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.
ROSA BONHEUR,
French painter born (d: 1899); a French animalière and realist artist,
one of few female sculptors. As a painter she became famous primarily
for two chief works: Plowing in the Nivernais (in French Le labourage nivernais, le sombrage
), which was first exhibited at the Salon of 1848, and is now in the
Musee D'Orsay in Paris depicts a team of oxen plowing in a field while
attended by peasants set against a vast pastoral landscape; and, The Horse Fair (in French Le marché aux chevaux ), which was exhibited at the Salon of 1853 (finished in 1855) and is now in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, in New York City.
Bonheur is widely considered to have been the most famous woman painter of the 19th
century. Writers used to explain Bonheur’s penchant for dressing in
men’s clothing by saying that the famous painter of animals needed
disguises to paint unmolested in the markets she frequented for her
subjects. It’s a nice thought, but untrue. Rosa Bonheur, who lived
together with Nathalie Micas for most of her life, dressed as a man
because she wanted to.
She drank, she smoked, she became one of the most popular painters in
the world and a member of the French Legion of Honor. She was, in short,
very much her own person. As she once said to a male friend who was
concerned about her movement through the world of men (gasp!)
unchaperoned, “Oh my dear Sir, if you knew how little I care for your
sex, you wouldn’t get any ideas in your head. The fact is, in the way of
males, I only like the bulls I paint.”
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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
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 bodily
action is to be done with repeated reflection. (MN 61)
When you are doing an action with the body, reflect upon that same
bodily action thus: "Does this action I am doing with the body 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
Mindfulness
practice involves being fully aware of what we are doing while it is
being done. It has to do with the mind being in the present moment
rather than recalling what has just happened or anticipating what will
happen next. It also includes being attentive to the ethical quality of
our actions. It is important to be aware of whether we are causing harm
or contributing to the good and to adjust our actions accordingly.
Daily Practice
This is a day
to reflect upon your actions as you are doing them. Be aware of the
unfolding of cause and effect as you go through the day. Notice the look
on people’s faces as you are interacting with them; notice whether
people are benefitted or hurt by what you are doing. Make the extra
effort to be conscious as you act in the world, rather than just doing
things automatically.
Tomorrow: Abstaining from Harming Living Beings One week from today: Reflecting upon Verbal Action
Share your thoughts and join the conversation on social media #DhammaWheel
Awakening
means a fundamental shift takes place. It is a shift from looking for
ourselves outside in the ten thousand things to recognizing that our
true nature is beyond definition.
THE VERNAL EQUINOX
-- also known as The March equinox – marks the beginning of the spring
season in the Northern Hemisphere and the autumn season in the Southern
Hemisphere. The March 2023 equinox arrived yesterday, March 20 at 10:37
UTC or 5:37 a.m. Central Daylight Time.
On the dates of
the equinox, the sun rises due east and sets due west as it crosses the
celestial equator. If you live in the Northern Hemisphere, start
watching the sun this month, and watch every night as the sun sets just a
bit farther north on the horizon each evening until the summer
solstice.
In the Northern
Hemisphere, the March equinox will bring earlier sunrises, later
sunsets, softer winds, sprouting plants. Meanwhile, you’ll find the
opposite season – later sunrises, earlier sunsets, chillier winds, dry
and falling leaves – south of the equator.
The equinoxes and
solstices are caused by Earth’s tilt on its axis and ceaseless motion
in orbit. You can think of an equinox as happening on the imaginary dome
of our sky, or as an event that happens in Earth’s orbit around the
sun.
Owing to the
pandemic, and in the interests of public health, there was no Spring
Equinox gathering at Stonehenge lin 2022. People wanting to watch the
sunrise to mark the first day of spring were told not to travel to
Stonehenge. English Heritage maintains it cannot host the usual
celebrations at the prehistoric monument due to safety concerns.
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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
False speech is unhealthy.
Refraining from false speech is healthy. (MN 9) Abandoning false speech,
one dwells refraining from false speech, a truth-speaker, one to be
relied on, trustworthy, dependable, not a deceiver of the world. One
does not in full awareness speak falsehood for one’s own ends, or for
another’s ends, or for some trifling worldly end. (DN 1) One practices
thus: "Others may speak falsely, but I shall abstain from false speech."
(MN 8)
Such speech as you know to be true, correct, and beneficial but which is
unwelcome and disagreeable to others—know the time to use such speech.
(MN 58)
Reflection
Sometimes we
have to speak the truth to people who don’t want to hear it or to powers
that feel threatened by it. Right speech does not mean retreating from
such difficult encounters. Even if something is “unwelcome and
disagreeable” we should still speak up if it is true. But right speech
is skillful speech, and it is necessary to take on such communication
with care.
Daily Practice
The next time
you need to have a difficult discussion—when someone needs to hear
something that is true but you know it will be unwelcome and
disagreeable—see if you can bring the skills of right speech to the
occasion. Notice that timeliness is one of such skills, as is not being
harsh or abusive. But refraining from false speech does not mean
refraining from true speech, and you should speak the truth with
confidence.
Tomorrow: Reflecting upon Bodily Action One week from today: Refraining from Malicious Speech
Share your thoughts and join the conversation on social media #DhammaWheel