Via Sri Prem Baba / Flower of the Day: 10/06/16:

“Sometimes, we have not yet reached the point to transcend a bad habit, but we already have the maturity to make an intelligent austerity in relationship to it. I say ‘intelligent’ because it is an aspect that we already know, have studied and understood.  We know we need to make an effort to direct the vectors of our will to free us from particular negative impulses. Through austerity, our will increases and we feel stronger and stronger as we see ourselves making changes. Thus, our consciousness continues expanding.”

Sri Prem Baba

Via Daily Dharma / October 6, 2016:

Regardless of what happens, your self is, from the beginning, the spontaneous self-nature of Buddha.

—Koun Yamada, "Great Faith, Great Doubt, Great Determination"

Via AmericaBlog: Mike Pence is a raging homophobe

Donald Trump’s choice for vice president, Mike Pence, is a homophobe.

I bring the point up, not only because tonight is the vice presidential debate between Pence and Hillary Clinton’s VP, Tim Kaine, but also because of what the former Republican governor and US senator from Virginia, George “Macaca” Allen, said on CNN today.

CNN’s Carol Costello told Allen that Trump was having a problem with minority voters, especially African-American voters, and Tim Kaine will most likely bring it up tonight; so, she asked, what should Pence say?

Allen replied: “Mike Pence should respond that our aspirations in America are for everyone, regardless of their race, their ethnicity, their religious beliefs or their sexual orientation — ought (sic) to have an equal opportunity to compete and succeed in America.”

And I thought to myself, that’s funny. Not simply funny that George Allen, who is a conservative and no friend to gay or trans people, is now wooing LGBT voters, but also funny that Allen is suggesting that Mike Pence thinks LGBT people should have a shot at the American dream.

Mike Pence most certainly does not.

Here’s my video response to all of this, via Periscope. You can also just read on below.





Pence, you see, is a Christian conservative (read: religious right), and pretty much against anything that could help LGBT people in America. Pence was against repealing Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, against marriage equality, against ENDA, and against President Obama’s directive on transgender youth using the bathrooms of their choice in public schools. Pence is also for permitting people to violate civil rights laws and discriminate against LGBT people because of their supposed religious beliefs.
And finally, Mike Pence was even against HIV/AIDS funding. What did he want to spend that money on instead of AIDS? Curing gays.

So I think it’s pretty safe to say that Mike Pence won’t be sucking up to LGBT people any time soon.
Of course, Donald Trump isn’t all pink daisies either. Trump has promised to put judges on the Supreme Court who would overturn the previous decision-making marriage equality the law of the land. And while Trump’s people actively intervened to make sure the GOP convention platform didn’t include provisions the Russians didn’t like, Trump didn’t lift a finger when Republican convention delegates came up with the most anti-gay platform in history. Huffington Post’s Jennifer Bendery has more:

The GOP adopted its most anti-LGBT platform in history at its party convention this week in Cleveland. It advocates going back to defining marriage, legally, as between one man and one woman. It supports adoption agencies that refuse to serve same-sex couples; affirms “conversion therapy,” a discredited practice of trying to turn gay people into straight people; calls for banning transgender people from using bathrooms that match their gender identity and endorses controversial legislation that would allow taxpayer-funded discrimination against same-sex married couples in the name of religious freedom.

So I’ve got my popcorn ready, but I’m not going to hold my breath waiting for Mike Pence to don a tutu and start quoting Harvey Milk.

Make the jump here to read the orginal article and more

Via Ram Dass

 

October 5, 2016

I think the message is that you don’t need to go to anywhere else to find what you are seeking.

Via Sri Prem Baba/ Flower of the Day: 10/05/16

“To be able to enjoy presence is one of the best things for a human soul in evolution to experience. Only in presence is one able to taste the nectar of bliss. However, in order to enjoy presence, it is necessary to heal the wounds from the past that are still acting in our systems distorting actual reality.”

Sri Prem Baba

Via Daily Dharma / October 5, 2016: On Love and Attachment

Attachment is the very opposite of love. Love says, “I want you to be happy.” Attachment says, “I want you to make me happy.”

—Jetsunma Tenzin Palmo, "No Excuses"

Via Desmond Tutu Peace Foundation / FB:

 

"Some suffering, maybe even intense suffering, is a necessary ingredient for life, certainly for developing compassion." 
- Desmond Tutu

#ShareTheJoy
http://www.bookofjoy.org/

Via Sri Prem Baba:

Via Daily Dharma / October 4, 2016: The Goal of Every Religion

Zen is becoming one with all truths. It is easy to be misled by the word “zazen” and think that it refers to some special practice, but this is not the case. If the goal of all religious practice in the world is to become one with the truth, then this is all Zen.

—Harada Sekkei Roshi, "Zen Basics"

Via Sri Prem Baba:

Via Tricycle / October 3, 2016: Extending Care to All

Learning to extend our care out into the world is one of the main projects of practice—rather than focusing solely on our own well being, we consider the fates of all beings.

The news these days may make it seem as though few put this practice into action, but there are always those out there who live their lives with others in mind. This week on Trike Daily, read “The Great Rabbit Liberation,” the inspiring story of Buddhist practitioner Wendy Cook who saved over 100 rabbits from being butchered by purchasing every last one. “There are so many things I can’t do,” Cook said, referencing large social ills like homelessness and warfare. “This was a moment where I felt that I could make a difference.”

Then there are those who devote their entire lives to others. Dr. Grace Dammann is a physician best known for her work during the AIDS epidemic; in 2009 she was recognized by the Dalai Lama for her efforts. Her identity as a caretaker was upended, however, after she was paralyzed in a near-fatal car crash on the Golden Gate Bridge in 2008. This month’s Film Club selection, States of Grace, documents her recovery and her recommitment to Zen practice, offering a nuanced look at what it means to be both a caretaker and the recipient of care.

At times, we’re the ones who need caring for. But this gets tricky—self-help can become a quagmire when we believe we’re the sole creator of our problems and therefore the only one who can solve them. In this month’s Dharma Talk series, The Emptiness of Selfie Existence, former Buddhist monk Christopher Titmuss helps us loosen the reigns on our ego, allowing an inner clarity to arise within us. From here, we build a stable foundation of care in our hearts, and become capable of an altruism that knows no bounds.

Tina Turner Beyond - Changing the World Oct 2011

Via the Advocate: Glenn Greenwald's Husband Elected to Rio City Council

Controversial journalist and activist David Michael Miranda will now be part of Rio de Janeiro's leadership.

David Michael Miranda, an LGBT activist and member of Brazil's socialist party, was elected to Rio de Janeiro's city council on Sunday.

Miranda is most well known outside of Brazil as the husband of Glenn Greenwald, the American journalist who released classified documents from the National Security Agency leaked to him in 2013 by former CIA employee Edward Snowden. Greenwald wrote about the documents in articles for The Guardian, revealing numerous global surveillance programs operated by the NSA.

Miranda, a proponent of governmental transparency, was detained for nine hours at London's Heathrow Airport three years ago after British officials found classifed documents on his laptop, some of which they claimed endangered intelligence officers' lives, according to the BBC.

Miranda's successful run for city council was supported by writer Noam Chomsky, actress Susan Sarandon, and Snowden. Miranda assumes office in January.

see the original and more here

Tina Turner - Nam Myoho Renge Kyo (2 Hours Buddhist Daimoku)

Publicado em 15 de dez de 2015

http://tinaturnerblog.com
Out from the first 'Beyond' cd, Tina Turner chanting the buddhist mantra Nam Myoho Renge Kyo.
Tina Turner Chanting 'Nam Myoho Renge Kyo' on Larry King: https://youtu.be/wMu6AmD5CMU

Original text with English signification:

Myoho renge kyo — The wonderful Law of the Lotus Sutra
Ho ben pon dai ni: Skillful Ways
Ni Ji Se Son — There the World Honored One
Ju San Mai — Quietly came up
An Jo Ni Ki — From his samadhi
Go Shari Hotsu — And said to Shariputra:
Sho Bu' Chi E — The wisdom of the Buddhas
Jin Jin Mu Ryo — Is profound and cannot be measured
Go Chi E Mon — Its gate is hard to understand
Nange Nan Nyu — And difficult to enter.
Is Sai Sho Mon — No Shravaka-Disciple
Hyaku Shi Butsu — Or Self-taught buddha
Sho Fu No Chi — Can understand it.
Sho I Sha Ga — Why is that? (because!)
Butsu Zo Shin Gon —the [present] Buddhas attended on many
Hyaku Sen Man Noku — hundreds of thousands of billions
Mu Shu Sho Butsu — Of [past] Buddhas,
Jin Gyo Sho Butsu — And practiced the many teachings
Mu Ryo Do Ho — Of those Buddhas bravely and energetically
Yu Myo Sho Jin — To their far-flung fame till they attained
Myo Sho Fu Mon — The profound Law
Jo Ju Jin Jin — Which you've never heard before,
Mi Zo U Ho — And also because they are exposing
Zui Gi Sho Setsu — The Law according to the capacities
I Shu Nan Ge — Of all living beings a way that the intention is hard to understand
Shari Hotsu — Shariputra!
Go Ju Jo Butsu I Rai — Since I became Buddha, I also
Shu Ju In Nen — Have been stating various teachings
Shu Ju Hi Yu — With different stories of previous lives,
Ko En Gon Kuyo — Various parables, and various similes.
Mu Shu Ho Ben — I have been leading all living beings
In Do Shu Jo — With countless expedients
Ryo Ri Sho Jaku — In order to save them from materialism,
Sho I Sha Ga — Because I have the power
Nyo Rai Ho Ben — To employ skills,
Chi Ken Hara Mitsu — And the power to perform
Kai I Gu Soku — The Paramita (reached goal of wisdom) of insight
Shari Hotsu — Shariputra!
Nyo Rai Chi Ken —The insight of the Tathagatas
Ko Dai Jin Non — Is wide and deep.
Mu Ryo Mu Ge — They have all the [states of mind
Riki Mu Sho I — Towards] countless [living beings],
Zen Jo Ge Da's' San Mai — unchecked [intelligence], powers,
Jin Nyu Mu Sai — Fearlessness, dhyana-concentrations,
Jo Ju Is Sai — Liberations and samadhis. They entered
Mi Zo U Ho — Deep into no limits, and attained the Law which you've never heard before
Shari Hotsu — Shariputra!
Nyo Rai Nyo Shu Ju Fun Betsu —The Tathagatas divide the Law
Gyo Ses Sho Ho — Into various teachings, and state
Gon Ji Nyu Nan — Those teachings so gently and skillfully
Ek Ka Shu Shin — That living being are delighted.
Shari Hotsu — Shariputra!
Shu Yo Gon Shi — In short, the Buddhas attained
Mu Ryo Mu Hen — The countless teachings
Mi Zo U Ho — Which you've never heard before
Bus Shitsu Jo Ju — No more
Shi — Will I say
Shari Hotsu — Shariputra
Fu Shu Bu Setsu — Because the Law
Sho I Sha Ga — attained by the Buddhas
Bus Sho Jo Ju — Is the highest Truth.
Dai Ichi Ke U — Rare [to hear] and hard
Nan Ge Shi Ho —To understand.
Yui Butsu Yo Butsu — Only the Buddhas attained
Nai No Ku Jin — The highest Truth, that is
Sho Ho Jis So — The Reality of All Things
Sho I Sho Ho — In regards to:
Nyo Ze So — Their appearances (form? shape? size? ) as such,
Nyo Ze Sho — Thier natures (essence) as such,
Nyo Ze Tai — Their embodiments (present incarnation) as such,
Nyo Ze Riki — Their powers (potentiality also possibilities) as such,
Nyo Ze Sa — Their activities (function or role) as such,
Nyo Ze In — Their primary causes (obvious cause) as such,
Nyo Ze En — Their environmental causes (process) as such,
Nyo Ze Ka — Their effects (latent or hidden effect) as such,
Nyo Ze Ho — Their requital (final outcome or return) as such,
Nyo Ze Hon Ma' Ku Kyo To — And the combination of these [factors] as such (over and over again)

GET 'BEYOND' (2009): http://goo.gl/uYccFZ
GET 'CHILDREN BEYOND' (2011): http://goo.gl/vfrDek
GET "BEYOND 'LOVE WITHIN' (2014): http://goo.gl/hiuNOG

Video: Xaver Walser
Music: Regula Curti & Roland Frey (NJP Studio Zurich)
Album Producers: Erwin Bach & Beat Curti

ALL RIGHT RESERVED BEYOND FOUNDATION

Tina Turner - Sarvesham Svastir Bhavatu (Peace Mantra)

gula Curti & Roland Frey (NJP Studio Zurich)
Videoclip Editing: Benjamin Degrèse (TinaTurnerBlog.com)

Origin: Hindhuism Language: Sanskrit

Om Om Om
Sarvesham Svastir Bhavatu
Sarvesham Shantir Bhavatu
Sarvesham Poornam Bhavatu
Sarvesham Mangalam Bhavatu
Om, Shanti, Shanti, Shanti

Mantra's Meaning:

May there be happiness in all
May there be peace in all
May there be completeness in all
May there be success in all

GET 'BEYOND' (2009): http://goo.gl/uYccFZ
GET 'CHILDREN BEYOND' (2011): http://goo.gl/vfrDek
GET "BEYOND 'LOVE WITHIN' (2014): http://goo.gl/hiuNOG

ALL RIGHT RESERVED BEYOND FOUNDATION

Via PEACE and Grace: Spirituality in a Broken World / FB: TO FOLLOW JESUS IS TO LOVE. NOT HATE.

 

By Mark Y. A. Davies

To my white evangelical Christian friends,

Since you are one of the groups most strongly supporting Trump, could you please clarify some things for me?
- Who would Jesus torture?
- Who would Jesus tell to go f*** themselves?
- What women would Jesus call fat pigs?
- What women would Jesus treat like s***?
- Who would Jesus "bomb the s*** out of?
- Which families (including children) of bad people would Jesus go after and kill?
- Where would Jesus build walls to keep people out?
- Which refugees would Jesus reject?
- Which workers would Jesus refuse to pay?
- Which people would Jesus refuse to rent apartments to?
- Which people would Jesus want to punch in the face?
- Which people would Jesus think deserve to get roughed up?
- Which women would Jesus call "Miss Piggy?"
- Which people of other religions would Jesus discriminate against?
- Which 11 million people would Jesus deport?
I know the Bible is important to you, so it would be helpful if you could please ground your answers in scripture.
Peace to you."

About Mark Y. A. Davies:
Mark Davies is The Wimberly Professor of Social and Ecological Ethics and Director of the World House Institute for Social and Ecological Responsibility at Oklahoma City University. From 2009 to 2015, Mark was dean of the Petree College of Arts and Sciences and Wimberly Professor of Social Ethics at Oklahoma City University. Previously, Mark was dean of the Wimberly School of Religion at Oklahoma City University and Founding Director of the Vivian Wimberly Center for Ethics and Servant Leadership. Prior to becoming dean of the Wimberly School of Religion in 2002, he was associate dean of the Petree College of Arts and Sciences at Oklahoma City University and chair of the department of philosophy. Mark has published in the areas of Boston personalism, process philosophy and ethics, and ecological ethics. Dr. Davies serves on the United Methodist University Senate, which is “an elected body of professionals in higher education created by the General Conference to determine which schools, colleges, universities, and theological schools meet the criteria for listing as institutions affiliated with The United Methodist Church.” He and his wife Kristin live in Edmond, OK in the United States, and they have two daughters. The views expressed by the author in this blog do not necessarily represent the views of Oklahoma City University.

Via Sri Prem Baba – Awaken Love / Flower of the Day: 10/03/16:

“Life in this body has a very short expiration date. The most valuable thing a human soul in evolution has is time. When we least expect it, the game is over. And what have we done with our time? Many waste their time with useless things. They think that before they can relax and enjoy life, they have to struggle and work hard. My vision is different; you can be happy now, even without having conquered the world. But this is only possible when you have given meaning to your life and you are aware of your life’s purpose.”

Sri Prem Baba

Via Daily Dharma / October 3, 2016: Becoming Human

Buddhism is very personal. . . . It’s about developing what is mostly deeply human in all of us.

—Lama Chopel, "A Lama in Hungary"

Via Oneness University: A Seven Minute Practice to Move into High States of Consciousness

March 13, 2016 In Wisdom Corner

The balance of growing spiritually and managing a busy life can at times seem to be at odds. It can seem as we strive for deeper inner peace life keeps throwing us curve balls that pull us out of internal tranquility that we are striving to maintain.

Often we have seen that people’s lives are so busy that they do not have the luxury of spending hours a day practicing various meditative practices.

The core issue with the struggle to feel at peace during a hectic day is not actually in what is unfolding throughout the day. The stress arises from the habit of the mind to resist what is happening.
This resistance arises out of being in a lower state of consciousness which results in the inability to stay present in a state of awareness. When a person is deeply nestled in a good state of awareness the byproduct is a natural acceptance of the present moment which brings a person into a deep state of inner peace.

There is an extremely powerful and simple practice you could do for simply 7 minutes each day that would bring you into a lasting state of inner awareness resulting in deeper states of inner peace and well being as well as advancing you forward on your spiritual journey.

Follow these simple steps and enjoy the fruits of this powerful meditation:

7 Minute Breathing Meditation

Step One: Sit upright in any sitting posture that is most comfortable for you. It is important to make sure your spine is straight.

Step Two: Please your hands palm faced up on your thighs and touch the tips of your index fingers to the base of your thumbs.
Step Three: Close your eyes and begin to inhale / exhale deeply and slowly for 7 minutes.
That’s it! It sounds almost too good and simple to be true. However once you try this you will immediately see the benefit that it gives you all throughout your day.

You can increase the time of this meditation in multiples of 7, such as for 14, or 21 minutes. However we suggest not going beyond 21 minutes.

Learn more about the science of spiritual growth at www.onenessuniverity.org