Via Daily Dharma: Seeing Beauty in the Strange

 Once we spend enough time in the company of the cringeworthy, we may realize that there is a beauty to simply accepting every ounce of strangeness that crosses our path—that there’s beauty in the unexpected itself, and that none of us knows what will happen in the next moment.

Mike Gillis, “Cringing Toward Compassion”

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Via Dhamma Wheel | Right Action: Reflecting upon Bodily Action

 

RIGHT ACTION
Reflecting Upon Bodily Action

However the seed is planted, in that way the fruit is gathered. Good things come from doing good deeds, bad things come from doing bad deeds. (SN 11.10) What is the purpose of a mirror? For the purpose of reflection. So too bodily action is to be done with repeated reflection. (MN 61) When you are doing an action with the body, reflect upon that same bodily action thus: “Does this action I am doing with the body lead to both my own affliction and the affliction of another?” If, upon reflection, you know that it does, then stop doing it; if you know that it does not, then continue. (MN 61)

Reflection

Mindfulness of the body involves being fully conscious of your bodily sensations as they occur in the present moment. Reflecting upon bodily action, as described here, has to do with being sensitive to the ethical quality of your actions, which requires tuning in not only to what you are doing but also to how your current activities affect yourself and others. If they pass review, then carry on; if not, it is time to alter your behavior.

Daily Practice

Be aware of the implications of your actions. Notice the patterns of cause and effect generated by what you do, particularly in regard to whether they are causing harm or not. If you realize you are doing something that is not good for you or something that is hurtful to others in some way, simply stop doing it. It is good to pause in mid-stride from time to time, to check on the ethical quality of your actions.

Tomorrow: Abstaining from Harming Living Beings
One week from today: Reflecting upon Verbal Action

Share your thoughts and join the conversation on social media
#DhammaWheel

Questions? Visit the Dhamma Wheel orientation page.

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Via SFLGBT Sangha // 20th Anniversary Daylong Celebration

 20th Anniversary Daylong Celebration

This is a reminder that the SFLGBT Sangha is celebrating our 20th Anniversary of Buddhist practice in Queer community on Saturday, June 18th from 10am-5pm at the SF Buddhist Center at 37 Bartlett Street in San Francisco or virtually via Zoom. We’d love to see you!

• Please register here by Wednesday, June 15th at 11:59pm if you plan to join in-person so we can provide lunch. 
• If you would like to attend virtually, please find the Zoom meeting info below.

On the agenda for the day will include sitting and walking meditation, provided lunch (for in-person attendees), dharma talks and visits from former and founding teachers. To close out the day, we’ll have cake! We are accepting donations for the event but no one will be turned away for lack of funds.
 
COVID Considerations: Evidence of vaccinations will be required for in-person attendees. We will be doing our best to social distance. Wearing a KN95 or N95 mask over mouth and nose will be mandatory except during lunch. (We will provide masks if you do not have one.) Please do a rapid-test prior to arriving.

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Zoom meeting information: 
https://zoom.us/j/844085275
Meeting ID: 844 085 275
Password: 948743 

One tap mobile:
+16699009128, (San Francisco)
+ 844085275# US

Feel free to share the meeting ID, password, and link with anyone you know who may be interested in joining the daylong.

We hope you can join us!

Via LGBTQ Nation // Joe Biden issues executive order to fight conversion therapy & LGBTQ fostering discrimination

Joe Biden promised to work to get a law passed banning conversion therapy on the campaign trail. Now he's doing what he can on his own. 

 

 

Via Daily Dharma: Let the Mind Settle

 Our mind is analogous to a cup of muddy water. The longer you keep a cup of muddy water still, the more the mud settles down and the water will be seen clearly. Similarly, if you keep quiet without moving your body, your mind settles down and begins to experience the bliss of meditation.

Bhante Henepola Gunaratana, “Sitting Still”

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Via Dhamma Wheel | Right Speech: Refraining from False Speech

 

RIGHT SPEECH
Refraining from False Speech

False speech is unhealthy. Refraining from false speech is healthy. (MN 9) Abandoning false speech, one dwells refraining from false speech, a truth-speaker, one to be relied on, trustworthy, dependable, not a deceiver of the world. One does not in full awareness speak falsehood for one’s own ends or for another’s ends or for some trifling worldly end. (DN 1) One practices thus: “Others may speak falsely, but I shall abstain from false speech.”  (MN 8) When one knows covert speech to be true and correct but unbeneficial, one should try not to utter it. (MN 139)

Reflection

The main thing to look at when deciding if it is appropriate to speak or not is whether what you are saying is likely to be beneficial. Yes, it is important to speak the truth, but even when something is true it may not always be helpful to say it. By beneficial what is meant is, will it help a person move away from what is unhealthy and point them toward what is healthy? If so, then by all means speak up; if not, try to keep silent.

Daily Practice

Be careful what you whisper to others, making sure it is not a subtle form of false speech. Even if what you are saying is true, the fact that it is spoken in secret or covertly suggests there may be something about it unsuited to the light of day. Better to speak only what can be said openly whenever possible. Just ask yourself as you are about to speak: Is this helpful? Will this contribute in a beneficial way?

Tomorrow: Reflecting upon Bodily Action
One week from today: Refraining from Malicious Speech

Share your thoughts and join the conversation on social media
#DhammaWheel

Questions? Visit the Dhamma Wheel orientation page.

Via Ram Dass - Love Serve Remember Foundation // Words of Wisdom - June 15, 2022 💌

 
 

Your anger and your inspiration are all inside you. They are just being who they are. Your reaction is your reaction. It is showing you your attachments and aversions.

- Ram Dass -

Via White Crane Institute // The Supreme Court ruled that a landmark civil rights law protects LGBT people from discrimination in employment,

 

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Noteworthy

2020 -

The Supreme Court ruled that a landmark civil rights law protects LGBT people from discrimination in employment, a resounding victory for LGBT rights from a conservative court. The court decided by a 6-3 vote that a key provision of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 known as Title VII that bars job discrimination because of sex, among other reasons, encompasses bias against LGBT workers.

The cases were the court’s first on LGBT rights since Justice Anthony Kennedy’s retirement and replacement by Kavanaugh. Kennedy was a voice for gay rights and the author of the landmark ruling in 2015 that made same-sex marriage legal throughout the United States. Kavanaugh generally is regarded as more conservative.

The Trump administration had changed course from the Obama administration, which supported LGBT workers in their discrimination claims under Title VII. During the Obama years, the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission had changed its longstanding interpretation of civil rights law to include discrimination against LGBT people. The law prohibits discrimination because of sex, but had no specific protection for sexual orientation or gender identity.

In recent years, some lower courts have held that discrimination against LGBT people is a subset of sex discrimination, and thus prohibited by the federal law. Efforts by Congress to change the law had failed.

The Supreme Court cases involved two gay men and a transgender woman who sued for employment discrimination after they lost their jobs.

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Gay Wisdom for Daily Living from White Crane Institute

"With the increasing commodification of gay news, views, and culture by powerful corporate interests, having a strong independent voice in our community is all the more important. White Crane is one of the last brave standouts in this bland new world... a triumph over the looming mediocrity of the mainstream Gay world." - Mark Thompson

Exploring Gay Wisdom & Culture since 1989!
www.whitecraneinstitute.org

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Via Lion’s Roar - Practice for a World at Risk

 

Via Dhamma Wheel | Right Intention: Cultivating Lovingkindness

RIGHT INTENTION
Cultivating Lovingkindness

Whatever you intend, whatever you plan, and whatever you have a tendency toward, that will become the basis upon which your mind is established. (SN 12.40) Develop meditation on lovingkindness, for when you develop meditation on lovingkindness, all ill will will be abandoned. (MN 62)  The purpose of lovingkindness is warding off ill will. (Vm 9.97)

Reflection

Our capacity for lovingkindness is one of the great resources we have as human beings. Yes, we can be nasty and feel ill will toward one another, but this can always be replaced by lovingkindness, at least in principle. Learning how to do this is both a challenge and an opportunity. Here we are told that if we are able to arouse and maintain a feeling of kindness, our minds will be immune, at least for the time being, from all aversion.

Daily Practice

Practice lovingkindness, if only as a protection from ill will. It is easy to get annoyed, to be bothered by people and things, to be surly and sour as you go through the day. But this is unhealthy, does not feel good, and infects the people around you. Look instead at others with goodwill and benevolence and kindness, even if this is difficult to do. You will not only release ill will toward others but also shield yourself from others' ill will toward you.

Tomorrow: Refraining from False Speech
One week from today: Cultivating Compassion

Share your thoughts and join the conversation on social media
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Questions? Visit the Dhamma Wheel orientation page.

 

Via Daily Dharma: The Journey through Grief

 In grief we access parts of ourselves that were somehow unavailable to us in the past. With awareness, the journey through grief becomes a path to wholeness.

Mark Matousek, “A Splinter of Love”

CLICK HERE TO READ THE FULL ARTICLE

Via Sukhasiddhi Dag Shang Kagyu \ FB

Hoy (14/06/2022) es día 15 del cuarto mes del calendario lunar tibetano y para los practicantes budistas de todo el mundo es un día muy importante en el que se celebra la iluminación a la edad de 35 años en Bodhgaya y el paranirvana a los 80 en Kushinagara del Buda Shakyamuni, además es la gran super Luna Llena del mes de Saga Dawa y por ello las acciones que se realicen durante este día se multiplican enormemente.

La fortaleza, espiritualmente hablando, no procede de las capacidades físicas, sino más bien de una voluntad invencible 

 

 

 

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Via Dhamma Wheel | Right View: Understanding the Noble Truth of Suffering

 

RIGHT VIEW
Understanding the Noble Truth of Suffering

When people have met with suffering and become victims of suffering, they come to me and ask me about the noble truth of suffering. Being asked, I explain to them the noble truth of suffering. (MN 77) What is suffering? (MN 9) Despair is suffering. The trouble and despair, the tribulation and desperation of one who has encountered some misfortune or is affected by some painful state. (MN 9)

Reflection

We don't need to look deeply to understand what this text is pointing to. The human condition is laced with despair, as people regularly encounter misfortune and are constantly affected by painful states. The goal of these teachings and practices is not to avoid the difficult aspects of life but to see them clearly, understand them thoroughly, and pass through them (rather than around them) to the peace lying on the other side.

Daily Practice

When you encounter despair, do not be afraid of it and do not try to push it away or hide from it. It is just a mental state, just a passing condition of the mind and of the emotional life. It is okay to turn toward it and examine it, because that is just what is happening right now. Take heart in the knowledge that the Buddha is only pointing us toward suffering because he will go on to show how it can be brought to an end.

Tomorrow: Cultivating Lovingkindness
One week from today: Understanding the Noble Truth of the Origin of Suffering

Share your thoughts and join the conversation on social media
#DhammaWheel

Questions? Visit the Dhamma Wheel orientation page.

Via Daily Dharma: Breathe with the Whole Body

 Think of the breath as a whole-body process. It’s not just the air coming in and out of the lungs. It’s the flow of energy throughout the body, part of which is related to the flow of the blood and to the sense of aliveness in your nerves. Try to be sensitive to the whole body as you breathe in and breathe out.

Thanissaro Bhikkhu, “Less Is More”

CLICK HERE TO READ THE FULL ARTICLE

Via White Crane Institute // RICHARD BARNFIELD

This Day in Gay History

June 13

Born

1574 -

RICHARD BARNFIELD, English poet, born (d: 1620); There are, as everyone knows, certain inseparable teams: Gilbert & Sullivan, Cheech and Chong, bagels and lox, ham and eggs, Sodom and Gomorrah. In classical mythology, as in ballet, there are Daphnis and Chloë, the Greek shepherd and his lady love – Daphnis and Chloë, as inseparable as yin and yang, gin and tonic, Ron and Nancy.

Not in Richard Barnfield, however. His Affectionate Shepherd (1594) scandalized Renaissance England by describing in florid detail the love of Daphnis and Ganymede, just a couple of guys, foolin’ around. What the fuss was all about is difficult to say since, in the absence of Chloë, Daphnis never exercised his shepherdly option of making it with his favorite sheep, choosing a boy instead. “If it be a sin to love a lovely lad,” wrote Barnfield, “Oh, then sin I.” He was not quite twenty-one when he wrote the poem. His obscure though close relationship with Shakespeare has long made him interesting to students.

Richard Barnfield was born in Staffordshire, England. In his youth, he was deeply influenced by Virgil’s work and the 1591 publication of Sir Philip Sidney’s Astrophel and Stella, which popularized the sonnet sequence. Best known for his poem “As it fell upon a day,” Barnfield is the only Elizabethan male poet apart from Shakespeare—whom he admired—to address love poems to a man.

Little is known about Barnfield’s life and career, but it is thought that his maternal aunt raised him and his sister after his mother died during childbirth. In 1592 he graduated from Brasenose College, Oxford. At the age of twenty-one he published his first two books, The Affectionate Shepherd (1594) and Cynthia (1595), both addressed to “Ganymede.” Originally published anonymously, The Affectionate Shepherd expands upon Virgil’s second eclogue, and its homoerotic themes made Barnfield’s poems controversial for his time.

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Today's Gay Wisdom

2018 -

Today's Gay Wisdom

Sonnet 16
By Richard Barnfield

Long have I long’d to see my love again,
    Still have I wished, but never could obtain it;
    Rather than all the world (if I might gain it)
Would I desire my love’s sweet precious gain.
Yet in my soul I see him every day,
    See him, and see his still stern countenance,
    But (ah) what is of long continuance,
Where majesty and beauty bears the sway?
Sometimes, when I imagine that I see him,
    (As love is full of foolish fantasies)
    Weening to kiss his lips, as my love’s fees,
I feel but air: nothing but air to bee him.
    Thus with Ixion, kiss I clouds in vain:
    Thus with Ixion, feel I endless pain.

Sonnet 17

By Richard Barnfield

Cherry-lipped Adonis in his snowy shape,
    Might not compare with his pure ivory white,
    On whose faire front a poet’s pen may write,
Whose roseate red excels the crimson grape,
His love-enticing delicate soft limbs,
    Are rarely framed to entrap poor gazing eyes:
    His cheeks, the lily and carnation dyes,
With lovely tincture which Apollo’s dims.
His lips ripe strawberries in nectar wet,
    His mouth a Hive, his tongue a honeycomb,
    Where Muses (like bees) make their mansion.
His teeth pure pearl in blushing coral set.
    Oh how can such a body sin-procuring,
    Be slow to love, and quick to hate, enduring? 

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Gay Wisdom for Daily Living from White Crane Institute

"With the increasing commodification of gay news, views, and culture by powerful corporate interests, having a strong independent voice in our community is all the more important. White Crane is one of the last brave standouts in this bland new world... a triumph over the looming mediocrity of the mainstream Gay world." - Mark Thompson

Exploring Gay Wisdom & Culture since 1989!
www.whitecraneinstitute.org

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