Saturday, October 11, 2014

Flower of the Day: 10/11/14

"We want to sustain the idea of ​​'me' and 'mine,' and to maintain what we call the ego. We want to keep our story, however miserable it may be, because it is our story, and gives us some sense of identity. But getting closer to a spiritual master means giving up this story of ours, or at least beginning a new story, which is now based on the present, not the past. Therefore, becoming a disciple actually means being reborn."
 
Sri Prem Baba

Friday, October 10, 2014

Flower of the Day: 10/10/14

"Transformation refers to a structural change that is possible only when we are able to identify the fragmented parts of our personality. This occurs when we predispose ourselves to studying these parts of our personality, understanding that they are there to protect us from pain. When we realize how attached we are to the negative pleasure they activate, a pleasure that keeps us repeating negative actions, then we create the conditions for the transformation to take place."
 
Sri Prem Baba

The Moon Reflected on the Water | October 10, 2014

Enlightenment is like the moon reflected on the water. The moon does not get wet, nor is the water broken. Although its light is wide and great, the moon is reflected even in a puddle an inch wide. The whole moon and the entire sky are reflected in dewdrops on the grass, or even in one drop of water. 
 
- Eihei Dogen, "Genjokoan"
 

Thursday, October 9, 2014

Flower of the Day: 10/09/14

"Another way to understand karma is as the traces that we leave behind. It is our open accounts: the words unspoken or feelings unexpressed. Presence is the master key, because only through presence can we act without leaving a trace. If there are still traces left, then it isn’t possible to merge with the ocean and free ourselves. We have to erase all of our traces by settling our open accounts with all others. This is why I have been focusing on the work of reconciliation."
 
Sri Prem Baba

Via Daily Dharma


The Power of Custom | October 9, 2014

That the Buddhist religion has survived so long in the world is a result not so much of the durability of manuscripts as of the power of ideas embodied in custom; and custom, for all our abundant sources of information, is what we lack and cannot in the long run do without. 
 
- Bhikkhu Nyanasobhano, "Selective Wisdom"
 

Wednesday, October 8, 2014

Via JMG: xkcd On Same-Sex Marriage


 
Details.(Tipped by JMG reader Bruce)


Reposted from  Joe Jervis

God Only Knows - BBC Music


Flower of the Day: 10/08/14

"Divine justice makes use of human injustice to bring about the ultimate justice. The human mind, although it is a great power, has its limitations. One of the aspects of the mind is memory, but human memory is flawed. We send out an invitation and forget we sent it, so that when the guests arrive we don’t think we invited them. This limitation prevents us from noticing the relationship between cause and effect. But there is no effect without a cause."
 
Sri Prem Baba

The Presence of Beauty | October 8, 2014

Thomas Aquinas said that beauty arrests motion. He meant, I think, that in the presence of something gorgeous or sublime, we stop our nervous natterings, our foot twitchings and restless tongues. Whatever that fretful hunger is, it seems momentarily filled in the presence of beauty. 
 
- Barbara Hurd, "On Silence"
 

Tuesday, October 7, 2014

Via JMG: Human Rights Campaign Inducts 19 Members Of Congress Into Hall Of Shame


The Human Rights Campaign today announced the induction of 19 member of Congress into its Hall Of Shame for anti-LGBT actions.
“If you want to understand why LGBT equality has hit a roadblock in Congress, you don't need to look any further than these leaders of anti-LGBT obstruction and animus,” said David Stacy, HRC’s Government Affairs Director. “These members go out of their way to oppose any step toward equal protection under the law or to protect LGBT Americans from violence, discrimination and harassment. They proactively work to undermine existing legal protections and promote anti-LGBT discrimination.”

Released in advance of the HRC Scorecard for the 113th Congress, HRC identified these elected officials as the most anti-equality members of Congress by looking at their voting records in this and previous Congresses, their introduction and co-sponsorships of anti-LGBT legislation, and their public statements. While there are other anti-LGBT members of Congress, these elected officials’ legislative actions, votes and anti-LGBT vitriol unfortunately marks them with a modern day scarlet letter.
The only Democrat on the list, Rep. Mike McIntrye, has signed Rep. Randy Weber's laughably doomed bill that would limit the federal government to only recognizing same-sex marriages that are legally conducted in the state where the married couple resides. McIntrye is retiring after the current term.


Reposted from  Joe Jervis

Via JMG: UPDATED: Wikipedia Marriage Map



 
UPDATE: JMG reader Bill directs us to the Flag Of Equal Marriage, which after today will be adding more stars.



Reposted from  Joe Jervis  

Flower of the Day: 10/07/14

"It would be tremendously positive for the evolution of human consciousness if parents were aware of the significance of bringing a child into the world. I have inspired people to see children as Atma, the divine spirit in development. Although the child is in a body, they have the spark of Parmatma, the supreme ineffable Absolute, and they have much to teach us. The child arrives on this plane with a well-defined purpose. They already arrive with their talents, and with a vision to share with the world. What they need is support so that this vision may be revealed."
Sri Prem Baba

Via Daily Dharma


What Haiku Requires | October 7, 2014

[Basho] practiced Zen without insignia or ordination. Every decade he experienced a catastrophic reordering of his life. 'Let my name be "Traveler,"' he implored, following the narrow road of poetry to the far north. He shattered clever wordplay haiku to create a new mosaic of language, solitary and raw. 'The old verse can be about willows,' he observed, 'but haiku requires crows picking snails in a rice paddy.' 
 
- Wendy Johnson, "Seventeen Syllable Medicine"
 

Monday, October 6, 2014

Via Freedom to Marry / FB:


Via Vestiário / FB: Luciana Genro


Luciana Genro, você sempre agradece a sua repercussão. Hoje, você teve pouco mais de 1,5 milhão de votos.

Na verdade, somos nós que temos que te agradecer, e muito, por ter olhado com carinho e defendido com amor a gente. Num país tão homofóbico como o Brasil, você foi a nossa esperança.

Valeu! <3


Luciana Genro, você sempre agradece a sua repercussão. Hoje, você teve pouco mais de 1,5 milhão de votos.

Na verdade, somos nós que temos que te agradecer, e muito, por ter olhado com carinho e defendido com amor a gente. Num país tão homofóbico como o Brasil, você foi a nossa esperança.

Valeu!

Via ACLU Nationwide / FB:


Via Daily Dharma


On Transience | October 6, 2014

The photograph reflects a moment that is happening out in the world, and also one that is happening in the minds of the photographer and the viewer. The fact that the moment is fleeting and will never get repeated adds to its appeal. A photograph acknowledges this transience. The best ones attach meaning to it. 
 
- David Butow, "Seeing Buddha: A Photographic Journey" 
 

Flower of the Day: 10/06/14

"You are not the body, nor are you the mind. But as long as you are identified with the body and the mind, you become a victim of compulsive desires. Desire is a bottomless pit. The point is not to fulfill one desire or another, but to stop desiring altogether. Satisfying a desire is simple. The question is: how long does the contentment that comes from fulfilling this desire last? Behind that desire is a devouring fire, an unceasing desire. There is a disconnect with the source."
 
Sri Prem Baba

Via JMG: BREAKING: SCOTUS Denies Review In All Seven Marriage Equality Cases, Marriage Comes To Five More States