Via Karmapa KTD / FB:

For this reason, he explained, “the fullest expression of faith is not just asking for protection from another source, but longing to become fearless beings ourselves, able to offer protection and refuge to others.”

http://www.karmapaamerica2015.org/?p=2423

Via GayStarNews:

Make the jump here:

http://www.gaystarnews.com/article/read-what-pastor-says-christians-who-spread-gay-hate-children111114

Via Sri Prem Baba: Flor do Dia- Flor del Día- Flower of the day 15/05/2015

“Perdão é sinônimo de liberdade, ele é o que possibilita a liberação. É uma tremenda libertação ter seu coração aberto, e é uma sensação de grande aprisionamento ter seu coração fechado. Um dos principais carcereiros dessa prisão é o orgulho. E junto dele está o medo. Porque muitas vezes é extremamente humilhante ter que reconhecer o quanto você está magoado; o quanto está ressentido com a atitude do outro. E isso faz de você um prisioneiro.”

“Perdón es sinónimo de libertad, éste es el que posibilita la liberación. Es una tremenda liberación tener tu corazón abierto, y es una sensación de gran aprisionamiento tener tu corazón cerrado. Uno de los dos principales carceleros de esta prisión es el orgullo. Y junto a él está el miedo. Porque muchas veces es extremadamente humillante tener que reconocer cuán herido estás, o cuán resentido estás con la actitud del otro. Y esto hace de vos un prisionero.” 

"Forgiveness means freedom: it brings on liberation. It is tremendously freeing to keep your heart open. Closing the heart is terribly imprisoning. If the chief warden at this prison is pride, his right-hand man is fear. It often feels downright humiliating to own up to just how resentful you feel, to just how hurt you feel for the other's attitude. All this makes of you a prisoner."

Via Daily Dharma

The Buddhist Narrative | May 15, 2015 Humanity’s original condition is not one of blissful harmony but rather of ignorance repeatedly leading to suffering. Recognizing this sets one on the path to awakening. - Richard K. Payne, "What's Ethics Got to Do with It" Read More →

Via JMG: WYOMING: Laramie City Council Approves Sweeping LGBT Rights Ordinance

Via the Associated Press:

The Laramie City Council on Wednesday approved a local anti-discrimination ordinance in the college town where Matthew Shepard's death triggered nationwide sympathy and brought a re-examination of attitudes toward gays 17 years ago. The council voted 7-2 in favor of the measure that prohibits discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity in housing, employment and access to public facilities such as restaurants.

Local organizers focused their efforts on Laramie after the Legislature repeatedly rejected anti-discrimination bills, most recently early this year. The Laramie Nondiscrimination Task Force presented a draft ordinance to the City Council last summer. Jeran Artery, head of the group Wyoming Equality which has lobbied for the anti-discrimination measures at the state Legislature, said he was thrilled with the council vote.

Judy Shepard, Matt Shepard's mother, is active in a Denver-based foundation that bears her son's name and focuses on equality issues. "I'm thrilled that Laramie's doing it, at the same time sort of saddened that the state of Wyoming can't see fit to do that as well," Shepard told The Associated Press in a telephone interview Wednesday before the council vote from Washington, D.C. "Maybe the rest of Wyoming will understand this is about fellow human beings and not something that's other than what they are."

Labels: Laramie, LGBT rights, Wyoming

Reposted from Joe Jervis

Via JMG: Empire State To Go Red For AIDS Walk

Tonight Harvey Fierstein will throw the switch to illuminate the Empire State Building in red as part of the GMHC's "Light Up New York" campaign to mark this weekend's 30th Annual AIDS Walk in Central Park.

Fierstein says: "May these lights, and those burning throughout the city, brighten the night sky with remembrance of the countless precious friends and family we've lost to AIDS. May they carry our pledge to see the end of this disease once and for all."

Numerous other city landmarks are also going red this week. They include One World Trade Center, Bloomingdale's, the Helmsley Building,  the JFK control tower, the Bank Of America tower, the New York Stock Exchange, and the NASDAQ billboard in Times Square.

Labels: AIDS Walk, Empire State Building, GMHC, NYC

Reposted from Joe Jervis

Faces - United Nations Free & Equal

Via FB Amigos

Via Sri Prem Baba: Flor do Dia- Flor del Día- Flower of the day 14/05/2015

A ignorância em relação à nossa realidade espiritual faz com que vejamos somente a superfície das coisas. Perdemos a capacidade de enxergar o espírito que nos habita. O materialismo é o responsável por isso. Por causa dele o ser humano está sempre numa correria pelo lucro e se esquece do respeito, da gentileza, da bondade e do amor. Nos tornamos especialistas em transformar tudo em dinheiro. Tudo vira instrumento para adquirir poder. O dinheiro é uma forma de energia muito poderosa que faz parte do jogo neste mundo, porém essa energia precisa estar a serviço do espírito. Quando utilizado pela sabedoria, o dinheiro é um instrumento divino, mas quando utilizado pela ignorância, ele se torna uma ferramenta de destruição.”

“La ignorancia en relación a nuestra realidad espiritual hace que veamos solamente la superficie de las cosas. Perdemos la capacidad de ver el espíritu que nos habita. El materialismo es el responsable de eso. Por causa de éste el ser humano está siempre en una carrera por el lucro y se olvida del respeto, de la gentileza, de la bondad y del amor. Nos volvimos especialistas en transformar todo en dinero. Todo se vuelve un instrumento para adquirir poder. El dinero es una forma de energía muy poderosa que es parte del juego en este mundo, sin embargo esta energía necesita estar al servicio del espíritu. Cuando es utilizado por la sabiduría, el dinero es un instrumento divino, pero cuando es utilizado por la ignorancia se vuelve una herramienta de destrucción.”

"When we are ignorant about our own spiritual reality, we see things only at the surface level. We lose sight of the spirit that inhabits us. Materialism is the culprit here, causing humans to fall into a rat-race for profit. We forget all about being respectful and kind, about being good and loving. We specialize in monetizing everything around us, so it all becomes a means of giving us power. Money is a powerful energy and an inherent part of the game of life in this world – but this energy needs to be at service of spirit. When used with wisdom, money becomes a divine tool; when it's employed by ignorance, it becomes a destructive weapon."

Via Daily Dharma

Letting Go of Spiritual Experience | May 14, 2015 In the overall context of the spiritual journey, it is important to remember that self-transformation is a continuous process, not a onetime event. One cannot say, 'I used to be a nonspiritual person, but now I have been transformed into a spiritual person. My old self is dead.' We are constantly being transformed when we travel on the path. - Traleg Kyabgon Rinpoche, "Letting Go of Spiritual Experience" Read More →

Thich Nat Hanh: Explicacion del Ego

Explicacion del Ego
Posted by DJ Pollyfonika on Friday, October 10, 2014

Google supports marriage equality

The Flag of Equal Marriage

 

http://makeitequal.org/

Via LGBT* Bahá'is:

Gender and sexual minorities battle the stigma of being labelled sinful.  In order to deconstruct that stigma, we must understand a few things.  Firstly, what the nature of sin is, how to classify and recognize it; and secondly, we must determine whether or not homosexuality, transexuality and other gender and sexual minorities fall under the category of “sinful”. Currently, based on very little and controversial evidence, being lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans* or otherwise gender non-conforming is seen as inherently evil and sinful.

Baha'is believe religious laws, not to be mere laws and regulations to be followed, but rather “that the precepts laid down by God constitute the highest means for the maintenance of order in the world and the security of its peoples ”  To me this means that these laws are written into the very nature of existence, and if not adhered to, there are consequences to one’s soul and to one’s life. Sometimes these consequences are spiritual in nature, sometimes mental and sometimes physical.  And usually this can lead to the break down of one’s life and society in general.

For instance, all religions generally prohibit murder, arson, theft and mendacity.  These are universally seen as sinful and inherently wrong.  They are clearly explained in almost every Religion of God.  Murder, for example, is wrong because God has willed to raise something up, and you are making yourself an equal to God, and believe that you have more of a say to who has life and who doesn’t than He does.  This is only one reason that murder is wrong. 

Another good example is the use of drugs and alcohol.  Almost every religion prohibits the consumption of substances that impair or impede a person’s natural senses and sensibilities.  This impairment is itself a reason for banning the use of alcohol and other drugs. The consequences of alcoholism and drug addiction are easily seen. Science has proven that these substances have a negative effect on the lives and health of human beings.

So we can see that these things (arson, murder, alcoholism et cetera) are harmful to human beings.  Science has shown this, and it is in agreement with religions that say these actions have harmful spiritual effects.

In the Baha'i Faith, and most other religions, however, being gender or sexually non-conforming (homosexual, trans* et cet) is lumped into the same category as these sins.  It is seen as inherently evil and sinful and is treated as such.  In what way is this the case though?  I have never seen a single shred of evidence to suggest that this is the case.  In the Baha'i Writings other issues such as drug addiction and alcoholism are explained and deconstructed. This is not the case with LGBT* issues.  Despite the Baha'i view that homosexuality is a disease, not one shred of evidence as to its pathology, its treatment or its prognosis is given.  This is not the case with other “diseases” such as alcoholism.  In terms of murder being viewed as a “spiritual disease,” this is not the case.  The pathology is explained and has been in the human consciousness for a very long time (I gave an example of its “pathology” above). This alone is all that is necessary to prove its sinfulness.  In the Baha'i Faith, a huge onus is put on the individual to independently investigate reality.  It is important to “see with thine own eyes and not through the eyes of others.”  So we are not exactly taking it for granted that murder and other sins are against the Laws of Nature, but rather we see with our own eyes that they are wrong.  Through the mercy and grace of God, it has been written in the Books of almost every religion, and our own limited scientific accomplishments have proven, that these sins are inherently destructive to human-kind. However, in almost every one of the Central Books of the main world religions, rules and regulations regarding gender-variant and sexual minorities have been vague and non-conclusive.  It seems the Prophets have chosen to remain silent about this subject.

Until the time that being homosexual, trans* or otherwise a sexual or gender-variant minority is proven to be inherently wrong and against the Laws of Nature in a conclusive and non-biased setting, it should be viewed as against Baha'i law to in any way discriminate against them (including their right to be joined in a Baha'i marriage). Why? 

Bahá'u'lláh has declared that religion must be in accord with science and reason. If it does not correspond with scientific principles and the processes of reason, it is superstition. For God has endowed us with faculties by which we may comprehend the realities of things, contemplate reality itself. If religion is opposed to reason and science, faith is impossible; and when faith and confidence in the divine religion are not manifest in the heart, there can be no spiritual attainment.¹ 
-‘Abdu'l-Baha

At this point, science has proven homosexuality as non-pathological. It is not a disease, it is not inherently wrong, and it has no known consequences.  Science has shown that discrimination based on gender and sexual identity is damaging to individuals and society at large. Until this ceases to be the case, it is impossible to hold someone accountable for using their judgement on these things. To discriminate, and removing a person’s voting rights and effectively expelling them from the community for being “flagrantly homosexual” is discrimination, against an LGBT* person for aligning themselves with current scientific thought and medical practice, is immoral.  To do the same for a homosexual couple who decides to marry, when it is not done to heterosexual couples who procreate outside of marriage or otherwise break current Baha'i sexual laws, is discrimination, and it is not in keeping with the Baha'i principles of independent investigation, personal conscience, unconditional love or justice.

I will post soon about the Baha'i laws and Writings that currently effect LGBT* people, how they have been interpreted and other possible ways of interpreting them.

Make the jump here to join in the tmblr discussion

Via WGB: REPORT: Half of LGB Americans Identify As Christian

More LGB Americans consider themselves Christian than ever before. In a new Pew Research Center report, 48 percent of LGB Americans identify as Christian, up from 42 percent in 2013. The statistic contrasts the study’s finding of overall decline of Christianity, from 78.4 percent of Americans identifying as Christian, down to 70.6 percent.

“The 'Christians vs. LGBT people' narrative that we hear so often is part of the story, but as the Pew poll shows, it's not all of it. In fact, it's the 48 percent of LGBT Americans who are Christians who are best positioned to change both religious attitudes about same-sex marriage and secular attitudes about religion. As LGBT Christians continue to find their voice, they'll be changing both their churches and the LGBT community for the better.” Full story here!

Also via Daily Dharma

BLOG: TURNING INTENTION INTO MOTIVATION How do we motivate ourselves to live up to our best aspirations? Thupten Jinpa, the Dalai Lama's principal translator and a scholar in his own right, offers two exercises that align our strongest motivations with our highest intentions.  Read More →

Via Daily Dharma

Beyond Meditation | May 13, 2015 The superhighway of meditation practice alone can’t be a pretext for bypassing essential ego work; we also must traverse the local roads of personal and interpersonal transformation. - Lewis Richmond, "The Authentic Life" Read More →

NSFW: YOGA PARODY - JANELLE MONAE, JIDENNA

SCORE!!! Olympics Officials Make HUGE Pro-Gay Move

SCORE!!! Olympics Officials Make HUGE Pro-Gay Move

In what's already being hailed as "a great step forward," the International Olympic Committee has taken a significant move against future intolerance toward the lesbian, gay and bisexual community in the Olympic Games.

The Chicago Tribune reports that IOC members unanimously voted to approve a recommendation which adds non-discrimination language regarding sexual orientation to the Olympic Charter.

"The enjoyment of the rights and freedoms set forth in this Olympic Charter shall be secured without discrimination of any kind, such as race, color, sex, sexual orientation, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status," the Charter now reads, according to the publication.

The decision to update the wording, which will also be included in all future Olympic Games host city contracts, follows a flurry of controversy surrounding the 2014 Winter Olympics, which were held in Sochi, Russia. A number of high-profile LGBT rights advocates called for the U.S. to boycott the Sochi games in response to Russia's controversial "gay propaganda" legislation.

Cher, Madonna and Lady Gaga were among the high-profile celebrities to decry the law, which imposes fines and sentences on anyone deemed to be distributing "pro-gay" information to minors. Full story here!

  Read the orginal on WGB here

Via WGB: International Study Finds Widespread Anti-Gay Discrimination in Sports

One in four gay men said they had received verbal threats of harm or had been bullied while participating in sports, and around 80 percent of people said they had witnessed such discrimination, according to a survey of 9,500 respondents.

The findings were contained in "Out on the Fields," released Sunday, which officials said was the first international study and the largest conducted on discrimination against gay, lesbian and bisexual participants in sports.

The study, which also canvassed heterosexual respondents, surveyed nearly 3,000 people in Australia, 2,025 in the United States and 1,780 in Britain. The study was also conducted in Canada, New Zealand and Ireland. Full story here via Edge!

Make the jump here to read the full article at WGB

Project ~ Equality

I Don't Know -Yes Equality

Via Sri Prem Baba: Flor do Dia- Flor del Día- Flower of the day 12/05/2015

“À medida que a sua consciência vai se expandindo, que a sua percepção vai se ampliando, e você começa a enxergar as partes da sua personalidade que estavam trancadas em negação, simultaneamente, seu canal espiritual vai se alargando. Ao mesmo tempo em que trabalha para transformar os aspectos negativos da sua personalidade, aos poucos você vai se tornando uma usina de transformação do sofrimento planetário. Então você passa a captar os karmas dos grupos mais próximos, e conforme o seu canal vai se abrindo, o diâmetro de captação vai aumentando.”

“A medida que tu consciencia se va expandiendo, que tu percepción se va ampliando, y comienzas a ver las partes de tu personalidad que estaban trabadas en negación, simultáneamente, tu canal espiritual se va ensanchando. Al mismo tiempo en que trabajas para transformar los aspectos negativos de tu personalidad, de a poco te vas volviendo una usina de transformación del sufrimiento planetario. Entonces pasas a captar los karmas de los grupos más próximos, y conforme tu canal se va abriendo, el diámetro de captación va aumentando.”

"As our consciousness expands, our perception widens and we get to see parts of our personality that were locked up in denial. As that happens, our spiritual channel continues to broaden. Even while we work to transform the negative aspects of our personality, we become 'power plants' for transforming global suffering. We start taking on the karma of those closest to us, and as our inner channel continues to open, we reach circles with an ever-expanding radius."

Via Daily Dharma

How to Fail | May 12, 2015 If you want to be a complete human being, if you want to be genuine and hold the fullness of life in your heart, then failure is an opportunity to get curious about what is going on and listen to the storylines. Don't buy the ones that blame it on everybody else, and don’t buy the storylines that blame it on yourself, either. - Pema Chödrön, "How to Fail" Read More →

Anon FB Post of the Day: Dream on fundamentalists.

"I love this explanation: 

So this whole universe is infinite as far as human perception goes and one galaxy is a spec of dust in that universe and the earth is a spec of dust in the galaxy and God really cares if one is gay or straight? God is that small and petty?
 
Dream on fundamentalists."

Via FB:

Via Sri Prem Baba: Flor do Dia- Flor del Día- Flower of the day 11/05/2015

“A mente condicionada normalmente nos leva a seguir na direção oposta àquela que determina o coração. Isso gera tensão e angústia. Esse conflito de direções dentro de nós é o que conhecemos como sofrimento. A mente condicionada quer agradar; ela quer ser respeitada, considerada e amada. Portanto todas as ações que nascem dela são estratégias para receber esse amor. Mas amor forçado não é amor. Esse “amor” não preenche, somente aumenta a angústia. A ação capaz de preencher o vazio existencial do ser humano com alegria é aquela que nasce do coração. É preciso saber ouvir a voz do coração, mesmo quando somos julgados e criticados por isso.”

“La mente condicionada normalmente nos lleva a seguir en la dirección opuesta de aquella que determina el corazón. Esto genera tensión y angustia. Este conflicto de direcciones dentro nuestro es lo que conocemos como sufrimiento. La mente condicionada quiere agradar, quiere ser respetada, considerada y amada. Por lo tanto, todas las acciones que nacen de ella son estrategias para recibir ese amor. Pero amor forzado no es amor. Ese “amor” no llena, solamente aumente la angustia. La acción capaz de llenar el vacío existencial del ser humano con alegría es aquella que nace del corazón. Es necesario saber oír la voz del corazón, hasta cuando somos juzgados y criticados por ello.”

"The conditioned mind usually leads us to the opposite direction from where our heart guides us towards. This causes tension and anguish. We feel this clash in directions simply as suffering. The conditioned mind wants to please, so as to make us feel respected, considered and loved. All actions born from this place are strategies to receive this love – a forced love that really isn't love at all, for it doesn't fulfill us and only increases our anguish. Only actions that spring from the heart can fill up with joy that existential emptiness human beings feel. We need to learn to listen to the voice of the heart, even if we are judged and criticized for it."

Via Daily Dharma

It's Up to You | May 11, 2015 Nobody is going to save you from your own mind. Nobody can get into the heart of your experience and fix anything for you. If you want to make your own internal experience more hospitable, only you can do that work. Others can always support and guide you and spark insights, but ultimately you are your own boss and the agent of understanding your mind and opening your heart. - Ethan Nichtern, "Awake with Others" Read More →

Via Sri Prem Baba: Flor do Dia- Flor del Día- Flower of the day 09/05/2015

“Qual a diferença entre a dependência e a entrega num relacionamento? É a mesma diferença que existe entre medo e confiança, são extremos opostos. A dependência é um desdobramento do medo, a entrega é um desdobramento da confiança.”

“¿Cuál es la diferencia entre la dependencia y la entrega en una relación? Es la misma diferencia que existe entre miedo y confianza, son extremos opuestos. La dependencia es un desdoblamiento del miedo, la entrega es un desdoblamiento de la confianza.”

"What is the difference between dependence and surrender within a relationship? It's the same as the difference between fear and trust – they are extreme opposites. Dependence is an offshoot of fear, while surrender is an unfolding of trust.”

Via Daily Dharma!

The Limits of Language | May 9, 2015 Our hearts and minds change from moment to moment, just as the clouds shift in the evening sky as the sun goes down. Who are we to think we have grasped the true nature of our souls? The Buddha-mind within us will not be constrained by the limits of language. - Abbess Fushimi, "Shedding Light" Read More →

Via FB:

Via Sri Prem Baba: Flor do Dia- Flor del Día- Flower of the day 08/05/2015

“Temos reproduzido na esfera coletiva as mesmas dificuldades que vivemos nos nossos relacionamentos afetivos, na nossa família, com nossos vizinhos, com quem está perto. Precisamos rever nossos comportamentos, mudar a nossa relação com o outro e com a natureza. Os sintomas da crise que estamos vivendo são desdobramentos da inabilidade do ser humano em lidar com a própria sombra. Assim como suprimimos o ciúme e a inveja, deixando esses sentimentos influenciarem nossas vidas de forma indireta, temos deixado o ódio inconsciente destruir o planeta. Na base da crise planetária está a guerra dos sexos, a distorção do masculino e do feminino.”

“Hemos reproducido en la esfera colectiva las mismas dificultades que vivimos en nuestras relaciones afectivas, en nuestra familia, con nuestros vecinos, con quien está cerca. Necesitamos rever nuestros comportamientos, cambiar nuestra relación con el otro y con la naturaleza. Los síntomas de la crisis que estamos viviendo son desdoblamientos de la inhabilidad del ser humano en lidiar con la propia sombra. Así como suprimimos los celos y la envidia, dejando que estos sentimientos influencien nuestras vidas de forma indirecta, hemos dejado que el odio inconsciente destruya el planeta. En la base de la crisis planetaria está la guerra de los sexos, la distorsión del masculino y del femenino.”

"We recreate the same difficulties at the collective level that we endure within our loving relationships, with our family, neighbors or whoever we are around. It's time we take a better look at our behaviors, so as to transform our relationship with others, as well as with nature as a whole. We are experiencing a crisis, the symptoms of which stem from our inability to deal with our own shadow. In the same way that we feed jealousy or envy, allowing these feelings to indirectly influence our lives, we have also been allowing unconscious hatred to destroy the planet. At the very root of this whole global crisis lies a war between the sexes, acting through the distortion of the masculine and feminine principles."

Via Daily Dharma

Dissatisfaction Motivates Awakening | May 8, 2015 It is precisely because impermanent, conditioned phenomena are unsatisfying that we are motivated to awaken. Seeing these characteristics clearly becomes the cause of and condition for liberation. - Joseph Goldstein, "The End of Suffering" Read More →

WGB Poll: Americans more comfortable with gay presidential candidate than evangelical

Americans would feel more comfortable with an LGBTI presidential candidate than an evangelical Christian one, according to a new poll.

The latest WSJ/NBC poll asked 1,000 adults last week whether they would 'be enthusiastic,' 'be comfortable with,' 'have some reservations about' or 'be very uncomfortable with' a list of qualities of a potential leader.

Some 61% said they would be either enthusiastic about or comfortable with an LGBTI candidate, while only 37% said they would have reservations or be uncomfortable and 2% were not sure.

By comparison, 52% said they'd be enthusiastic about or comfortable with an evangelical Christian running for president, while 44% expressed some degree of hesitancy about the idea and 4% were not sure. Full story here!

WGB: I was actually surprised to read this. I am pleased, but surprised.

Via FB:

Sri Prem Baba: Flor do Dia- Flor del Día- Flower of the day 07/05/2015

“Ao longo da jornada evolutiva a entidade humana constrói máscaras para se proteger da dor. Essas máscaras são criadas de acordo com o que ela tem, com sua história, com o ambiente onde vive - de acordo com o karma que ela carrega. Alguns aprendem que, para conseguirem o que querem, precisam ser vítimas, outros aprendem que precisam ser agressivos. Alguns entendem que precisam ser caridosos e religiosos, outros que precisam ser criminosos. Alguns vestem a máscara da autossuficiência, da superioridade, outros da impotência e da fragilidade. Mas, não importa qual seja a máscara, ela não tem nada a ver com a verdade de quem é você.”

“A lo largo del camino evolutivo la entidad humana construye máscaras para protegerse del dolor. Estas máscaras son creadas de acuerdo con lo que ella tiene, con su historia, con el ambiente donde vive - de acuerdo con el karma que carga. Algunos aprenden que para conseguir lo que quieren, tienen que ser víctimas, otros aprenden que necesitan ser agresivos. Algunos entienden que necesitan ser caritativos y religiosos, otros que necesitan ser criminales. Algunos visten la máscara de la autosuficiencia, de la superioridad, otros de la impotencia y de la fragilidad. Pero no importa cuál sea la máscara, ella no tiene nada que ver con la verdad de quien eres.”

"Throughout the evolutionary journey, human beings create masks to protect themselves from pain. These masks are shaped through our possessions, our life’s history, our personal environment, and the karma we carry. Some people learn that they have to be a victim to get what they want, others learn that they need to be aggressive. Some people believe that they need to be charitable and religious, others believe they have to be criminals. Some people wear the mask of self-sufficiency and superiority, others wear the mask of helplessness and weakness. No matter what the mask is, it has nothing to do with the truth of who you are.”

Via JMG: Porno Pete: NOM Lied About Hate March

 

Brian Brown told numerous outlets that attendance at last month's hate march was 15,000.

Labels: Brian Brown, hate groups, NOM, Peter LaBarbera

Reposted from Joe Jervis

Via JMG: ARIZONA: Rubio Headlines Fundraiser For Group That Backs "Ex-Gay" Torture

Yesterday Sen. Marco Rubio headlined a fundraiser for the vile Arizona Center For Public Policy, which advocates for "ex-gay" torture among other anti-gay positions. Chris Geidner reports at Buzzfeed:

Although there was no media inside the room at the Center for Arizona Policy fundraiser, held at Arizona Christian University, and a spokesperson from Rubio’s campaign did not respond to repeated requests Wednesday for comment about the event or what Rubio planned to say, at least two attendees did post on social media from within the event with remarks from Rubio. “Even as I’m speaking to you now, a human life is being terminated in America,” a congressional staffer attending Wednesday’s event quoted Rubio as saying. The staffer works for Rep. Trent Franks, who also was in attendance. “Without faith at the core of our society, you fall into an era of moral relativism,” the staffer quoted Rubio as saying. When Rubio was discussing marriage, the Franks staffer did not quote Rubio directly, but he tweeted, “Dangerous era in America, says @marcorubio, where if you believe in the traditional definition of marriage, you’re a bigot.”

Two weeks ago Rubio declared that he believes that sexual orientation is "something people are born with." It doesn't appear that he addressed "ex-gay" therapy during his speech.

Labels: 2016 elections, Arizona, GOP, Marco Rubio

Reposted from Joe Jervis

Via Sri Prem Baba: Flor do Dia- Flor del Día- Flower of the day 06/05/2015

“É curioso ver que muitos não aprendem com suas desilusões e fracassos nos relacionamentos, e seguem acreditando que obterão felicidade através do outro. Essa fantasia se mantém por algum tempo, enquanto cada um vive sua vida e o casal se encontra de vez em quando. Mas, quando resolvem morar juntos, a verdade aparece. Logo a relação vira um campo de batalha. Isso ocorre porque as pessoas não querem alguém para amar, elas querem alguém para satisfazer suas necessidades e caprichos. Elas querem se tornar donos do outro. E o pior é que a grande maioria acredita que essa obsessão em possuir é amor.”

“Es curioso ver que muchos no aprenden con sus desilusiones y fracasos en las relaciones, y siguen creyendo que obtendrán la felicidad a través de otro. Esta fantasía se mantiene durante algún tiempo, mientras cada uno vive su vida y la pareja se encuentra de vez en cuando. Pero cuando resuelven vivir juntos, la verdad aparece. Pronto la relación se convierte en un campo de batalla. Esto ocurre porque las personas no quieren alguien a quien amar, ellas quieren alguien para satisfacer sus necesidades y caprichos. Quieren volverse dueños del otro. Y lo peor es que la gran mayoría cree que esta obsesión de poseer es amor.”

"It’s curious to see that many people do not learn from their deceptions and failures in relationships, and still believe that they will attain happiness through the other. This fantasy is maintained for some time, while each partner lives their own life and the couple only meets up from time to time. But when they decide to live together, the truth appears. Soon after, the relationship becomes a battlefield. This is because people do not want someone to love; they want someone to satisfy their needs and whims. They want to own the other. The worst part is that the vast majority of people believe that this obsession with possessing is love.”

Via Daily Dharma

How to Develop Motivation | May 6, 2015 In Buddhist thinking, motivation is a matter of desire, more specifically the desire to act accompanied with a sense of purpose. Say, in the case of being more compassionate, it's by making emotional connection with compassion and its objectives that we arouse in ourselves the desire to act. And it's through seeing the benefits that we acquire a sense of purpose in being more compassionate. - Thupten Jinpa, "Turning Intention into Motivation" Read More →

Yes 2 Love - The Nualas

Via hubpages: The Verdict is in: Guess Who's The Worst President in US History?

There is much debate about who was the best or worst president in US history. It's too important of a subject to rely on opinion polls which are skewed by the influence of individual bias and political views. Yet It's difficult to quantify how good or bad any president may have been in comparison to another. However, a careful look at the facts shows one president failed in virtually every aspect of the job to a degree unrivaled by any other president.

When you review the facts below and consider his impact on our economy, foreign policy and domestic policy, by almost any standard, it’s difficult to find any president who did more harm and left the country in worse shape than George W. Bush.

Make the jump here to read the full article

Via Sri Prem Baba: Flor do Dia- Flor del Día- Flower of the day 05/05/2015

“Se você carrega dentro de si um pacto de vingança em relação a uma pessoa, de certa forma, ela fica presa também. Se essa pessoa ainda não é iluminada, esses sentimentos e pensamentos acabam exercendo influência sobre ela. Mas o mesmo acontece quando você perdoa. Ao libertar-se do ódio, você libera a outra pessoa também.”

“Si llevas dentro de ti un pacto de venganza en relación a una persona, en cierto modo, ella queda atrapada también. Si esa persona no está iluminada, estos sentimientos y pensamientos terminan ejerciendo influencia sobre ella. Pero lo mismo sucede cuando perdonas. Al liberarte del odio, liberas a la otra persona también.”

"If we carry within us a pact of revenge pact towards someone, in some way, this person gets stuck as well. If that person is not yet enlightened, our feelings and thoughts end up influencing them. The same thing happens when we forgive someone: by freeing ourselves of our hatred, we also liberate the other person.”

Via Daily Dharma

What Determines Our Character | May 5, 2015 It is not what happens to us that determines our character, our experience, our karma, and our destiny, but how we relate to what happens. - Lama Surya Das, "Practicing with Loss" Read More →

Via Daily Dharma

Purify Negativity with Compassion | May 4, 2015 Instead of looking at others, telling yourself your usual story about who people are, visualize every person you see as the Bodhisattva of Compassion, the very embodiment of compassion. Deeply doing this, there’s no way you can feel negative toward them. It’s impossible. Instead of misery, they give you blissful energy. - Lama Yeshe, "Visualizations" Read More →

Via Daily Dharma

Simple Joy | May 3, 2015 What is it that opens the gate to joy in our ordinary, day-to-day lives? I’ve been calling it awakeness and awareness: the simple practice of sitting quietly, breathing in and out, dropping our obsessive thoughts and resistance to the freshness of the moment that is exactly here. It is amazing, our resistance to tapping into the joy that is like the blue sky surrounding this earth. - Roshi Pat Enkyo O’Hara, "Simple Joy" Read More →

Via Sri Prem Baba: Flor do Dia- Flor del Día- Flower of the day 02/05/2015

“Ao colocar seus dons e talentos a serviço do bem maior, você se torna um elo na corrente da felicidade. A alegria, a prosperidade e o amor passam por você para chegar ao outro. Você começa a se sentir guiado e levado por algo maior do que você. Mas, enquanto estiver isolado, querendo fazer tudo do seu jeito, isso não é possível. É preciso se colocar na corrente. E você faz isso quando pergunta: “Como posso servir?”. Assim você se torna um canal da felicidade.”

“Al colocar tus dones y talentos al servicio del bien mayor, te conviertes en un eslabón en la corriente de la felicidad. La alegría, la prosperidad y el amor pasan por ti para llegar al otro. Comienzas a sentirte guiado y llevado por algo más grande que tú. Pero mientras estés aislado, queriendo hacer todo a tu manera, esto no es posible. Es preciso colocarse en la corriente. Y lo haces cuando te preguntas: "¿Cómo puedo servir?". Así te conviertes en un canal de la felicidad.”

"By putting our gifts and talents at the service of the greater good, we become a link in the chain of happiness. Joy, prosperity and love pass through us to reach the other. We begin to feel guided and led by something bigger than us. However, if we remain isolated, wanting to do everything our way, then this cannot take place. We need to place ourselves in the current, and we do so by asking: ‘How can I serve?’ This is how we become a channel of happiness."

Via Daily Dharma

The Space in the Mind | May 2, 2015 Most of our suffering comes from habitual thinking. If we try to stop it out of aversion to thinking, we can’t; we just go on and on and on. So the important thing is not to get rid of thought, but to understand it. And we do this by concentrating on the space in the mind, rather than on the thought. - Ajahn Sumedho, "Noticing Space" Read More →

Via Sri Prem Baba: Flor do Dia- Flor del Día- Flower of the day 01/05/2015

“O mestre é a vida, mas ele também é a morte. Ele representa o fim do ego. Tudo o que é vivo quer continuar vivendo, até mesmo o eu inferior. Os eus psicológicos que te habitam sabem disso, e temem sua aproximação do mestre. Por isso muitas vezes você encontra resistências no caminho da entrega e da confiança. Esses eus se alimentam de pensamentos, maus hábitos e vícios. Com o tempo, eles adquirem inteligência própria e passam a agir como entidades. Eles fazem de tudo para continuar vivendo: inventam histórias, criam dificuldades, criticam e discordam. Isso vai cegando sua percepção e fechando sua visão espiritual.”

"The spiritual master is life, but he is also death. The master represents the end of the ego. The psychological selves inhabiting us know this, and they fear our approaching the master. All that is alive wants to continue living, even the lower self. This is why we often find resistance along the path of surrender and trust. These selves feed on thoughts, bad habits and addictions. Over time, they acquire an intelligence of their own and begin to act as entities. They do everything they can to continue living: they invent stories, create difficulties, criticize and disagree with others. This ends up blinding our perception and closing us off to spiritual sight."

“El maestro es la vida, pero también es la muerte. Él representa el fin del ego. Todo lo que está vivo quiere seguir viviendo, incluso el yo inferior. Los yoes psicológicos que te habitan lo saben, y temen tu aproximación al maestro. Por eso muchas veces encuentras resistencias en el camino de la entrega y de la confianza. Estos yoes se alimentan de pensamientos, malos hábitos y vicios. Con el tiempo, adquieren inteligencia propia y comienzan a actuar como entidades. Ellos hacen de todo para seguir viviendo: inventan historias, crean dificultades, critican y discrepan. Esto va cegando tu percepción y cerrando tu visión espiritual.”

Via Daily Dharma

The Right to Ask Questions | May 1, 2015 Practice makes extraordinary demands of us. It requires that we take nothing for granted, that we accept nothing on faith alone. If we practice with diligence and honesty, then we must question everything about ourselves; we must challenge our most basic beliefs and convictions, even those we may have about the dharma itself. - Larry Rosenberg, "The Right to Ask Questions" Read More →