M5S, Omofobia: "Noi non abbiamo paura"

Some context, for those who don't speak Italian: The person speaking during most of the video is named Silvia Giordano, a member of the Italian Chamber of Deputies. This protest is happening because, right now, same-sex couples living in Italy have no shared rights to property, social security and inheritance. They also can't get married. A rough translation of what Giordano is saying:

"Mr. President (of the House of Deputies), beyond the thousands of excuses and quibbles, we're talking here of matters of the heart, of feelings, of emotions. Because a kiss and a hug have not and will never hurt anyone. In fact, they are part of what contributes most to making us human. We want to make that clear. And so we're going to pull back the veil and to demonstrate that there is truly nothing to be afraid of. And we, Mr. President, are not afraid."

The deputies, members of the M5S party, then hold up signs protesting a political compromise that's restricting the rights of LGBT Italians — while the rest turn to their colleagues and demonstrate just how unscary a kiss is.

The best line, though, comes from the President of the Chamber at the end. He can be heard saying, "Onorevole Nuti, se ha finito di baciare il collega, faccia ritirare quei cartelli," which translates to:
"Honorable Mr. Nuti, if you've finished kissing your colleague, please take down those signs."

Via Tricycle Daily Dharma:

Tricycle Daily Dharma September 24, 2013

Knowing Death

As with many deep truths, people tend to look at the death awareness meditations and say, Yes, I know all of that. I know I'm going to die someday. I know I can't take it with me. I know my body will be dust. And as with other things—as with the law of impermanence itself—I would say we know it and we don't know it. We know it in our heads but haven't taken it into our hearts. We haven't let it penetrate the marrow of our bones. If we had, I can't help thinking we would live differently. Our whole lives would be different. The planet would be different as well.

- Larry Rosenberg, "Only the Practice of Dharma Can Help Us at the Time of Death"

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Via JMG: NEW MEXICO: Attorney General Slams Putting Marriage To A Public Vote

"Here is where some critics have incorrectly interpreted the legal process. Some have said that I am trying to unilaterally disregard state law by not suing county clerks who have elected to issue same sex marriage licenses. Several District Courts have addressed the issue. Two separate judges essentially ordered two different county clerks to begin issuing marriage licenses to same sex couples. Another judge ruled that the state’s prohibitive statutes are unconstitutional, paving the way for another clerk to start issuing the licenses. I maintain that the best way to resolve this issue is for the NM Supreme Court to decide whether our current law is unconstitutional. Finally, some people, including the governor, say that the issue of whether same sex couples should be afforded the same rights as everyone else in our state must be decided by the voters. I urge the reader to consider the following: The Emancipation Proclamation of 1863; The 19th Amendment (Women’s Suffrage) in 1920; the Civil Rights Act of 1964;---none of which were voted upon by the general electorate." - New Mexico Attorney General Gary King, who is expected to run for governor in 2014.  (Via Zack Ford)

Labels: Gary King, marriage equality, New Mexico

Reposted from Joe

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Tricycle Daily Dharma September 23, 2013

Spend Some Time with Yourself

I try to encourage my students to encounter the world within themselves, to try to follow the thread as to why they’re writing as deeply as they can into their subconscious. I tell them before they do any research, they should spend time with themselves, however long it takes: it could be a couple of days, or a couple of years. After that, you actually encounter someone else as someone else. You allow the world to enter and to become part of you, to break whatever cage you’ve been rattling around in. That part is interesting, too: we have to see our own cages.

- Nick Flynn, "Real Enough"

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Tricycle Daily Dharma September 22, 2013

Dogen’s Cookbook

When you prepare food, do not see with ordinary eyes and do not think with ordinary mind. Take up a blade of grass and construct a treasure king's land; enter into a particle of dust and turn the great dharma wheel. Do not arouse disdainful mind when you prepare a broth of wild grasses; do not arouse joyful mind when you prepare a fine cream soup. Where there is no discrimination, how can there be distaste? Thus, do not be careless even when you work with poor materials, and sustain your efforts even when you have excellent materials. Never change your attitude according to the materials. If you do, it is like varying your truth when speaking with different people; then you are not a practitioner of the way.

- Zen Master Dogen, “Instructions for the Tenzo”

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Tricycle Daily Dharma September 21, 2013

Wisdom at Work

The desire to know something is wisdom at work. Being mindful is not difficult. But it’s difficult to be continuously aware. For that you need right effort. But it does not require a great deal of energy. It’s relaxed perseverance in reminding yourself to be aware. When you are aware, wisdom unfolds naturally, and there is still more interest.

- Sayadaw U Tejaniya, "The Wise Investigator"

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Tricycle Daily Dharma September 19, 2013

A Ladder Up

How our representatives spend our taxes reveals in stark black and white our nation's values and concerns. And how we respond to their decisions reveals, too, our own souls, our own deepest values. These responses show where we stand in relation to our neighbors and to those across the country who share our humanity, who look to us for a ladder up from the pains of poverty, illness, and hunger.

- Bhikkhu Bodhi, "The Attack at Home"

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Tricycle Daily Dharma September 17, 2013

The Virtue of Non-Violence

To face—with open hands—armed, shielded, gas-masked riot police is the greatest form of courage. Non-violence is how you expose the violence of the system, and not seeing as “other” those charged with carrying out physical violence is how you communicate with them directly.

- Paul Hawken, "Upsurge"

Read the entire article in the Wisdom Collection through September 18, 2013
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Tricycle Daily Dharma September 15, 2013

It's Nothing Personal

Understanding that there is no solid, singular, or permanent 'me' makes it possible to accommodate whatever arises in life without feeling so intimidated by our experience, without rolling over like a defeated dog in a dogfight. We can see that things arise due to our karma playing itself out and that it does not necessarily have to be so personal.

- Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche, “Realizing Guiltlessness”

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Via AFER

http://www.afer.org/

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Tricycle Daily Dharma September 14, 2013

On the Body

The body that we have is a living body. Mostly we were taught that the body is what we leave here when we die. I think that is a terrible mistake. The body that we have is not a dead body. We don’t know exactly how dead bodies come to be, but it is absolutely clear that this body is the living body. So we need to draw the basic concepts about “the body” from the living process.

- Eugene T. Gendlin, “Focusing”

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Via JMG: NBA Commissioner Slams Sports World For Staying Silent On Russia And Gays

"I’m gonna behave myself, for the record here, which is unlike me. But you know, the first phone call to the new head of the Olympics was from President Putin, and everyone wants to talk about the Russian law on homosexuality. Think about the opportunities that sports have to make a continuing statement, and the only thing that we’re saying in that context is ‘Shhhh! No one say anything!’" - NBA Commissioner David Stern, speaking yesterday at the Beyond Sports Summit.

Labels: David Stern, LGBT rights, NBA, Russia, Sochi Olympics, sports, Vladimir Putin

Reposted from Joe

Via JMG: Cher Turns Down Sochi Oympics Gig

 

Cher, seen above performing in June to 10,000 screaming gay men at the NYC Pride Pier Dance, has rejected an offer to appear at the Sochi Olympics. She tells Maclean's: "I can’t name names but my friend called who is a big oligarch over there, and asked me if I’d like to be an ambassador for the Olympics and open the show. I immediately said no. I want to know why all of this gay hate just exploded over there. He said the Russian people don’t feel the way the government does."

Labels: Cher, gay icons, Russia, Sochi Olympics

Reposted from Joe

Via GayPolitics Report:

Russian leader criticized by Pelosi

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said Thursday that she hoped LGBT people were seen by Vladimir Putin as "God's children," a reference to a line in a New York Times op-ed by Putin this week in which the Russian president stated "God created us equal." Separately, the new president of the International Olympic Committee, who received a call from Putin after his election, said the two did not discuss Russia's new anti-gay laws, adding that the IOC would develop a response to those who seek to protest the laws while participating in the upcoming winter games in Sochi. BuzzFeed (9/12), Chicago Tribune (tiered subscription model) (9/10), The New Civil Rights Movement (9/12)
 

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Tricycle Daily Dharma September 13, 2013

Life and Death

Life and death, as my teacher used to point out, are just different names for different states. These are not permanent states. If we have to give it a name, Life with a capital "L" is the basic reality. Ours is not an inert universe, it's an alive universe; so what we call birth and death are just temporary states, temporary transformations, names for our true self at one time, and in one situation.

- Philip Kapleau Roshi, "Life with a Capital ‘L’”

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Tricycle Daily Dharma September 12, 2013

Our Own Salvation

We don’t just seek our own salvation—we are only fully happy when we can be born together with all others. No one is left behind by Amida, no one is left out. This does not sound like the sort of society that we live in today, but it does give us something to aspire to.

- Jeff Wilson, "Come Together"

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Tricycle Daily Dharma September 11, 2013

Power to Shape the Present

Do what you can to help the living, and dedicate the merit of your practice to the dead. We may be powerless to change the past, but we do have the power to shape the present and the future by what we do, moment to moment, right now. And in maintaining our intention to be as skillful as possible in thought, word, and deed, we’ll find the only true refuge there is.

- Thanissaro Bhikkhu "What We've Been Practicing For"

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Via GayPolitics Report: New Mexico Supreme Court to hear marriage equality case

New Mexico Supreme Court to hear marriage equality case
The New Mexico Supreme Court agreed Friday to hold a hearing next month to consider whether same-sex couples should be allowed to marry in the state. Clerks from all 33 of the state's counties requested the court address the matter, which has gained attention since eight counties in the state, including the three most populous, began issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples. The hearing is scheduled for Oct. 23, and a decision is expected shortly thereafter. NBC News/Reuters (9/6), Albuquerque Journal (N.M.) (subscription required) (9/7), Talking Points Memo/TPMLivewire blog (9/9)

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Tricycle Daily Dharma September 10, 2013

On the Cushion

We all have cherished hopes about what our meditation practice should look like. However, the point is not to achieve some model or ideal but to be aware of all the different states that we experience. That’s a difficult message to believe, and somehow we need to hear it again and again.

- Sharon Salzberg, “Sticking with It”

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