Via Daily Dharma: Creative Practice, Disciplined Understanding

Just as a yogi must return again and again to the mat or the meditation seat—to directly touch the reality of each moment—the writer must return to the empty page, the sculptor to the clay, the painter to the easel. And through this discipline, both yogi and artist become one with the worlds within and without.

—Anne Cushman, "The Yoga of Creativity"

Via Sri Prem Baba: Flor do dia - Flor del día - Flower of the day - 16/03/2016

“Um dos principais obstáculos na jornada evolutiva do ser humano é a negação. E o moralismo é um dos instrumentos que está a serviço desse mecanismo de negação. Ele é uma espécie de conhecimento emprestado que determina o que é certo ou errado. Você avalia os seus desejos e mede suas atitudes a partir desse conhecimento emprestado. E como você precisa agradar os outros porque acredita que somente assim será amado, você condena seus próprios desejos e passa a negá-los. Mas, como tudo o que é proibido é desejado, essa negação é apenas um combustível para o desejo.”

“Uno de los principales obstáculos en el camino evolutivo del ser humano es la negación. Y el moralismo es uno de los instrumentos que está al servicio de este mecanismo de negación. Es un tipo de conocimiento prestado que determina lo que es correcto o incorrecto. Evalúas tus deseos y mides tus actitudes a partir de ese conocimiento prestado. Y como precisas agradarle a los otros porque crees que solamente así serás amado, condenas tus propios deseos y pasas a negarlos. Pero como todo lo que es prohibido es deseado, esta negación es sólo un combustible para el deseo.”

"One of the main obstacles along the human being’s evolutionary journey is denial. Morality is one of the main instruments that further serves our denial mechanisms. Morality is like borrowed knowledge that determines what is right or wrong. We use these borrowed ideas of morality to evaluate and measure our desires and our very own attitudes. So long as we go on needing to please the other as we believe this is the only way we will be loved, we inadvertently wind up condemning our own desires and thereby denying them. However, everything that is prohibited is ultimately desired. So this denial only serves to ignite more desire."

Via Instinct: Sally Field Is 'Horrified' By Parents Who Do Not Accept Their Gay Children

Sally Field was recently bestowed the Human Rights Campaign‘s Ally for Equality Award, an honor that was presented to her by her gay son Sam.

During a recent EW Radio town hall on SiriusXM, she said:

"First of all, don’t be frightened. And don’t put your own prejudices or fears about sexuality – your own fears about sexuality – on your children. Sexuality is a glorious part of existence.

“What horrifies me is that there are parents who so disapprove, who are so brainwashed to think that this is something out of the Bible or ungodly or against nature. It’s not against nature if nature has actually done this. Sam was always Sam, this wonderful human that he is, from the time he was born. … Some people actually shut their children out of the house when they’re young, they’re teenagers – they’re having a hard enough time to be teenagers and own any part of sexuality. I’m still trying to figure it out!”

Read the original and more here

Via Daily Dharma: A Wise Response

By cultivating skillful attitudes of mind, we will respond to more and more of life with awareness and wisdom. With steady awareness of the way things are, the perseverance to stay with that awareness, and the willingness to learn from it, we maximize our sense of well-being.

—Steve Armstrong, "Got Attitude?"

Via Ram Dass

March 13, 2016

Whether you are a parent or a teacher, anything; whatever your gig is, the only thing you can offer to another being is your consciousness. You are an environment for everyone you meet, in which they can become as conscious as they are ready to become. Offer your most conscious being to others.

Via Sri Prem Baba: Flor do dia - Flor del día - Flower of the day - 14/03/2016

“Se o planeta Terra é uma escola e o principal curso é criar uma cultura de paz e prosperidade, nós estamos de recuperação. Só haverá paz se houver união, só haverá união se houver amor e só haverá amor se desaprendermos a odiar. E para desaprendermos a odiar, precisaremos ter coragem de perdoar. Isso é matéria básica nesse curso. Parece tão óbvio, mas o ser humano ainda não aprendeu.”

“Si el planeta Tierra es una escuela y el principal curso es crear una cultura de paz y prosperidad, nosotros estamos en recuperatorio. Solo habrá paz si hay unión, solo habrá unión si hay amor y solo habrá amor si desaprendemos a odiar. Y para desaprender a odiar, necesitamos tener coraje de perdonar. Esto es materia básica en este curso. Parece tan obvio, pero el ser humano aún no aprendió.”

"If planet Earth is a school and the main course is to create a culture of peace and prosperity, we are failing the course. There will only be peace if there is unity. There will only be union if there is love. We will only have love if we learn how not to hate. To stop the hate short in its tracks, we need to have the courage to forgive. This is the basic school material for this course. It seems so obvious, but we humans have not yet learned it.”

Via Daily Dharma: Testing the Truth

So what is the test of truth? The Buddha offers a simple formula: Test things in terms of cause and effect. Whatever is unskillful, leading to harm and ill, should be abandoned; whatever is skillful, leading to happiness and peace, should be pursued.

—Larry Rosenberg, "The Right to Ask Questions"

Via Daily Dharma: The Need for Narrative

The sense of nagging inauthenticity about my narrative self—the sense that when it comes down to it my story is a lie—persists, and one of the great joys of meditation is that it offers an opportunity to put the story aside for a while and abide, albeit briefly, in the images.

—Alex Gooch, "Being Somebody, Going Somewhere"

Via Daily Dharma: The Breath That Breathes Itself

As we begin to practice mindfulness of breathing, we often see ourselves, initially, as the breather, apart and separate from the breath itself. The direction and development of the practice is eventually to bridge this separation until our attention is absorbed fully into the breath. The breath breathes itself, and we experience a place of deep calmness, concentration, and ease.

—Christina Feldman, "Receiving the Breath: Meditation Q & A"

From my Amigo Nikos: As I have heard elsewhere, "hurt people hurt people."

"The French philosopher Émile-Auguste Chartier (know as Alain), was said to be the finest teacher in France in the first half of the 20th century. And he developed a formula for calming himself and his pupils down in the face of irritating people. ‘Never say that people are evil,’ he wrote, ‘You just need to look for the pin.’ What he meant was: look for the source of the agony that drives a person to behave in appalling ways. The calming thought is to imagine that they are suffering off-stage, in some area we cannot see. To be mature is to learn to imagine this zone of pain, in spite of the lack of much available evidence. They may not look as if they were maddened by an inner psychological ailment: they may look chirpy and full of themselves. But the ‘pin’ simply must be there – or they would not be causing us harm."

---------

On Being Unintentionally Hurt

One of the most fundamental paths to calm is the power to hold on, even in very challenging situations, to a distinction between what someone does – and what they meant to do.

In law, the difference is enshrined in the contrasting concepts of murder and manslaughter. The result may be the same; the body is inert in a pool of blood. But we collectively feel it makes a huge difference what the perpetrator’s intentions were.

We care about intentions for a very good reason: because if it was deliberate, then the perpetrator will be an ongoing and renewable source of danger from whom the community must be protected. But if it was accidental, then the perpetrator will be inclined to deep apology and restitution, which renders punishment and rage far less necessary. 

Picture yourself in a restaurant where the waiter has spilt a glass of wine on your (new) laptop. The damage is severe and your rage starts to mount. But whether this was an accident or a willing strategy is key to an appropriate response. A concerted desire to spill signals that the waiter needs to be confronted head on. You may have to take radical defensive steps: like shouting at them or calling for help. But if it was an accident, then the person isn’t your enemy. 

There’s no need to swear at them. In fact, it makes a lot of sense to be forgiving and kindly, because benevolence will imminently be heading your way.

Motives are, therefore, crucial. But unfortunately, we’re seldom very good at perceiving what motives happen to be involved in the incidents that hurt us. We are easily and wildly mistaken. We see intention where there was none and escalate and confront when no strenuous or agitated responses are warranted.

Make the jump here to read the full article

Via Sri Prem Baba: Flor do dia - Flor del día - Flower of the day - 11/03/2016

“Nós seres humanos, mesmo com tanta miséria e sofrimento, continuamos insistindo em acreditar que tudo se resume em dinheiro. Mas, precisamos ter coragem para admitir que o paradigma materialista caiu. O crescimento econômico não pode mais ser o indexador para medir o nosso desenvolvimento. O PIB não pode mais ser o fator determinante para o nosso sucesso. Dinheiro é apenas um dos aspectos da vida. É bom ter dinheiro, desde que ele não custe a destruição do planeta. Hoje não existe outra maneira de salvar o planeta a não ser a partir de uma mudança de paradigma. Chegou o momento de ampliarmos nossa visão, sem medo de fazer diferente - sem medo de sermos espirituais.”

“Nosotros seres humanos, incluso con tanta miseria y sufrimiento, continuamos insistiendo en creer que todo se resume en dinero. Pero necesitamos tener coraje para admitir que el paradigma materialista cayó. El crecimiento económico no puede ser más el indicador para medir nuestro desarrollo. El PBI no puede ser más el factor determinante de nuestro éxito. El dinero es apenas uno de los aspectos de la vida. Es bueno tener dinero, mientras que éste no cueste la destrucción del planeta. Hoy no existe otra manera de salvar el planeta a no sea un cambio de paradigma. Llegó el momento de ampliar nuestra visión, sin miedo de hacer algo diferente, sin miedo de ser espirituales.”

"Us human beings, even with all our misery and suffering, continue to believe that everything boils down to money. However, we must have the courage to admit that the materialistic paradigm has collapsed. Economic growth can no longer be the index with which we measure our development. Gross National Product can no longer be the determining factor of our success. Money is only one aspect of life. It is good to have money, but not at the cost of destroying our planet. At this point in time, there is no other way to save the planet without a paradigm shift. It is time to broaden our vision and without being afraid to do things differently or to be spiritual."

Via Ram Dass

March 9, 2016

When you have your game all together, and there is still a yearning inside of you, and you say, “I don’t understand why I’m still unhappy; I’ve got it all.” Well, that yearning is your ticket to spiritual awakening.

Via Daily Dharma: Lasting Happiness

First we have to let go of fixation on material things. This does not necessarily mean jettisoning all our material possessions, but it implies that we should not look to material things for lasting happiness.

—Traleg Kyabgon Rinpoche, "Letting Go of Spiritual Experience"

Obama and Trudeau at the White House: The complete speeches

Via Sri Prem Baba: Flor do dia - Flor del día - Flower of the day - 09/03/2016

“A essência disso que chamamos de ‘altruísmo’ é deixar Deus agir através de nós. Para isso, o ego precisa ser anulado, porque é ele que nos faz tomar direções equivocadas. Embora o ego seja uma criação divina, ele desviou-se da Meta e seguiu um caminho próprio. Portanto, somente a partir da rendição do ego o Amor divino pode agir através de nós.”

“La esencia de eso que llamamos ‘altruismo’ es dejar que Dios actúe a través nuestro. Para eso, el ego necesita ser anulado, porque es quien nos hace tomar direcciones equivocadas. Aunque el ego sea una creación divina, él se desvió de la Meta y siguió un camino propio. Por lo tanto, solamente a partir de la rendición del ego el Amor divino puede actuar a través de nosotros.”

"The essence of what we call 'altruism' is to let God work through us. For this to happen, the ego must be dissolved because it is precisely the ego that makes us take ‘wrong turns’. Even though the ego is a divine creation, it has gone astray from the greater goal and chosen to follow its own path. Therefore, only by surrendering the ego can divine love act through us.”

Via Daily Dharma: Meditation, Simply Defined

Meditation, simply defined, is a way of being aware. It is the happy marriage of doing and being.

—Lama Surya Das, "The Heart-Essence of Buddhist Meditation"

Just a note of thanks to all my devoted... OK, to both of my devoted readers... Thanks folks!

Via Sri Prem Baba: Flor do dia - Flor del día - Flower of the day - 08/03/2016

“Ninguém quer sentir dor, mas às vezes é necessário abrir mão dos anestésicos e amortecedores para poder encará-la de frente. É preciso ter coragem de lidar com a frustração daquilo que, por alguma razão, você evita entrar em contato. Quando umarepetição negativa se torna insistente na sua vida, quer dizer que ela quer te ensinar algo que você se recusa a aprender. Nesse momento, pare e pergunte: O que você quer me ensinar? O queeu preciso aprender? Assim, aos poucos, você vai dando passagem para as revelações da sua alma."

“Nadie quiere sentir dolor, pero a veces es necesario soltar los anestésicos y amortiguadores para poder encararlo de frente. Es necesario tener coraje para lidiar con la frustración de aquello que, por alguna razón, evitas entrar en contacto. Cuando una repetición negativa se vuelve insistente en tu vida, quiere decir que quiere enseñarte algo que te rehusas a aprender. En ese momento, detente y pregunta: ¿Qué quieres enseñarme? ¿Qué necesito aprender? Así, de a poco, vas dando paso a las revelaciones de tu alma.”

"No one wants to feel pain, but sometimes it’s necessary to let go of our numbing devices and shock absorbers in order to face our pain face to face. It takes courage to deal with the frustration of what we avoid getting in touch with for onereason or another. When a negative repetition becomes persistent in our lives, it is wanting to teach us something that we are refusing to learn. In such cases, we must stop and ask: ‘What do you want to teach me? What do I need to learn?’Thus, we gradually make way for our soul’s revelations.”

Ellen Page no Brasil entrevista policial homofóbico - Gaycation - Vice

Via Daily Dharma: Meditation and the Malleable Self

The self is plastic, a malleable clay being molded each moment by intention. Just as our scientists are discovering not only how the mind is shaped by the brain but now, too, how the brain is shaped by the mind, so the Buddha described long ago the interdependent process by which intentions are conditioned by dispositions and dispositions in turn are conditioned by intentions.

—Andrew Olendzki, "Karma in Action"

Via JMG: Trump Refuses To Answer Gay Marriage Question

March 7, 2016 2016 Election, Marriage Equality

From the Daily Mail:

Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump refused to answer a question about same-sex marriage during a press conference Saturday night, following his electoral split of four primary and caucus states with Texas Sen. Ted Cruz.

DailyMail.com asked Trump to say whether or not he favors marriage rights for gay and lesbian couples, and whether U.S. Supreme Court justices he might appoint would be expected to work toward overturning ‘Obergefell v. Hodges,’ the 2015 decision that legalized such unions nationwide.

‘We have policy on it. And I’ve said it very, very strongly,’ Trump replied, without saying what that policy is. ‘And I think you know it. And it’s all done and, you know, in a campaign how many times do I have to say it?’
Trump said in January during an interview on ‘Fox News Sunday’ that he wished the high court had left the issue to the states to resolve, and concluded that he ‘would strongly consider’ appointing justices to overturn the ‘surprising’ Obergefell decision.

That answer allowed him enough room to maneuver in a Republican primary full of rivals on the religious right, without saying unequivocally that a President Trump would work to reverse the Supreme Court.

Make a jump to this article and much more on JMG

Via Sri Prem Baba: Flor do dia - Flor del día - Flor del día 07/03/2016

“Shiva é uma frequência de luz que nos inspira o desapego. As cinzas que cobrem o seu corpo simbolizam o fim do desejo. E através do desapego e da transcendência do desejo, é possível conquistar a morte (não mais temê-la, compreendendo que ela é apenas uma passagem para outra forma de vida). A vitória sobre a morte é a maior iniciação possível neste plano. Ela representa moksha, a liberação do ciclo de morte e renascimento.”

“Shiva es una frecuencia de luz que nos inspira al desapego. Las cenizas que cubren su cuerpo simbolizan el fin del deseo. Y a través del desapego y de la trascendencia del deseo, es posible conquistar la muerte (no temerle más, comprendiendo que es sólo un pasaje hacia otra forma de vida). La victoria sobre la muerte es la mayor iniciación posible en este plano. Representa moksha, la liberación del ciclo de muerte y renacimiento.”

"Shiva is a frequency of light that inspires detachment within us. The ashes covering Shiva’s body symbolize the end of desire. Through detachment and by transcending our desires, we can conquer death. We no longer fear death, as we realize that it is but a passage from one form of life to another. Victory over death is the highest level of initiation possible in this realm. This victory represents moksha, being liberated from the cycle of death and rebirth.”

Via Daily Dharma: Closely Inspecting Experience

To see things as they are is to unearth our hidden assumptions about ourselves and our world, to bring them into the light of full consciousness, and to notice how, on close inspection, these assumptions often contradict our actual experience.

—C.W. Huntington, Jr., "Seeing Things as They Are"

Via Ram Dass

March 6, 2016

Work to extricate yourself from the illusion of your own separateness, and then you do what you do in life. And as you do what you do in life, if you’re a shoemaker you make shoes, if you’re a mother you raise your children; whatever you’re doing that is the vehicle through which you express that. It’s like C.S. Lewis saying you don’t see the center because it’s all center. But whatever you are is the center of the whole game, and it resonates out from there. A fully conscious bus driver can affect everybody that’s in the traffic around them, everybody that steps on their bus.

Via Sri Prem Baba: Flor do dia - Flor del día - Flower of the day - 06/03/2016

“Amanhã é celebrado na Índia o Mahashivaratri (‘a grande noite de Shiva’) uma data muito auspiciosa por conta da configuração astrológica e astronômica. É o momento do ano no qual a lua exerce menor influência sobre a mente humana, o que favorece a experiência da comunhão com o Divino, através da união entre o masculino (Shiva) e o feminino (Shakti). Esse é um momento propício para a prática do silêncio e/ou do jejum alimentar e da oração.”

“Mañana se celebra en India el Mahashivaratri (‘la gran noche de Shiva') una fecha muy auspiciosa debido a la configuración astrológica y astronómica. Es el momento del año en que la luna ejerce menor influencia sobre la mente humana, lo que favorece la experiencia de comunión con lo Divino a través de la unión entre el masculino (Shiva) y el femenino (Shakti). Este es un momento propicio para la práctica del silencio y/o del ayuno alimenticio y de la oración.”

"In India, Mahashivaratri, 'the great night of Shiva' is celebrated tomorrow. It is a very auspicious date because of its astrological and astronomical configurations. It is the time of year when the moon exerts the least influence on the human mind, which favors the experience of communion with the Divine through the union of masculine, Shiva, and feminine,Shakti. This is a good time to practice silence or fasting as well as prayer.”

Via Daily Dharma: The Point of Buddhism

Most people, myself included, want to get some benefit from something. But in Buddhism, what we’re actually trying to do is to become released from the suffering that comes from wanting to get something.

—Mark Unno, "The Buddha of Infinite Light and Life"

Via PEACE and Grace: Spirituality in a Broken World / FB:

 

DISAVOWAL

"Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves." (Matthew 7:15)

Via FB:

Hilarious Gay Marriage Speech by NZ MP

Via Sri Prem Baba: Flor do dia - Flor del día - Flower of the day - 05/03/2016

“Para poder doar ao outro é preciso ter o que doar. É preciso ser generoso consigo mesmo para poder ser generoso com o outro, o que significa poder ir além dos nãos para a sua própria saúde, prosperidade e alegria. Alguns ouvem falar de altruísmo e logo saem por aí pregando e querendo fazer caridade, mas ainda não têm o que oferecer. Esse movimento é justamente o contrário do altruísmo, pois é carregado de necessidade de reconhecimento e atenção. É uma falsa caridade, uma doação que quer algo em troca. Essa ação serve apenas para desenvolver um aspecto da natureza inferior conhecido como ‘ego espiritual’.”

“Para poder dar al otro es necesario tener algo que dar. Es preciso ser generoso consigo mismo para poder ser generoso con el otro, lo que significa poder ir más allá de los No a tu propia salud, prosperidad y alegría. Algunos oyen hablar de altruismo y luego salen por ahí predicando y queriendo hacer caridad, pero todavía no tienen qué ofrecer. Este movimiento es justamente lo contrario del altruismo porque está cargado de necesidad de reconocimiento y atención. Es una falsa caridad, una donación que quiere algo a cambio. Esta acción sólo sirve para desarrollar un aspecto de la naturaleza inferior, conocido como 'ego espiritual’.”

"In order to give to the other, we must have something to give. We must first be generous with ourselves in order to be generous with the other, which means being able to go beyond the no's towards our own health, prosperity and joy. Some people hear about altruism and immediately go around preaching and doing charity, yet they still have nothing to offer. These actions are directly opposite to the true sense of altruism,asthey born out of the need for recognition and attention. This is a false charity; a giving that expects something in return. These action merely serve to develop an aspect of our lower nature known as 'the spiritual ego'.”

Via Daily Dharma: Buddha vs. Hobbes

I think everybody has a natural inclination to compassion. It gets covered over by frustration, ignorance, bad experiences, bad karma, but underneath it, as they say, everybody has a Buddha-nature which is compassionate. This is exactly the opposite of the Hobbesian view, which is that underneath everybody is a snarling animal.

—Allen Ginsberg, "Spontaneous Intelligence"

Via Huffington: It's Time to Rethink Religion vs. LGBT

by Mychal Copeland Co-editor of Struggling in Good Faith: LGBTQI Inclusion from 13 American Religious Perspectives and Director of InterfaithFamily Bay Area. 

 

martinwimmer via Getty Images

Despite what it sounds like on the campaign trail, Americans of all religious backgrounds are opposed to curtailing freedoms for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. While Marco Rubio states that "...faith-based people...are being compelled to sin by government in their business conduct" and Ted Cruz is calling 2016 the "religious liberty election," statistics show a more complicated relationship between American religion and LGBT issues. A majority of Americans - across the religious spectrum - think that people should not be fired from a job, denied housing or evicted from their home simply because they are gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender.

While more than 50% of white evangelical Protestants and Mormons do support Religious Refusal bills, every other American religious group - including Catholics, Jehovah's Witnesses, and Muslims - oppose them. Moreover, majorities in every single American religious group - including white evangelical Protestants and Mormons - would support legislation protecting LGBT individuals from discrimination in jobs, public accommodations, and housing.

The Public Religion Research Institute, drawing on 42,000 interviews conducted in 2015, issued a recent report showing that even among religious groups that oppose same-sex marriage, a majority support legal protections for LGBT people and do not believe that small business owners in their states should be able to refuse products or services to gay or lesbian people on religious grounds. Even where their religion has been vocal in opposing same sex marriage, a majority of Americans (53%) support it. 

The survey comes in the wake of a slew of anti-LGBT religious refusal bills being proposed at the state level which would allow businesses to refuse services to LGBT people and eliminate the ability of local governments to protect LGBT residents and visitors through non-discrimination ordinances. 

On the national scene, the conservative American Principles Project approached all of the presidential hopefuls late last year to endorse the First Amendment Defense Act (FADA), hoping to get their pledge to support legislation during their first 100 days in the White House that would, according to the ACLU, "permit government employees to discriminate against married same-sex couples and their families - federal employees could refuse to process tax returns, visa applications, or Social Security checks for all married same-sex couples, and allow businesses to discriminate by refusing to let gay or lesbian employees care for their sick spouse, in violation of family medical leave laws." 

The act goes beyond affecting just LGBT people: it would allow landlords to refuse housing to a single mother on the religious grounds that sexual relations must only occur within the bounds of marriage. Six of the Republican candidates pledged to back the act, and three more have endorsed similar ideas. No Republican candidate has publicly opposed the bill. 

But the findings of the Public Religion Research Institute reveal that it is no longer possible to make blanket assumptions that people who affiliate themselves with a religious institution will support legislation that legalizes discrimination against LGBT individuals and families. When 73% of Catholics, 72% of Mormons, and 57% of white, Evangelical Protestants support LGBT nondiscrimination laws, we begin to see a more complex picture of religion in America. 

The numbers challenge some deeply ingrained myths about religion and religious people. First, no religious tradition is monolithic. Within each denomination, there is a wide array of belief and practice, and without fail, every American religious tradition is engaged in a struggle about LGBT inclusion. 

Second, the Public Religion Research Institute numbers challenge the overstated notion that all religions are, or should be, unchanging and timeless, unaffected by their surroundings. Even if these statistics merely reflect a shift amongst laypeople and not leadership, they still support a theory of change, albeit slow, within all religious traditions. 

As Episcopal Bishop Gene Robinson writes in Struggling in Good Faith: LGBTQI Inclusion from 13 American Religious Perspectives, "Most people would tell you that religions are the keepers and preservers of unchanging, eternal truths. They would be wrong." If a religion has stood the test of time, it is because its adherents have struggled with new ideas and found ways to incorporate them. In fact, confronting and incorporating change is built into many religions. This kind of evolution occurs differently across the spectrum of traditions. For some, rather than doctrine or ideology changing with people following afterward, the opposite is true. A slow, subtle shift in attitude is followed by (or is concurrent with) expansive approaches to theology, ideology, and scriptural interpretation, and then, perhaps, changes in doctrine over time. 

Third, there is a prevailing assumption that individuals will hold anti-LGBT religious doctrine above other religious ideals. More and more religious leaders and lay people are prizing overarching principles of faith, such as compassion, love, dignity, and welcome over negative religious legislation. Even where there are prohibitions on the books disallowing same-sex relationships or activity, there is an underlying call for compassion and a support of individuals' rights. Most Americans now know someone who is LGBT, and see this acronym no longer as an amalgamation of heady labels but as a face of someone they love, someone they work with, someone who has struggled. Those Americans are more likely to see that individual as someone who should be able to rent an apartment, keep a job, and even marry the one they love.

Follow Mychal Copeland on Twitter: www.twitter.com/rabbimychal

MORE:

Gay, Republican Party, Islam, RELIGIÓN, Catholic Church

 

Make the jump here to read the original and more on Huffington 

Via Alternet / Belief: Why It's Heretical to Read the Bible Literally

Retired Bishop John Shelby Spong challenges a common tendency towards a literal reading of the Bible.

By Candace Chellew-Hodge / Religion Dispatches

 

March 1, 2016

Bishop John Shelby Spong
Photo Credit: Wikimedia Creative Commons

That’s why, says retired Episcopal Bishop John Shelby Spong, despite his best-selling controversial books and popular speeches, his position on Jesus and the Christian church will never be the majority opinion, because he believes Jesus is not the Savior of the world and that the Bible cannot be read literally.

That hunger for security is being sated by everyone from mega-church pastors offering assurances that Jesus will save the faithful, to the current crop of presidential candidates hawking their ability to keep us safe.

“Donald Trump can say the outrageous things he says because it speaks to people’s fears,” Spong said in a recent interview with RD’s Candace Chellew-Hodge. “They respond because he says what their fears want to hear. He can’t deliver any more than anyone else can.”

But that doesn’t keep him, or any of the other candidates or pastors from promising that security, whether it’s offered through God, guns or the government.

How did we get into such as sorry state? Gentiles, Spong says.

In his new book, Biblical Literalism: A Gentile Heresy, Spong dissects the Gospel of Matthew to uncover what the Jewish writers were really trying to do in their gospel narrative, and oddly enough, building megachurches and promising safety and security in exchange for right belief isn’t anywhere to be found.

What is there, however, is a powerful message that runs counter to the idea that faith offers nothing but a sweet and secure life. Instead, the biblical writers are inviting readers into the mystery of a life that is frequently messy and often downright brutal.
 
That, Spong says, is the real Good News.

Make the jump here to read the full article

Via JMG: US Promotes LGBT Rights At United Nations By Taking Ambassadors To See Lesbian-Themed Broadway Musical

March 3, 2016 LGBT News

Reuters reports:

The United States turned to cultural diplomacy on Tuesday to push gay rights at the United Nations by taking 15 U.N. ambassadors, including those from Russia, Gabon and Namibia, to see an award-winning lesbian musical on Broadway.

Samantha Power, the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, said the “Fun Home” coming-of-age production “brings home the challenges that LGBTI (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex) are facing every day around the world.”

“Thank you for bringing this all home in a way that resolutions and statements never can,” Power told the cast during a question-and-answer session after their performance.

According to the United Nations, being gay is a crime in at least 75 countries.

Last year, “Fun Home” won five Tony Awards – American theatre’s highest honors – including best musical and best actor for Michael Cerveris, who plays a closeted gay father.

The U.S. mission said ambassadors from the European Union, Australia, Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia, El Salvador, Mexico, the Netherlands, Norway, Switzerland, Uruguay and Vietnam also attended.

Make the jump here to read the original and more at JMG

Via Sri Prem Baba: Flor do dia - Flor del día - Flower of the day - 04/03/2016

“Estamos passando por uma aceleração do processo evolutivo, tanto como indivíduos, quanto como planeta. Apesar de haver uma grande fricção ocorrendo interna e externamente, estamos sendo levados a experienciar liberdade e união. Para aqueles que, de certa forma, já puderam ir um pouco além do egoísmo e das mazelas da natureza inferior, esse momento é um convite para se doarem mais; é um convite para colocar seus potenciais, dons e talentos a serviço do bem comum. Mas isso precisa ser feito de forma autêntica, verdadeiramente amorosa e desinteressada, como na passagem da bíblia que diz: ‘A mão esquerda não deve ver o que a mão direita dá’.”

“Estamos pasando por una aceleración del proceso evolutivo, tanto como individuos y como planeta. A pesar de haber una gran fricción ocurriendo interna y externamente, estamos siendo llevados a experimentar libertad y unión. Para aquellos que, de alguna manera, ya pudieron ir un poco más allá del egoísmo y de los males de la naturaleza inferior, este momento es una invitación a darse más; es una invitación para poner tus potenciales, dones y talentos al servicio del bien común. Pero esto debe hacerse de manera auténtica, verdaderamente amorosa y desinteresada, como el pasaje de la biblia que dice: ‘La mano izquierda no debe ver lo que la mano derecha da’.”

"The evolutionary process is accelerating, both on the individual level as well as the collective. Although there is a lot of internal and external friction, we are being led to the experience of freedom and unity. For those who, in some way, have already been able to surpass selfishness and the wrong doings of the lower nature, this moment isan invitation to give of yourselves even more. It is inviting us to put our potential gifts and talents at the service of the greater good. However, this must be done authentically, in a truly loving and selfless way. As a passage from the Bible says, ‘Do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing.'"

Via Daily Dharma: Making History Here

World history is a record of the effects of the negative and positive thoughts of human beings. This, I think, is quite clear. By reflecting on these past occurrences, we can see that if we want to have a better and happier future, now is the time to examine the mindset of our present generation and to reflect on the way of life that it may bring about in the future.

—The Dalai Lama, "The Enemy Within"

Via JMG: GEORGIA: Gov. Nathan Deal Denounces Anti-LGBT “Religious Liberty” Bill By Citing The Bible

March 3, 2016 LGBT News, Religion

Feeling the heat from major local corporations, Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal today denounced the pending anti-LGBT “religious liberty” bill by citing scripture. From the Atlanta Journal-Constitution:

Standing in the lobby of a government building after a ribbon-cutting ceremony, he laid out a lengthy condemnation of the measure from a Biblical perspective, first noting that he is a Southern Baptist who took religion courses at Mercer University.

“What the New Testament teaches us is that Jesus reached out to those who were considered the outcasts, the ones that did not conform to the religious societies’ view of the world. We do not have a belief in my way of looking at religion that says we have to discriminate against anybody. If you were to apply those standards to the teaching of Jesus, I don’t think they fit.”

He then turned to a passage from the Gospel of John that showed Jesus reaching out to an outcast.
“What that says is we have a belief in forgiveness and that we do not have to discriminate unduly against anyone on the basis of our own religious beliefs. We are not jeopardized, in my opinion, by those who believe differently from us. We are not, in my opinion, put in jeopardy by virtue of those who might hold different beliefs or who may not even agree with what our Supreme Court said the law of the land is on the issue of same-sex marriage. I do not feel threatened by the fact that people who might choose same-sex marriages pursue that route.”

Make the jump here to read the orginal and more at JMG

Via LGBT News/FB:

 

 

So simple is that
Visit us at lgbtfeed.com

Via JMG: UTAH: Mormon Church Helps Kill Hate Crimes Bill

March 3, 2016 LGBT News, Religion

 The Salt Lake Tribune reports:

Rusty Andrade was prepared to lose. But it still felt like a punch to the gut Wednesday as he watched, from a seat on the Senate floor, lawmakers vote to kill a proposal to bolster Utah’s hate-crime laws. “It totally feels like a revictimization,” said Andrade, 35, whose 2014 beating by two men shouting gay slurs helped inspire Sen. Steve Urquhartt’s hate-crime bill. “It just re-emphasizes that they don’t see us worthy of protection.” SB107 failed on a 17-11 vote.

Urquhart said senators have made up their minds, and he can see no way to sway the votes. It’s clear, he said, that the opposition from Utah’s predominant religion, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, ultimately killed his bill, changing at least three votes that would have meant its passage and shutting down the dialogue he would have needed to win back support. “I felt that we were going to pass hate crimes through the process,” he said, “and after their statement, there was really no way.”

Make the jump here to read  the original and more on JMG

Via FB: Not surprised that "WE" is a reflection of "ME" on a deeper Level of truth.

"We meet ourselves time and again in a thousand disguises on the path of life." - C.G. Jung

Via Sri Prem Baba: Flor do dia - Flor del día - Flower of the day - 03/03/2016

“As palavras que surgem para serem transmitidas em nossos encontros são espontâneas. Não costumo preparar nada com antecedência. Não porque me oponho a esse método, mas simplesmente porque é assim que acontece comigo. As palavras, quando surgem, fazem parte de um jogo divino, elas servem como uma forma de confirmar a intuição; uma forma de auxiliar na leitura dos sinais e sincronicidades que a vida oferece. Tais sinais são a forma mais simples do Mistério se comunicar com você. A sua parte é compreender a mensagem.”

“Las palabras que surgen para ser transmitidas en nuestros encuentros son espontáneas. No acostumbro preparar nada con anticipación. No porque me oponga a este método, simplemente porque es así como sucede conmigo. Las palabras, cuando surgen, son parte de un juego divino, sirven como una manera de confirmar la intuición; una manera de ayudar en la lectura de las señales y sincronicidades que la vida ofrece. Tales señales son la forma más simple para el Misterio comunicarse contigo. Tu parte es comprender el mensaje.”

"The words that arise to be transmitted in our encounters are spontaneous. I usually do not prepare anything in advance. It’s not that I am opposed to different methods, my transmissions simply take place this way because that is how they come through me. When the words arise, they become a part of God's play. They serve as a means to confirm intuition and a way to assist us in interpreting the signs and synchronicities that life offers. Such signals are the simplest ways in which the Mystery communicates with us. Our part is to understand these messages.”

Via Daily Dharma: The Mindlessness of Aggression

In the eyes of Great Compassion, there is no separation between subject and object, no separate self. If a cruel and violent person disembowels you, you can smile and look at him with love. It is his upbringing, his situation, and his ignorance that cause him to act so mindlessly.

—Thich Nhat Hanh, "Great Compassion"

CONTACT 2014 MOVIE FULL HD

Via Sri Prem Baba: Flor do dia - Flor del día - Flower of the day - 02/03/2016

“Abençoado é cada momento em que temos a oportunidade de estar juntos, aprendendo mais sobre nós mesmos. Pois é o autoconhecimento que possibilita a liberação do sofrimento. Todo sofrimento nasce da ignorância a respeito da nossa verdadeira natureza, do esquecimento de quem somos, ou seja, da falsa ideia de eu. Portanto, o autoconhecimento é o que possibilita o acesso à realidade de quem somos, ou seja, a autorrealização.”

“Bendito es cada momento que tenemos la oportunidad de estar juntos, aprendiendo más acerca de nosotros mismos. Pues el autoconocimiento es lo que posibilita la liberación del sufrimiento. Todo sufrimiento nace de la ignorancia sobre nuestra verdadera naturaleza, del olvido de quienes somos, es decir, la falsa idea de yo. Por lo tanto, el autoconocimiento es lo que permite el acceso a la realidad de quien somos, es decir, la auto-realización.”

"Every time we have the opportunity to be together it is a blessing, as we are given the opportunity to learn more about ourselves. Self-knowledge enables our freedom from suffering. All suffering is born out of the ignorance about our true nature, the forgetfulness of who we are, and the false idea of self. Therefore, self-knowledge is what allows us to access the reality of who we are, which is self-realization.”

Via Ram Dass:

March 2, 2016

Every moment of your life, once you understand it’s purpose, is your vehicle for awakening. This moment is your vehicle for awakening. If you’re uncomfortable, allow it. If you’re fascinated, be fascinated, allow it. Give it space.

Via Daily Dharma: Intimate Compassion

In short, for compassion to develop toward a wide range of persons, mere knowledge of how beings suffer is not sufficient; there has to be a sense of closeness with regard to every being.

—Jeffrey Hopkins, "Everyone as a Friend"

Via WORLDWIDE HIPPIES / FB:

Via FB:

Via Sri Prem Baba: Flor do dia - Flor del día - Flower of the day - 01/03/2016

“Estamos atravessando um momento difícil da nossa jornada evolutiva enquanto seres humanos. Precisamos olhar de frente para os nossos problemas e suas verdadeiras causas, afim de encontrarmos reais soluções. Ao fugir da solução real, aumentamos tensões e dificuldades. Em tempos como esse somos mais exigidos: devemos abandonar os velhos hábitos e mecanismos de defesa geradores dos problemas, especialmente o orgulho e o apego a crenças e pontos de vista limitantes. Porém, continuamos negando as causas e ainda não nos responsabilizamos por nossas próprias criações. Continuamos sendo guiados pelo jogo de acusações e cegos para o óbvio. Mas o preço dessa fuga é muito alto. Não é somente a destruição do planeta e da população – o pior é não termos acesso à Verdade e ao propósito maior da nossa existência.”

“Estamos atravesando un momento difícil en nuestro camino evolutivo como seres humanos. Precisamos mirar de frente nuestros problemas y sus verdaderas causas, con el fin de encontrar soluciones reales. Al huir de la solución real, aumentamos tensiones y dificultades. En tiempos como este somos más exigidos: debemos abandonar los viejos hábitos y mecanismos de defensa generadores de problemas, especialmente el orgullo y el apego a las creencias y puntos de vista limitantes. Sin embargo, seguimos negando las causas y todavía no nos responsabilizamos por nuestras propias creaciones. Continuamos siendo guiados por el juego de acusaciones y ciegos a lo obvio. Pero el precio de esa fuga es muy alto. No es sólo la destrucción del planeta y de la población, lo peor es no tener acceso a la Verdad y al propósito mayor de nuestra existencia.”

"We are going through a difficult time in our evolutionary journey as human beings. We need to face our problems and their true causes head on in order to find real solutions. If we continue to flee from the actual solutions, our tensions and difficulties will only increase. In times like these, a lot is being demanded of us: we must abandon our old habits and defense mechanisms that are generating these problems, especially our pride and attachment to our limited beliefs and points of view. We continue to deny the causes of our problems and we still refuse to take responsibility for our own creations. We continue being guided by the blame game and remain blind to the obvious truths. The price of our fleeing is very high: it does not only involve the destruction of our planet and population - the worst part is that we don’t have access to the truth and to the greater purpose of our existence."

Via Daily Dharma: Sit, Sit, Sit

The zazen period we are recommending is 20 minutes. You may find that you will want to do more—or less—and that is fine. What is important is consistency. To keep your practice consistent, remember what the famous Nike ad says: “Just do it.” Don’t concern yourself with trying to get to some particular place or state of mind. Each day’s zazen will be a little different, just like the rest of life.

—Roshi Pat Enkyo O’Hara, "An Introduction to Zen"