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.
LAMMAS DAY
‒ In English-speaking countries, August 1 is Lammas Day ("loaf-mass
day"), the festival of the first wheat harvest of the year. In Wiccan
traditions, the name Lammas is used for one of the sabbats, The festival
is also known as Lughnasadh, a feast to commemorate the
funeral games (Tailtean Games) of Tailtiu, foster-mother of the Irish
sun-god Lugh. Lammas is a cross-quarter occurring ¼ of a year after
Beltane. Lughnasadh was one of the four main festivals of the medieval
Irish calendar: Imbolc at the beginning of February, Beltane on the first of May, Lughnasadh in August and Samhain in November.
The early Celtic
calendar was based on the lunar, solar, and vegetative cycles, so the
actual calendar date in ancient times may have varied. Lughnasadh marked
the beginning of the harvest season, the ripening of first fruits, and
was traditionally a time of community gatherings, market festivals,
horse races and reunions with distant family and friends. Among the
Irish it was a favored time for handfastings ‒ trial marriages that
would generally last a year and a day, with the option of ending the
contract before the new year, or later formalizing it as a more
permanent marriage.
In Christian
tradition on this day it was customary to bring to church a loaf made
from the new crop. In many parts of England, tenants were bound to
present freshly harvested wheat to their landlords on or before the
first day of August. In the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, where it is referred
to regularly, it is called "the feast of first fruits".
Now is a great
time of year to work on honing your own talents. Learn a new craft, or
get better at an old one. Put on a play, write a story or poem, take up a
musical instrument, start getting crafty, or sing a song. Whatever you
choose to do, this is the right season for rebirth and renewal, so set
August 1 as the day to share your new skill with your friends and
family.
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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
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 social
action is to be done with repeated reflection. (MN 61)
One reflects thus: “I shall initiate and sustain mental acts of kindness
toward my companions, both publicly and privately.” One lives with
companions in concord, with mutual appreciation, without disputing,
blending like milk and water, viewing each other with kindly eyes. One
thinks thus: “It is a gain for me, it is a great gain for me, that I am
living with such companions in the spiritual life.” (MN 31)
Reflection
Of the three
kinds of action recognized in Buddhist teaching, mental acts are more
important than verbal and bodily actions because we say and do things
only after we think them. The system of cause and effect generated by
our thoughts is called karma, and we create either healthy or unhealthy
karma not only by acting and speaking but also with every mental action.
Attending to the quality of the mind is so important.
Daily Practice
In the privacy
of your own mind, practice thinking good thoughts about people. This can
be a kind of guerilla lovingkindness practice, in which you send
friendly and benevolent thoughts to people without them knowing you are
doing so. See what a good effect this has on your own mind. The people
you direct your kindness to do not need to be aware of your thoughts;
you only have to generate them to reap the benefits.
Tomorrow: Abstaining from Intoxication One week from today: Reflecting upon Bodily Action
Share your thoughts and join the conversation on social media #DhammaWheel
If
there is Zen in it, or whatever it is, it comes through if you enjoy
doing your work. Anything you do with the best of your capacities is
beautiful…Your whole body gets to be a part of everything, and you
become free.
A brand new Dharma Talk is
available now! Andrew Holecek, an author and spiritual teacher in the
Tibetan Buddhist tradition, discusses how to bring appearance in harmony
with reality.
Frivolous speech is
unhealthy. Refraining from frivolous speech is healthy. (MN 9)
Abandoning frivolous speech, one refrains from frivolous speech. One
speaks at the right time, speaks only what is fact, and speaks about
what is good. One speaks what is worthy of being overheard, words that
are reasonable, moderate, and beneficial. (DN 1) One practices thus:
“Others may speak frivolously, but I shall abstain from frivolous
speech.” (MN 8)
An authentic person is one who, even when asked, does not reveal their
own praiseworthy qualities—still less so when not asked. When asked,
however, and obliged to reply to questions, one speaks of their own
praiseworthy qualities hesitatingly and not in detail. (AN 4.73)
Reflection
This passage
describes a situation of humility, not dissembling. It is right speech
because it does not unnecessarily embellish your own story by
exaggerating your good qualities, which can be considered a form of
frivolous or unnecessary speech. Notice that it is still important to
tell the truth, so if asked directly it is okay to be accurate in noting
your own virtues, as long as you do it with an attitude of humility.
Daily Practice
Pay attention
to the speech patterns of the people you encounter and notice just how
much of what they say involves praising themselves either overtly or
indirectly. It is remarkable how much of our speech is given to this
project. Now turn your gaze on your own words and see to what degree you
are doing this yourself. Try removing self-praise from your language
for a while and see how difficult it is to do.
Tomorrow: Reflecting upon Social Action One week from today: Refraining from False Speech
Share your thoughts and join the conversation on social media #DhammaWheel
July’s film is still available! Khata: Purity or Poison?, directed
by Huatse Gyal, explores the paradoxical relationship between the
meaning of the Khata, a sacred scarf used in much of the Tibetan
Buddhist world, and its materiality, between purity and poison, to raise
awareness of the unintended consequences of our good intentions.
