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To know the truth of what is there . . . is the beginning and end of mindfulness.
- Joan Duncan Oliver, "Do I Mind?" |
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Less Ambition, Less Disturbance
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The
beautiful thing about having less obsessions and ambitions, and just
sitting straight and watching the breathing, is that nothing will disturb
us. Things only disturb us when we have an aim. When we have an aim, we
become obsessed. Say our aim is to go somewhere, but somebody parks
right in front of our car, blocking us. If something gets in the way of
our aim, it becomes a terrible thing. If we don?t have an aim, though,
it doesn't matter.
- Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse Rinpoche, "Do Nothing" |
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The Music of the Mind
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The practice of meditation involves listening closely to the music of your mind. We are not concerned in the moment about how things get to be the way they are, only that they are so very much exactly what they are.
- Andrew Olendzki, "The Music of the Mind" |
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Just
as oil rises to the top of a pot submerged in water, your virtue, your
goodness, your faith, or generosity will rise to the top, and that is
what will carry you to your next destination.
- The Buddha, "The Best Possible Habit" |
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The Happiness of Uncertainty
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Part
of the reason we try to understand the causes of our experience is that
we believe we can make these experiences happen again. The problem is,
understanding also makes the experience less valuable, because we adapt
to it. It?s surprising things, uncertain things, things we don?t fully
comprehend that seem to bring us the greatest and longest-lasting
happiness.
- Daniel Gilbert, "The Pleasure Paradox" |
“What we're asking for is simply to be part of that same tradition of marriage where two people commit to each other and make those promises to love, protect and honor each other. How are we changing that? How are we harming that? We're just asking to do the same thing.” Jim Obergefell is fired up. He’s the lead plaintiff in a case before the Supreme Court that this month could change gay rights in America forever. And in an exclusive interview with Yahoo global news anchor Katie Couric, he explains why.You might need a tissue for this clip.
“It's scary to think about having the highest court in the land rule that you really are a second-class citizen and you don't deserve the same rights, the same protections, the same responsibilities as other people.” His case, Obergefell v. Hodges, rests on two questions. One is whether the Constitution requires a state where same-sex marriage is not legal to recognize a marriage licensed in a state where it is legal. The other question is whether the Constitution requires states to license marriages between two people of the same sex — in other words, whether same-sex marriage should be legal nationwide.
While the status of a “Sodomite Suppression Act” proposed state ballot initiative remains in limbo, proponents of a rival “Intolerant Jackass Act” initiative were cleared by state Secretary of State Alex Padilla to begin collecting signatures Wednesday. The rival initiative would force the filer of the Sodomite Suppression Act or any similar initiative to attend sensitivity training and donate $5,000 to a pro-gay or pro-lesbian organization. When Huntington Beach attorney Matt McLaughlin filed the Sodomite Suppression Act earlier this year, which would make homosexuality punishable by death, it set off a nationwide backlash for its evident hatred and dubious constitutionality. Attorney General Kamala Harris sought a court injunction rescinding her obligation to prepare a title and summary for the initiative, a necessary step before proponents can begin gathering the 365,880 signatures necessary to get it on the ballot.The Intolerant Jackass Act was filed by activist Charlotte Laws in late March. Last month the California Assembly approved a bill that would raise the referendum filing fee from $200 to $8000. The measure has not yet been heard by the state Senate.
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The
most important point is to establish yourself in a true sense, without
establishing yourself on delusion. And yet we cannot live or practice
without delusion. Delusion is necessary, but delusion is not something
on which you can establish yourself. It is like a stepladder. Without it
you cannot climb up, but you don?t stay on the stepladder. With this
confidence, you can continue to study our way.
- Shunryu Suzuki, "Brown Rice Is Just Right" |
"In honor of 2011 International Human Rights Day, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton declared at the United Nations that 'being LGBT does not make you less human….[G]ay rights are human rights, and human rights are gay rights.' If you couldn’t give that a standing ovation then, let the world know you agree with this shirt."It really was an astounding speech. The shirt is $30.
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The
central philosophy [of Buddhism] is compassion rather than the
Darwinian notion of survival of the fittest. The central notion is
giving your space rather than clinging to your space and making it
secure. It seems to me Buddhism has a tremendous amount of wisdom to
contribute right now to the huge world life political dilemma, i.e.,
what are the limits of compassion? What are the limits in our
relationship to chaos and how do we relate to chaos? Right now,
politically speaking, basic Buddhist notions are really radically
different from the general popular philosophy of life that is taken for
granted among intellectuals, even liberal intellectuals.
- Allen Ginsberg, "Spontaneous Intelligence" |
Negative national headlines on religious freedom continue to fuel a negative image of the entire party. Both in my private conversations with and in public (and private) polling, conservatives are moving ever closer to supporting full equity for LGBT Americans. Gallup’s Values and Beliefs poll released last month showed a more than 20 percentage-point increase since 2001 in Americans (63 percent) who believe “gay and lesbian relations” are “morally acceptable”. You don’t get to a supermajority like that without Republicans. Even Texas conservatives support protecting gay and transgender folks from employment discrimination.Hit the link. It's worth a full read.
Republicans, like the rest of Americans, support nondiscrimination laws because most of us have gay family members, friends and co-workers and want to treat them as we would want to be treated. And having heard from moms and dads who want this great country to treat their gay child just like their straight child has been a powerful narrative. It really is all about family standing up for one another. Most people believe equality under the law can and does work well alongside protecting religious freedom — which must be and is protected, even cherished, in our Constitution.
To what shall I compare
this life of ours?
Even before I can say
it is like a lightning flash
or a dewdrop
it is no more.
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The
recluse appears to be useless. He?s off in the middle of nowhere, doing
nothing. And yet what he?s able to see because of his doing nothing is
important for everyone. It would be nice if the shakers and the movers
were able to see what the recluse sees, now and then.
- David Budbill, "A Voice from the Outside"
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