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.
Wednesday, May 25, 2016
Via Ram Dass:
May 25, 2016
One doesn’t have to beat down one’s ego for God; that isn’t how it works. The ego isn’t in the way; it’s how we’re holding the ego. It’s much better to just do spiritual practices, open to God, love God and trust your intuitive heart. As the transformation happens, the ego becomes a beautiful instrument which is available to you to deal with the world.
Via Sri Prem Baba: Flor do dia - Flor del día - Flower of the day 25/05/2016
“O karma é um instrumento divino que nos ensina o caminho da liberdade.
Certos karmas não podem ser evitados e não há o que possa ser feito;
muito pelo contrário: muitas vezes, você precisa parar de fazer. Você
precisa ampliar a percepção, manter-se aqui e agora, apenas observando.
Dessa maneira você compreende que aquele que observa é isento de karma.”
“El karma es un instrumento divino que nos enseña el camino de la libertad. Ciertos karmas no pueden ser evitados y no hay nada que se pueda hacer, muy por lo contrario: muchas veces necesitas parar de hacer. Necesitas ampliar la percepción, mantenerte aquí y ahora, solo observando. De esa manera comprendes que aquel que observa estáexento de karma.”
“El karma es un instrumento divino que nos enseña el camino de la libertad. Ciertos karmas no pueden ser evitados y no hay nada que se pueda hacer, muy por lo contrario: muchas veces necesitas parar de hacer. Necesitas ampliar la percepción, mantenerte aquí y ahora, solo observando. De esa manera comprendes que aquel que observa estáexento de karma.”
“Karma is a divine tool that teaches us the path to freedom. Certain
karmas cannot be avoided and there is nothing that can be done about
them – to the contrary: we must stop with our incessant ‘doing’. We need
to increase our awareness by placing ourselves in the present moment
and simply observe. Thus we comprehend that the one who simply observes
is freed from karma.”
Via Daily Dharma / May 25, 2016: Remembering Generosity
The
dimension of generosity is hidden in plain sight, yet we can overlook
it even if we spend every waking hour in a temple. Perhaps as a way of
reminding us, Buddhist ceremonies often end with an invocation or, if
you’d prefer, a prayer: “May all beings find happiness.”
—Kurt Spellmeyer, "Buddhism and the Market"
—Kurt Spellmeyer, "Buddhism and the Market"
Tuesday, May 24, 2016
Via Sri Prem Baba: Flor do dia - Flor del día - Flower of the day 24/05/2016
“O amor tem suas leis, portanto alguns acordos precisam ser cumpridos.
Uma das leis do amor diz respeito à responsabilidade: se você
estabeleceu uma família, você tem um compromisso com ela. Se você
colocou um filho no mundo, você tem responsabilidade sobre ele. E mesmo
que você tenha se libertado do apego à família, ainda existe um
compromisso com o seu filho. Você pode não estar apegado ao papel de
pai, mas o seu filho ainda precisa de você. E essa lei do amor pede que você dê conta disso.”
“El amor tiene sus leyes, por lo tanto algunos acuerdos necesitan ser
cumplidos. Una de las leyes del amor dice respecto de la
responsabilidad: si establece una familia, tienes un compromiso con
ella. Si trajo un hijo a este mundo, tienes una responsabilidad sobre
él. Y aunque te hayas liberado del apego a la familia, aún existe un
compromiso con tu hijo. Puedes no estar apegado al papel de padre, pero
tu hijo aún necesita de ti. Y esa ley del amor pide que te hagas cargo
de eso.”
“Love has its laws, and due to these laws some agreements need to be kept. One of love’s laws has to do with responsibility. If you have created a family, you have to keep your commitments to it. If you have brought a child into this world, you are responsible for this child. Even if you are no longer attached to this family model, you still have a commitment to your child. You may not be attached to the role of father or mother, but your child still needs you. This law of love commands us to take responsibility.”
“Love has its laws, and due to these laws some agreements need to be kept. One of love’s laws has to do with responsibility. If you have created a family, you have to keep your commitments to it. If you have brought a child into this world, you are responsible for this child. Even if you are no longer attached to this family model, you still have a commitment to your child. You may not be attached to the role of father or mother, but your child still needs you. This law of love commands us to take responsibility.”
Via Daily Dharma / May 24, 2016: A Fortunate Life
To attain a human life is extremely fortunate, and since we have this good fortune, we need to use it.
—Kenchen Thrangu, "On What Is Most Important"
—Kenchen Thrangu, "On What Is Most Important"
Monday, May 23, 2016
Via Mindfulness in Daily Life: Gyalwang Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorje
- His Holiness the Gyalwang Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorje
Via Mindfulness in Daily Life / FB: Thich Nhat Hanh
- Thich Nhat Hanh
Via Sri Prem Baba: Flor do dia - Flor del día - Flower of the day 23/05/2016
“Estamos tendo uma rara oportunidade de dar um salto quântico na nossa
jornada evolutiva. No mais profundo, todas as crises são chances de
aprendizado e transformação. Através delas, aprendemos a fazer um bom
combate; aprendemos a usar nossa capacidade criativa e inteligência para
encontrar soluções construtivas. E ao usarmos o nosso potencial
adormecido dessa maneira, nossa consciência se expande. Por isso sempre
digo que a crise é também uma benção.”
“Estamos teniendo una rara oportunidad de dar un salto cuántico en
nuestra camino evolutivo. En lo más profundo, todas las crisis son
chances de aprendizaje y transformación. A través de ellas, aprendemos a
dar un buen combate, aprendemos a usar nuestra capacidad creativa e
inteligencia para encontrar soluciones constructivas. Y al usar nuestro
potencial adormecido de esta manera, nuestra consciencia se expande. Por
eso siempre digo que la crisis es también una bendición.”
“We are having a rare opportunity to take a quantum leap in our evolutionary journey. At the deepest level, all crises are opportunities for learning and transformation. Through these crises, we learn how to fight a good battle; we learn how to use our creative capacity and intelligence to find constructive solutions. As we learn to use our dormant potential in this way, our consciousness expands. This is why I always say that a crisis is also a blessing.”
“We are having a rare opportunity to take a quantum leap in our evolutionary journey. At the deepest level, all crises are opportunities for learning and transformation. Through these crises, we learn how to fight a good battle; we learn how to use our creative capacity and intelligence to find constructive solutions. As we learn to use our dormant potential in this way, our consciousness expands. This is why I always say that a crisis is also a blessing.”
Via Daily Dharma / May 23, 2016: Taking Ourselves Less Seriously
Glimpsing
nonself clearly, even for one moment, puts ordinary truth in
perspective. When the conventional picture returns, we regard it
differently. What a relief when we no longer have to take our “selves”
so seriously!
—Cynthia Thatcher, "Disconnect the Dots"
—Cynthia Thatcher, "Disconnect the Dots"
Sunday, May 22, 2016
Via Ram Dass
May 22, 2016
There is not an experience that goes down in your life that doesn’t have the potential to help liberate you. It is so perfectly designed and there is not irrelevancy in the system. When you finally want to get free, everything, every single thing in your life is grist for the mill.
Via Sri Prem Baba: Flor do dia - Flor del día - Flower of the day 22/05/2016
“Tenho dito que, na universidade dos relacionamentos, existe uma prova
final que possibilita você concluir o curso. Não passando nessa prova,
você não recebe o diploma. E a prova é: deixar o outro livre, inclusive
para não te amar, se ele não puder ou não quiser. Deixar o outro livre
significa manter o coração aberto para ele. Você continua junto, amando,
mesmo que fisicamente não seja possível estar junto porque o outro
não quer. Você não cai na armadilha de se ofender e se vingar. E você
se vinga fechando o coração, retirando o amor, esfriando, se tornando
indiferente.”
“He dicho
que, en la universidad de las relaciones, existe una prueba final que
posibilita concluir el curso. No pasando esa prueba, no recibes el
diploma. Y la prueba es: dejar al otro libre, inclusive para no amarte,
si él no puede o no quiere. Dejar al otro libre significa mantener el
corazón abierto para él. Siguescerca, amando, aunque físicamente no sea
posible estar cerca porque el otro no quiere. No caes en la trampa de
ofenderte o vengarte. Y te vengas cerrando el corazón, retirando el
amor, enfriando, tornándote indiferente.”
“In the University of Relationships, there is a final exam we must take that enables us to graduate. If we don’t pass it, we won’t receive our diploma. Our final test is whether or not we are able to let the other be free, including not to love us. The other may not love us or feel incapable of loving us, and letting them be free means keeping our hearts open to them. We continue loving them even if it is not physically possible to be together because the other doesn’t want to be. We don’t fall into the trap of getting offended or acting out of revenge. This act of revenge involves closing our hearts, retracting our love, or becoming cold and indifferent to the other.”
“In the University of Relationships, there is a final exam we must take that enables us to graduate. If we don’t pass it, we won’t receive our diploma. Our final test is whether or not we are able to let the other be free, including not to love us. The other may not love us or feel incapable of loving us, and letting them be free means keeping our hearts open to them. We continue loving them even if it is not physically possible to be together because the other doesn’t want to be. We don’t fall into the trap of getting offended or acting out of revenge. This act of revenge involves closing our hearts, retracting our love, or becoming cold and indifferent to the other.”
Via Daily Dharma / May 22, 2016: The Moment Is Now
Now
is the time to free ourselves from samsara. Unless we do it in this
lifetime, it is not going to happen all by itself. We have to take care
of ourselves.
—Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche, "Taking Your Future Into Your Own Hands"
—Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche, "Taking Your Future Into Your Own Hands"
Saturday, May 21, 2016
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