Via IMS Sangha News ~ September 2022

 

What Is Mindfulness and Why Is It Essential to Our Liberation? IMS Resident Teacher Chas DiCapua

We hear a lot about mindfulness these days. But what is it and why should we be mindful? And if we're mindful, will it help ensure things turn out okay? In this dharma talk, given as part of a retreat called Stillness & Insight at the IMS Retreat Center, Chas DiCapua explains what mindfulness is, why it’s essential to our liberation, and how we can grow and strengthen our mindfulness practice. “Without mindfulness and without being present and knowing what's happening in our body and mind, knowing our own experience, the habit patterns of our heart and mind are going to be in the driver's seat. Our habit patterns are going to be pulling the levers and switches, in terms of governing what we say, what we do, and even what we think. When we're mindful, we have the choice of whether they'll be in the driver's seat or not."

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Via Frame of Mind Films // The Great 14th: Tenzin Gyatso, The 14th Dalai Lama In His Own Words

 

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) A person is content with any food they may get, speaks in praise of such contentment, and does not try to obtain things in improper or unsuitable ways. Not getting things one does not worry, and getting them one makes use of them without being greedy, obsessed, or infatuated, observing such potential dangers and wisely being aware of how to escape them. (AN 4.28)

Reflection

Contentment is a healthy character trait, to be cultivated by appreciating what you have at every opportunity. Every moment your mental state plants a seed that becomes rooted in the traits of the unconscious mind, influencing what mind states will arise in the future. Feeling content here and now inclines the mind to feel content in the future, while obsessing over what you do not have only leads to more discontent.

Daily Practice

Practice intentionally being aware of the things you have rather than focusing on what you lack. This will not only lead to greater personal happiness but contribute to social harmony as well. There is always something you can feel content about, even if it is just the fact that you are able to eat a meal every day. Notice when you find yourself wishing for something different regarding food and try to let go of this and be content.

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

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

Questions? Visit the Dhamma Wheel orientation page.

Via Daily Dharma: The Value of Unconditional Love

 If you can develop the capability to remain steadfast in one unconditional relationship, you can remain steadfast with the suffering and joyfulness of life.

Pema Chödrön, “Unconditionally Steadfast”

CLICK HERE TO READ THE FULL ARTICLE

Via White Crane Institute // JOHN BOSWELL & John McNeill

 

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John Boswell

1980 -

JOHN BOSWELL'S Christianity, Social Tolerance, and Homosexuality debuts in book stores. The groundbreaking work which, according to Chauncey et al. (1989), "offered a revolutionary interpretation of the Western tradition, arguing that the Roman Catholic Church had not condemned gay people throughout its history, but rather, at least until the twelfth century, had alternately evinced no special concern about homosexuality or actually celebrated love between men." The book won a National Book Award and the Stonewall Book Award in 1981.  The historical breadth of Boswell’s research (from the Greeks to Aquinas) and the variety of sources consulted make this one of the most extensive treatments of any single aspect of Western social history.

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The Church and the Homosexual, by John McNeill

2017 -

John McNeill was a pioneer of Gay spirituality and stood up to the Vatican and then Cardinal Ratzinger, now Pope Benedict XVI, on many an occasion with brave, intellectual force. His was one of the first and most important voices for Roman Catholic Gay men and Lesbians. This excerpt is from the Preface to the Fourth Edition of his groundbreaking 1993 work, The Church and The Homosexual (Beacon Press ISBN-10: 0807079316):

PREFACE TO THE FOURTH EDITION

I still remember our joy that Sunday in 1976 when I announced at the New York Dignity liturgy that I had received an official Imprimi Potest, the approval for the publication of my book The Church and the Homosexual  from my superiors in the Society of Jesus. It was, I believe, one of the first theological works in recent times that called for a revision of the traditional Catholic Church teaching on homosexuality.

After more than four years of exhaustive research to write the book, the Imprimi Potest was obtained only after an additional two years of intense review by leading moral theologians both in the United States and in Rome. They were unanimous in recommending that the book be published. I naively assumed that by granting me an Imprimi Potest, the Church, in the liberating spirit that followed Vatican II, was ready and willing to reexamine its teaching on homosexuality and that approving my book for publication was the first step in that process. The theologians who reviewed the manuscript believed, as I did, that the new evidence coming from the fields of scriptural studies, history, psychology, sociology, and moral theology seriously challenged every premise on which the traditional teaching was based. They anticipated, as I did, that my book would begin a public debate on Church teaching that would eventually lead to the Church's revision of its understanding of homosexuality. I had hoped that my book would lead to a revision of teaching on homosexuality not only in the Roman Catholic Church but also in the entire Christian community.

From the beginning, I envisioned the personal witness of Gay and Lesbian Catholics and other Christians to be an essential contribution to that debate. They could testify about what happened to them when they strove to live both as Gays and according to Church teachings. My own work in the Gay community as priest and psychotherapist and as one of the founders of Dignity/New York, an organization for Gay and Lesbian Catholics, made me keenly aware of the enormous amount of pain, psychological trauma, and potential emotional breakdown there. Because this unnecessary suffering was caused by the interiorization of Church teaching, I felt a certain urgency for the need of public debate. What was bad psychology had to be bad theology and vice versa.

Our early joy was short-lived, however. One year later, in 1977, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) ordered the removal of the Imprimi Potest from my book. Because of my appearances on popular television programs such as "Today" and "The Phil Donahue Show," they accused me of violating a nonexistent agreement that the public discussion would take place only among my peers in the theological community. A blanket silence was imposed on me by the CDF and I was forbidden to discuss the issue of homosexuality and morality in the public arena.

Instead of allowing public debate on homosexuality, the Church fell back on its "creeping infallibility," claiming that its teaching was based on "divine revelation" and, therefore, was not open to change, regardless of any new evidence to support that change. (In fact, no moral teaching on sexuality is infallibly defined.) They justified their silencing me by claiming that I had created the false impression that the Church had changed or was about to change its teaching on homosexuality. The CDF hastened to assure the world that no matter how much evidence supported the argument for change, the Church would never alter its teaching in this matter. "This is true because we say it is true. Don't bother us with the facts!"

From that day to this, for nearly seventeen years, the hierarchical Church has used its power and influence to silence any critic of its teaching on homosexuality. The dismissal of Charles Curran from the theology faculty at the Catholic University of America is another example. The debate has continued, however, among the laity. There has been such a massive shift of opinion in the pews that now more than 84 percent of Catholics support Gay civil rights.

For ten years, until 1987, I observed the silence imposed on me by not speaking in public. During that period, my book was published around the world in five different languages. I had agreed to observe the silence, again in the hope that over time the Church would consider the evidence and begin a process of reevaluation. The American bishops did take several progressive steps toward liberalizing pastoral practice based on the distinction between homosexual orientation, which is neither chosen nor changeable, and homosexual behavior, which they continued to judge as contrary to God's will. They also called for legislation protecting the civil rights of Gay people. But every time any move was made toward a better understanding and spiritual care of Gay people, the Vatican intervened demanding that the Catholic Church in the United States maintain a homophobic stance on all Gay issues. The best example of that interference is the Vatican demand in 1987 that all Dignity chapters be denied their right to meet on Church grounds.

One major event in the struggle between Gay Catholics and the Vatican was the release of the Vatican "Halloween" letter by Cardinal Ratzinger, head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, on 31 October 1986: "Letter to the Bishops of the Catholic Church on the Pastoral Care of Homosexual Persons." Rome took a giant step backward when it asserted that homosexual orientation was not a natural condition but represented an "objective disorder" and was an 'orientation to evil." Since most Gay people experience their homosexual orientation as a part of creation, if they accept this Church teaching, they must see God as sadistically creating them with an intrinsic orientation to evil. Most Gays would prefer to see the Church teaching as wrong, rather than believe God is sadistic.

The Vatican document went so far in its hatred of all things Gay as to assert that if homosexuals continue to claim "unthinkable" civil rights, then they should not be surprised by the violence inflicted upon them by Gay-bashers and have only themselves to blame. This statement has been interpreted in some quarters as encouraging violence against Gay people. Cardinal Ratzinger's letter even suggested that it is Gay activists and the professionals who try to help Gays achieve self-acceptance who are responsible for the AIDS epidemic: "Even when the practice of homosexuality may seriously threaten the lives and well-being of a large number of people, its advocates remained undeterred and refused to consider the magnitude of the risks involved."

In my more than twenty years' experience of pastoral care with thousands of Gay Catholics and other Christians, the Gay men most likely to act out their sexual needs in an unsafe, compulsive way and, therefore, to expose themselves to the HIV virus, are precisely those persons who have internalized the self-hatred that their religions impose on them. They are precisely the ones who, while they find it impossible to suppress and deny their sexual needs totally, cannot enter into a healthy and committed intimacy with anyone because of this self-hatred.

In a recent letter to the New York Times (September 2, 1992), Richard Isay, chairman of the American Psychiatric Association committee on Gay, Lesbian, and bisexual affairs, points out that the suppression of sexuality, whether by religion, the state, or therapists who claim they can change homosexuals into heterosexuals, significantly damages the self-esteem of Gay men and Lesbians. It subverts their capacity to express their sexuality in mutually loving relationships. Interiorized self-hatred contributes to the extraordinarily high suicide rate of Gay and Lesbian youth, estimated at more than 30 percent of all youth suicide.

In perhaps one of the strongest statements ever against a Vatican document, the Major Superiors of Religious Men said:

We view ["Some Considerations Concerning... Homosexual Persons"] as a hindrance to the Church leaders of the United States in this most difficult and sensitive area of human living. It is particularly open to misrepresentation and confusion during the present political campaign in the United States.

We are shocked that the statement calls for discrimination against Gay men and Lesbian women. We find the reasoning for supporting such discrimination to be strained, unconvincing and counterproductive to our statements and actions to support the pastoral needs and personal dignity of such persons. Far from a help to the Bishops and other religious leaders in the United States Catholic Church, the statement complicates our already complex ministry to all people. Moreover, we find the arguments used to justify discrimination based on stereotypes and falsehoods that are out of touch with modern psychological and sociological understandings of human sexuality. We regret such actions by the CDF and we reaffirm our support for the human rights of all our brothers and sisters.

As a Gay Catholic theologian and psychotherapist, I am fully aware of the enormous destruction recent Vatican documents will cause in the psychic life of young Catholic Gays, and of the violence they will provoke against all Gay people. I find myself in a dilemma; What kind of faith and trust can I place in a teaching authority that I see clearly acts in an unloving, hateful, and destructive way toward my Gay family?

At this point, the ignorance and distortion of homosexuality, the use of "stereotypes and falsehoods" in an official Vatican document, leads us who are Gay Catholics to issue the Vatican a serious warning. Your ignorance can no longer be excused as inculpable; it has become of necessity a deliberate and malicious ignorance.

In the name of all Catholic Gays, and Gays and Lesbians everywhere, I cry out "Enough!" Enough of your distortions of Scripture that make homosexuals the scapegoats of every disaster! Jesus himself in Luke 10:10 recognized the sin of Sodom as inhospitality to the stranger, yet you support the interpretation of that sin as homosexual activity. Through the centuries you have supported sodomy laws that have sent thousands of Gays to their deaths. You continue to claim that a loving homosexual act is condemned in Scripture, when competent scholars are nearly unanimous in admitting that nowhere in Scripture is there a clear condemnation of sexual acts between two Gay men or Lesbians who love each other.

"Enough!" Enough of your effort to reduce all homosexual acts to expressions of lust, and of your refusal to see them as expressions of deep, genuine human love! Enough of your effort to lead young Gays to internalize self-hatred with the result that they are able to relate to God only as a God of fear and hate, and lose all hope in a God of love! Enough of your recent efforts to foster hatred and discrimination against us in the human community! Enough of an ignorance for which there is no excuse. Enough of driving us from the home of our mother, the Church, and denying us the fullness of human life and sexual love. Enough of fostering discrimination against us, even violence and Gay-bashing. We cried out to you for bread, you gave us a scorpion instead!

Obviously, you could enter into dialogue with the rest of the human community, especially the Gay members of that community, to search for the truth under the guidance of the Holy Spirit in the complex issue of homosexuality. But never was there a mandate from Jesus Christ for you to create the truth by fiat.

At this point the words of Ezekiel apply to you Catholic shepherds:

Trouble for the shepherds of Israel who feed themselves! Shepherds ought to feed their flock.... You have failed to make weak sheep strong, or to care for the sick ones, or bandage the wounded ones. You have failed to bring back strays or look for the lost.

On the contrary, you have ruled them cruelly and violently. For lack of a shepherd they have scattered, to become the prey of any wild animal; they have scattered far.... Well then, shepherds, hear the word of Yahweh. As I live, I swear it -it is the Lord Yahweh who speaks.... I am going to call my shepherds to account.

I am going to take back my flock from them and I shall not allow them to feed my flock.... I shall rescue my sheep from their mouths; they will not prey on them anymore.  (Ezekiel 34:2-10)

We Gay and Lesbian Catholics pray daily that the Holy Spirit will lead you into a spirit of repentance. Just as you apologized to the Jews for supporting anti-Semitism for centuries, so today you must repent and apologize for the centuries of support you have given homophobia. We pray that the Holy Spirit will strengthen you so that you can let go of the hubris that does not allow you to admit past errors. We pray that the Holy Spirit will lead you to search humbly for the truth concerning homosexuality through dialogue with your Gay brothers and Lesbian sisters.

The only consolation I can offer Gays and Lesbians in the meantime is the profound hope that the very absurdity and hateful spirit of the Vatican documents will lead lay Catholics to refuse them and to recognize the contradiction between their message and that of Jesus, who never once spoke a negative word concerning homosexuality.

I work, hope, and pray that Lesbian and Gay Catholics and other Christians will exercise their legitimate freedom of conscience, discerning what God is saying to them directly through their Gay experience. I hope, too, that they will be able to defang the poisons of pathologically homophobic religion, accepting the good news that God loves and accepts them as Gay and refusing to be caught in the vortex of self-hatred vis-à-vis a God of fear.

I am aware of hundreds of Gay people who have found peace and self-acceptance in part because of this book. I hope and pray that God will continue to use my work as an instrument of peace and reconciliation for hundreds of others.

John McNeill’s books include The Church and the Homosexual, Taking a Chance on God, Freedom, Glorious Freedom, and Both Feet Firmly Planted in Midair. His latest book is Sex the Way God Meant it to Be was published in 2008

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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 White Crane Institute // Today's Gay Wisdom 2017 - The Wit and Wisdom of Lily Tomlin

 

Today's Gay Wisdom

2017 -

The Wit and Wisdom of Lily Tomlin

Years ago, this writer did a bit of acting and appeared with Ms. Tomlin on a KPFK radio play called The Gay Liberation Follies written by Len Richardson. We did some silly skits, but Tomlin did her famous character, Edith Ann.

Her bit went something like this: “My name is Edith Ann and there are these two ladies who live down the block from me and they don’t have a daddy. So I asked my mama and she told me about them. So…I’ve decided to change my name…from Edith Ann to Lesbi Ann. And that’s the truth!

• Don't be afraid of missing opportunities. Behind every failure is an opportunity somebody wishes they had missed.
• For fast-acting relief try slowing down.
• I always wanted to be somebody, but now I realize I should have been more specific.
• I always wondered why somebody doesn't do something about that. Then I realized I was somebody.
• I like a teacher who gives you something to take home to think about besides homework.
• I personally think we developed language because of our deep need to complain.
• I worry that the person who thought up Muzak may be thinking up something else.
• I've always wanted to be somebody, but I see now I should have been more specific.

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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 Pink News //

 

New Book Alert ❤️ WHISPER IN THE HEART, by Parvati Markus

GET YOUR COPY --->  https://bit.ly/3dXtSg4

Whisper in the Heart documents lively accounts from around the world of Neem Karoli Baba, a great Indian saint, appearing in visions and dreams to offer spiritual comfort and guidance. 

'When you think of me I'll be there.' -Neem Karoli Baba

Neem Karoli Baba left his body in 1973, but his presence has continued unabated. He has appeared to thousands of individuals across the globe, in dreams and visions, in meditation, and out of the blue in broad daylight. He comes to open hearts with a blast of unconditional love, to bring comfort and aid in response to calls for help, and as a reminder that we are, indeed, all One.

Now available in our shop! 

GET YOUR COPY --->  https://bit.ly/3dXtSg4

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) I assert and proclaim such a teaching that one does not quarrel with anyone in the world. (MN 18)

Reflection

It is entirely natural that people have differences of opinion. It is not entirely necessary that they quarrel about these by getting angry, abusive, or dismissive, or otherwise generating unhealthy and harmful emotions. It is enough to hold and express your own opinions and let others hold and express theirs. You can still encourage them to change their opinions but to do so in discussion and conversation rather than with quarreling.

Daily Practice

See if you can imagine what sort of a teaching you might follow such that you would not be inclined to quarrel with anyone in the world. Do you have to take it personally when someone disagrees with you? Do you need to have other people change their opinions to align with yours? See what it feels like to acknowledge that others have different opinions than yours and to feel at ease with that, with no need to have them change.

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

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

Questions? Visit the Dhamma Wheel orientation page.

Via Daily Dharma: How to Change the World

 The ultimate power to change the world does not reside in technologies. It relies on reverence, respect, and compassion—for ourselves, for all people, and for all life. 

Paul Hawken, “How to Bring Our Planet Back to Life”

CLICK HERE TO READ THE FULL ARTICLE

Via White Crane Institute // A SPIRITUAL CONFERENCE OF RADICAL FAERIES

Noteworthy

Mud Hug at the First Faerie Gathering (Photo credit: Mark Thompson)

1979 -

The first day of the first Faerie Gathering that called itself "A SPIRITUAL CONFERENCE OF RADICAL FAERIES," was on this date, held in Benson Arizona, on Labor Day Weekend, 1979. Harry Hay, the "father of the gay rights movement" began the Mattachine society in 1950. In 1970, Hay moved to New Mexico in a quest to find a living berdache (a Native American Gay male spirit guide). In 1978, Hay, along with life partner John Burnside, and Don Kilhefner, and Mitch Walker, issued a Call to a group devoted to ecology, spiritual truth and Gay-centeredness. In 1979, the first gathering of Radical Faeries took place in the Arizona desert with over 200 gay men in attendance. Kilhefner continues to make slanderous statements about John Burnside's participation in a vainglorious attempt to claim for himself the title of "Founder of the Radical Faeries". But anyone claiming to have "founded" the Radical Faeries simply doesn't understand the core beliefs of the group. The Radical Faeries was the product of nothing less than a zeitgeist moment in the Gay men's liberation movement. The ideas that are core to the movement had been circulating widely in San Francisco, the Midwest, Los Angeles and no doubt elsewhere for a long time. 

There had been earlier usage of the term "radical faerie" employed in San Francisco by author ("Witchcraft & The Gay Counterculture") and Gay philosopher, Arthur Evans, which a group of men who met regularly including Murray Edelman.  The desert Gathering seemed to create the "tipping point" for the movement which is now spread internationally, with Radical Faerie groups and sanctuaries in Europe, South America, India and Australia.

The text of The Call for the first gathering:

THE FIRST CALL: To share new insights about ourselves; To dance in the moonlight; To renew our oath against patriarchy/corporations/racism; To hold, protect, nurture and caress one another; To talk about the politics of Gay enspiritment/the enspiritment of Gay politics; To find the healing space inside our hearts; To become Inspirer/Listener as we share new breakthroughs in how we perceive Gay consciousness; To soar like an eagle; To re-discover/re-invent our myths; To talk about Gay living/loving alternatives; To experience the groundedness of the calamus root; To share out Gay visions;To sing, sing, sing; TO EVOKE A GREAT FAERIE CIRCLE

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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 - August 31, 2022 💌

 

When you go out into the woods, and you look at trees, you see all these different trees. And some of them are bent, and some of them are straight, and some of them are evergreens, and some of them are whatever. And you look at the tree and you allow it. You see why it is the way it is. You sort of understand that it didn’t get enough light, and so it turned that way. And you don’t get all emotional about it. You just allow it. You appreciate the tree.

The minute you get near humans, you lose all that. And you are constantly saying ‘You are too this, or I’m too this.’ That judgment mind comes in. And so I practice turning people into trees. Which means appreciating them just the way they are.

- Ram Dass

Via Facebook // Joni Mitchell

“If you want endless repetition, see a lot of different people. If you want infinite variety, stay with one.” What happens when you date is you run all your best moves and tell all your best stories — and in a way, that routine is a method for falling in love with yourself over and over. You can’t do that with a longtime mate because he knows all that old material. With a long relationship, things die then are rekindled, and that shared process of rebirth deepens the love. It’s hard work, though, and a lot of people run at the first sign of trouble. You’re with this person, and suddenly you look like an asshole to them or they look like an asshole to you — it’s unpleasant, but if you can get through it you get closer and you learn a way of loving that’s different from the neurotic love enshrined in movies. It’s warmer and has more padding to it.”

-  Joni Mitchell

Via Daily Dharma: Liberating All Beings

 To liberate yourself without any empathy for others would mean your heart has not opened fully. It would be like trying to open your fist while some fingers remain tight in your palm.

Gil Fronsdal, “Why I Walk Two Paths”

CLICK HERE TO READ THE FULL ARTICLE

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 on 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)  Equanimity is the way to purity for one who has much attachment. (Vm 9.108) When a person, tasting a flavor with the tongue, is not attached to pleasing flavors and not repelled by unpleasing flavors, they have established mindfulness and dwell with an unlimited mind. For a person whose mindfulness is developed and practiced, the tongue does not struggle to reach pleasing flavors, and unpleasing flavors are not considered repulsive. (SN 35.274)

Reflection

We all naturally have many attachments. Much of the time we cherish these and feel they are the very things that make life worthwhile. In the Buddhist analysis they also cause us suffering, lead to bodily and mental troubles, and cause a lot of harm in the world. The emotional stance of equanimity is a way of fully experiencing things without being caught by them, of tasting their flavor without attachment or revulsion.

Daily Practice

Experiment with your experience when you are tasting and consuming food. It is usual to like some things and dislike others, but what if instead you had equanimity toward what you are eating? This doesn't mean eating bland food; rather, it means not focusing on preferences but fully appreciating the pleasant flavor of some bites and the unpleasant flavor of others. Notice the different textures without favoring or opposing.

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.

Lungta

 Wind Horse

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

Windhorse by C.J.Fynn

This article contains Tibetan script. Without proper rendering support, you may see question marks, boxes, or other symbols instead of Tibetan characters.

The wind horse is a symbol of the human soul in the shamanistic tradition of East Asia and Central Asia. In Tibetan Buddhism, it was included as the pivotal element in the center of the four animals symbolizing the cardinal directions and a symbol of the idea of well-being or good fortune. It has also given the name to a type of prayer flag that has the five animals printed on it.

Depending on the language, the symbol has slightly different names.

• Tibetan: རླུང་རྟ་, Wylie: rlung rta, pronounced lungta, Tibetan for "wind horse"

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wind_Horse

 

Via Daily Dharma: Our Shared Struggle

 Know that in your struggle, you are with all beings, because our true struggle is the same—to find our way to oneness, to nonseparation, in this fragile human form. 

Sallie Jiko Tisdale, “Alone on the Bodhisattva Path”

CLICK HERE TO READ THE FULL ARTICLE

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 Way to 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 practices guarding the sense doors . . . (DN 2)

Reflection

Guarding the sense doors is a practice protecting the mind from the unwanted intrusion of the kind of sense objects that can cause harm. Just because a violent image flashes in front of you, you don’t have to watch it, and you need not pursue an ugly remark. When inclined toward hurtful or hateful thoughts, you can guide them away and take a different direction. You need not feel helpless but can exercise some skillful control.

Daily Practice

Imagine yourself a gatekeeper, carefully watching all the information flowing in through your senses and the thoughts passing through the gateway of your mind. You know intuitively what is helpful and what is harmful. Welcome in what is helpful and carefully steer harmful content away from infiltrating your mind. This is not suppression but the wise use of attention to protect and enhance the inner environment of your mind.

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

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

Questions? Visit the Dhamma Wheel orientation page.