorializes that nine million women died, ...in this holocaust against the nature people. The other key song, "Gay Spirit", expresses the frustration of growing up gay within a prejudiced society: When we were born they tried to put us in a cage, and tell our bodies what to feel, we have chosen to feel all the truth, that our bodies do reveal.... The chorus is a rousing burst of optimism: There's a gay spirit singing in our hearts, leading us through these troubled times, There's a gay spirit moving 'round this land, calling us to a time of open love.

In 1996, Charlie and Langley resident, Peggy Taylor, a journalist and creative development specialist, founded a creativity-based youth development organization called the Power of Hope: Youth Empowerment Through the Arts. Their Creative Community Model for integrating the arts into youth development, quickly caught fire and began to spark a transformation in youth work. In 2005, Charlie, was awarded an Ashoka Fellowship in recognition of his life-long achievements as a change maker and for his groundbreaking work in the youth development field.

In 2006, Charlie and his husband, theater-artist Eric Mulholland, began traveling internationally, leading Creative Community-based youth programs and trainings in Uganda, South Africa, Italy, and the UK. Three years later, with Peggy and UK-based entrepreneur Ian Watson, Charlie formed PYE Global: Partners for Youth Empowerment to further spread the international work. Charlie and Eric spent several years developing an international network of PYE partners and facilitators dedicated to bringing creativity and hope into the lives of young people. With over one million youth impacted to date and thirty partners in fifteen countries, Charlie’s influence continues to grow and promises to flourish in years to come.

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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

Exploring Gay Wisdom & Culture since 1989!
www.whitecraneinstitute.org

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