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.
Dr. Benjamin Spock and a child who will, no doubt, Live Long and Prosper
1903 -
The go-to pediatrician BENJAMIN SPOCK was born (d: 1998). Before there was Vulcan "Spock" there was Dr. Spock. His book, Baby and Child Care,
published in 1946, is one of the biggest best-sellers of all time. Its
revolutionary message to mothers was that "you know more than you think
you do."
Spock was an
early advocate for the rights of LGBT people. He was also the People's
Party candidate in the 1972 United States presidential election on a
platform which called for free medical care, the repeal of "victimless
crime" laws, including the legalization of abortion, homosexuality, and
marijuana, a guaranteed minimum income for families and the immediate
withdrawal of all American troops from foreign countries. He died in
1998.
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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
Harsh speech is unhealthy.
Refraining from harsh speech is healthy. (MN 9) Abandoning harsh speech,
one refrains from harsh speech. One speaks words that are gentle,
pleasing to the ear, and affectionate, words that go to the heart, are
courteous, and are agreeable to many. (DN 1) One practices thus: “Others
may speak harshly, but I shall abstain from harsh speech.” (MN 8)
When one speaks hurriedly, one’s body grows tired and one’s mind becomes
excited, one’s voice is strained and one’s throat becomes hoarse, and
the speech of one who speaks hurriedly is indistinct and hard to
understand. (MN 139)
Reflection
This is a
simple and straightforward suggestion for how to speak more effectively.
Hurried speech is a form of harsh speech and is to be abandoned
whenever possible. When you look, you can see how strained people can
get when they rush their words, and you know what this feels like when
you do it. Speedy action of body, speech, or mind supports restlessness,
while taking your time is conducive to calming body and mind.
Daily Practice
Put this
guideline for right speech into action today and see what effect it has
on your mind and body and on the people with whom you speak. Slow down
your speech. Take your time to say what you mean with care. See if you
can craft words that “go to the heart” rather than speaking harshly.
Notice also when the speech of others is indistinct or hard to
understand, and learn from this the effect of your own speech.
Tomorrow: Reflecting upon Mental Action One week from today: Refraining from Frivolous Speech
Share your thoughts and join the conversation on social media #DhammaWheel
Daily Dharma is how I got my start and became committed to a regular practice.
—Daily Dharma reader
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There
is a basic truth that when people are bad, even good material objects
can cause harm to people at large; if people are moral and just, even
harmful objects can become beneficial.
Aging as a Spiritual Practice An Online Course with Lewis Richmond
Confront
the realities of growing older with clear-sightedness and compassion
with Zen teacher and ordained disciple of Suzuki Roshi, Lewis Richmond.
His experience and unique meditation practices will help you to meet
life with wisdom, acceptance, and greater ease.
Acting with compassion is not doing good because we think we ought to...
It is giving ourselves into what we are doing, and being present in the
moment. It is acting from our deepest understanding of what life is and
not compromising the truth.
Today is BELTANE.
This festival officially begins at moonrise on May Day Eve, and marks
the beginning of the third quarter or second half of the ancient Celtic
year. It is celebrated as an early pastoral festival accompanying the
first turning of the herds out to wild pasture.
The rituals were
held to promote fertility. The cattle were driven between the Belfires
to protect them from ills. Contact with the fire was interpreted as
symbolic contact with the sun. In early Celtic times, the druids kindled
the Beltane fires with specific incantations. Later the Christian
church took over the Beltane observances, a service was held in the
church, followed by a procession to the fields or hills, where the
priest kindled the fire. A rowan branch is hung over the house fire on
May Day to preserve the fire itself from bewitchment (the house fire
being symbolic of the luck of the house).
This is a holiday
of Union — both between the Goddess and the God and between man and
woman. Handfastings (Pagan marriages) are traditional at this time. It
is a time of fertility and harvest, the time for reaping the wealth from
the seeds that we have sown. Celebrations include braiding of one's
hair (to honour the union of man and woman and Goddess and God),
circling the Maypole for fertility and jumping the Beltane fire for
luck. Beltane is one of the Major Sabbats of the Wiccan religion.
Those who observe
this holiday celebrate sexuality, something seen as holy and intrinsic
to humans and they celebrate life and the unity which fosters it. The
myths of Beltane state that the young God has blossomed into manhood,
and the Goddess takes him on as her lover. Together, they learn the
secrets of the sexual and the sensual, and through their union, all life
begins.
May Day has long
been marked with feasts and rituals. May poles, supremely phallic
symbols, were the focal point of old English village rituals. Many
people arose at dawn to gather flowers and green branches from the
fields and gardens, using them to decorate the village Maypoles. The
insertion of the May-pole into the hole in the earth is symbolic of this
erotic theme.
The May Queen
(and often King) is chosen from among the young people, and they go
singing from door to door throughout the town carrying flowers or the
May tree, soliciting donations for merrymaking in return for the
"blessing of May". This is symbolic of bestowing and sharing of the new
creative power that is stirring in the world. As the kids go from door
to door, the May Bride often sings to the effect that those who give
will get of nature's bounty through the year.
In parts of
France, some jilted youth will lie in a field on May Day and pretend to
sleep. If any village girl is willing to marry him, she goes and wakes
him with a kiss; the pair then goes to the village inn together and lead
the dance which announces their engagement. The boy is called "the
betrothed of May."
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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
The start of
the general strike which eventually wins the eight-hour workday in the
United States. These events are today commemorated as May Day or Workers Day in most industrialized countries. So don't work more than eight hours today! Also...a general strike has a nice ring to it.
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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
"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
