Tuesday, September 25, 2012

Via Buddhism on Beliefnet:

Daily Buddhist Wisdom






Do not underestimate your ability.
- Geshe Chekawa, "In Advice From a Spiritual Friend"



Today in buddhism




Quotes to Overcome Lifes Struggles
Powerful words to help people overcome hard times.
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Via Tricycle Daily Dharma:

Tricycle Daily Dharma September 25, 2012

Genuine Discernment

The fundamental aim of Buddhist practice is not belief; it’s enlightenment, the awakening that takes place when illusion has been overcome. It may sound simple, but it’s probably the most difficult thing of all to achieve. It isn’t some kind of magical reward that someone can give you or that a strong belief will enable you to acquire. The true path to awakening is genuine discernment; it’s the very opposite of belief. 
- Trinlay Tulku Rinpoche, “The Seeds of Life”
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Monday, September 24, 2012

JMG Quote Of The Day - A.A. Gill


"Viewed from the pews, weddings are theater produced by straight amateurs using their own money. The resulting spectacle is what a dog show would be like if it were organized by the dogs. When gays remake weddings, the lighting will be the first thing to improve. Secondly, no one’s going to think that a fatless steak fryer is a suitable pres­ent, and the flowers won’t look ordered for a clown’s funeral. The music will also be classier; you won’t have to walk down the aisle to Meatloaf singing, 'I would do anything for love / But I won’t do that.'

"The history of queer culture shows us that gay men are the trailblazers. Where they go, heterosexual women follow, dragging reluctant straight men behind them, who in turn bring Texans. That’s how civilization and musical theater evolve. Not to mention catering. The cake has got to go. The original wedding cake was a biscuit broken over the bride’s head to represent what was about to happen to her hymen. But that’s vulgar. Today the happy couple jointly hold a very phallic knife and together force it through the virginal white icing into the soft, moist sweetness, and in America, for those who are slow at symbolism, they then push cake into each other’s face as a sort of cakealingus." - A.A. Gill, in a Vanity Fair piece titled Can Weddings Be Saved?  (Tipped by JMG reader Amanda)
 
Reposted from Joe

JMG HomoQuotable - Andrew Sullivan


"If Obama wins, to put it bluntly, he will become the Democrats’ Reagan. The narrative writes itself. He will emerge as an iconic figure who struggled through a recession and a terrorized world, reshaping the economy within it, passing universal health care, strafing the ranks of al -Qaeda, presiding over a civil-rights revolution, and then enjoying the fruits of the recovery. To be sure, the Obama recovery isn’t likely to have the same oomph as the one associated with Reagan—who benefited from a once-in-a-century cut of top income tax rates (from 70 percent to, at first, 50 percent, and then to 28 percent) as well as a huge jump in defense spending at a time when the national debt was much, much less of a burden.

"But Obama’s potential for Reagan status (maybe minus the airport-naming) is real. Yes, Bill Clinton won two terms and is a brilliant pol bar none, as he showed in Charlotte in the best speech of both conventions. But the crisis Obama faced on his first day—like the one Reagan faced—was far deeper than anything Clinton confronted, and the future upside therefore is much greater. And unlike Clinton’s constant triangulating improvisation, Obama has been playing a long, strategic game from the very start—a long game that will only truly pay off if he gets eight full years to see it through. That game is not only changing America. It may also bring his opposition, the GOP, back to the center, just as Reagan indelibly moved the Democrats away from the far left." - Andrew Sullivan, in the cover story of the latest issue of Newsweek.


Reposted from Joe

Via Tricycle Daily Dharma:

Tricycle Daily Dharma September 24, 2012

Fruitful Failure

My failure to accomplish or attain any of what I had hoped I would when I set out on the Buddhist path is, I think, the thing that has most enriched my practice.
- Andrew Cooper, "My Bad"
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Saturday, September 22, 2012

Via Tricycle Daily Dharma:

Tricycle Daily Dharma September 22, 2012

Life is Dharma

Now we have the attitude of, 'Well, how does the dharma fit in with my life?' The dharma can't fit in with our life. The dharma is our life, and it's not about convenience.
- Natalie Goldberg, "Face-to-Face with Natalie Goldberg"
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Friday, September 21, 2012

Via JMG: Schlafly: Feminism Hurts The Olympics


"Feminist-imposed gender quotas hurt us at the Olympics in events which our Nation once dominated. The systematic elimination of certain men’s sports from colleges has weakened our competitiveness. We won only four medals in all of men’s wrestling, less than half the total won by Iran, and only a fraction of the medals won by Russia in this masculine sport. Wrestling is an immensely popular and valuable sport; it’s inexpensive and safer than other sports. Wrestling develops discipline in boys. Many high-achievers, such as Donald Rumsfeld and pro-life attorney Phill Kline, developed their toughness as wrestlers.  [snip]

"Other men’s sports have also been hurt by this feminist quota, such as swimming and track. Private swimming clubs and a few aging stars like Michael Phelps filled that gap this time, but we nearly struck out in men’s track in the marquee events of 100, 200, 400 and 800 meters, events the Americans historically dominated. While our Nation won the most medals for the fifth consecutive Summer Olympics, many of our medals were in contests of dubious value like beach volleyball. Title IX quotas have hurt our competitiveness in sports that are most helpful to the development of our young men." - Phyllis Schlafly, quoted on Right Wing Watch.


Reposted from Joe

Via Tricycle Daily Dharma:

Tricycle Daily Dharma September 21, 2012

The True Nature of Suffering

Shakyamuni Buddha taught that all suffering can be overcome by understanding its true nature. This is a profound and subtle process. It can take a while.
- Patricia Anderson, "Good Death"
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Via Buddhism on Beliefnet:

Daily Buddhist Wisdom






A blessing: the arising of Awakened Ones. A blessing: the teaching of true Dhamma. A blessing: the concord of the Sangha. The austerity of those in concord is a blessing.
- Dhammapada, 14, translated by Thanissaro Bhikkhu.

Thursday, September 20, 2012

Via Moveon.org:


Via AmericaBlog Gay:

A ghetto kid, doing what Romney did, would have been booked with assault

An excellent point, by Roger Simon, about Romney's hazing/assault of a gay kid in his youth.And there is another thing that troubles me even though some dismiss it as trivial. I am still bothered by Romney attacking that gay kid and cutting off his hair with a pair of scissors when they were in...
 

Via Gay Marriage Oregon via QMO Magazine's FB photo.


Via Tricycle Daily Dharma:

Tricycle Daily Dharma September 20, 2012

Overcoming Harmful Habits

When you admit to yourself, 'I must make this change to be more happy'—not because the Buddha said so, but because your heart recognized a deep truth—you must devote all your energy to making the change. You need strong determination to overcome harmful habits.
- Bhante Henepola Gunaratana, "Getting Started"
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Via JMG: Ginsburg: SCOTUS Will Hear DOMA


Yesterday Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg told a group of Colorado students that DOMA will likely be considered by the Court in the next term.
Ginsburg spoke at the University of Colorado in Boulder. She was asked a student-submitted question about the equal-protection clause and whether the nation’s high court would consider it applying to sexual orientation. Ginsburg said with a smile that she couldn’t answer the question. She said she could not talk about matters that would come to the court, and that the Defense of Marriage Act would probably be up soon. “I think it’s most likely that we will have that issue before the court toward the end of the current term,” she said.
So there it is. And no mention of Prop 8.


Reposted from Joe

Via JMG: Anniversary



Reposted from Joe

Via JMG: Obama On DADT Anniversary


Via press release from the White House:
A year ago today, we upheld the fundamental American values of fairness and equality by finally and formally repealing "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." Gay and lesbian Americans now no longer need to hide who they love in order to serve the country they love. It is a testament to the professionalism of our men and women in uniform that this change was implemented in an orderly manner, preserving unit cohesion, recruitment, retention and military effectiveness. As Commander in Chief, I've seen that our national security has been strengthened because we are no longer denied the skills and talents of those patriotic Americans who happen to be gay or lesbian. The ability of service members to be open and honest about their families and the people they love honors the integrity of the individuals who serve, strengthens the institutions they serve, and is one of the many reasons why our military remains the finest in the world.

Reposted from Joe

Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Via Tricycle Daily Dharma:

Tricycle Daily Dharma September 19, 2012

Sharing Happiness

Whatever realization may come by way of silence, our happiness is never won that way. Happiness is not happiness unless it is shared. For happiness is the one thing in all the world that comes to us only at the moment we give it, and is likewise increased by being given away.
- Clark Strand, "The Wisdom of Frogs"
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