Via Dhamma Wheel | Right Speech: Refraining from Malicious Speech

 

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RIGHT SPEECH Refraining from Malicious Speech 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 praise of something, you should not on that account be pleased, happy, or elated. To be pleased, happy, or elated would only be an impediment to you. If others speak in praise of something, you should acknowledge the truth of what is true. (DN 1)

Reflection This passage warns us of the dangers of praise and blame, and the importance of equanimity as a safeguard against them. Blaming people is one form malicious speech can take, but praising in certain ways can have the same effect. If you allow yourself to be angered by blame or flattered by praise, you lose your ability to see clearly and appraise objectively what is being said. Better to greet both with equanimity. Daily Practice Notice when you hear people speaking in praise of something and see if you can discern any hidden motive for doing so. If what they are saying is true, then you can acknowledge the truth of it. But if the praise is part of an underlying agenda of manipulating opinion in some way, then it is appropriate to be more careful. Practice maintaining equanimity and beware the influence of praise and blame. Tomorrow: Reflecting upon Verbal Action One week from today: Refraining from Harsh Speech 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: Rest in the Unknown

 

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Rest in the Unknown When we let ourselves hang out in the space of not-knowing, there is enormous potential, and life could unfold in innumerable ways.  Kaira Jewel Lingo, “Trusting the Unknown” CLICK HERE TO READ THE ARTICLE

What We’re Listening To By the Editors A video, podcast, music, and dharma talk that no Buddhist listener should miss. Read more »

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Via Ram Dass - Love Serve Remember Foundation // Words of Wisdom - October 9, 2024 💌

"When my biological mother was dying back in a hospital in Boston in 1966, I would watch all the people come into her room. All of the doctors and relatives would say, 'You are looking better, you are doing well.' And then they would go out of the room and say, 'She won’t last a week.' I thought how bizarre it was that a human being could be going through one of the most profound transitions in their life, and have everyone they know, and love, and trust lying to them.

Can you hear the pain of that? No one could be straight with my mother because everyone was too frightened. Even the rabbi. Everyone. She and I talked about it and she said, 'What do you think death is?' And I said, 'I don’t know, Mother. But I look at you and you are my friend, and it looks like you are in a building that is burning down, but you are still here. I suspect when the building burns entirely, it will be gone, but you will still be here.' So my mother and I just met in that space.'

- Ram Dass -

 
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Via White Crane Institute // Today's Gay Wisdom: Rev. Nancy Wilson, Our Tribe: Queer Folks, God, Jesus and the Bible

 

Today's Gay Wisdom

Reverend Nancy Wilson

2017 -

"In such a toxic environment, the poor, the minorities, and the politically vulnerable populations will be the first to exhibit signs and symptoms of the deteriorating immunological picture. It is the canary-in-the-mines syndrome. When miners wanted to know if a particular mineshaft was safe from poisonous gases, they sent a canary in first. If the canary returned, the miners felt safe to go in. On our planet today, poor people, people of color, women and children, and gays and lesbians are the canaries (or sitting ducks if you prefer). Those who have any kind of privilege (gender, race, class, sexuality, age) are better able, for a time, to buffer and insulate themselves from the toxic environment — from AIDS, cancer, and other diseases. But not forever.

"There is also a moral and religious toxicity in reaction to so much upheaval, change, and worldwide political challenges. This phenomenon is called in many religions fundamentalism. In a century of increasing relativity in values, morality, and religion, fundamentalism provides absolutes and identifies the enemies. It is a kind of collective mental illness that includes obsessive thinking, tunnel vision, and functions much like other addictions." 

- Rev. Nancy Wilson, Our Tribe: Queer Folks, God, Jesus and the Bible

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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

Exploring Gay Wisdom & Culture since 1989!
www.whitecraneinstitute.org

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Via Daily Dharma: Underneath All the Drama

 

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Underneath All the Drama Underneath all the drama, the restlessness, the hopes and fears, behind the narratives we weave about ourselves, and even before we’ve thought of ourselves as ourselves, lies a simple, unadorned awareness. Andrew Olendzki, “Keep It Simple” CLICK HERE TO READ THE ARTICLE

Sitting and Connecting By Rebecca Bradshaw A brief teaching from the Guiding Teacher Emeritus of the Insight Meditation Society on emotional honesty.  Read more »

Via Dhamma Wheel | Right Intention: Cultivating Compassion

 

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RIGHT INTENTION Cultivating Compassion 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 like a mother with a son who is ill, for she just wants the illness to go away. (Vm 9.108)

Reflection While lovingkindness is a universal intention of unbounded kindness and an indiscriminate wish for well-being that can radiate in all directions, compassion is what this changes into when it encounters a person or group of people suffering or being harmed. At that point the general urge for safety is focused on the intention to alleviate that suffering. Compassion is a particular form of lovingkindness, focused by suffering. Daily Practice In order to feel compassion, you have to be willing to see the suffering of others. It can be hard to open to this, but your lovingkindness will not transform into compassion unless you do. Practice being willing to witness suffering when you encounter it, and pay attention to the texture of your inner experience as it moves through phases: resistance to the pain, opening to it, feeling the hurt of it, then maturing into true compassion. Tomorrow: Refraining from Malicious Speech One week from today: Cultivating Appreciative Joy Share your thoughts and join the conversation on social media #DhammaWheel Questions? Visit the Dhamma Wheel orientation page.

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Abdul Baha’s Prayer for His Enemies