Via Daily Dharma / May 29, 2016: In It Together

Each of you–not separately, but in the cauldron with all beings, cooking and being cooked—is realizing awakening. Not you by yourself, because that is not who you really are. You by yourself are not Buddha-Nature; but your being in the cauldron of all beings is realizing the Buddha-Way.

—Reb Anderson, "In It Together"

Via Sri Prem Baba: Flor do dia - Flor del día - Flower of the day - 28/05/2016

“A crença é um programa mental instalado no seu sistema a partir de choques vividos no passado. E esse programa passa a determinar suas escolhas, decisões e comportamentos no mundo. As crenças são instaladas mediante situações que geram impacto, formando marcas na substância da alma. São imagens congeladas que agem criando fendas nos corpos emocional e mental. Essas fendas se manifestam prioritariamente como rigidez de pensamento: você tem absoluta certeza de que as coisas funcionam de determinada maneira, porém, nem sempre isso é verdadeiro.”

“La creencia es un programa mental instalado en tu sistema a partir de shocks vividos en el pasado. Y ese programa pasa a determinar tus elecciones, decisiones y comportamientos en el mundo. Las creencias son instaladas mediante situaciones que generan impacto, formando marcas en la sustancia del alma. Son imágenes congeladas que actúan creando grietas en los cuerpos emocional y mental. Estas grietas se manifiestan prioritariamente como rigidez de pensamiento: tienes absoluta certeza que las cosas funcionan de determinada manera, sin embargo, no siempre eso es verdadero.”

“A belief is a mental program installed in our systems due to the shocks we experienced in our past. This program determines our choices, decisions and behavior in the world. Beliefs are generated by situations that have an impact on us, forming scars on the substance of our souls. Frozen images remain in our systems that act to create fractures in our emotional and mental bodies. These fractures manifest primarily as rigidity of thought: we think we can be absolutely certain that things work in a particular way, yet this is not always true.”

Via Daily Dharma / May 28, 2016: History’s Changing View

History is a mirror we look into in order to see ourselves; it evolves as we do.

—Henry Shukman, "Zen and the Art"

Via BuzzFeed: American Baha’is Struggle With LGBTQ Issues

In recent years, American Baha’is have felt a dilemma between their identities as Baha’is and their desire to support members of the LGBTQ community. 

Why are some American Baha’is leaving their faith?

 

In the past two years, three written pieces by Baha’is who left, or considered leaving their faith have gained publicity on social media. All three people who published such pieces left or considered leaving the Baha’i faith due to the faith’s stance on homosexuality. The Universal House of Justice, the Baha’i authority of the world, describes homosexuality as similar to issues such as drinking and doing drugs. While Baha’is are encouraged to be sympathetic toward LGBT members of the faith, the UHJ considers homosexuality immoral if expressed in sexual acts. Since April of 2015, three prominent Baha’is have expressed their struggles and disagreements with this stance. 

In recent years, the first person to come forth so publicly on this issue was former Baha’i Sean Rayshel. In an April 2015 interview with the Huffington Post, Rayshel discussed his journey leaving the Baha’i Faith due to feeling that the official Baha’i stance on homosexuality “debased” him, and claimed that he was part of the world’s disintegration. Just one month later, out gay Baha’i radio talk show host Jake Sasseville published a statement titled, “Baha’i Curious? Religion and Sexuality” in which he mentioned that he considered leaving the Baha’i Faith. Sasseville stated that being a gay Baha’i makes him feel “unlovable” in what is otherwise “the most accepting, loving, and global community I’ve ever known.” In February of 2016, Baha’i actress Anisa George published her letter of resignation from the Baha’i faith to the Universal House of Justice on gaybahai.net. George expressed her sorrow in leaving the faith, however she also stated “when it comes to civil rights issues pertaining to the LGBTQ community, Baha’is are so woefully behind the curve.” 

Rayshel and George express a sentiment that Baha’i holy texts condemn pederasty, and not homosexuality, as the Universal House of Justice has interpreted them. 

Sources:
bahai-library.com/compilation_homosexuality_bwc

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Via Daily Dharma / May 26, 2016: Attachment Awareness

In the meditative process, sometimes all objects seem to disappear, and all that’s left is consciousness, the knowing mind. But care is needed here, because there can be a subtle attachment to this state, an identification with awareness itself.

—Joseph Goldstein, "The End of Suffering"

Via Sri Prem Baba: Flor do dia - Flor del día - Flower of the day 27/05/2016

“Você pode deixar a família para seguir um caminho monástico, acreditando estar em busca da iluminação, mas pode estar apenas tentando fugir da sua responsabilidade. Você pode não estar dando conta do aprendizado que é estar nesse lugar. Porque uma coisa é sentar para meditar dentro da caverna ou no alto da montanha; outra coisa é meditar enquanto troca a fralda do bebê. Uma coisa é praticar yoga na hora que bem entende; outra é ter que acordar de madrugada com o bebê chorando. Talvez a melhor prática de yoga para você seja estar em família, pois é ali que o seu ego será constantemente provocado e você terá a chance de superar seus padrões negativos; é ali que você aprenderá a sustentar a presença e o coração aberto diante dos desafios da vida e onde poderá exercitar de verdade a renúncia e o perdão.”

“Puedes dejar la familia para seguir un camino monástico, creyendo estar en búsqueda de la iluminación, pero puedes estar solo intentado huir de tu responsabilidad. Puedes no estar haciéndote cargo del aprendizaje que es estar en ese lugar. Porque una cosa es sentarse a meditar dentro de una caverna o en lo alto de la montaña; y otra cosa es meditar mientras cambias el pañal del bebé. Una cosa es practicar yoga en la hora que te plazca, otra es tener que levantarte de madrugada con el bebé llorando. Tal vez la mejor práctica de yoga para ti sea estar en familia, pues es allí que tu ego será constantemente provocado y tendrás la chance de superar tus patrones negativos, es allí que aprenderás a sustentar la presencia y el corazón abierto delante de los desafíos de la vida y donde podrás ejercitar de verdad la renuncia y el perdón.”

“We may leave the family in order to follow a monastic path, believing that we are in search of enlightenment, whereas we are actually attempting to escape our responsibilities. We may not be taking into consideration the valuable lessons being given to us from this life experience. It is one thing to sit and meditate in a cave or on a mountaintop, but it is another thing to meditate while we are changing a diaper. It’s one thing to practice yoga at anytime we choose; it’s another to wake up in the middle of the night with a crying baby. Perhaps the best yoga practice is to be in a family, because it is precisely in this place that our egos will be constantly provoked and we get the chance to go beyond our negative patterns. From this point we learn to sustain presence and an open heart while facing life’s challenges. From here we can truly exercise renunciation and forgiveness.”

Via Daily Dharma / May 27, 2016: Heart, Broken Open

Disbelief of snow, suspended. So sudden
the plum blossoms
cannot close and hang instead
like broken parasols. As the heart, un-steeled
against pain, is broken.

—Paula Bohince, "Birds, Beasts, Blossoms, and Bugs"

Via FB:

Via Ram Dass:

May 25, 2016

One doesn’t have to beat down one’s ego for God; that isn’t how it works. The ego isn’t in the way; it’s how we’re holding the ego. It’s much better to just do spiritual practices, open to God, love God and trust your intuitive heart. As the transformation happens, the ego becomes a beautiful instrument which is available to you to deal with the world.

Via Sri Prem Baba: Flor do dia - Flor del día - Flower of the day 25/05/2016

“O karma é um instrumento divino que nos ensina o caminho da liberdade. Certos karmas não podem ser evitados e não há o que possa ser feito; muito pelo contrário: muitas vezes, você precisa parar de fazer. Você precisa ampliar a percepção, manter-se aqui e agora, apenas observando. Dessa maneira você compreende que aquele que observa é isento de karma.”

“El karma es un instrumento divino que nos enseña el camino de la libertad. Ciertos karmas no pueden ser evitados y no hay nada que se pueda hacer, muy por lo contrario: muchas veces necesitas parar de hacer. Necesitas ampliar la percepción, mantenerte aquí y ahora, solo observando. De esa manera comprendes que aquel que observa estáexento de karma.”

“Karma is a divine tool that teaches us the path to freedom. Certain karmas cannot be avoided and there is nothing that can be done about them – to the contrary: we must stop with our incessant ‘doing’. We need to increase our awareness by placing ourselves in the present moment and simply observe. Thus we comprehend that the one who simply observes is freed from karma.”

Via Daily Dharma / May 25, 2016: Remembering Generosity

The dimension of generosity is hidden in plain sight, yet we can overlook it even if we spend every waking hour in a temple. Perhaps as a way of reminding us, Buddhist ceremonies often end with an invocation or, if you’d prefer, a prayer: “May all beings find happiness.”

—Kurt Spellmeyer, "Buddhism and the Market"

Via Sri Prem Baba: Flor do dia - Flor del día - Flower of the day 24/05/2016

“O amor tem suas leis, portanto alguns acordos precisam ser cumpridos. Uma das leis do amor diz respeito à responsabilidade: se você estabeleceu uma família, você tem um compromisso com ela. Se você colocou um filho no mundo, você tem responsabilidade sobre ele. E mesmo que você tenha se libertado do apego à família, ainda existe um compromisso com o seu filho. Você pode não estar apegado ao papel de pai, mas o seu filho ainda precisa de você. E essa lei do amor pede que você dê conta disso.”

“El amor tiene sus leyes, por lo tanto algunos acuerdos necesitan ser cumplidos. Una de las leyes del amor dice respecto de la responsabilidad: si establece una familia, tienes un compromiso con ella. Si trajo un hijo a este mundo, tienes una responsabilidad sobre él. Y aunque te hayas liberado del apego a la familia, aún existe un compromiso con tu hijo. Puedes no estar apegado al papel de padre, pero tu hijo aún necesita de ti. Y esa ley del amor pide que te hagas cargo de eso.”

“Love has its laws, and due to these laws some agreements need to be kept. One of love’s laws has to do with responsibility. If you have created a family, you have to keep your commitments to it. If you have brought a child into this world, you are responsible for this child. Even if you are no longer attached to this family model, you still have a commitment to your child. You may not be attached to the role of father or mother, but your child still needs you. This law of love commands us to take responsibility.”

Via Daily Dharma / May 24, 2016: A Fortunate Life

To attain a human life is extremely fortunate, and since we have this good fortune, we need to use it.

—Kenchen Thrangu, "On What Is Most Important"

Via FB:

Via FB:

Via Mindfulness in Daily Life: Gyalwang Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorje

 

The deepest reasons to love yourself have nothing to do with anything outside you—not with your body or with others’ expectations of you. If you ground yourself in your own goodness, nothing will be able to damage your self-esteem. Take delight in your inner nature, in your virtues, and in all your beautiful qualities. 

- His Holiness the Gyalwang Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorje

Via Mindfulness in Daily Life / FB: Thich Nhat Hanh

 

From time to time, to remind ourselves to relax and be peaceful, we may wish to set aside some time for a retreat, a day of mindfulness, when we can walk slowly, smile, drink tea with a friend, enjoy being together as if we are the happiest people on Earth. 

- Thich Nhat Hanh

Via Sri Prem Baba: Flor do dia - Flor del día - Flower of the day 23/05/2016

“Estamos tendo uma rara oportunidade de dar um salto quântico na nossa jornada evolutiva. No mais profundo, todas as crises são chances de aprendizado e transformação. Através delas, aprendemos a fazer um bom combate; aprendemos a usar nossa capacidade criativa e inteligência para encontrar soluções construtivas. E ao usarmos o nosso potencial adormecido dessa maneira, nossa consciência se expande. Por isso sempre digo que a crise é também uma benção.”

“Estamos teniendo una rara oportunidad de dar un salto cuántico en nuestra camino evolutivo. En lo más profundo, todas las crisis son chances de aprendizaje y transformación. A través de ellas, aprendemos a dar un buen combate, aprendemos a usar nuestra capacidad creativa e inteligencia para encontrar soluciones constructivas. Y al usar nuestro potencial adormecido de esta manera, nuestra consciencia se expande. Por eso siempre digo que la crisis es también una bendición.”

“We are having a rare opportunity to take a quantum leap in our evolutionary journey. At the deepest level, all crises are opportunities for learning and transformation. Through these crises, we learn how to fight a good battle; we learn how to use our creative capacity and intelligence to find constructive solutions. As we learn to use our dormant potential in this way, our consciousness expands. This is why I always say that a crisis is also a blessing.”

Via Daily Dharma / May 23, 2016: Taking Ourselves Less Seriously

Glimpsing nonself clearly, even for one moment, puts ordinary truth in perspective. When the conventional picture returns, we regard it differently. What a relief when we no longer have to take our “selves” so seriously!

—Cynthia Thatcher, "Disconnect the Dots"