Tuesday, August 11, 2020

Via White Crane Institute // Today's Gay Wisdom

 


Achilles and the death of Patroclus
2017 BCE -

TODAY'S GAY WISDOM

Notable ancient Greek warriors who had same-sex love relationships:

ARISTOMENES — Prince of the Messenians and Arcadians

CIMON — leader of the Delian League forces and the Athenian navy, gaining notoriety in the Persian Wars

ASOPHICHUS — great warrior and lover of Epaminondas

CAPHISODORUS — warrior and lover of Epaminondas whom he died with at the battle of Mantineia

CLEOMACHUS — led Chalcis to victory in the Lelantine Warns and introduced pederasty to the area

PAMMENES — general who was supposed to assume leadership after Epaminondas

THERON — warrior from Thessaly

HARMODIUS — credited with bringing about Athenian democracy with Aristogiton

ARISTOGITON — credited with bringing about Athenian democracy with Harmodius

PELOPIDAS — general of the elite Sacred Band of Thebes

EPAMINONDAS — Theban general and commander of the Boeotian army credited with ending Sparta’s dominance  Lover of Asophichus.

GORGIDAS — established the Sacred Band of Thebes selecting male couples within the Theban army

MELEAGER — infantry commander under Alexander

HEPHAESTION — top general and lover of Alexander

Via Daily Dharma: How to Cultivate Generosity

 Like any form of strength, generosity needs to be intentionally cultivated over time, and everyone must begin in whatever state of mind they already happen to be.

—Dale S. Wright, “The Bodhisattva’s Gift”

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Monday, August 10, 2020

Via Ram Dass - Love Serve Remember Foundation // Words of Wisdom - August 9, 2020 💌

 

 
If you’re involved with relationship with parents or children, instead of saying, "I can’t do spiritual practices because I have children," you say, "My children are my spiritual practice." If you’re traveling a lot, your traveling becomes your yoga.

You start to use your life as your curriculum for coming to God. You use the things that are on your plate, that are presented to you. So that relationships, economics, psychodynamics—all of these become grist for the mill of awakening. They all are part of your curriculum.
 
- Ram Dass

Just Beyond Yourself - David Whyte

Just beyond
yourself.

It’s where
you need
to be.

Half a step
into
self-forgetting
and the rest
restored
by what
you’ll meet.

There is a road
always beckoning.

When you see
the two sides
of it
closing together
at that far horizon
and deep in
the foundations
of your own
heart
at exactly
the same
time,
that’s how
you know
it’s the road
you
have
to follow.

That’s how
you know
it’s where
you
have
to go.

That’s how
you know
you have
to go.

That’s
how you know.

Just beyond
yourself,
it’s
where you
need to be.

 

Make the jump here to read the source and listen to it read 

Via FB:

 

Via Shambal Mountain Center // OM VOTE HUM

 VOTE VOTE VOTE

OM VOTE HUM

Back in May, over 100 Buddhist leaders signed a letter stressing the necessity of voting in the coming US election, and also of working to ensure that as many eligible voters as possible do so as well. In the weeks leading up to November 3, this message is worth repeating like a mantra—so we’re re-publishing the letter in full here, which includes clear steps you can take to help Get Out the Vote. // Read more >>

Via Daily Dharma: Create Space for Your Natural Joy

 Meditation practice allows our natural flow of being to come forth and provides a space for our natural joy to come out.

—Roshi Pat Enkyo O'Hara, “Turn Into the Skid”

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Via Daily Dharma: Learning to Be Happy Here and Now

 The Buddha spoke of learning how to be deeply happy right here and now, no matter what circumstances we are facing. Even the existential challenges of our own impending illness, aging, and death can be encompassed with the wisdom to acknowledge that all things change, to accept that there is no essence underlying it all, and nevertheless to be able to meet each moment without clinging to anything in the world.

—Andrew Olendzki, “A Modest Awakening”

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Via White Crane Institute // WITTER BYNNER

 

August 10

Born
Witter Bynner
1881 -

WITTER BYNNER, poet, writer and scholar. Best remembered for his classic translation of The Way of Life, according to Lao Tzu (1944). Initially he pursued a career in journalism at McClure's Magazine, Bynner then turned to writing. He was a charter member of the Poetry Society of America and was influential in getting the work of A.E. Housman and Ezra Pound published. In 1916 Bynner was one of the perpetrators of an elaborate literary hoax. It involved a purported 'Spectrist' school of poets. They published a book called "Spectra" that received accolades from Edgar Lee Masters and William Carlos Williams who were completely taken in by the ruse. Bynner meant it as a critique of the fashion of "ism" schools in poetry that were ruining poetry in his opinion. The incident, while successful, damaged his reputation in certain circles.

Bynner traveled to Japan and China and subsequently produced many translations from Chinese. His verse showed both Japanese and Chinese influences, but the latter were major. After a short time in academia (University of California, Berkeley), Bynner settled down in Santa Fe, in a relationship with Robert Hunt that would last for thirty-four years. Mabel Dodge Luhan, the doyenne of the intellectual community in Santa Fe & Taos at one point accused Bynner of "single-handedly introducing homosexuality into New Mexico." Bynner and Hunt became fixtures in Santa Fe. On January 18, 1965, Bynner had a severe stroke. He never recovered, and required constant care until he died on June 1, 1968. His papers are archived in the New Mexico State University Library. His last words were reported to have been, "Other people die, why can't I?"

Saturday, August 8, 2020

Via Tumblr

 

Via Daily Dharma: What Boredom Can Teach Us

 When we feel bored or ill at ease, instead of trying to avoid these feelings by staying busy or buying another fancy gadget, we [can] learn to look more clearly at our impulses, attitudes, and defenses.

—Ajahn Sucitto, “From Turning the Wheel of Truth: Commentary on the Buddha’s First Teaching”

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