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.
Our
practice as Buddhists is not what style of meditation, which sutra, or
which teacher we revere above all else. Our practice is to experience
this single moment of faith and understanding, to abide in it, and to
share it.
Mark Herrick, “Becoming Our Own Guide through the Parable of the Conjured City”
“I say unto you: one must still have chaos in oneself to be able to give birth to a dancing star. I say unto you: you still have chaos in yourselves. Alas, the time is coming when man will no longer give birth to a star. Alas, the time of the most despicable man is coming, he that is no longer able to despise himself. Behold, I show you the last man.
One must still have chaos in oneself to be able to give birth to a dancing star.”
Friedrich Nietzsche
Thus Spoke Zarathustra, Prologue, 5[2]
“Thus the anima and life itself are meaningless in so far as they offer no interpretation. Yet they have a nature that can be interpreted, for in all chaos there is a cosmos, in all disorder a secret order, in all caprice a fixed law, for everything that works is grounded on its opposite.”
The Archetype and the Collective Unconscious (Collected Works of C.G. Jung Vol. 9 Part 1)
“The creation of something new is not accomplished by the intellect, but by the play instinct acting from inner necessity. The creative mind plays with the objects it loves.”
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)
When you have done an action with the mind, reflect upon that same
mental action thus: “Has this action I have done with the mind led to
the affliction of another?” If, upon reflection, you know that it has,
then tell someone you trust about it and undertake a commitment not to
do it again. If you know it has not, then be content and feel happy
about it. (MN 61)
Reflection
We are used to
hearing that Buddhist teachings encourage us to stay in the present
moment, and this is true of meditation generally. But it is also
appropriate to learn from the past, and reflecting on your past actions
is one way to do this. Notice that actions include mental actions, so
even what you have thought in the past is to be investigated to see if
any of it has caused harm to another person.
Daily Practice
Think back on
the quality of your thoughts directed toward other people in the recent
past. Have you felt jealousy, ill will, or repressed anger, for example?
Have you plotted in some small way to undermine the success of someone,
even if you did not put the plan into action? This is intrinsically
unhealthy and potentially harmful behavior, and bringing such thoughts
to light by confessing them to a friend can be helpful.
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
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.
TYRONE "TY" HERNDON
is an American country music singer. After signing to Epic Record in
1995, Herndon made his debut with his number one single, "What Mattered
Most", followed by the release of his first album of the same title. The
album was followed by the release of his second album, LivinginaMoment, which produced his second number one country hit, with the album's title track.
In June 1995,
Herndon was arrested in Fort Worth, Texas, at Gateway Park by an
undercover male police officer who alleged that Herndon asked the
officer to accompany him to a wooded area of the park where Herndon sat
on a log and exposed himself.
When taken into custody, he was also discovered to be in possession of
methamphetamine. A plea bargain saw the singer sentenced to community
service and drug rehab, and the charge of indecent exposure was dropped.
By the end of 2000, Herndon's music was no longer being played on
radio, and by 2002 he had stopped touring. Thus began both a
professional and personal downward slide that included a divorce from
his second wife, bankruptcy, a weight gain of 75 pounds, a mugging in Los Angeles by three men at gunpoint, a lawsuit from a California dentist claiming that Herndon had not paid for emergency dental work and another lawsuit from a former manager for breach of contract. In 2004, he entered a drug and alcohol rehabilitation facility for the second time.
Following the
incident in Fort Worth, his sexuality became a topic of interest within
the country music industry. Although his rep denied it following his
arrest, the speculation came to an end on November 20, 2014, in an
interview with People magazine, Herndon came out as a gay man,
and stated that he had been in a relationship for a few years with Matt
Collum. When asked if his two ex-wives knew of his sexuality, Herndon
confirmed that they "absolutely" knew.
In relation to this, Herndon re-issued "What Mattered Most" in June
2019 with the song's pronouns changed to reflect a gay relationship. He
noted that he had been in a closeted relationship with another man at
the time of the original's release.
Ty has partnered
with GLAAD to put on the Concert For Love and Acceptance to help raise
funds for the LGBT+ community. The 2020 event — co-hosted by Ty’s “dear
friend” Kristen Chenoweth, and CMT’s Cody Alan — also raised money the
Academy of County Music’s Lifting Lives, a nonprofit organization
serving members of the music community who face unexpected hardships.
|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