Via Daily Dharma

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Hearing Silence | March 25, 2014

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Silence does not disappear when it is broken; for those who are not distracted, silence limns language as the necessary condition that exposes both its richness and its fragility. Silence is not just in the gaps and spaces that punctuate sentences but also within words as the lack that renders them fully articulate. To know what a person says, we must hear what remains unsaid. If we cannot hear silence, we do not know how to listen. 

 

—Mark C. Taylor, “Hearing Silence”

 

FIRST KISS (Gay Version from New Zealand)

Via JMG: NYT On The Decline Of "H" Word

The New York Times yesterday explored the vanishing use of the word "homosexual" by almost everybody except anti-gay groups.

Consider the following phrases: homosexual community, homosexual activist, homosexual marriage. Substitute the word “gay” in any of those cases, and the terms suddenly become far less loaded, so that the ring of disapproval and judgment evaporates. Some gay rights advocates have declared the term off limits. The Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, or Glaad, has put “homosexual” on its list of offensive terms and in 2006 persuaded The Associated Press, whose stylebook is the widely used by many news organizations, to restrict use of the word.
George P. Lakoff, a professor of cognitive science and linguistics at the University of California, Berkeley, has looked at the way the term is used by those who try to portray gays and lesbians as deviant. What is most telling about substituting it for gay or lesbian are the images that homosexual tends to activate in the brain, he said. “Gay doesn’t use the word sex,” he said. “Lesbian doesn’t use the word sex. Homosexual does.” “It also contains ‘homo,’ which is an old derogatory,” he added. “They want to have that idea there. They want to say this is not normal sex, this is not normal family, it’s going against God.”

Back in the 90s when some of our people began to reclaim "queer," I understood so many others in our community objected. The visceral unease that some experience when hearing or seeing the word "queer" - even in a benign, supportive or celebratory context - may never fade for those of us whose most vivid playground memories are the vicious-by-design games of "smear the queer." Still, I relished the fuck-you-ness of taking "queer" back and I defiantly wore my Queer Nation t-shirt until it disintegrated into gay-friendly cotton molecules.
Similarly, I do get why many consider "homosexual" to be cold, clinical, and reductive. But so too is "heterosexual" - and straight people certainly don't instinctively flinch at the term. For many people, the 20th century (ish) reappropriation of "gay" continues to carry an inherent, even subliminal, subtext of happiness - of a carefree life unburdened by shame or guilt or regret. And that's both wonderful and exactly why our enemies impotently flail against its usage. I don't disagree with those who complain that "homosexual" can be, often deliberately, a crude reduction of all-that-we-are to to merely who-puts-what-where.
But it cannot be denied that the epiphany that led us all here to take our first tentative steps on the yellow brick road was based in our acceptance that society's who-puts-what-where edict doesn't work for us. "Homosexual" may feel like a linguistic anachronism, but to my mind that word is merely the foundation upon which we build our culture. It's our starting point. I don't like giving the haters the satisfaction of watching us try to bury "homosexual." I wish we wouldn't do it.

Labels: hate groups, homosexual, language, LGBT culture, LGBT History, LGBT rights, religion

Reposted from Joe Jervis

Via Utne: Free Your Mind: Practice Vipassana Meditation

Free Your Mind: Practice Vipassana Meditation

Vipassana meditation is a widely used relaxation practice that can be done easily by beginners, with great results! 

After years of heavy addiction, Chris Grosso found himself literally on his knees, utterly lost and broken. Grasping for life, he needed to find a new path, one that went beyond conventional religious or spiritual doctrine—one free of bullshit. Indie Spiritualist (Beyond Words Publishing, 2014) empowers readers to accept themselves as they are, in all their humanity and imperfect perfection. In this excerpt learn the basics of vipassana meditation, a simple relaxation practice that can be done by anyone and in any setting.

 

Vipassana Meditation

Besides being asked, “What’s an Indie Spiritualist?” the second most common question I’m typically asked is “What type of meditation do you practice?”

While I personally practice many different types of medita­tion—never feeling like I have to stay within the confines of only one tradition—I typically respond with vipassana, as I’ve found it to be the most universally applicable form of meditation around. Any form of meditation that resonates with you—whether guided, man­tra, movement, and so forth—will definitely be of benefit.

I adore meditation because there are countless ways to meditate, with no particular style being any better than another. It’s all about what resonates with you. You can find many free guided medita­tions online by searching Google or YouTube, as well as by visiting your local library. Most meditation practices are to spirituality what Bob Ross was to painting—very laid back and go with the flow. And while your practice may not provide you with happy little trees, it will over time create a greater sense of peace, clarity, and serenity in your life, and that’s sorta like happy little trees, right?

Through years of drug addiction, I did considerable damage to myself, resulting in heavy bouts of depression and anxiety. For years, I relied on antidepressant and anti-anxiety medications to keep me in a somewhat balanced state, but after cultivating a dedicated meditation practice I eventually found myself at a place where, under doctor supervision, I was able to taper off the medication and no longer needed it.

Let me make it perfectly clear, however, that there is absolutely nothing wrong with taking prescribed medication for conditions like anxiety, depression, and so forth. I recognize that they were very nec­essary in my life at that time, as I was very chemically off-balance. There is nothing unspiritual about taking prescribed medication when needed, because our own mental and emotional well-being must come first before we can truly help others.

Whether we are on medication or not, meditation practices will certainly help us to not only cultivate more calm in our lives, but also to handle things like stress, anxiety, and depression in gentler ways. For the benefit of those who are new to meditation, I’m providing these simple guided instructions for the practice of vipassana.

Make the jump here to read the full article on Utne

Via Daily Dharma

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Real Intimacy | March 24, 2014

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There is no such thing as two people—whether baby and mother, two lovers, or teacher and student—being perfectly in sync with each other’s needs and wishes. Real intimacy arises from an ongoing process of connection that at some point is disrupted and then, ideally, repaired. 

 

—Pilar Jennings, “Looking into the Eyes of a Master”

 

Via Have A Gay Day / FB:

The Miracle of Anti-Gay Denial

Via Daily Dharma

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Good News | March 23, 2014

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To be able to suffer with is good news because it means you can share power with, share joy with, exchange love with. Let your pain tell you that you are not alone. What we thought might have been sealing us off can become connective tissue.

 

—Joanna Macy, “Schooling Our Intention”

 

Via Daily Dharma

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Two Different Ways Of Experiencing | March 22, 2014

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Nirvana is not another realm or dimension but rather the clarity and peace that arise when our mental turmoil ends, because the objects with which we have been identifying are realized to be shunya [empty]. Things have no reality of their own that we can cling to, since they arise and pass away according to conditions. Nor can we cling to this truth.

—David Loy, “The Second Buddha”

Via JMG: BREAKING: Michigan Judge Strikes Down Marriage Ban, It Is Unconstitutional

Via the Associated Press:

Michigan's ban on gay marriage is unconstitutional, a federal judge said Friday as he struck down a law that was widely embraced by voters a decade ago - the latest in a recent series of decisions overturning similar laws across the country. U.S. District Judge Bernard Friedman announced his ruling after a rare two-week trial that mostly focused on the impact of same-sex parenting on children.

There was no indication that the judge was suspending his decision. Attorney General Bill Schuette said he was immediately filing a request with a federal appeals court to suspend Friedman's decision and prevent same-sex couples from immediately marrying. The decision was released shortly after 5 p.m., when most county clerk offices in Michigan were closed. Clerks issue marriage licenses.

Seventeen states and the District of Columbia issue licenses for same-sex marriage. Since December, bans on gay marriage have been overturned in Texas, Utah, Oklahoma and Virginia, but appeals have put those cases on hold.

UPDATE: Read the ruling here.

 

Labels: LGBT rights, marriage equality, Michigan

Reposted from Joe Jervis

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Rising to the Challenge | March 21, 2014

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People are afraid that if they let go of their anger and righteousness and wrath, and look at their own feelings—and even see the good in a bad person—they're going to lose the energy they need to do something about the problem. But actually you get more strength and energy by operating from a place of love and concern. You can be just as tough, but more effectively tough. 

 

—Robert Thurman, "Rising to the Challenge"

The Yogyakarta Principles

In 2006, in response to well-documented patterns of abuse, a distinguished group of international human rights experts met in Yogyakarta, Indonesia to outline a set of international principles relating to sexual orientation and gender identity. The result was the Yogyakarta Principles: a universal guide to human rights which affirm binding international legal standards with which all States must comply. They promise a different future where all people born free and equal in dignity and rights can fulfil that precious birthright.

The Principles are presented here in all six United Nations languages.

Via Daily Kos / FB:

Via JMG: Judy Shepard On Death Of Fred Phelps

"Regarding the passing of Fred Phelps, Dennis and I know how solemn these moments are for anyone who loses a loved one. Out of respect for all people and our desire to erase hate, we’ve decided not to comment further." - Judy Shepard, in a posting on the Facebook page of the Matthew Shepard Foundation. (Tipped by JMG reader Eric)

Labels: Fred Phelps, hate groups, Judy Shepard, Westboro

Reposted from Joe Jervis

Via JMG: Westboro Founder Fred Phelps Has Died

 

Kansas television station KSN reports that Westboro Baptist Church founder Fred Phelps has died.

The Rev. Fred Phelps Sr., who founded a Kansas church widely known for its protests at military funerals and anti-gay sentiments, has died according to his son Tim Phelps. Phelps, 84, was being cared for in a Shawnee County facility, Westboro Baptist Church spokesman Steve Drain said Sunday. Members of the Westboro church, based in Topeka, frequently protest at funerals of soldiers with signs containing messages such as “Thank God for dead soldiers,” and “Thank God for 9/11,” claiming the deaths are God’s punishment for American immorality and tolerance of homosexuality and abortion.

Updates to follow shortly. (Tipped by JMG reader TJ)

 

Labels: Fred Phelps, hate groups, obituary, religion, Westboro

Reposted from Joe Jervis

Via Daily Dharma

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Bursting the Bubble of Fear | March 20, 2014

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To willingly reside in our distress, no longer resisting what is, is the real key to transformation. As painful as it may be to face our deepest fears, we do reach the point where it's more painful not to face them. This is a pivotal point in the practice life. 

 

—Ezra Bayda, “Bursting the Bubble of Fear”

Via JMG: Oregon AG Files Brief: Ban Serves No Rational Purpose And Harms Citizens

 

Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum tonight filed a response brief in the same-sex marriage case, declaring, "The state defendants in this case recognize that the ban on same-sex marriage serves no rational purpose and harms Oregon citizens. This case presents that rare case in which there simply is no legal argument to be made in support of a state law." Last month Rosenblum announced that she would not defend the lawsuit.

Oregon United For Marriage reacts via press release: "We are literally counting down the days until all loving and committed couples in Oregon have the freedom to marry, and we are thrilled that the attorney general is on the right side of history. No one should be told it is illegal to marry the person they love. Freedom means freedom for everyone."

Later in the brief, Rosenblum says this: "Other state attorneys general and governors have reached similar conclusions about the defensibility of state laws, and responded by simply declining to appear in defense or withdrawing and joining forces with those challenging the laws. The Oregon state defendants believe it is more appropriate to remain as parties to this litigation to ensure that this Court has the benefit of the careful legal analysis that the state defendants have undertaken."

The lawsuit was filed in October 2013 by local attorneys on behalf of one unmarried Oregon couple and another couple who married in Canada. The suit is separate from the petition drive to place a repeal of the marriage ban on the ballot. That campaign has been put on hold pending the ruling in the lawsuit. Oral arguments in the lawsuit are scheduled for April 23rd.

Read today's brief in full at my Scribd account.

Labels: Ellen Rosenblum, lawsuits, marriage equality, Oregon

Reposted from Joe Jervis

America's Right-Wing Has Gone Gay Crazy

Sharon Caminneci

www.alternet.org 

The madness has spread from the Christian Right’s talking heads to the leading lights of the Republican Party.

Via http://purpleunions.com: USA, Oregon: AG Says Marriage Equality Ban Unconstitutional, State Ready to Marry Same Sex Couples

In a strongly-worded 35 page brief, Oregon Attorney general Ellen Rosenblum indicated the state is ready for marriage equality.

Edge Boston reports:

Oregon’s attorney general told a federal court Tuesday why she believes the state’s voter-approved ban on same-sex marriages violates the federal constitutional rights of homosexual couples. Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum added that Oregon is prepared to implement gay marriages if a federal judge strikes down the ban. Rosenblum announced last month that she would not defend the state’s same-sex marriage ban in court…. Allowing gay and lesbian couples to marry is not a redefinition of marriage, the attorney general wrote. Instead, she said the plaintiffs in this case “seek the same right to marry that the state offers opposite-sex couples and not a right to any newly invented form of marriage.”

Oral arguments in the case are due in mid-April, so we could have a ruling by May

Find more articles and gay wedding resources in Oregon.

Via Daily Dharma

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Resting Meditation | March 19, 2014

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Many people are doing shamata meditation. This is a kind of resting meditation, also called 'calm abiding.' This is good, but in Buddhist training you must go deeper than this. It is important to go deeper into emptiness—not nothingness, but into understanding emptiness as the nature of mind. This is where wisdom and compassion come from.

—Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche, "Trust Through Reason”

 

Via JMG: PERU: Evangelist Michael Brown Exports Anti-Gay Hatred To South America

Jeremy Hooper reports for GLAAD:

The sad trend of American anti-LGBT activists traveling across the globe in order to "warn" them from making the pro-LGBT "mistakes" of America continues. The latest example comes from Peru, where vehemently anti-LGBT activist Michael Brown recently spoke to local members of congress, as well as passed out copies of his propaganda book, A Queer Thing Happened to America. This new trend is chilling, frankly. From Jamaica to France to Russia, and many map stops in between, a who's who of American anti-LGBT activists, feeling defeated and increasingly marginalized here at home, are seizing the chance to stir the pot in any nation that might be willing to see them as soothsayers. It is, to the letter, the strategy we saw in Uganda a handful of years ago, when Scott Lively and other Americans started dropping into the nation and telling locals how downright awful we LGBT Americans are. We all know how that one played out.

 Make the Jump here to watch the video from JMG

PREVIOUSLY ON JMG: Michael Brown claims gay activists want Christians thrown into prison. Michael Brown claims that Hillary Clinton is controlled by Satanic homosexuals. Michael Brown claims that the Bible is 100% true except for the parts he doesn't like. Michael Brown leads a hate march of hundreds of Christians to disrupt Charlotte's gay pride parade. Michael Brown debuts his book with a video using small children to ridicule gay families. Michael Brown claims he's "honored" to be featured on the SPLC's "hit list." Michael Brown claims he's "outraged" to be featured on the SPLC's "hit list." Michael Brown denounces the "vulgar" post labels on JMG.

Labels: Christianists, hate groups, Michael Brown, Peru, religion, South America

posted by Joe Jervis

Via Upworthy / FB:

Via JMG: Porno Pete Vs Dan Savage

Labels: Dan Savage, hate groups, Peter LaBarbera, religion

Reposted from Joe Jervis

Via FB:

JMG HomoQuotable - George Takei

"I take no solace or joy in this man's passing. We will not dance upon his grave, nor stand vigil at his funeral holding 'God Hates Freds' signs, tempting as it may be. He was a tormented soul, who tormented so many. Hate never wins out in the end. It instead goes always to its lonely, dusty end." - George Takei, writing on his Facebook page.

Labels: Fred Phelps, George Takei, hate groups, religion

Reposted from Joe Jervis

Que tal ser criativo na páscoa?

Para a receita de pão de cenoura você irá precisar de:
- 4 xícaras de cenouras cortadas em rodelas
- 2 ovos
- 1 xícara de água morna
- 2 colheres de sopa de fermento biológico seco
- 3/4 de xícara de óleo
- 1/2 xícara de açúcar
- 1 colher de sopa de mel
- 2 colheres de chá de sal
- 8 1/2 xícaras de farinha de trigo

Veja a lista de compras aqui: http://bit.ly/10tmVnZ
Em uma panela com água cozinhe a cenoura até ficar macia, e então drene a água e bata a cenoura no liquidificador ou em um processador até obter um purê. Se você quiser um sabor mais defumado para o seu pãozinho, pode assar a cenoura no forno ao invés de cozinhar na água. Para fazer no forno, coloque as cenouras em rodelas em uma assadeira e adicione 1 colher rasa de azeite, para besuntar as cenouras. Leve em forno pré-aquecido em 180°C e asse por 15 minutos ou até ficarem macias. Depois é só fazer o purê.
Ainda no liquidificador ou no processador, adicione os ovos e 1/2 xícara de água, batendo até o purê ficar bem cremoso.

Numa tigela grande, coloque o fermento biológico seco e o restante da água, mexendo até dissolver totalmente o fermento. Despeje então o purê de cenoura e, na sequência, adicione o óleo, açúcar, mel, sal e 5 xícaras de farinha, misturando e amassando com as mãos. Adicione mais farinha conforme achar necessário até obter uma massa de pão macia e lisa.

Polvilhe a sua bancada com um pouco de farinha e sove a massa por 6 a 8 minutos, para que ela obtenha um pouco de elasticidade. Se você tiver uma batedeira com o(s) gancho(s) para bater massa de pão, também pode usar. Em seguida, coloque a massa em uma tigela grande levemente untada com óleo ou spray para untar, cubra com um pano úmido ou um filme plástico e deixe descansar por cerca de 1 hora, para dobrar de tamanho.

Divida a massa em bolinhas pequenas. Com ela é possível fazer 48 pãezinhos, mas a quantidade varia conforme o tamanho das bolinhas de massa. Coloque as bolinhas de massa em uma assadeira untada de óleo ou spray para untar e cubra novamente com um pano úmido ou filme plástico, deixando descansar por mais 1 hora. É importante não deixar uma bolinha de massa muito próxima a outra, pois elas vão dobrar de tamanho nesta etapa.

Passada 1 hora, os seus pãezinhos já estão prontos para assar. Para fazer o pão do coelhinho, como é a da ideia da foto, pegue uma tesoura e belisque a massa fazendo as orelhinhas. Em seguida, usando uma esteca ou um palito de churrasco faça os olhinhos, apertando a massa.

Leve então os seus pãezinhos para assar em forno pré-aquecido a 180°C por 18 a 20 minutos ou até ficarem dourados.

Se achar que são muitos pãezinhos para se fazer de uma única vez, após as bolinhas terem dobrado de tamanho, leve a assadeira para o congelador e deixe os pãezinhos congelarem. Depois de congelados, você pode colocar todos em saco plástico e deixar no congelador para fazer a hora que desejar.

Fonte: http://blog.barradoce.com.br/2013/03/receita-pao-de-cenoura.html

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Samvega | March 17, 2014

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Salman Rushdie on Bill Maher discussing "9/11 liberals"

Bill Maher Trashes the Bible Noah Story and Psychotic Mass Murderer God

Via JMG: Franklin Graham Endorses Putin

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"America’s response to Putin’s law was sadly predictable. President Obama intentionally included homosexuals in his official U.S. delegation to Sochi. Then his attorney general stole headlines from the opening weekend with an announcement to the Human Rights Campaign (a major gay-rights group): As far as the federal government is concerned, there is no longer any difference between traditional and same-sex marriage—even in the 33 states that outlaw those marriages. It’s obvious that President Obama and his administration are pushing the gay-lesbian agenda in America today and have sold themselves completely to that which is contrary to God’s teaching." - Franklin Graham, writing for Decision Magazine.

Labels: bigotry, Christianists, Franklin Graham, LGBT rights, religion, Russia, Vladimir Putin

Reposted from Joe Jervis

Via JMG: Fred Phelps Reportedly Near Death

Fred Phelps, the 84 year-old patriarch of Westboro Baptist Church, is reportedly near death. His estranged son, Nathan Phelps, writes on his Facebook page:

I’ve learned that my father, Fred Phelps, Sr., pastor of the “God Hates Fags” Westboro Baptist Church, was ex-communicated from the “church” back in August of 2013. He is now on the edge of death at Midland Hospice house in Topeka, Kansas. I’m not sure how I feel about this. Terribly ironic that his devotion to his god ends this way. Destroyed by the monster he made. I feel sad for all the hurt he’s caused so many. I feel sad for those who will lose the grandfather and father they loved. And I’m bitterly angry that my family is blocking the family members who left from seeing him, and saying their good-byes.

Hemant Mehta has more at the Friendly Atheist:

I just got off the phone with Nate and he confirmed what he had written. The rumors had been flying for several weeks, he said, but after a conversation with some of his fellow “excommunicated” family members, he found out that the rumors were true. He elaborated on that final line, too, saying that the Phelps family is now blocking anyone who is no longer with the church from seeing him, including Fred’s sons, daughters, nieces, and nephews. Why was he kicked out of his own church? Did he have a change of heart near the end of his life? There’s no definitive answer to that and Nate has heard different things (so any explanation is pure speculation right now).

Over on Twitter, some are calling for a picket of Phelps' funeral, but Mehta and others suggest that the better response might be to ignore it completely. Rod Dreher writes at American Conservative:

Can you imagine having come to the end of your life, very nearly to the moment in which you will meet your God and be reckoned with, and all you have to show for it is … that? I’ve always thought the Westboro Baptist Church people were despicable, but there is something about the thought of that old man lying on his death bed, forsaken, the victim of his own sins, that makes me pity him. One tear of repentance from the vicious old preacher will open the floodgates of the divine mercy he spent his life trying to deny to others. I pray for that tear. And I hope no one pickets his funeral, giving to his family the mercy they do not deserve.

Labels: Fred Phelps, hate groups, religion, Westboro

Reposted from Joe Jervis

Via Daily Dharma:

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What's So Great About Now? | March 16, 2014

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Mindfulness, accompanied by clear comprehension, differs from ordinary awareness. Rather than seeing the conventional features of objects more clearly, mindfulness goes beyond them to perceive something quite specific—the ultimate characteristics common to all formations, good or bad. There are only three of these: impermanence, unsatisfactoriness, and non-selfness. (Note that beauty isn't among them.) These traits are unwelcome—unsatisfactory. So the more mindfulness one has, the clearer dukkha becomes. 

 

—Cynthia Thatcher, “What’s So Great About Now?”

Via Edge on the Net: New Health Insurance Rights for Same-Sex Couples

Acting to expand health insurance access for same-sex couples, the Obama administration said Friday that plans offering benefits for heterosexual couples must also provide coverage for married couples who are of the same gender.

The policy, posted online by the Department of Health and Human Services, takes effect next year and applies to plans offered in the new health insurance exchanges, as well to many - but not all - individual and employer plans offered outside that marketplace.

The administration acted after gays and lesbians complained that they’re not sure how the rules of the new insurance exchanges apply to them - particularly in states that do not recognize same-sex marriage.

The department said it was moving to clarify those rules and make coverage "more accessible and equitable for married same-sex couples." It’s part of a government-wide effort to codify the rights of same-sex spouses in the wake of last year’s Supreme Court decision striking down the federal Defense of Marriage Act, and opening the way for same-sex spouses to receive government benefits.
The new HHS policy says that if an insurance company offers spousal coverage to heterosexual couples, it must also provide that benefit to same-sex couples who were legally married in a jurisdiction that recognizes marriage between people of the same sex.

http://www.edgeonthenet.com/news/national/News//156626/new_health_insurance_rights_for_same-sex_couples

Wasla Band - El salam (peace) | فريق وصله - السلام

Courage – Quotes on Living Exceptional Lives, from Lao Tzu, Pema Chodron, T.S. Eliot and Others

Bravery is not about becoming superheroes – it is about living wisely in the present moment, and learning to let go of the things and feelings that hold us back from living full lives.

Here are some great quotes from past and present philosophers, writers, and spiritual leaders on the qualities of courage we all carry inside.

When I let go of what I am, I become what I might be. (Lao Tzu)
– Only we can hold ourselves back. Only we can set ourselves free.
 

Man cannot discover new oceans unless he has the courage to lose sight of the shore.(Andre Gide)
– Adventure may be dangerous, but so can staying in one place forever.
 

Fear is a natural reaction to moving closer to the truth. (Pema Chodron)
– It is said that the only mistakes on the road to wisdom are not starting, and not going all the way – keep walking.
 

Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go. (T. S. Eliot)
– Teachers can show us the path, travelers can tell us how to walk it, but only the individual person can journey on it.
 

It’s not because things are difficult that we dare not venture. It’s because we dare not venture that they are difficult. (Seneca)
– How often do we make obstacles larger in our minds than they really are?
 

You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. (Eleanor Roosevelt)
– Fear can be a great, liberating, powerful experience when we use it to grow.
 

Courage is not simply one of the virtues, but the form of every virtue at the testing point. (C. S. Lewis)
– All good deeds in our lives come down to courage – the bravery required to make the right choice even when the right choice is unpopular.
 

Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear, not absence of fear. (Mark Twain)
– Bravery is never a sudden enlightenment or magic power – rather it is the humble effort to keep moving forward in the face of uncertainty.
 

To have striven, to have made the effort, to have been true to certain ideals – this alone is worth the struggle. (William Penn)
– What else is life, but an effort to do something worthwhile? Do what challenges you and makes you feel afraid.

Please take the jump here to read the original posting

Vi Daily Dharma:

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Boundless Compassion | March 15, 2014

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Traditional Buddhism describes boundless love and compassion as liberations of the heart that free us from ill will, cruelty, and indifference. They are called divine dwellings because those who practice them radiate holy wishes for the welfare, happiness, and security of all beings. Given, however, the gravity of the crisis that confronts us today, it is questionable whether the merely inward cultivation of such virtues is sufficient. If love and compassion don’t find expression in concrete action, they could remain purely subjective states, lofty and sublime but inert, unable to exert any beneficial influence on others.

 

—Bhikkhu Bodhi, “The Need Of The Hour”

 

Dra Yang Project " Namo Buddhaya, namo Dharmaya, namo Sanghaya "

Via Daily Dharma

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Great Questioning, Great Awakening | March 14, 2014

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The most important part of the practice is for the question to remain alive and for your whole body and mind to become a question. In Zen they say that you have to ask with the pores of your skin and the marrow of your bones. A Zen saying points out: Great questioning, great awakening; little questioning, little awakening; no questioning, no awakening. 

 

—Martine Bachelor, “What is This?”

Via JMG: SCOTLAND: Queen Elizabeth Gives Royal Assent For Gay Marriage Law

Gay Star News reports:

Queen Elizabeth II has signed same-sex marriage into law in Scotland today (13 March). By the end of the year, Scottish gay couples will be able to unite in matrimony. It is the last step in the long battle to get the Marriage and Civil Partnership (Scotland) Bill through Parliament, making it an Act. Alex Neil, cabinet Secretary for Health and Well-being, said: "I am delighted that the Same Sex Marriage Bill has now received Royal Assent. We continue to work in close co-operation with Westminster on implementation of the Act so that the first same sex marriage can take place in Scotland as soon as is possible."

The bill was approved by the Scottish Parliament last month in a lopsided vote of 105-18.

Labels: marriage equality, Queen Elizabeth, Scotland, UK

Reposted from Joe Jervis

Via JMG: TEXAS: Joel Osteen's Prosperity Gospel Church Robbed Of One Week's Prosperity

 

But don't worry, they are insured. From the church:

We were heartbroken to learn today that funds were stolen from the church over the weekend. This includes cash, checks and envelopes containing written credit card information, and it is limited only to those funds contributed in the church services on Saturday, March 8 and Sunday, March 9, 2014. If you made a contribution during these weekend services, we would encourage you to pay close attention to your accounts over the next several days and weeks and report any suspicious activity to your financial institution or credit card company immediately. It is important to note this was not an electronic data breach, but was instead limited to donations made in the services on March 8 and 9, 2014. You were not affected if you put your offering in a drop box, you gave online or through other electronic means, or you made a bookstore purchase. We are working with the police to fully investigate the incident. The funds were fully insured, and we are working with our insurance company to restore the stolen funds to the church.

Below: Joel Osteen's 17,000sf mansion.

Labels: grifters, Joel Osteen, religion, Texas

Reposted from Joe Jervis

Via Daily Dharma

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The Path to Restoration | March 13, 2014

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My advice for people is to love the world they are in, in whatever way makes sense to them. It may be a devotional practice, it may be song or poetry, it may be by gardening, it may be as an activist, scientist, or community leader. The path to restoration extends from our heart to the heart of sentient beings, and that path will be different for every person.

—Paul Hawken, “The Movement With No Name”

 

Via Emerson Collins

← The Real Victory in Arizona

An Open Letter to Michele Bachmann

Posted on March 11, 2014 by emersoncollins

 

Michele Bachmann suggested that the gay community is bullying Americans and politicians.  You can read the full article and hear the clip for yourself here. This is my response.

Dear Michele Bachmann,

I would like to provide you with a definition of a word that, for all your legal experience, you seem not to comprehend. The word “bully” has become a buzzword, a convenient way for adults who are losing an argument to shut down the conversation. When your back is against the wall, you call someone a “bully” and if they don’t allow you to gracefully exit the argument you get to say, “SEE! They ARE a bully.”

Except, that’s incorrect. “Bully” is defined variously as “a person who uses superior strength or power to harm, intimidate or influence those who are weaker.”

Now let’s reconsider your words. “…the gay community, they have so bullied the American people, and they’ve so intimidated politicians. The politicians fear them, so that they think they get to dictate the agenda everywhere.”

Let’s consider the fallacy here, shall we?

Make the jump here to read the full article

Via The Other 98% / FB: