Via White Crane Institute \\ T.J. OSBORNE

 

Country music star T.J. Osborne

1984 -

T.J. OSBORNE is half of the hit country music duo The Brothers Osborne consisting of T.J. Osborne (lead vocals) and John Osborne (lead guitar, background vocals), both natives of Deale, Maryland. The duo is signed to EMI Nashville and has released one self-titled extended play album and three studio albums: Pawn Shop, Port Saint Joe and Skeletons. Seven of their singles have charted on Hot Country Songs and Country Airplay, the highest peak belonging to Stay A Little Longer, which charted at No. 4 on the former and No. 2 on the latter. The duo's albums were both produced by Jay Joyce, and consist largely of songs that both brothers wrote with a number of collaborators. Artists with whom they have worked include David Nail, Dierks Bentley, Lee Ann Womack, and Lucie Silvas, the last of whom is John's wife. The musical style of the duo takes influence from Southern rock, outlaw country, and neotraditional country.

They have received seven Grammy nominations, won four CMA Awards and have had seven of their songs become Top 40 hits including Stay A Little Longer, which features gay interracial couples in the video.  

|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|

In February 2021, TJ Osborne came out as gay, making him the first openly gay artist signed to a major country music label. He received support from other artists including Kacey Musgraves, Ty Herndon, Chely Wright, Maren Morris, Jason Isbell, Brandy Clark, Dierks Bentley and his record label UMG Nashville.

It's all right to be Gay

 

Via Dhamma Wheel | Right Effort: Developing Unarisen Healthy States

TRICYCLE      COURSE CATALOG      SUPPORT      DONATE RIGHT EFFORT  Developing Unarisen Healthy States Whatever a person frequently thinks about and ponders, that will become the inclination of their mind. If one frequently thinks about and ponders healthy states, one has abandoned unhealthy states to cultivate healthy states, and then one’s mind inclines to healthy states. (MN 19) Reflection What do you do when you are in the grip of an unhealthy mood, filled with a steady stream of unhealthy mental and emotional states? Sometimes you just have to take the initiative and change the channel, so to speak. Just as you might decide to prepare and eat a meal if you are hungry or take a walk if you are restless, so too you can decide to develop healthy states and, by various means, invite them to arise in your mind. Daily Practice You might adopt the practice of each day choosing a healthy state to develop and then working to deliberately bring it to mind. Maybe generosity one day, kindness another, or compassion all week. It is just a matter of making a decision to call to mind that particular positive quality. Choose to think kind thoughts about someone or decide to do a kind act, and you will find that the emotional state of kindness will naturally arise. Tomorrow: Establishing Mindfulness of Mind and the Third Jhāna  One week from today: Maintaining Arisen Healthy States Share your thoughts and join the conversation on social media #DhammaWheel Questions? Visit the Dhamma Wheel orientation page. Tricycle is a nonprofit and relies on your support to keep its wheels turning. Donate » © 2023 Tricycle Foundation 89 5th Ave, New York, NY 10003

Via Daily Dharma: Truth in the Present

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Truth in the Present There is a truth about life that can be found when you’re in the present moment. Elizabeth Napp, “Bear Versus Buddhist” CLICK HERE TO READ THE FULL ARTICLE

VIA Dhamma Wheel | Right Living: Abstaining from Misbehaving Among Sensual Pleasures

 

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RIGHT LIVING Undertaking the Commitment to Abstain from Misbehaving Among Sensual Pleasures  Sensual misconduct is unhealthy. Refraining from sensual misconduct is healthy. (MN 9) Abandoning sensual misconduct, one abstains from misbehaving among sensual pleasures. (MN 41) One practices thus: “Others may engage in sensual misconduct, but I will abstain from sensual misconduct.” (MN 8)

Reflection There are so many ways it is possible to misbehave among sensual pleasures. Anything that feels good has the power to seduce us, and it does not take much for us to want more and more of almost anything. It is not that such pleasures are bad or evil, just that the pursuit of them can expand out of proportion and distort our behavior. It is empowering to understand this and temper our relationship to pleasure accordingly. Daily Practice Notice when something feels pleasurable and examine the texture of that sensation closely. Then let it go, as all transitory episodes of experience will inevitably cease. It is okay to welcome pleasure into your house as a guest, so to speak, as long as you also escort it to the door and wave goodbye when the time comes. It is when we chase after pleasure or try to hold on to it that we are in danger of misbehaving.  Tomorrow: Developing Unarisen Healthy States One week from today: Abstaining from Intoxication Share your thoughts and join the conversation on social media #DhammaWheel Questions? Visit the Dhamma Wheel orientation page.

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VIA Daily Dharma: Learn to Listen

Learn to Listen

It’s hard to listen without judgment, to tolerate ambiguity, paradox, and, in some cases, ignorance. But if we are ever to experience any measure of true peace, this is something we will all need to learn. Tina Lear, “Having Real Conversations (Even With My Sister)” CLICK HERE TO READ THE FULL ARTICLE

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Listen to these mantras before you hit the bed.

Via Dhamma Wheel | Right Action: Reflecting upon Mental Action

 

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RIGHT ACTION Reflecting Upon Mental 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 mental action is to be done with repeated reflection. (MN 61)

Reflection To be alive is to take action every moment. Even when we are not moving our bodies or speaking out loud, our minds are always doing something. (You may have noticed this in the meditation hall.) Moreover, what the mind does in one moment sets the stage for what it will do the next moment. This is why it is so important to be consciously aware of what is happening in your mind—that allows you to direct the process somewhat. Daily Practice Develop the habit of noticing what your mind is doing as it does it. And when appropriate, do not be shy about consciously directing what actions your mind undertakes. If you are in the grips of an unhealthy state, do what you can to abandon it. If a healthy mental or emotional state is arising, work on maintaining it. Plant your seeds carefully, and you will harvest healthy fruit. Good things come from right action. 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 Questions? Visit the Dhamma Wheel orientation page.

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Via Daily Dharma: When Taking Refuge

When Taking Refuge

Our lives are gradual paths of groundlessness. When we can accept that people and things are always shifting and changing, our hearts can open. Zenju Earthlyn Manuel, “The Hunger for Home” CLICK HERE TO READ THE FULL ARTICLE

Via White Crane Institute //

 

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1930 -

DARCELLE XV was the stage name of Walter W. Cole, born on this date (d: 2023); She was an American drag queen, entertainer, and cabaret owner and operator in Portland, Oregon. Guinness World Records had certified him as the oldest drag queen performer in 2016, with a career as an entertainer spanning 57 years at the time of his death in 2023.

Cole was raised in the Linnton neighborhood of Portland, Oregon. He was described as a shy, "four-eyed sissy boy". He served in the United States Armed Forces, and was discharged after the Korean War in the late 1950s, after which he lived a "conventional" life in southeast Portland with his wife and two children. He worked at a Fred Meyer store and described himself as having "a crew cut and horn-rimmed glasses". Cole used military funds to help start business ventures.

Cole first purchased a coffeehouse called Caffé Espresso, which later relocated and expanded to include a basement jazz club called Studio A. In 1967, he purchased a tavern in northwest Portland which became Darcelle XV Showplace.

Cole first wore a woman's dress at age 37. By 1969, he had developed the alter ego Darcelle and came out as gay. He left his wife and began a relationship with Roxy Neuhardt who worked alongside Darcelle at the Showplace as a choreographer, show director, performer, bookkeeper, office manager, and payroll accountant. The two remained together until Neuhardt's death in 2017.

Darcelle XV Showplace has hosted the longest-running drag show on the West Coast. In Kelly Clarke's review of Cole's memoir, she described him as "an energetic businessman whose desire for a life less ordinary catapulted him from a job at Fred Meyer to become the proprietor of a counterculture coffee shop, an after-hours jazz club, a rough-'n'-ready 'dyke bar' and, finally, a nationally known drag revue, without ever leaving Portland."

Darcelle also hosted countless benefits for HIV awareness and care, mentored multiple generations of drag performers, challenged homophobia with style, grace, and wit, winning over many to better accept GLBTQ people. Darcelle also hosted an annual holiday dinner for the homeless and marginalized populations in Portland's old town district, where her club was located.

Darcelle XV was recognized by Guinness World Records as the world's oldest drag queen in 2016, then aged 85 years and 273 days.

In 2020 the Darcelle XV Showplace was added to the National Register of Historic Places. Cole died of natural causes at his home in Portland on March 23, 2023, at the age of 92.

|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|

The Diamond Sutra - spoken in English

Dear President Biden: The Elders' open letter on Israel and Palestine