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.
RIGHT LIVING Undertaking the Commitment to Abstain from Taking What is Not Given
Taking what is not given is
unhealthy. Refraining from taking what is not given is healthy. (MN 9)
Abandoning the taking of what is not given, one abstains from taking
what is not given; one does not take by way of theft the wealth and
property of others. (MN 41) One practices thus: “Others may take what is
not given, but I will abstain from taking what is not given.” (MN 8)
On touching a bodily sensation with the body, one does not grasp at its
signs and features. Since if one left the body faculty unguarded,
unwholesome states of covetousness and grief might intrude, one
practices the way of its restraint, guards the body faculty, and
undertakes the restraint of the body faculty. (MN 51)
Reflection
The sense of
touch is so basic, so intimate, and so alluring a feature of embodied
existence that we generally cannot help reaching for what feels good and
recoiling from what feels bad. Yet by doing this we are in a way taking
more than is given, as we try to leverage the raw sensations and
manipulate the next moment into something more favorable for us. This
is, in fact, the source of most of our problems.
Daily Practice
Practice
regarding the physical sensations that constantly flow from your body to
your mind with detached curiosity. Some feel good, some feel
bad—interesting! Resist trying to shape the next moment into something
other than what it will naturally become by grasping for more
gratification or pushing away any discomfort. This ability to be with
what is, rather than yearning for something else, eliminates most
suffering.
Tomorrow: Abandoning Arisen Unhealthy States One week from today: Abstaining from Misbehaving Among Sensual Pleasures
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If
we are not willing to see and accept those events in which we have been
the source of others’ suffering, then we cannot truly know ourselves or
the grace by which we live.
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 verbal
action is to be done with repeated reflection. (MN 61)
When you are doing an action with speech, reflect upon that same verbal
action thus: “Is this action I am doing with speech an unhealthy bodily
action with painful consequences and painful results?” If, upon
reflection, you know that it is, then stop doing it; if you know that it
is not, then continue. (MN 61)
Reflection
Speech is a
form of action, and all actions have their consequences. Using
mindfulness as a kind of mirror, pay attention to the effect your verbal
actions have on those you speak to, as well as the effect they have on
your own mental and emotional states. If you detect that people are
being harmed by what you say, or if you notice your own mood turning
toward the unhelpful spectrum, then stop saying what you are saying.
Daily Practice
A careful
speaker is consciously aware of what they are saying while they are
speaking and also takes notice of how their words are affecting others.
Practice speaking carefully. It takes some extra effort to both compose
your words and reflect upon them, as with a mirror, but it is worthwhile
effort. Words are like seeds, and as the discourse reminds us, “However
the seed is planted, in that way the fruit is gathered.”
Tomorrow: Abstaining from Taking What is Not Given One week from today: Reflecting upon Mental Action
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A
goal-oriented healing practice cannot permeate deeply enough. We must
penetrate our pain so thoroughly that illness and health lose their
distinction, allowing us just to live our lives.
Malicious speech is
unhealthy. Refraining from malicious speech is healthy. (MN 9)
Abandoning malicious speech, one refrains from malicious speech. One
does not repeat there what one has heard here to the detriment of these,
or repeat here what he has heard there to the detriment of those. One
unites those who are divided, is a promoter of friendships, and speaks
words that promote concord. (DN 1) One practices thus: “Others may speak
maliciously, but I shall abstain from malicious speech.” (MN 8)
If anyone should speak in disparagement of something, you should not be
angry, resentful, or upset on that account. If you were to be angry or
displeased that would only be an impediment to you, and then you could
not recognize whether what they say is rightly said or not rightly said.
If others should speak in disparagement of something, then you are to
explain what is incorrect as being incorrect. (DN 1)
Reflection
Speech is a
two-way street, and the practice of right speech includes the ability to
listen well in addition to speaking well. When you are the recipient of
malicious speech—words that are intended to attack and wound and induce
anger in you—it is a practice in itself to resist the temptation to
take offense and lash out with your own malicious speech. Equanimity is
the tool to use here, allowing you to not take things personally.
Daily Practice
Practice
listening to the words of others, especially those that are critical of
you or that disagree with opinions you hold dear, without taking them
personally. Notice when the reflex of self-defense rears up; notice how
it inclines you to resist what is being said and even to want to attack
the person saying it—and then use the power of equanimity to regard the
content objectively, without being automatically triggered into
aversion.
Tomorrow: Reflecting upon Verbal Action One week from today: Refraining from Harsh Speech
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"Now the elegance of karma yoga is, the very act you do to help another
person is simultaneously the act you’re doing to work on yourself. Like,
I am helping you now, at some level, but this act is my work on myself.
Because the clearer I get, the better my help is for you. So I’m
serving as an act to work on myself; I am working on myself as an act to
better serve you. Can you see how the circle works? Can you see the
elegance of that?"
SIR FRANCIS SCOTT KEYwrote
“The Star-Spangled Banner” on this day. We celebrate this as a moment
in Gay history because the theme of the anthem is based on the then
popular “Anacreon in Heaven.” Ahhhh...Anacreon. Who was Anacreon? Born
in Teos, Ionia circa 570 BCE, Anacreon was one of the nine Lyric Poets
of the golden age of Greek poetry. And being the good and manly Greek he
was, Anacreon’s poems and odes were largely about the beautiful boys he
loved or longed for or held in his arms as he cooed lyrical poetry to
them. He kisses and tells; he names names: Smerdis, Leukapsis, Smialus,
Eurylus and Bathyluss, probably the boy band of the day.
The structure of
his poesy was so popular in its own time that others imitated the
eponymously named “Anacreontics.” Anacreon was rediscovered by English
poets in the 19th century and they swooned for him like a
well-oiled boy in the gymnasium. The vogue for Anacreontics in English
culminated in the popular song “Anacreon in Heaven,” the famously
un-singable tune for the American national anthem. There have been
attempts to convince Congress to seek a new national anthem, something a
tad more accessible vocally for the masses. Our bet: if you want to
accelerate this movement, just whisper in the ear of the Moral Majority
the story of the foreign fay and his poems about “dipping his
star-spangled banana” in young men. (thank you Perry Brass!) That ought to do the trick.
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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
ALAIN LOCKE (d:
1954) An American writer, editor, philosopher, educator and patron of
the arts was born on this date. He is best known for his writings on and
about the Harlem Renaissance. He is unofficially called the "Father of
the Harlem Renaissance." His philosophy served as a strong motivating
force in keeping the energy and passion of the Movement at the
forefront.
In classic
same-sex “culture carrier” mode, Locke promoted African American
artists, writers, and musicians, encouraging them to look to Africa as
an inspiration for their works. He encouraged them to depict African and
African American subjects, and to draw on their history for subject
material. Locke edited the March 1925 issue of the periodical Survey Graphic, a special on Harlem and the Harlem Renaissance, which helped educate white readers about the flourishing culture there.
Later that year, he expanded the issue into The New Negro, a collection of writings by African Americans, which would become one of his best known and seminal works.
His philosophy of
the New Negro was grounded in the concept of race-building. Its most
important component is overall awareness of the potential black
equality; No longer would blacks allow themselves to adjust themselves
or comply with unreasonable white requests. This idea was based on
self-confidence and political awareness. Although in the past the laws
regarding equality had been ignored without consequence, Locke's
philosophical idea of The New Negro allowed for real fair treatment.
Because this was just an idea and not an actual bylaw, its power was
held in the people. If they wanted this idea to flourish, they were the
ones who would need to "enforce" it through their actions and overall
points of view. Locke has been said to have greatly influenced and
encouraged Zora Neale Hurston.
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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
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 compassion, for when you develop meditation on compassion,
any cruelty will be abandoned. (MN 62)
Compassion is the way to purity for one who has much cruelty. (Vm 9.108)
Reflection
None of us like
to think of ourselves as cruel, yet cruelty lies dormant in all of us
and can rise up without our calling it intentionally to mind. It may not
ripen into murderous intent, but it can nonetheless manifest in subtle
ways and cause great harm to ourselves and others. Compassion is both
the antidote to and the vaccine for this affliction, dispelling cruelty
once it has arisen and guarding against its arising again in the future.
Daily Practice
Call to mind
the emotion of compassion, feeling tenderness toward those who suffer
and encouraging the gentle wish that they heal and become free from
affliction. Notice how this has a purifying effect on your mind and
heart; it almost feels like fresh, cool water washing away any residue
of selfishness or ill will. Bathe in this shower of compassion at every
opportunity, thereby keeping all thoughts of harm out of mind.
Tomorrow: Refraining from Malicious Speech One week from today: Cultivating Appreciative Joy
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