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Surrender and Engagement | November 5, 2014
We must walk a fine line between surrender
and engagement. As we individuate, we learn to remain open to the nature
of uncertainty in the journey, allowing ourselves to fearlessly unfold.
At the same time, our active participation in the process functions as a
kind of dialogue between the ego and our Buddha-nature. We still pay
the bills, do the washing up, and take the kids to school.
- Rob Preece, "The Solace of Surrender"  |
Wednesday, November 5, 2014
Via Daily Dharma
Tuesday, November 4, 2014
Flower of the Day: 11/04/14
“Selfless
service is an action that purifies selfishness. Usually all of our
actions are full of self-interest: we want to be important, we want to
be recognized and receive attention, but this is not service. What we
can call service is selfless action performed without any expectation of
the fruits of our labor. It is a pure act, a sincere giving that is
done in silence and with discretion. It is an act made out of kindness
and sweetness. It’s a tool used in the process of personal
transformation and at the same time is a way to help awaken love.”
Sri Prem Baba
Via Daily Dharma
Dharma on No Dollars a Day | November 4, 2014
Take that which comes without a price tag and cherish it as a holy text.
- Walker Douglas, "Dharma on No Dollars a Day"
- Walker Douglas, "Dharma on No Dollars a Day"
Via JMG: RUSSIA: Steve Jobs Memorial Torn Down Because Apple CEO Tim Cook Came Out
Via Business Insider:
Reposted from Joe Jervis
Residents of Saint Petersburg have reportedly torn down a giant interactive iPhone memorial that commemorated the death of Apple founder Steve Jobs after the company's current CEO, Tim Cook, came out as gay on Thursday. Business FM Radio reports that the company that originally funded the memorial, ZEFS, decided to tear it down after Cook said he was proud to be gay. The six-foot tall memorial was erected in 2013 to celebrate Steve Jobs' life. It featured a large screen that showcased moments from Jobs' life, as well as scrolling quotations from his speeches and a QR code on the back that would take people who scanned it to a website.The chairman of the company that installed the memorial said that it might return with a message that instructs Russians not to buy Apple products. (Tipped by JMG reader Alan)
Labels: Apple, bigotry, business, coming out, religion, Russia, St. Petersburg, Steve Jobs, Tim Cook
Monday, November 3, 2014
Via JMG: INDIA: Bollywood Star Might Face Charges For Promoting Homosexuality
A court in Chandigarh issued a legal notice to Bollywood actor Aamir Khan, seeking his response by 19 December on a petition alleging that he promoted homosexuality on his popular TV show 'Satyamev Jayate'. Admitting the petition by advocate Mandeep Kaur, the court of civil judge Jaswinder Singh had on Friday issued a notice to Aamir Khan to file his reply by 19 December. In her petition, Kaur alleged that Aamir Khan's conduct on his show 'Satyamev Jayate' was a violation of the Supreme Court order on homosexuality, upholding Section 377 which criminalises homosexual acts. Through the petition, she sought the court's intervention to declare Khan's act a contempt of court.Kaur has demanded a public apology from Khan but says she has gotten no response.
Via JMG: AUSTRIA: Conchita Wurst Meets UN Head Ban Ki-Moon During Talks On LGBT Rights
Via the Associated Press:
Reposted from Joe Jervis
U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has joined Austrian cross-dressing pop star Conchita Wurst in calling for an end to bias based on a person's sexual orientation. Wurst teamed up with Ban on Monday on the sidelines of a U.N. conference to deliver their message of tolerance. Ban told reporters that he will continue his fight "against transphobia and homophobia." "I stand strong for equality," Ban said. "We are unstoppable," he added, quoting Wurst's words on the night of her victory at this year's Eurovision song contest.More from Yahoo News:
The entertainer, sporting a demure dress and black high heels along with the trademark beard, shook hands and joked with Ban and sang for hundreds of cheering officials and diplomats at the United Nations complex in Vienna. "This year I extended benefits to same-sex partners of U.N. staff members... Discrimination has no place in the United Nations," Ban said to applause from officials, dozens of whom crowded round to get a picture with or autograph from Wurst. "When I heard that she won this Eurovision song contest I immediately knew that she was a star of the world," Ban said.
Labels: Austria, Ban Ki-Moon, Conchita Wurst, drag, Eurovision, gay artists, LGBT rights, pop music, United Nations, Vienna
Via Daily Dharma
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How to Regard All People | November 3, 2014
The myriad dharmas, absolutely
everything, are within the nature of all people. If you can regard all
people, the bad as well as the good, without grasping or rejecting, free
of any clinging, your mind will be like empty space. Thus, it can be
called 'great,' maha.
- Huineng, “Prajna”
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Flower of the Day: 11/03/14
“What
sustains the ego is the idea of ‘me’ and ‘mine.’ This is the root of
the dream state. Being identified with the ego, we begin to slip into
dreaming. Regardless of whether the nature of the dream is good or bad,
dreaming itself ultimately leads to suffering. But if dreaming brings
suffering, why don’t we wake up? Why don’t we open our eyes and break
with this identification? When we are having a nightmare, even if a part
of us wants to wake up, oftentimes we’re unable to do so because a part
of us is enchanted with this dream. On some level, we are energetically
involved with this story, with our vital energy entangled with the
dream.”
Sri Prem Baba
Sunday, November 2, 2014
Flower of the Day: 11/02/14
“Each
of us walks the path designated for our soul. This program cannot be
changed by the mind. This is why I say that life is a mystery to be
unveiled by the heart. Only the heart knows this program. Follow your
heart – it knows the way.”
Sri Prem Baba
Via Daily Dharma
The Rest is Clear | November 2, 2014
This is just your life. So you do your
part, and the rest is clear. It is clear because there has never been
anything lacking, despite any beliefs you might have, despite any ideas
you might have. There has never been anything lacking.
- Elihu Genmyo Smith, "Do Your Best"
Saturday, November 1, 2014
UN rights office calls on Singapore's legislature to respond to court's decision, repeal anti-gay sex law
Using a 150 year old criminal law to prosecute individuals for engaging in consensual same sex conduct violates a host of human rights guaranteed by international law,' says the UN human rights office..He noted that as some political leaders in Singapore have publicly advocated for tolerance and inclusion, the UN hopes Singapore’s legislature will now respond to the Court's decision by repealing section 377A of the Penal Code and enacting comprehensive anti-discrimination legislation that includes discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation and gender identity.
http://www.gaystarnews.com/article/un-rights-office-calls-singapores-legislature-respond-courts-decision-repeal-anti-gay-sex-la
Via JMG: HRC Reacts To Sen. Ted Cruz
"It's curious that virtually everything that comes out of Senator Cruz's
mouth is either an insult or a put-down. Today, it was Tim Cook, LGBT
Americans and three of the GOP's most revered leaders. Positivity
training should be on his to-do list. Lighten up, Ted. Coming out is the
most courageous and important thing that an LGBT person will do in
their lifetime. Tim Cook showed great courage and leadership in doing
so. He no doubt will save lives by inspiring those struggling with their
sexual orientation or gender identity. All we get from Senator Cruz is
either backhanded compliments or his backhand." - Fred Sainz, vice
present of the Human Rights Campaign, via press release.
Labels: activism, Apple, business, coming out, GOP, HRC, LGBT rights, Tea Party, teabaggers, Ted Cruz, Tim Cook
Via JMG: LGBT Business Group Lauds Tim Cook
Out Leadership, a strategic advisory firm dedicated to cultivating LGBT and ally senior leaders to create global business opportunity and drive equality forward, congratulates Apple CEO Tim Cook on the occasion of his coming out publicly.The above-linked press release includes quotes from the CEOs of Deutsche Bank, HSBC, and Goldman Sachs.
“While Tim Cook chose to publicly identify himself as gay for the first time yesterday, he and Apple have long been allies to the LGBT community,” said Todd Sears, Out Leadership’s Founder. “We particularly applaud his choice to use this moment to underline the business case for diversity and the value of out leaders in the boardroom.”
“Though Cook may not consider himself an activist, the fact that the leader of the world’s most valuable company is proud to be gay will no doubt reverberate globally,” Sears continued. “Apple is admired and emulated worldwide, including in many places that have historically been unwelcoming to LGBT people and professionals. Today it’s going to be a bit harder to both love your iPhone and be a homophobe.”
Flower of the Day: 11/01/14
"The
meetings and farewells of life are forms that love uses to purify us
from the distortions and projections that cloud our perception of love
itself. Such projections make us feel like a victim, and a victim is
always laden with expectations, whims, points of view and demands. As
long as we are still undergoing purification, true gratitude cannot
manifest, since we project these distortions onto the Divine itself.
These projections are what turn our relationship with God into a
negotiation, a bargaining. The healing work love is performing is
constantly squeezing us until the only thing left is our very essence.”
Sri Prem Baba
Via Daily Dharma
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A Positive Attitude | November 1, 2014
Just as a flash of lightening on a dark, cloudy night,
For an instant, brightly illuminates all; So, in this world, through the might of the Buddhas, A positive attitude rarely and briefly appears.
-Shantideva, “But for a Moment”
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Friday, October 31, 2014
Flower of the Day: 10/31/14
“There
is a sacred aspect to our individual wounds. It is a messenger, a
teacher that has come to give us the most delicate of lessons:
forgiveness. There are messengers that are received with joy, because
they are delivered in the form of happy situations and blessed
encounters involving prosperity and achievement. But other messengers
come in the form of sadness and challenging situations such as loss,
illness, and failures. In these circumstances, our tendency is to close
ourselves up to the message. However, certain karmas only get dissolved
through difficult situations. Some of these circumstances are even
predetermined before birth. They are like sacred agreements made with
the objective of preventing the human entity from falling asleep, thus
losing the opportunity to learn in this life.”
Sri Prem Baba
Via Daily Dharma
Fearlessness | October 31, 2014
The fearlessness of the great spiritual
teachers like Moses, Jesus, Saint Theresa, Buddha, and Bodhidharma was
the fearlessness of the spiritual warrior. Different from stoicism,
naïveté, or arrogance, this fearlessness is selfless, generous, and
compassionate. Fearlessness is not a matter of ignoring fear, but of
really acknowledging it and being empowered by it.
- John Daido Loori Roshi, "Between Two Mountains"
Thursday, October 30, 2014
Via JMG: Satan's Favorite City Wins World Series
UPDATE: JMG reader Kned sends us a photo from the celebration in the Castro.
UPDATE II: Another Kned photo, this time from the Mission.
Reposted from Joe Jervis 
Via JMG: Tim Cook: I'm Proud To Be Gay
"While I have never denied my sexuality, I haven’t publicly acknowledged
it either, until now. So let me be clear: I’m proud to be gay, and I
consider being gay among the greatest gifts God has given me. Being gay
has given me a deeper understanding of what it means to be in the
minority and provided a window into the challenges that people in other
minority groups deal with every day. It’s made me more empathetic, which
has led to a richer life. It’s been tough and uncomfortable at times,
but it has given me the confidence to be myself, to follow my own path,
and to rise above adversity and bigotry. It’s also given me the skin of a
rhinoceros, which comes in handy when you’re the CEO of Apple." - Tim Cook, coming out formally at last in an essay published by Business Week.
Reposted from Joe Jervis
Via JMG: Sen. Ted Cruz: Being Gay Is Tim Cook's Personal Choice But I Love My iPhone
"Those are his personal choices. I’ll tell you, I love my iPhone," Cruz said. "Listen, Tim Cook makes his personal decisions, and that is his life. My focus is on the constitutional question of who has the authority to make decisions," he later added. Cruz said that marriage is a "question for the states" because of the country's federalist system. "This is something we’ve seen over and over again, which is the federal government and federal courts deciding they don’t trust the people," Cruz said. "They look down on the people, they don’t trust us to make judgments about our own lives, so the federal government and federal courts are going to step in and impose their own policy preferences."
Labels: Apple, assholery, business, coming out, crackpots, GOP, Tea Party, teabaggers, Ted Cruz, Tim Cook
Flower of the Day: 10/30/14
“Sometimes
one needs to withdraw. When we are going through a healing process and
doing a self-study, we need to sustain a prayer field. If we go out into
the world, we may get identified and fall, so we must allow ourselves
to be alone for some time. At some point, we must also go back out into
the world and relate to others. The key here is being prepared to give
of ourselves and wanting others to be happy. The question is whether or
not we are able to embark on a higher level of study by being a channel
of generosity, sharing our silence and love with others – even if they
don’t know it.”
Sri Prem Baba
Via Daily Dharma
The Right Pitch | October 30, 2014
Cultivating skillful effort, we learn
to distinguish the 'right' amount of effort. Not too little. Not too
much. Just right. In tune. When we find the right pitch, our practice
flourishes.
- Peter Doobinin, "Skillful Effort"
Wednesday, October 29, 2014
Via Dialy Dharma
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Humanized Once More | October 29, 2014
We must realize that modern
civilization is thoroughly oriented towards dehumanizing humanity in
every possible way; that is to say, we are fast turning into robots or
statues with no human souls. Our task is to get humanized once more.
- D. T. Suzuki, "Humanized Once More"
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Flower of the Day: 10/29/14
“You
can only renounce what you already have. It is not possible to give up
something you don’t have. Renunciation needs to be truthful; otherwise,
when you are facing the ocean you may look back and see that you still
want to be a river. You don’t want to give up certain things because you
are stuck in your need to be recognized and loved. You don’t want to
give up your story, your name or your body. This process brings you to
the source of the inner split where there are two opposing forces acting
inside of you. It is precisely this tug-of-war that causes suffering.”
Sri Prem Baba
Via JMG: Together - We Are Stronger | Moovz
Via press release:
People from all around the world took part in the gay selfie project released by the global gay social network Moovz. This project was meant to show the faces of the global gay community, with people from different cultures, with different colors, appearance and races and that speaks different languages. From South to North America and from Europe to as far as Asia - people uploaded their pictures and agreed to be exposed in order to send a message to the world and prove how united is the global gay community. This is probably the first time that gays from all around the world did something together to send a message that empowers their whole community. Many gay influencers also took part in this project, such as Amanda Lepore, Davey Wavey, Chris Salvatore, Colby Melvin, Matthew Lush, Willam Belli and many other global and local gay leaders from different regions who are following this initiative that gathered the entire gay community into one place.
Via JMG: Michael Stipe On 20 Years Of Being Out
"What I feel we have arrived at with all this, is that queerness – as I am happy to call an all-embracing, foundational tenet – is really a state of mind brought about by an understanding: it is understanding difference, accepting your own truth, desire and identity, and lovely, lovely choice. It is the final, completely obvious contemporary acceptance and understanding that this enormous world of beauty, sexuality, identity, lust, feeling, excitement, and love isn’t just black and white, or simple, at all – it is literally every shade and gradation of the rainbow. It doesn’t just lie in one of two camps. It includes accepting and supporting positions that you may not even completely understand; and to arrive at that conviction is so, so beautiful, and to quote my great friend Casey Legler: 'Fierce!'
"These 20 years of publicly speaking my truth have made me a better and easier person to be around. It helped develop the clarity of my voice and establish who I would be as an adult. I am proud to be who I am, and I am happy to have shared that with the world."
- REM frontman Michael Stipe, in an essay for the Guardian. Next month REM will release an 11-disc vinyl box set collection of its singles, titled 7IN – 83–88, which will include reproductions of all their IRS Records singles from those years, including the original sleeve art. (Tipped by JMG reader Mike)
Tuesday, October 28, 2014
Via Qwerty: Church Sends Terrible Letter To Gay Congregant. He Responds Like A Pro.
The Presbyterian Church in America has a clear stance on homosexuality. Basically, it’s a sin. Yadda, yadda, yadda.
But even their tired beliefs don’t explain the way one church treated a member of its congregation after they discovered he is gay.
The churchgoer — Justin — was outed by a trusted church official, and discovered a lengthy and insulting letter sitting in his mailbox one day.
“Regretfully it has come to our attention that you have been engaging in a homosexual lifestyle,” it begins, only continuing downhill from there.
He’s told he must defend himself at a special hearing. Instead, he replied with the perfect rebuttal.
“What was my crime? I loved. I was loved. I am capable of love. It is abundantly and sadly clear that you do not understand this,” he writes in his response.
Here’s the letter he got from the church, followed by his response:
And here’s Justin’s response:
h/t Gay Star News
http://www.queerty.com/church-sends-terrible-letter-to-gay-congregant-he-responds-like-a-pro-20141028
But even their tired beliefs don’t explain the way one church treated a member of its congregation after they discovered he is gay.
The churchgoer — Justin — was outed by a trusted church official, and discovered a lengthy and insulting letter sitting in his mailbox one day.
“Regretfully it has come to our attention that you have been engaging in a homosexual lifestyle,” it begins, only continuing downhill from there.
He’s told he must defend himself at a special hearing. Instead, he replied with the perfect rebuttal.
“What was my crime? I loved. I was loved. I am capable of love. It is abundantly and sadly clear that you do not understand this,” he writes in his response.
Here’s the letter he got from the church, followed by his response:
And here’s Justin’s response:
h/t Gay Star News
http://www.queerty.com/church-sends-terrible-letter-to-gay-congregant-he-responds-like-a-pro-20141028
Via Canal Brasil / FB:
A partir do dia 13/11, às 23h30, o jornalista e professor Jean Wyllys reforça o time do Canal Brasil!
http://bit.ly/OutrasCores
No 'Cinema Em Outras Cores' ele propõe uma reflexão sobre a diversidade
sexual e a descriminalização das drogas através do cinema, apresentando
e discutindo polêmicos curta-metragens.
http://bit.ly/OutrasCores
Flower of the Day: 10/28/14
“Life
is cyclical. One moment you are on the crest of the wave, the next you
are in the trough. Then you are up on the crest again and soon after you
come back down. That’s how it is. There are warm sunny days and there
are cold rainy days; there are white clouds and dark clouds, but they
always pass by. If you observe the clouds without becoming identified
with them, you will find the way out of the labyrinth of suffering and
you won’t get caught in it anymore.”
Sri Prem Baba
Via Daily Dharma
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A Guide to Sanity | October 28, 2014
Feeling alarm or devastation can guide
us to a deep sanity, reminding us of who we are and what we need. Our
power to act, our power to take part in the healing of our world, our
power to bring things back into balance, comes from the same source as
that devastation. Our pain for the world, and our power to take part in
the healing of our world, both come from the same place.
- Joanna Macy, "Allegiance to Life"
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Monday, October 27, 2014
Via Daily Dharma
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The Brain in Space | October 27, 2014
What’s important is not just what is
inside the brain but what the brain is inside of—the larger space of the
body and culture. That is where we find mind and meaning.
- Evan Thompson, “The Embodied Mind”
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Flower of the Day: 10/27/14
“Deep
down everyone on this Earth is looking for peace, prosperity and joy.
Even when they are in frantic disputes, fighting for material
achievements, they are in fact in search of joy. However, without love
this is impossible to achieve. This is why we are dedicated to awakening
love. As long as there are still points of hatred and fear inside of
us, we are being robbed of our joy. As long as we desperately want to
receive love, we will be walking in the wrong direction because this
achievement is only possible when we are generously giving the love we
long to receive.”
Sri Prem Baba
Sunday, October 26, 2014
Via JMG: Eric Holder: Federal Government Now Recognizes Married Gays In 32 States
Via White House press release:
In the latest development following the Supreme Court’s decision earlier this month to decline to hear any pending cases regarding same-sex marriage, Attorney General Eric Holder announced Saturday that the federal government will now recognize same-sex married couples in six new states: Alaska, Arizona, Idaho, North Carolina, West Virginia, and Wyoming.These updates always cause an uproar over on Free Republic.
Last week, the Attorney General made a similar announcement with respect to seven other states: Colorado, Indiana, Nevada, Oklahoma, Utah, Virginia and Wisconsin. Saturday’s announcement adds to that list and brings the total number of states where same-sex couples are recognized by the federal government to 32, plus the District of Columbia.
The Attorney General’s announcement means couples married in these states will now qualify for a range of federal benefits, including those administered by the Social Security Administration and Department of Veterans Affairs.
“With each new state where same-sex marriages are legally recognized, our nation moves closer to achieving of full equality for all Americans,” the Attorney General said. “We are acting as quickly as possible with agencies throughout the government to ensure that same-sex married couples in these states receive the fullest array of benefits allowable under federal law.”
In addition, the Attorney General also announced that the Department of Justice has determined it can legally recognize marriages performed in Indiana and Wisconsin this past June. These marriages were performed immediately after federal district courts ruled that those states’ bans on same-sex marriage are unconstitutional, but subsequent developments created confusion about the status of those marriages. Based on the Attorney General’s announcement, however, those couples married during that period will now have their unions recognized by the federal government.
Flower of the Day: 10/26/14
“Whenever
you notice that you are trying to control life, turn your attention
within and try to identify your fear, your hatred and desire to take
justice into your own hands. This sometimes appears as a need to
control, to take over the steering wheel. You can’t relax in the
passenger seat. God wants to take you in one direction so that you can
see new landscapes, but your controlling self wants to go the other way,
be it out of fear, revenge or competition.”
Sri Prem Baba
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