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.
RIGHT LIVING Undertaking the Commitment to Abstain from Misbehaving Among Sensual Pleasures
Sensual misconduct is
unhealthy. Refraining from sensual misconduct is healthy. (MN 9)
Abandoning sensual misconduct, one abstains from misbehaving among
sensual pleasures. (MN 41) One practices thus: “Others may engage in
sensual misconduct, but I will abstain from sensual misconduct.” (MN 8)
Communities are of two kinds: those to be cultivated and those not to be
cultivated. Such communities as cause, in one who cultivates them,
unhealthy states to increase and healthy states to diminish, such
communities are not to be cultivated. But such communities as cause, in
one who cultivates them, unhealthy states to diminish and healthy states
to increase, such communities are to be cultivated. (MN 114)
Reflection
Collective
relationships are as important to examine as personal relationships.
Just as the kinds of friends we keep affect our own development so also
the communities we are part of make a difference in what qualities are
supported in us. It is so easy to fall into sensual misconduct; we are
being encouraged here to attend carefully to the larger social forces
with which we regularly interact. It makes a difference in who we
become.
Daily Practice
Reflect upon
the various communities you inhabit and assess truthfully whether they
are healthy or unhealthy groups. The criteria are pretty
straightforward: Do healthy states of mind increase or decrease when you
hang out with this crowd? Do unhealthy states increase or decrease? It
is important to ensure that the relationships we cultivate are helping
us grow in a positive direction and that we are not being led astray by
our peers.
Tomorrow: Developing Unarisen Healthy States One week from today: Abstaining from Intoxication
Share your thoughts and join the conversation on social media #DhammaWheel
Peace
requires courage and hard work. Peace means that each and every one of
us has an obligation to build mutual understanding and an obligation to
reject fear.
“Second Sunday” Maitri Bhavana Practice
Noel McLellan
April 10, 2022
Join
us for a Maitri Bhavana Practice led by Noel McLellan. Maitri Bhavana
is a regularly scheduled mahayana practice for the seriously ill, or for
major global turmoil and disasters. It contains tonglen practice and
may be done by anyone. If you would like to add the name of someone who
is seriously ill to the maitri bhavana list so people can do practice
for their wellbeing, please click here. You can also add the name of a current world event where there is turmoil and we will practice for those affected. Details.
HARRY HAY,
founder of the Mattachine Society and the Radical Faeries, was born (d:
2002); Although Harry Hay claimed 'never to have even heard of the
earlier Gay liberation struggle in Germany- by the people around Adolf
Brand, Magnus Hirschfeld and Leontine Sagan - he is known to have talked
about it with European emigrés in America including Mattachine
co-founder Rudi Gernreich. (However, Gernreich arrived in America at age
14, and Hay had already written his Gay manifesto when they met).
Hay, along with
Roger Barlow and LeRoy Robbins directed a short film Even As You and I
(1937) featuring Hay, Barlow, and filmmaker Hy Hirsch. A married man
(beard/wife Anita Platky) and a member of the Communist Party USA, Hay
composed the first manifesto of the American Gay rights movement in
1948, writing:
We, the
Androgynes of the world, have formed this responsible corporate body to
demonstrate by our efforts that our physiological and psychological
handicaps need be no deterrent in integrating 10 percent of the world's
population towards the constructive social progress of mankind.
He soon dispensed
with the apologetic language and ideas. Though it may seem very dated
today, the group was very radical compared to the rest of society at the
time of its beginnings. It and Hay were among the first to advance the
argument that Gay people represented a "cultural minority" as well as
being just individuals, and even called for public marches of
homosexuals, predicting later Gay pride parades. Hay's concept of the
"cultural minority" came directly from his Marxist studies, and the
rhetoric he and his colleague Charles Rowland employed often reflected
the militancy of Communist tradition. As the Mattachine Society grew
with chapters around the country, the organization saw the Communist
ties of its founders, including Hay, as a threat during that
McCarthy-ite witch-hunt era, and expelled them from leadership. The
organization took a more cautious tack so that by the time of the
Stonewall riots the Mattachine Society came to be seen by many as stodgy
and assimilationist.
The Communist
Party did not allow gay people to be members, claiming that
homosexuality was a 'deviation'; perhaps more important was the fear
that a member's (usually secret) homosexuality would leave them open to
blackmail and was a security risk in an era of red-baiting. Concerned to
save the party difficulties, as he put more energy into the Mattachine
Society, Hay himself approached the CP's leaders and recommended his own
expulsion. However, after much soul-searching, the CP, clearly reeling
at the loss of a respected member and theoretician of 18 years standing,
refused to expel Hay, instead dropping him as a 'security risk' but
ostentatiously announcing him to be a 'Lifelong Friend of the People'.
Hay later became
an outspoken critic of Gay assimilationism and went on to help found
both Jesse Jackson's Rainbow Coalition and the gay men's group the
Radical Faeries, as well as being active in the Native American
movements.
"We pulled ugly
green frog skin of heterosexual conformity over us, and that's how we
got through school with a full set of teeth," Hay once explained. "We
know how to live through their eyes. We can always play their games, but
are we denying ourselves by doing this? If you're going to carry the
skin of conformity over you, you are going to suppress the beautiful
prince or princess within you."
In the early
1980s Hay protested the exclusion of the North American Man/Boy Love
Association from participation in the LGBT movement. Though he was never
a member of NAMBLA, he gave a number of speeches at its meetings, and
in 1986 he marched in the Los Angeles Pride Parade, from which the
organization had been banned, with a sign reading "NAMBLA walks with
me."
In 1963, at age
51, he met inventor John Burnside, who became his life partner. They
lived first in Los Angeles, and later in a Pueblo Indian reserve in New
Mexico. After returning to Los Angeles to organize the Radical Faerie
movement with Don Kilhefner, the couple moved San Francisco, where Hay
died of lung cancer at age 90. Hay was the subject of the 2002
documentary by Eric Slade, "Hope Along The Wind: The Life of Harry Hay"
(2002).
Today's Gay Wisdom
John Burnside III
2017 -
TODAY'S GAY WISDOM
From White Crane Issue #47 “The Word”
Who Are The Gay People?
By John Burnside
Part II
What are they like, these Gay people?
Well, the ones I
know best are at ease with themselves and with others. They are merry
and loving, gentle and open. They are not dogmatic, judgmental,
domineering, argumentative nor manipulating, nor do they respond to
others who may try to engage them at such levels. They are laughing
people, and equally ready with tears. They are very bright and witty,
and they love good talk. In talk they place no restrictions on the range
of their voices, love to giggle, will scream with astonishment and
pretend dismay or swoon with mock embarrassment, and they are constantly
acting out and giving wicked impersonations. I have never heard small
talk among them, and they are always ready for intensely serious
discourse. They love digression and are masters at it, almost never
failing to return to the main concern. They love theater, and they are
marvelously responsive audiences. They find delight in being alive and
have a tremendous capacity for enjoyment.
They are great
creators of fantasy, yet they strive always to be rooted thoroughly in
reality. Life to them is for love and for play. They love
non-possessively, with full regard for the whole being of another. They
are ruled by their hearts as by their minds, and their first response to
those they encounter is compassionate. Play means in Gay consciousness
living every moment at its highest potential. For them the play of
feeling and imagination is primary in all things, but a main thrust of
their gift for creativity is expressed in what they call their projects.
A project is something that one has dreamed up and has launched on its
way to being realized. Most Gay people have several projects, with some
on the back burner and one or more at any given time getting close
attention.
These traits and
qualities that Gay people show may well be those qualities of human
nature that all people have if they are not deeply identified with and
constrained in roles. Roles channel the energy of impulse into rigid
preformed pathways. People are drawn into roles to gain power,
possessions, and predominance, where they spend their lives in
struggling over these with one another. As outcasts, Gays have the
opportunity to learn that beyond basic necessities possessions are
burdensome and dominance is only a puffing of ego. If a Faerie values
money it is because money is useful to pay rent and fund projects. Power
to control others is odious to him, and showing off would be a tedious
waste of time. He dislikes and avoids rivalry and competition and is as
disdainful of authority and rank in others as he is to letting himself
be blindly followed. Renouncing these "rewards" means that the Gays have
no hidden intent in relating to others; they can be trusted. As they
decline to compete, they are no threat. Yet their many gifts make them
valued counselors to the powerful. This is why Gay people so often walk
where angels fear to tread!
A Faerie likes
best to be among other Faeries, but every Faerie I know has a group of
people who are not Gay with whom he shares an unbreakable bond. These
are people of integrity and spirit whom he values and supports as they
do him. A Faerie relates to others subject to subject so far as the
others will meet him there. With children, animals, trees, and living
things generally Faeries feel a close affinity. Faeries are most at home
in a natural setting and they draw strength from nature.
The spirit of the
Gay people is very evident in these times when, because of AIDS, death
walks among us with terrible insistence and asks his awful question,
asks who you really are. If I am he who built up a pile of power, ego,
wealth, and status, I know death will take it all, but if I have made
myself of things eternal like beauty and love, truth and laughter, the
best part of me will never die. The famous AIDS quilt is surely one of
the most moving and spontaneous creations of a people ever seen. Each
cell of the quilt emits a light deriving from the singular beauty and
indomitable spirit of one person, and the conjoining of seemingly
infinitely many of these creates a field of surpassing beauty that glows
of the tough yet tender love that makes of all Gay people one. The
quilt celebrates the bursting through vast sadness of a light that death
has been unable to smother. It affirms the great purpose that informed
those individual lives and that will always be carried through, no
matter what the pain, by Gay people: to be real, to be loving, and to
reach for the best. the most joyous, and the deepest levels of
experience that life can offer.
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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 mental
action is to be done with repeated reflection. (MN 61)
When you are doing an action with the mind, reflect upon that same
mental action thus: “Does this action I am doing with the mind lead to
the affliction of another?” If, upon reflection, you know that it does,
then stop doing it; if you know that it does not, then continue. (MN 61)
Reflection
Being mindful
allows us to gain access to the flow of internal mental states that
might otherwise be overlooked. Insight develops as you are able to
reflect upon the quality of your thoughts and understand their impact on
yourself and others. Becoming aware of mental states is one thing;
understanding their quality—their level of healthiness or
unhealthiness—is another. This is the practice described here.
Daily Practice
Whether or not
your mental and emotional states cause affliction to yourself and
others is something about which you can develop an intuitive sense. It
is not about examining the question intellectually and conceptually but
about accessing an inner appreciation for what is helpful and what is
harmful. If your attitude feels off in some way, abandon it and turn to
something else. Use your own wisdom to guide yourself along the path.
Tomorrow: Abstaining from Misbehaving Among Sensual Pleasures One week from today: Reflecting upon Social Action
Share your thoughts and join the conversation on social media #DhammaWheel
When
a lion roars in the forest, all the animals tremble and scurry to their
places of refuge. This is not the fear of a helpless victim but a fear
that stirs them to action for their own safety. In the same way, when a
Buddha roars out the truth of impermanence, suffering, and nonself,
those who are wise are moved by the profound sense of spiritual urgency.
Harsh speech is unhealthy.
Refraining from harsh speech is healthy. (MN 9) Abandoning harsh speech,
one refrains from harsh speech. One speaks words that are gentle,
pleasing to the ear, and affectionate, words that go to the heart, are
courteous, and are agreeable to many. (DN 1) One practices thus: “Others
may speak harshly, but I shall abstain from harsh speech.” (MN 8)
When one says, “All those disengaged from the pursuit of
self-mortification have entered upon the right way,” one thus extols
some. But when one says instead, “The disengagement from the pursuit of
self-mortification is a state without suffering, and it is the right
way,” then one is not extolling anyone but simply stating the truth. (MN
139)
Reflection
The principle
we reviewed earlier about criticizing the negative actions of people
rather than criticizing them as people also applies in the positive
direction. It is better to extol, to praise, positive words and deeds
than to extol the person. While the negative comments lead to protective
defensive behaviors, the positive comments could result in an increase
of pride and conceit.
Daily Practice
Praising
someone for being a great person boosts their sense of self, and while
this may be a good thing in the case of the developing egos of
youngsters, it is not something encouraged for Buddhist practitioners.
By all means extol the value and benefit of benevolent words and deeds,
for example, but practice the habit of not feeding people’s view of
self, lest you contribute to their self-aggrandizement. Help people be
humble.
Tomorrow: Reflecting upon Mental Action One week from today: Refraining from Frivolous Speech
Share your thoughts and join the conversation on social media #DhammaWheel
L to R: Terrence McNally, Mayor de Blasio and Tom Kirdahy
2010 -
The late great playwright TERRENCE MCNALLY
wed Tom Kirdahy in Washington D.C. ceremony. During a small ceremony
under a tree blooming with white flowers, Kirdahy read from a scene in
McNally's play "Corpus Christi," in which a Gay, Christ-like figure
named Joshua marries two apostles:
"It is good
when two men love as James and Bartholomew do and we recognize their
union," Kirdahy read. "Love each other in sickness and in health."
Kirdahy, a lawyer
and Broadway producer, choked up as he recalled seeing the play before
meeting the playwright. Actress Tyne Daly, who was then starring in
McNally's "Master Class" at the Kennedy Center festival, served as a
witness at the sunlit wedding and read Shakespeare's Sonnet 116. Actors
John Glover and Malcolm Gets, both starring in "The Lisbon Traviata,"
also looked on.
The Rev. George
Walker of the People's Congregational United Church of Christ presented
them as husbands and signed their marriage certificate.
In 2015, in
celebration of the Supreme Court decision in favor of marriage equality,
the couple renewed their vows at a ceremony officiated by Kirdahy's
former college roommate, New York City Mayor Bill De Blasio.
McNally's most recent play, Mothers and Sons opened on Broadway in March, 2014. Kirdahy was the lead producer of the runaway hit It's Only A Play on Broadway and the five-time Tony Nominated Broadway premiere of TheVisit; he most recently presented TheInheritance.
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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
We can see death as a gift - we don’t usually see it this way, but an
awareness of death changes our lives. Fundamentally, it helps us know
how to love.
Whatever you intend,
whatever you plan, and whatever you have a tendency toward, that will
become the basis on which your mind is established. (SN 12.40) Develop
meditation on appreciative joy, for when you develop meditation on
appreciative joy, any discontent will be abandoned. (MN 62)
The proximate cause of appreciative joy is seeing the success of other beings. (Vm 9.95)
Reflection
It comes
naturally to us, for the most part, to feel good about good things
happening to us. But this does not necessarily happen all the time. What
if we could feel good twice as often or more? Why not experience that
same emotion of appreciative joy when other people meet with success or
good fortune? Instead of feeling jealousy or resentment, we can develop
the skill of sharing in the good fortune of others.
Daily Practice
Look around you
for examples of good things happening to other people. It can seem hard
to find because of the negative bias of our news sources, but if you
search a little you can find good news. When you do, allow yourself to
feel gladness and joy for the good fortune of those people. Share in the
appreciation and gratitude. You can only feel appreciative joy when you
see or think about the success of others, so look for it.
Tomorrow: Refraining from Harsh Speech One week from today: Cultivating Equanimity
Share your thoughts and join the conversation on social media #DhammaWheel
RIGHT VIEW Understanding the Noble Truth of the Cessation of Suffering
What is the cessation of
suffering? It is the remainderless fading away and ceasing, the giving
up, relinquishing, letting go, and rejecting of craving. (MN 9)
When one knows and sees bodily sensations as they actually are, then one
is not attached to bodily sensations. When one abides unattached, one
is not infatuated, and one’s craving is abandoned. One’s bodily and
mental troubles are abandoned, and one experiences bodily and mental
well being. (MN 149)
Reflection
Since craving
is the cause of suffering, the ending of craving will bring about the
end of suffering. This is both a general principle and a dynamic that
happens in every moment of lived experience. We are aware of something
different every moment, and when we either hold on to that object or
push it away, we feel discontent. Observing it with equanimity takes
away the affliction, and everything simply becomes interesting.
Daily Practice
Sensations flow
through your body in a constant stream. Some you like, some you don’t
like. It is natural to feel attached to the ones that feel good and to
resist and resent the ones that don’t, but this itself is the cause of
suffering—attachment and aversion. Practice just observing each
sensation without attachment, without infatuation, and see for yourself
how mindful equanimity results in bodily and mental well being.
Tomorrow: Cultivating Appreciative Joy One week from today: Understanding the Noble Truth of the Way to the Cessation of Suffering
Share your thoughts and join the conversation on social media #DhammaWheel
Recognize
the distinction between what intuitively and spontaneously arises, and
what ego manipulates. When you recognize the difference, you will
wholeheartedly say Yes!
Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche, “Follow the Trail of ‘Yes’”
