Via Sri Prem Baba: Flor do dia - Flor del día- Flower of the day - 04/09/2016

“É preciso ter firmeza para evitar que as forças contrárias ao amor destruam as coisas boas que conseguimos construir na nossa vida. Nossas escolhas precisam vir do coração, que é o Divino em nós, e não do ego obcecado pelo poder e viciado em machucar e destruir. Será que não estamos suficientemente cansados do sofrimento? Precisamos nos comprometer com a Luz, o que significa trabalhar para criar união, prosperidade, construção, paz e alegria, na mente e no coração.”

“Es necesariotenerfirmeza para evitar que las fuerzas contrarias al amor destruyan las cosas buenas que pudimos construir en nuestra vida. Nuestras eleccionesprecisan venir del corazón, que es lo Divino en nosotros, y no del ego obsesionado con el poder y adicto a lastimar y destruir. ¿Será que no estamos lo suficientemente cansados del sufrimiento? Necesitamos comprometernos con la Luz, que significa trabajar para crear unión, prosperidad, construcción, paz y alegría en la mente y en el corazón.”

"Firmness is necessary so that we don't let the opposing forces to love destroy all the good things we have built in our lives. Our choices need to come from our hearts, which is the Divine in us, and not our egos that are obsessed by power and addicted to causing pain and destruction. Have we not had enough of suffering? We need to commit ourselves to the light, working in order to create union, prosperity, construction, peace, and happiness in our minds and in our hearts."

Via Daily Dharma / September 4, 2016: The River of Ourselves

Practicing Buddhism is about discovering ourselves to be in a great, flowing river of continuities.

—Joan Halifax, "Giving Birth to Ancestors"

Via Daily Dharma / September 3, 2016: Inherent Compassion

Compassion is not something that we can “do” or “create”; it already exists in each and every one of us.

—Andy Puddicombe, "10 Tips for Living More Mindfully"

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Via bipartisanreport: Before European Christians Forced Gender Roles, Native Americans Acknowledged 5 Genders

By Pearson McKinney

It wasn’t until Europeans took over North America that natives adopted the ideas of gender roles. For Native Americans, there was no set of rules that men and women had to abide by in order to be considered a “normal” member of their tribe.

In fact, people who had both female and male characteristics were viewed as gifted by nature, and therefore, able to see both sides of everything. According to Indian Country Today, all native communities acknowledged the following gender roles: “Female, male, Two Spirit female, Two Spirit male and Transgendered.”

“Each tribe has their own specific term, but there was a need for a universal term that the general population could understand. The Navajo refer to Two Spirits as Nádleehí (one who is transformed), among the Lakota is Winkté (indicative of a male who has a compulsion to behave as a female), Niizh Manidoowag (two spirit) in Ojibwe, Hemaneh (half man, half woman) in Cheyenne, to name a few. As the purpose of “Two Spirit” is to be used as a universal term in the English language, it is not always translatable with the same meaning in Native languages. For example, in the Iroquois Cherokee language, there is no way to translate the term, but the Cherokee do have gender variance terms for ‘women who feel like men’ and vice versa.”

The “Two Spirit” culture of Native Americans was one of the first things that Europeans worked to destroy and cover up. According to people like American artist George Catlin, the Two Spirit tradition had to be eradicated before it could go into history books. Catlin said the tradition:

“..Must be extinguished before it can be more fully recorded.”

However, it wasn’t only white Europeans that tried to hide any trace of native gender bending. According to Indian Country Today, “Spanish Catholic monks destroyed most of the Aztec codices to eradicate traditional Native beliefs and history, including those that told of the Two Spirit tradition.” Throughout these efforts by Christians, Native Americans were forced to dress and act according to newly designated gender roles.

One of the most celebrated Two Spirits in recorded history was a Lakota warrior aptly named Finds Them And Kills Them. Osh-Tisch was born a male and married a female, but adorned himself in women’s clothing and lived daily life as a female. On June 17 1876, Finds Them And Kills Them gained his reputation when he rescued a fellow tribesman during the Battle of Rosebud Creek. An act of fearless bravery. Below is a picture of Osh-Tisch and his wife.

Osh-Tisch (Left) and his wife (Right)

In Native American cultures, people were valued for their contributions to the tribe, rather than for masculinity or femininity. Parents did not assign gender roles to children either, and even children’s clothing tended to be gender neutral. There were no ideas or ideals about how a person should love; it was simply a natural act that occurred without judgement or hesitation.

Without a negative stigma attached to being a Two Spirit, there were no inner-tribal incidents of retaliation or violence toward the chosen people simply due to the fact that individuals identified as the opposite or both genders.

“The Two Spirit people in pre-contact Native America were highly revered and families that included them were considered lucky. Indians believed that a person who was able to see the world through the eyes of both genders at the same time was a gift from The Creator.”

Religious influences soon brought serious prejudice against “gender diversity,” and so this forced once openly alternative or androgynous people to one of two choices. They could either live in hiding, and in fear of being found out, or they could end their lives. Many of whom did just that.

Imagine a world where people allowed others to live freely as the people nature intended them to be..without harm..without persecution..without shame. Imagine a world where we are truly free.

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Via Sri Prem Baba: Flor do dia - Flor del día- Flower of the day - 02/09/2016

“A submissão é uma distorção da virtude da amorosidade. Trata-se de uma máscara, de um fingir ser. O submisso finge ser humilde e amoroso para conseguir aquilo que quer, mas basta cutucá-lo um pouco para ver o que está por trás da sua máscara: o orgulho e a ira.”

“La sumisión es una distorsión de la virtud de la amorosidad. Se trata de una máscara, unfingir ser. El sumiso finge ser humilde y amoroso para conseguir aquello que quiere, pero basta provocarlo un poco para ver lo que hay detrás de la máscara:orgullo e ira.”

"Submission is a distortion of the virtue of being loving. It acts as a mask, pretending to be something it is not. The submissive one pretends to be humble and loving in order to get something it wants. All that is needed is just a little nudge and it is easy to see that behind this mask lies pride and anger."

Via Daily Dharma / September 2, 2016: Rethinking Freedom

We haven’t thought about the idea of freedom enough. It needs to be internalized as an inner freedom from “demand” itself: the kind of freedom that comes when you’re free from those compulsions to have and to own and to be someone.

—James Hillman, "Brief Teachings Fall 2016"

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Via Sri Prem Baba: Flor do dia - Flor del día- Flower of the day - 01/09/2016

“Estando alinhado com o dharma, que é o caminho do coração ou o propósito maior da existência, você se harmoniza com a lei do mínimo esforço: com o pouco que faz, você realiza muitas coisas. Não estando alinhado com o dharma, você precisa fazer um grande esforço para realizar pouca coisa ou, às vezes, para não realizar nada.”

“Estando alineado con el dharma, que es el camino del corazón o el propósito mayor de la existencia, te armonizas con la ley del mínimo esfuerzo: con lo poco que haces, realizasmuchas cosas. No estando alineado con el dharma, necesitas hacer un gran esfuerzo para realizar poco o, a veces,para no realizar nada.”

"Aligning with dharma, which is the path of the heart or the greater purpose of existence, we attune to the law of minimum effort. With very little effort, we accomplish many things. When we are not in alignment with dharma, much effort is needed to create hardly anything, and sometimes, nothing at all."

Via Daily Dharma / September 1, 2016: The Diamond Vehicle

In the Vajrayana, we see that our difficulties with relative reality stem from our attitudes and beliefs, rather than from relativity itself. We are called to see each arising of our day not as a threat, but as an opportunity—a chance to open our arms, lay down our weapons, and surrender to this exact moment of our life.

—Reginald Ray, "The Vajrayana Journey Is an Experience of Love, Power, and Freedom"

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Via Ram Dass...

August 31, 2016

Here in the West, we treat personality as absolutely real, we really think it’s real. Who you think you are is really real. For example, you were battered as a child and that seems very real, because it’s a strong mental structure in your head and it permeates you and you are carrying your history with you on your shoulders.

At some point you will start to see that each person is presenting who they think they are. It’s like they’re putting on a huge mind net, “This is who I am, this is who I am, this is who I am…” You can start to see it in the way they walk, talk, dress, present themselves; always presenting who they think they are, which has a historical thread running through it.

When you have started to awaken and see that there are other planes of reality that are equally valid to the one which presently exists, you learn how to live more or less with more and more planes simultaneously, which is what freedom is about. It’s not totally standing in one plane, it’s not standing anywhere at all.

Via Sri Prem Baba: Flor do dia - Flor del día- Flower of the day - 31/08/2016

“O ódio da mãe, no decorrer dos milênios, tem se manifestado das mais diversas maneiras através do abuso do feminino. E o abuso sexual é uma das expressões mais agudas desse ódio. No cerne dessa problemática está a carência afetiva; e por trás dela está a repressão sexual. O sadismo, a promiscuidade, a perversão e a pornografia são filhos da repressão sexual. Isso quer dizer que, embora nossa sociedade tenha no mínimo dez mil anos de história, nós ainda não aprendemos a lidar com a sexualidade. Ela ainda é um grande tabu. E para que possamos mudar esse cenário, a sexualidade precisa fazer parte da educação, tanto dentro de casa como nas escolas. Mas, para isso, pais e educadores precisam estar preparados através do autoconhecimento.”

“El odio a la madre, a través de los milenios, se ha manifestado de las más diversas formas a través del abuso del femenino. Y el abuso sexual es una de las expresiones más agudas de este odio. En el centro de esta problemática está la carencia afectiva; y detrás de ella está la represión sexual. El sadismo, la promiscuidad, la perversión y la pornografía son hijos de la represión sexual. Esto significa que, aunque nuestra sociedad tenga por lo menos diez mil años de historia, todavía no hemos aprendido a lidiar con la sexualidad. Sigue siendo un gran tabú. Y para que podamos cambiar este escenario, la sexualidad precisa ser parte de la educación, tanto dentro de casa commo en las escuelas. Pero, para ello, padres y educadores precisan estar preparados a través del autoconocimiento.”

“Hatred of the mother, over the millennia, has manifested in various forms of female abuse. Sexual abuse is one of the most severe expressions of this hatred. At the heart of this problem, lies the need for affection, and behind this, sexual repression. Sadism, promiscuity, perversion and pornography are the results of sexual repression. Even though our society has at least ten thousand years of history, we still haven’t learned to deal with sexuality. It is still a great taboo. In order for us to change this scenario, sexuality needs to become part of our educational system, both at home and at our schools. Parents and teachers need to be prepared for this role through the process of self-knowledge.”

Via Daily Dharma / August 31, 2016: Enlightened Desire

The Buddha teaches that there are many wholesome desires: the desire to serve, the desire to give, the desire to be free, the desire to cultivate qualities of heart that ennoble our lives and lead us to connect with others. It’s desire that causes us to seek depth and understanding. It is desire that brings about wholesome social change and justice.

—Christina Feldman, "Doing, Being, and the Great In-Between"

Via Sri Prem Baba: Flor do dia - Flor del día- Flower of the day - 30/08/2016

“A solução para o problema da violência sexual não é fortalecer o sistema carcerário ou punir mais severamente os criminosos envolvidos. A solução para essa questão está no desenvolvimento da consciência amorosa. Mas, essa consciência só poderá despertar na sociedade através da educação. Precisamos refletir sobre o que estamos ensinando para as nossas crianças. Precisamos assumir responsabilidade e entender onde estamos falhando. O fato é que nós estamos criando estupradores e mulheres vulneráveis ao estupro. E não basta enclausurar o estuprador, sem oferecer a ele nenhuma possibilidade de transformação. Isso não resolve e só nos distrai da percepção sobre o causa real do problema.” 

“La solución al problema de la violencia sexual no es fortalecer el sistema penitenciario o castigar más severamente a los criminales implicados. La solución a este problema está en el desarrollo de la conciencia amorosa. Pero esta conciencia sólo podrá despertar en la sociedad a través de la educación. Necesitamos reflexionar sobre lo que estamos enseñando a nuestros niños. Precisamos asumir la responsabilidad y entender dónde estamos fallando. El hecho es que estamos criando violadores y mujeres vulnerables a la violación. Y no basta con encerrar al violador, sin ofrecerle ninguna posibilidad de transformación. Esto no resuelve y sólo nos distrae de la percepción de la causa real del problema.”

“The solution to the problem of sexual violence is not to strengthen our prison system or to punish more severely the criminals involved. The solution to this is the development of a more loving consciousness. This consciousness can only develop in society through education. We need to examine what we are teaching our children. We need to assume responsibility and understand where we are failing. The fact is that we are creating rapists and vulnerable women to be raped. It’s not enough to only incarcerate the rapist without offering any possibility of transformation. This will resolve nothing and only distracts us from understanding the real cause of the problem.”

Via Daily Dharma / August 30, 2016: How to Savor

Since each moment’s meeting of a person or even a flower is precious and fleeting, it is to be savored completely, perhaps best in silence.

—Patricia Donegan, "Silence: Stillness"

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Via Sri Prem Baba: Flor do dia - Flor del día- Flower of the day - 29/08/2016

“A gula é uma matriz psicológica que se manifesta como voracidade. A pessoa gulosa tenta preencher a carência e o vazio existencial através de compulsões, sendo que a mais básica é a compulsão alimentar. São muitos os tipos de compulsões (por falar, por sexo, pornografia, compras, jogos...), mas todas tem relação com a sexualidade. A gula é um sintoma; ela indica que algo precisa ser curado. Existe um conteúdo relacionado a sexualidade que ainda não foi compreendido e aceito.”

“La gula es una matriz psicológica que se manifiesta como voracidad. La persona golosa intenta llenar la carencia y el vacío existencial a través de compulsiones, siendo que la más básica es la compulsión alimentaria. Son muchos los tipos de compulsiones (por hablar, por sexo, pornografía, compras, juegos de azar...), pero todas tienen que ver con la sexualidad. La gula es un síntoma; indica que algo precisa ser sanado. Hay un contenido relacionado con la sexualidad que todavía no fuecomprendido y aceptado.”

“Gluttony is the psychological matrix that manifests as voracity. A gluttonous person tries to fill neediness and existential emptiness through compulsions, of which the most basic is the compulsion to eat. There are many types of compulsions, the compulsion to speak, to have sex, to watch pornography, shopping, games, and so on. All of them are related to sexuality. Gluttony is only a symptom. It indicates that something needs to be healed. It means that there is some content in relationship to sexuality that still hasn’t been comprehended and accepted.”

Via DailyDharma / August 29, 2016: We Belong to Each Other

After hundreds of thousands of millions of years, every particle of clay has passed through every kind of vessel. Every body has particles that have “belonged” to every other body. The vessel-bodies are so tightly packed that there is no distance between them, one shape curving into the next, a valley in one is a hill in another.

—Jan Chozen Bays, "Embodiment"

Via Ram Dass

August 28, 2016

It’s quite apparent that as you work on yourself, on your consciousness, you continue to do whatever dance you’re doing, the dance evolves. You begin to see how the acts you perform can become more and more optimum to the conditions. For instance, when you’re about to change a law in a country you stand back, and you begin to understand the way the whole system works, and you see what the optimum act you can do is, and you perform it totally, without emotional attachment to that act, and instead an awareness of how that act works in the whole system.

In other words, it’s the ability to sometimes have delay of gratification, the ability to stand back to do what is the more optimum response.

Via Sri Prem Baba: Flor do dia - Flor del día- Flower of the day - 28/08/2016

“A purificação é a fase da jornada na qual trabalhamos para nos libertar da falsa identidade, e é nessa fase que surgem os maiores desafios, justamente porque nos apegamos a ela. Existem momentos em que a jornada se torna desértica e passamos muito tempo sem ter um gole de água para beber - nossa fé é testada ao máximo. Essa fase requer paciência e boa vontade, pois é isso que nos dá força para continuar batendo na porta da Verdade. Então nós batemos até que, em algum momento, a porta se abre e a Verdade se revela.” 

“La purificación es la fase del camino en el que trabajamos para liberarnos de la falsa identidad, y es en esta fase donde surgen los mayores desafíos, justamente porque nos apegamos a ella. Hay momentos en que el camino se hace desértico y pasamos mucho tiempo sin tener un sorbo de agua para beber - nuestra fe es probada al máximo. Esta fase requiere paciencia y buena voluntad, porque eso es lo que nos da fuerza para continuar golpeando la puerta de la Verdad. Entonces golpeamos hasta que, en algún momento, la puerta se abre y la Verdad se revela.” 

“Purification is the phase of the journey in which we work to liberate ourselves from false identity. This is where our greatest challenges arise precisely because we are attached to this identity. There are times when the journey becomes a desert and we spend a long time without even a drop of water to drink and our faith is severely tested. This phase requires patience and strong willpower that gives us the force necessary to keep knocking on the door of truth. Then we knock on the door of truth, until at some point, the door opens and the truth is revealed.”

Via Daily Dharma / August 28, 2016: The Myth of the Negative Emotion

There isn’t any such thing as a negative emotion. There are negative things that we do with our emotions, but our emotions themselves are neither negative nor positive. They simply are.

—Robert Augustus Masters, "From Spiritual Bypassing"

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Via Boyfactor: 8 Openly Homophobic Companies To Avoid

If CEOs these days were smart, they would realize that over half of America supports marriage equality. Companies like Amazon, Microsoft, Starbucks, Google, and many more have famously “gone gay” and come out in support of LGBT rights through monetary donations, employee protection, and publicly promoting equality. It seems like publicly opposing equality would be PR suicide these days, doesn’t it? Surprisingly, this isn’t the case. The Human Rights Campaign conducts an annual Corporate Equality Index and consistently hands out failing grades to companies for either being un-inclusive, or downright homophobic. Some of the following companies might be familiar to you, but you might be surprised by who else made the list.

Chick-Fil-A

Before you “Chow Down at Chick-Fil-A ala Willam Belli, you might want to know that they are famed for their disdain of everything gay.

CEO Dan Cathy believes firmly in the “traditional definition of marriage” to the point that he has donated to Christian Organizations which support the murder of gay individuals in Africa. You know that “Kill the Gays” bill in Uganda? That came thanks to organizations that have gotten substantial donation from this fast food chain.

Chick-Fil-A: Serving up nuggets with a side of homophobia.

Purina

For a company that’s devoted to feeding animals, Purina does a good job at being discriminatory to a large group of humans. The pet-chow company offers zero benefits for same-sex partners, and has no anti-discrimination policy in place. They also famously pulled ads from Saturday Night Live because it was “immoral” and promoted an “unclean lifestyle.” Lofty words from a company whose claim to fame is Beggin’ Strips and Sausages.

The Salvation Army

 

Next time you see a friendly bell-ringer at your local grocery store, be advised that your donated money is actually going to a company that wishes death on gay and transgender individuals. According to one higher-up in the corporation, they take the word of the Bible literally and seriously, meaning gay and trans individuals are hell-bound and deserve death. There has also been issues with trans and gay folks being denied access to Salvation Army operated shelters because of their “lifestyle choices.” With opinions like that, it might be time to change the company’s name to the “Selective Salvation Army.”

Dominos

Even pizza companies are getting political these days. Dominos has a founder who is notoriously sexist and homophobic and has donated hundreds of millions of dollars to conservative causes to undercut equality. Evidently Dominos is just too highbrow and classy to allow us queers access to the pizza cutter. Their loss: We’re pros at working with sausage.

Urban Outfitters

This one is a bit more surprising to some people considering Urban has achieved a sort of reverance in the gay community for the clothing it sells. Despite the CEO being an openly gay man, the founder of Urban Outfitters has donated money to the campaigns of politicans such as Rick “can’t hear you over my Bible audiobook” Santorum.

Additionally, Urban has removed Pro-Gay clothing from its shelves in the past while keeping clothing with transphobic, sexist, and racist language out for sale. Keep that in mind next time you’re shooting for Hipster-Chic and Urban comes up as an option.

Cracker Barrel

Color me shocked to hear a restaurant chain famed for Southern influences is homophobic. Cracker Barrel not only does not protect the LGBT individuals from being fired or mistreated, it actively does not hire these individuals because their “lifestyle” is incongruent with Cracker Barrel’s values as well as the values of “the majority of our clientele.” If you find yourself hankering for some chicken and waffles, consider finding a place that doesn’t cater to folks who enjoy good old-fashioned queer-beatings and down-home transphobia.

Wal-Mart

 

Famous for rollback prices and for being a terrible place to work if you want competitive wages, Wal-Mart also has an anti-LGBT streak in it.  Though it is the country’s largest seller of books, Wal-Mart does not have any LGBT-themed pieces of literature for sale in its stores. One book that was famously vended by the retail giant promoted the idea that gay people can overcome their sin and become straight, because if there is one place qualified to offer conversion therapy, it’s Wal-Mart.

Exxon

Here’s the big one. The granddady of homophobic companies. Far and away the record-holder for lowest score on the HRC’s Corporate Equality Index. Exxon Oil come on down, claim your prize! With a Corporate Equity Index score of negative 25 out of 100 Exxon is far and away the worst place to work if you are LGBT.

As is common with the rest of these companies, Exxon refuses to provide benefits for LGBT workers and their partners. However, Exxon enjoys the distinction of having actually revoked these benefits which were present in the past. In addition to just kind of being dicks with regards to the environment, Exxon actively pursues legislation which is designed to keep LGBT folks from receiving equality. Exxon execs firmly opposed ENDA and are adamantly refusing the become the final Fortune 10 company to protect LGBT individuals from unfair workplace treatment. Exxon is the most profitable company in the world, but also holds the title of “Least LGBT Friendly Company.” Just because Exxon is responsible for turning dead dinosaurs into fuel doesn’t mean they need to have prehistoric mindset when it comes to equality.

These are only a few of the unfortunately large list of companies that oppose LGBT equality. Knowing where your money goes when you spend it is important lest it go toward murdering gay people in Uganda as in the case of Chick-Fil-A. The good news is that these companies are offset by an ever-growing number of companies who actively support LGBT rights. For every Wal-Mart there is a Costco, and for every Cracker-Barrel there is a Starbucks which combat the various phobias these companies perpetuate. With the holiday season coming up and shopping about to get hella busy, consider checking out the HRC’s full list of Corporate Equality Index scores so you can spend your money somewhere that doesn’t want you dead.

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Via Sri Prem Baba: Flor do dia - Flor del día- Flower of the day - 27/08/2016

Estamos trabalhando para que haja um despertar da consciência humana. Despertar, nesse contexto, significa ampliar a percepção de forma que possamos ver aquilo que não vemos; significa remover as lentes que distorcem a realidade para que possamos ter acesso a ela. Tais lentes representam os sistemas de crenças que nos fazem interpretar a realidade a partir das nossas feridas infantis. Isso nos impede de evoluir e desenvolver nossos potenciais latentes porque ficamos presos ao passado. Porém, a natureza da vida é movimento e expansão e inevitavelmente chega um momento em que as nossas crenças são questionadas e passamos a perceber a vida de outra maneira. Esse é o início do despertar.”

“Estamos trabajando para que haya un despertar de la conciencia humana. Despertar, en este contexto, significa ampliar la percepción de modo que podamos ver aquello que no vemos; significa remover los lentesque distorsionan la realidad para que podamos tener acceso a ella. Tales lentes representan los sistemas de creencias que nos hacen interpretar la realidad desde nuestras heridas infantiles. Esto nos impide evolucionar y desarrollar nuestros potenciales latentes porque estamos atados al pasado. Sin embargo, la naturaleza de la vida es movimiento y expansión e inevitablemente llega un momento en que nuestras creencias son cuestionadas y pasamos a percibir la vida de otra manera. Este es el inicio del despertar.”

“We are working to awaken human consciousness. ‘To awaken’ in this context means to increase our perception to such a degree that we are able to see that which we were formally unable to. It means to remove the lenses that distort reality so that we are able to access it. These ‘lenses’ are the systems of beliefs that were a result of our childhood wounds that make us interpret reality as we do. This is what prevents us from evolving and developing our hidden talents because we are trapped in the past. However, the nature of life is movement and expansion and inevitably there comes a moment when our beliefs are questioned and we begin to perceive life in another way. This is the beginning of awakening.”

Via Daily Dharma / August 27, 2016: All That Stillness Holds

Being fully in the stillness was not about self-isolation or self-help but about standing in radical relationship with all that stillness holds—all the grief, all the loss, all the loneliness—and standing with it, rather than rushing to reason it away, arrest it, or lock it in a box.

—Jasmine Syedullah, "Radicalizing Dharma Dreams"

Via Sri Prem Baba: Flor do dia - Flor del día- Flower of the day - 26/08/2016

“Cada ser humano traz consigo uma visão, um programa a ser realizado. Esse programa é o propósito da alma; é o que ela veio fazer aqui. A criança nasce tendo a clareza do propósito mas, com o tempo, ela acaba se esquecendo, especialmente se os adultos responsáveis por ela não alimentam essa visão por não acreditarem nela ou por projetam na criança as suas próprias inseguranças, bloqueios e frustrações. Dessa forma, a criança vai sendo condicionada àquilo que a sociedade determina que é melhor para ela. Ela é desviada do seu caminho natural e essa é a maior desgraça do ser humano.”

“Cada ser humano trae consigo una visión, un programa a ser realizado. Este programa es el propósito del alma; es lo queella vino a hacer aquí. El niño nace con el propósito claro pero, con el tiempo, termina por olvidarlo, especialmente si los adultos responsables de élno alimentan estavisión, por no creer en él o por proyectar en el niño sus propias inseguridades, bloqueos y frustraciones. De esta forma, el niño va siendo condicionado a lo que la sociedad determina que es mejor para él. Es desviado de su camino natural y esta es la mayor desgracia del ser humano.”

“Every human being brings with them a vision, a program to be realized. This program is the purpose of the soul; it is what we have come here to do. As a child, we are born with clarity of purpose, but over time, we wind up forgetting it. This happens especially when the adults responsible for raising a child don’t nourish this vision and don’t believe in him or her. This disconnect continues when parents or caretakers project onto a child their own insecurity, blocks and frustrations. In this way, a child becomes conditioned with what society determines to be best for it. The child is deviated from his or her natural path and this is the greatest disgrace for the human being.”

Via Daily Dharma / August 26, 2016: Falling Out of Habit

There is something sacred about the moment when we fall out of the habit-realm. So often it is precisely such a gap, a sense of wonder or questioning at what we take for granted, that brings us to the path in the first place.

—Noelle Oxenhandler, "Twirling a Flower"

Via Sri Prem Baba: Flor do dia - Flor del día- Flower of the day - 25/08/2016

“Se existe medo da intimidade, existe vergonha. A vergonha é um aspecto do orgulho que pode ser usado como um portal de acesso ao inconsciente. Ao identificar a vergonha, estabeleça um diálogo com ela. Mas se ainda não foi possível identificar a vergonha, dialogue então com o medo. Converse com essas partes da sua personalidade que estão gerando o isolamento. Pergunta a si mesmo: Do que eu tenho medo? O que eu considero tão feio em mim que preciso esconder? O que em mim eu não consigo aceitar? Essa é uma forma de acessar os porões do inconsciente.”

“Si existe miedo a la intimidad, existe vergüenza. La vergüenza es un aspecto del orgullo que puede ser usado como un portal de acceso al inconsciente. Al identificar la vergüenza, establece un diálogo con ella. Pero si todavía no fue posible identificar la vergüenza, entonces dialoga con el miedo. Habla con esas partes de su personalidad que están generando aislamiento. Pregúntate a ti mismo: ¿De qué tengo miedo? ¿Qué es lo que considero tan feo en mí que necesito esconderlo? ¿Qué en mí no consigo aceptar? Esta es una forma de acceder a los sótanos del inconsciente.”

“If there is fear of intimacy, there exists shame. Shame is an aspect of pride that can be used as a doorway to the unconscious. As you identify shame acting in you, develop a dialogue with it. If you have not yet been able to identify shame, have a conversation with your fear. Converse with these parts of your personality that are creating isolation. Ask yourself, ‘What do I fear? What is so ugly in me that I need to hide? What don’t I accept about myself?’ This is a way to access the dungeons of the unconscious.”

Via Daily Dharma / August 25, 2016: The Buddhist Art of Debate

The Buddha said, “My words are not to be simply accepted; they are to be tested.” Debating trains you to be clear and gives you an analytical mind. When you study Buddhism you can analyze what really makes sense rather than simply memorizing.

—Rinchen Khando Choegyal, "Standing as Equals"

Via Ram Dass

August 24, 2016

Water, when it flows downstream, doesn’t have a model of what it’s doing. It’s just being water, and water floats downstream, because that’s how water works. The thing that is extraordinarily hard for any of us to truly realize and to have sufficient faith to accept, is that if you stop having views, having models, planning, desiring, organizing, and structuring, it’s all right.

You don’t stop your desires as long as you stay in a human body. You break the identification with them. That's all that's required.

It isn’t necessary to give up a thing. It’s necessary to give up attachment to the thing. That’s all that’s required.

Via Sri Prem Baba: Flor do dia - Flor del día- Flower of the day - 24/08/2016

“A necessidade compulsiva de trocar de parceiro sexual é um desdobramento da gula; é um mecanismo de defesa que serve para amortecer a consciência. Por trás dessa compulsão existe um profundo medo da intimidade. Você tem medo de aprofundar na relação por que teme se revelar para o outro. O que faz com que você perca o interesse sexual pelo outro é o medo que ele veja algo em você que você não aceita. Você tem medo de entrar em contato com algo que não quer ver. No mais profundo, ao fugir do outro, você está fugindo de si mesmo.” 

“La necesidad compulsiva de cambiar de pareja sexual es undesdoblamiento de la gula; es un mecanismo de defensa que sirve para adormecer la conciencia. Por detrás de esta compulsión existe un profundo miedo a la intimidad. Tienes miedo de profundizar en la relación porquetemes revelarte al otro. Lo que te hace perder el interés sexual por el otro, es el miedo de que él vea algo en ti que no aceptas. Tienes miedo de entrar en contacto con algo que no quieres ver. En lo más profundo, alhuir del otro, estás huyendo de ti mismo.”

“The compulsive need to change our sexual partners is an unfolding of gluttony. It is a defense mechanism that serves to numb our consciousness. Behind this compulsion lies a deep-rooted fear of intimacy. We fear deepening into a relationship because we are afraid to reveal ourselves to the other. What makes us lose our sexual interest in our partner is that we fear they are seeing something in us that we don’t accept about ourselves. We dread coming into contact with something that we don’t want to see. At the deepest level, when we try to escape the other, we are attempting to run and hide from ourselves.”

Via Daily Dharma / August 24, 2016: The Everyday Buddhist

Buddhism after patriarchy calls for a radical reassessment of the relationship between spirituality and so-called “everyday life” . . . Now maintaining one’s livelihood and taking care of one’s environment and family need to be accepted as an alternative that is not inferior to monasticism.

—Rita M. Gross, "After Patriarchy"

Via FB

Via Lion's Roas: I’m interested in going to a Buddhist center in my city for the first time. Any advice?

by Lion's Roar Staff| August 17, 2016

Illustration by Nolan Pelletier.

It sounds like you’re a little nervous and unsure what to expect. That’s okay—Buddhists talk about the value of “not-knowing,” after all. But we do have some tips.

First: do some googling to see what your options are. And you’ll find a helpful directory of Buddhist centers right in the back of Lion’s Roar magazine or Buddhadharma. Visit centers’ websites and social media to get a sense of the tradition and teachings they represent. Which ones reflect what’s drawn you to Buddhism? Look for special beginner-friendly and drop-in events.

Here are some things to keep in mind for your visit to a center:

1. You’re under no obligation to do anything you don’t want to—and you’re free to leave if you don’t like the feel of the place.
2. That said, Buddhist practice is often about letting go, so try your best to have a spirit of playful experimentation. Bowing or chanting may be outside of your experience, but you’re there to try something new. Don’t worry about getting things wrong, because that’s expected.
3. Centers often rely on generosity to function. You are free to make a donation but not obligated.
4. Different communities have different feels—some are mostly silent, some are talkier, and so on. Keep looking and soon you’ll find one where you feel at home.

Make the jump here to read the original and more

Via LGBTQ Nation / FB: Trump’s new campaign chiefs have a long and sordid anti-gay past

In this Aug. 10, 2016, photo, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks during a coal mining roundtable at Fitzgerald Peterbilt in Glade Spring, Va. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Donald Trump seems to have discovered some change you can believe in, and has just shuffled around the leadership of his campaign (again). Out goes Paul Manafort, who may or may not have been illegally accepting money from foreign powers, and in comes Breitbart News chairman Steve Bannon and conservative pollster Kellyanne Conway.

Wait, who?

Well, you’ll be delighted (and no doubt shocked) to learn that Trump’s new best friends have a long history of homophobia. Surprise!

Bannon, for example, went nuts over Target’s inclusive bathroom policy, accusing the store of “trying to exclude people who are decent, hard-working people who don’t want their four-year-old daughter to have to go into a bathroom with a guy with a beard in a dress.” Good one!

Conway called homosexuality “corrupting” and said that people “don’t want their kids looking at a cartoon with a bunch of lesbian mothers.” She did a bunch of polling for the National Organization for Marriage, which unbelievably still exists. (In fact, just last week, NOM sent out a fundraising email in which they inadvertently called their own members “pathetic.” Truer words were never spoken!)

Conway also spoke at the Family Research Council’s Values Voter Summit, and said that opposing homosexuality is not “right versus left, but right versus wrong.”

Trump likes to pretend that he’s a friend to the gays, but a quick look over at the company he keeps proves that’s simply not true. And of course, running mate Mike Pence is even worse.

Under Bannon’s leadership, Breitbart has run headlines like “The Trouble with Trannies” and pushed a conspiracy theory that Matthew Shepard’s murder wasn’t a hate crime. The site has also claimed that being gay is a mental illness.

Read the original and much more here

Via Sri Prem Baba: Flor do dia - Flor del día- Flower of the day - 23/08/2016

“O ego humano encontra-se adoecido, completamente obcecado pelo poder. O egoísmo chegou no seu grau máximo. E para que possamos nos curar dessa doença, precisamos primeiro reconhecê-la através dos seus sintomas (ansiedade, angústia, tristeza, depressão, desconexão...). Porém, não basta somente tratar os sintomas, precisamos tratar e eliminar a causa, a raiz dessa doença. No mais profundo, a raiz do egoísmo humano está na desconexão com a sua verdadeira identidade e com realidade espiritual da vida.” 

“El ego humano se encuentra enfermo, completamente obsesionado con el poder. El egoísmo ha alcanzado su grado máximo. Y para que podamos curarnos de esta enfermedad, primero necesitamos reconocerla a través de sus síntomas (ansiedad, angustia, tristeza, depresión, desconexión...). Pero no basta solamente con tratar los síntomas, necesitamos tratar y eliminar la causa, la raíz de esta enfermedad. En lo más profundo, la raíz del egoísmo humano está en la desconexión con su verdadera identidad y con la realidad espiritual de la vida.” 

“The human ego is sick, completely obsessed with power. Selfishness has increased to its maximum degree. In order for us to heal ourselves from this disease, we first need to recognize its symptoms such as, anxiety, anguish, sadness, depression and disconnection. However, it is not enough to only treat the symptoms. We need to treat and eliminate the cause, and address the roots of this illness. At the deepest level, the roots of human selfishness lie in the disconnection from our true identity and the spiritual reality of life.”

Via Daily Dharma / August 23, 2016: Our Temporary Niche

As human beings we agonize about death, and about our lack of freedom. We have the greatest difficulty in acknowledging our impermanence and our dependence. Once we truly accept our temporary niche in the interdependence of all things, then, as the Buddha taught, we can be free of dukkha.

—Robert Aitken, "The Rectification of Names"

Via Sri Prem Baba: Flor do dia - Flor del día- Flower of the day - 22/08/2016

“Para ancorar a presença é preciso fechar as contas com o passado, o que significa poder olhar para trás e agradecer à cada pessoa que passou na sua vida. Onde existe ingratidão existe acusação; onde existe acusação, existe um coração fechado. Em outras palavras, existe uma ferida a ser tratada. Pois é essa ferida que te mantém preso ao passado. Com isso, eu lhe convido a fazer uma reflexão: se, nesse momento, a vida lhe convidasse a deixar o corpo, você estaria pronto? Se a resposta é não, procure identificar porquê. O que você estaria deixando para trás inacabado? Quais são as contas abertas que você estaria deixando? Somente quando puder fechar essas contas do passado, você poderá viver plenamente o presente.” 

“Para anclar la presencia es necesario cerrar las cuentas con el pasado, lo que significa poder mirar hacia atrás y agradecer a cada persona que pasó por tu vida. Donde hay ingratitud hay acusación; donde hay acusación, hay un corazón cerrado. En otras palabras, existe una herida a tratarse. Pues esesta herida la que te mantiene atado al pasado. Con eso, yo te invito a hacer una reflexión: si, en ese momento, la vida te invitara a dejar el cuerpo, ¿estarías listo? Si la respuesta es no, trata de identificar por qué. ¿Qué estarías dejando atrás sin terminar? ¿Cuáles son las cuentas abiertas que estarías dejando? Solamente cuando puedas cerrar estas cuentas del pasado, podrás vivir plenamente el presente.” 

“In order to anchor presence, it is necessary to close the open accounts from our past. We need to be able to look back and thank each and every person from our past. Where there is ingratitude, there exists an accusation. Where there are accusations, there is also a closed heart. In other words, there is a wound that needs to be treated. It is this wound that keeps us stuck in the past. With this knowledge, I invite you to do a reflection exercise: if, in this exact moment, life were to invite you to leave your body, would you be ready? If your answer is no, try to identify why this is. What would you be leaving behind that is still unfinished? What are the open accounts that would be left unfinished? Only when we are able to close these accounts of the past will we be able to live fully in the present.”

Via Daily Dharma / August 22, 2016: Giving Up Fear

A quick summation of Buddhist logic: the source of my anxiety is not the succession of objects to which it attaches itself but that volatile heap of memory and habit I have come to call “myself.” Give it up and you give up your fear; cling to it, and fear will haunt you always.

—Lawrence Shainberg, "Ambivalent Zen"

Via The Broomstick Goddesses / FB:

Via Peace, Love, and Everything Else / FB: