Sunday, October 2, 2022

Via White Crane // DAN "MAHATMA" VERA

 


Poet Dan Vera
1967 -

Friend, poet, activist, Radical Faerie, former White Crane Managing Editor and co-creator of this Daily GayWisdom, DAN "MAHATMA" VERA, was born in South Texas on this day. He has studied and received degrees in history, anthropology, theology, and justice & peace studies. He is a graduate of Southwestern University and Iliff School of Theology in Denver, Colorado.

In Vera’s early 20s Pablo Neruda "whispered in his ear" and his world went Technicolor. Consequently he's had a hard time seeing in black and white ever since. A writer of poetry for over a decade, his poetry has been featured in Shaping Sanctuary: Proclaiming God's Grace in an Inclusive Church, DC Poets Against The War: An Anthology, Red Wheelbarrow, and Raddish and the chapbook, Crepusculario. His poetry has also been featured on Pacifica Radio's nationally broadcast Democracy Now program. He is a founding member of Brookland Area Writers & Artists and a member of the Triangle Artists Group and Poets Against the War.  Most recently he won the Oscar Wilde Poetry Prize. Dan is also an accomplished watercolorist.

Dan has worked in advocacy for working poor and homeless people in Denver, Colorado, and as field director and trainer for the LGBT-welcoming Reconciling Ministries Network in the United Methodist Church. In 2000 Dan authored the groundbreaking statement "United Methodists of Color for a Fully Inclusive Church" which lead to the first denominational people of color organization for LGBT inclusion, which he served as director. He served as poetry editor for RFD magazine.

He’s a hell of a knitter, a fine, sweet friend and an indispensible colleague. His other interests include cooking, gardening and occasionally walking the dog. He lives in the Brookland neighborhood of Washington, DC with his husband Peter Montgomery and their dog Blossom. The Tejano Cubano Radical Faerie poet had been a contributor to White Crane since 1998 and as its managing editor oversaw its redesign in the Summer of 2003. He has recorded his work for Grace Cavalieri's Poet and the Poem program at the Library of Congress.

Check it out here: http://www.loc.gov/poetry/poetpoem.html

Dan won the Red Hen Press Letras Latinas Prize for his book, Speaking Wiri Wiri. It can be purchased here: http://www.amazon.com/Speaking-Wiri-Dan-Vera/dp/1597092746

 

1967 -

Thurgood Marshall is sworn in as the first African-American justice of United States Supreme Court.


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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 White Crane Institute // Mahatma Gandhi and Hermann Kallenbach

 This Day in Gay History

October 02

Born
Mahatma Gandhi and Hermann Kallenbach
1869 -

MOHANDAS "MAHATMA" GANDHI , was born on this date (d: 1948) was an Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalist, and political ethicist, who employed nonviolent resistance (satyagraha)  to lead the successful campaign for India's independence from British rule, and in turn inspired movements for civil rights and freedom across the world. The honorific Mahatma (Sanskrit:: "great-souled", "venerable"), first applied to him in 1914 in South Africa, is now used throughout the world.

Born and raised in a Hindu family in coastal Gujarat, western India, Gandhi trained in law at the Inner Temple, London, and was called to the bar at age 22 in June 1891. After two uncertain years in India, where he was unable to start a successful law practice, he moved to South Africa in 1893 to represent an Indian merchant in a lawsuit. He went on to stay for 21 years. It was in South Africa that Gandhi raised a family, and first employed nonviolent resistance in a campaign for civil rights. In 1915, aged 45, he returned to India. He set about organising peasants, farmers, and urban laborers to protest against excessive land-tax and discrimination. Assuming leadership of the Indian National Congress in 1921, Gandhi led nationwide campaigns for easing poverty, expanding women's rights, building religious and ethnic amity, ending untouchability, and above all for achieving Swaraj or self-rule.

Was Mahatma Gandhi gay? A Pulitzer-Prize winning author Joseph Lelyveld claims the god-like Indian figure not only left his wife for a man, but also harbored racist attitudes.

According to Lelyveld, his lover was Hermann Kallenbach, a German-Jewish architect and bodybuilder. The couple built their love nest during Gandhi's time in South Africa where he arrived as a 23-year-old law clerk in 1893 and lived for 21 years.

Much of the intimacy between the two is revealed in Kallenbach's letters to his Indian friend. Gandhi left his wife, "Ba," -- an arranged marriage -- in 1908 for Kallenbach, a lifelong bachelor, according to the book.

In letters, Gandhi wrote to Kallenbach, "How completely you have taken possession of my body. This is slavery with a vengeance. "

"Your portrait (the only one) stands on my mantelpiece in the bedroom," he writes. "The mantelpiece is opposite the bed."

The book has been banned in one Western India state, Gujarat, after local press reports claimed the book maligns the father of modern India, according to the Associated Press. Its top state politician, Chief Minister Narendra Modi, called the book "perverse. "

Politicians in the state of Maharashtra, home to India's financial capital Mumbai, asked the central government to bar publication nationawide.

The Hindu religion, just as Christianity, frowns upon homosexuality. But in India today, discrimination against gays is illegal and many are open about their sexual orientation.

In Levyveld's book, the lovers' nicknames to each other were "Upper House" and "Lower House," suggesting one may have been in a stronger position of power.

At the age of 13 Gandhi had been married to 14-year-old Kasturbai Makhanji, but after four children together they broke up so he could be with Kallenbach. As late as 1933 Gandhi wrote a letter telling of his unending desire and branding his ex-wife "the most venomous woman I have met." Kallenabach emigrated from East Prussia to South Africa where he first met Gandhi. The author describes Gandhi's relationship with the man as, "the most intimate, also ambiguous relationship of [Gandhi's] lifetime."

"They were a couple," said Tridip Suhrud, a Gandhi scholar who met Lelyveld in India.

The source of much of the detail of their affair was found in the "loving and charming love notes" that Gandhi wrote to Kallenbach, whose family saved them after the architect's death. They eventually landed in the National Archives of India. Gandhi had destroyed all those from Kallenbach.

It was known that Gandhi was preoccupied with physiology, and even though he had a "taut torso," weighing 106 to 118 pounds throughout his life, the author says Gandhi was attracted to Kallenbach's strongman build.

The pair lived together for two years in a house Kallenbach built in South Africa and pledged to give one another "more love, and yet more love."

Gandhi implored Kallenbach not to "look lustfully upon any woman" and cautioned, "I cannot imagine a thing as ugly as the intercourse of men and women."

By the time Gandhi left South Africa in 1914, Kallenbach was not allowed to accompany him because of World War I. But Gandhi told him, "You will always be you and you alone to me...I have told you you will have to desert me and not I you."

Kallenbach died in 1945 and Gandhi died in 1948.


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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 Ram Dass - Love Serve Remember Foundation // Words of Wisdom - October 2, 2022 💌

 
 

“When I come down to it, I see the dance as between love and fear. I see that fear leads you to contract, to go into your mind, become more prejudiced, more violent out of fear for the survival of yourself and loved ones. The other one is the quality of love; and love is embracing because it sees in everybody all of it.” 

- Ram Dass -

Via Dhamma Wheel | Right Mindfulness and Concentration: Establishing Mindfulness of Mental Objects and Abiding in the Fourth Jhāna

 

RIGHT MINDFULNESS
Establishing Mindfulness of Mental Objects
A person goes to the forest or to the root of a tree or to an empty place and sits down. Having crossed the legs, one sets the body erect. One establishes the presence of mindfulness. (MN 10) One is aware: “Ardent, fully aware, mindful, I am content.” (SN 47.10)
 
When the awakening factor of concentration is internally present, one is aware: “Concentration is present for me.” When concentration is not present, one is aware: “Concentration is not present for me.” When the arising of unarisen concentration occurs, one is aware of that. And when the development and fulfillment of the arisen awakening factor of concentration occurs, one is aware of that. . . . One is just aware, just mindful: “There is a mental object.” And one abides not clinging to anything in the world. (MN 10)
Reflection
The practice of insight meditation also involves the practice of concentration. Insight and concentration are like the two wings of a bird, each supporting the function of the other. Concentration is a mental factor that allows the mind to focus on a single object without being carried away by the stream of consciousness into telling and retelling stories. Insight is understanding the nature of what you are focusing on. 

Daily Practice
As with all mental factors, sometimes concentration is present and sometimes it is not. Sometimes your mind is focused, and other times it is flitting from one object to another, apparently out of control. With practice you can notice these fluctuations of mind. You can watch the ability to focus come and go, always simply being aware of what is happening. The idea is not to control the mind but to calm it and let it settle.


RIGHT CONCENTRATION
Approaching and Abiding in the Fourth Phase of Absorption (4th Jhāna)
With the abandoning of pleasure and pain, and with the previous disappearance of joy and grief, one enters upon and abides in the fourth phase of absorption, which has neither-pain-nor-pleasure and purity of mindfulness as a result of equanimity. The concentrated mind is thus purified, bright, unblemished, rid of imperfection, malleable, wieldy, steady, and attained to imperturbability. (MN 4)

Tomorrow: Understanding the Noble Truth of Suffering 
One week from today: Establishing Mindfulness of Body and Abiding in the First Jhāna

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

Questions?
Visit the Dhamma Wheel orientation page.



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© 2022 Tricycle Foundation
89 5th Ave, New York, NY 10003

Via Daily Dharma: Finding the Desire for Interconnectedness

 The more we are able to recognize in our bodies what a lack of trust—in others and in ourselves—feels like, the more we will notice a desire to belong, to experience interconnectedness.

Radhule Weininger, “Deep Trust: Finding Our Footing in a Turbulent World”


CLICK HERE TO READ THE FULL ARTICLE

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Saturday, October 1, 2022

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Mount Shasta Webcam Image Provided by: Snow Crest Inc.

 


Via Tricycle // Inside the World of Buddhist Medicine

 

Support Tricycle with a donation »
October 1, 2022

Inside the World of Buddhist Medicine
 
The Buddha has often been described as a great healer or physician. Diagnosing the ailment of dukkha (suffering), he offered the eightfold path as his prescription for healing the disease of suffering that is caused by the workings of the mind. 

But what about the body? What does the dharma have to say about the suffering of illness? What can Buddhist knowledge teach us about physical healing? 

Buddhist traditions have sought to address physical illness for centuries, and Buddhist ideas have shaped a robust body of healing knowledge that is practiced around the world to this day.

Dr. Pierce Salguero, Buddhism scholar, historian of medicine, and author of A Global History of Buddhism and Medicine, joins us on October 10 for a virtual conversation on the fascinating world of Buddhist medicine. In this hour-long Zoom event—free for Tricycle Premium subscribers—he’ll discuss how Buddhist medical practices and Buddhist healers have influenced health care globally (including mental health care and Western medical approaches).

Sign up today to join us on October 10 at 4 p.m. ET, and bring your questions! 

 

 
Also this week:
  • Join Stephen Batchelor, Sylvia Boorstein, Kaira Jewel Lingo, and other Buddhist teachers and writers for the Living Well in Difficult Times virtual summit—a conversation series on transforming suffering during times of personal and global crisis. 
  • New to the dharma? Start your journey with Buddhism for Beginners, Tricycle’s comprehensive online learning platform.
  • Walk in the Buddha’s footsteps across Northern India and Nepal with Buddhist scholar Andrew Olendzki as your guide on this special pilgrimage, December 3-18. Learn more. 
  • On the latest episode of Tricycle Talks, scholar and professor of philosophy Allison Aitken discusses why anger is so seductive—and how to transform this destructive emotion into compassion, according to Buddhist texts.


Via Tricycle // The Mountain Path

 


Film Club: The Mountain Path
Now Streaming!
 
One man sets off for China’s Zhongnan Mountains in search of a Buddhist hermit master along the way he meets a series of recluses who teach him about life, death, and the journey within.
Watch now »

Via Dhamma Wheel | Right Effort: Maintaining Arisen Healthy States

 

RIGHT EFFORT
Maintaining Arisen Healthy States
Whatever a person frequently thinks about and ponders, that will become the inclination of their mind. If one frequently thinks about and ponders healthy states, one has abandoned unhealthy states to cultivate healthy states, and then one’s mind inclines to healthy states. (MN 19)

Here a person rouses the will, makes an effort, stirs up energy, exerts the mind, and strives to maintain arisen healthy mental states. One maintains the arisen awakening factors of tranquility and concentration. (MN 141)
Reflection
The last two of the seven factors of awakening are tranquility and concentration. These are healthy mental and emotional factors that are to be encouraged to arise and when arisen, to be sustained. While all states of mind are fleeting, arising and passing away in a moment, when we are able to string together moments of tranquility one after another, the mind naturally becomes concentrated and focused on a single object. 

Daily Practice
Focused awareness, otherwise known as concentration practice, is something to undertake in a sustained and continuous manner. Put aside some time at the end of the day or before your day begins and allow yourself to really settle in to some uninterrupted practice. It takes some effort, but that effort becomes easier as tranquility deepens. By cultivating these states, you give your mind a break from restlessness.

Tomorrow: Establishing Mindfulness of Mental Objects and the Fourth Jhāna
One week from today: Restraining Unarisen Unhealthy States

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

Questions?
Visit the Dhamma Wheel orientation page.



Tricycle is a nonprofit and relies on your support to keep its wheels turning.

© 2022 Tricycle Foundation
89 5th Ave, New York, NY 10003

Via L. A. Times

 


Via GQ // Billy Eichner Believes a Funny Gay Comedy Is the Best Activism

 


Via White Crane Institute // Lakenheath

 


Anglo-Saxon besties
2008 -

Construction of the Royal Airforce Base at Lakenheath was held up in 2008 when relics of this base’s ancient inhabitants were unearthed during a routine construction project. The base must work with British archaeology officials for every base construction because of the area’s dense concentration of buried artifacts.

Before the Air Force set up shop at Lakenheath more than 60 years ago, it was home to the Anglo-Saxons — ancient peoples who inhabited the south and east of the country from the early fifth century through the Norman conquest of 1066.

Toiling alongside a construction crew that rebuilt the traffic circle on the northside of the base in August, a team of British archaeologists dug up three Anglo-Saxon graves dating to between 450 and 650.

They found two unusually large bodies dating from before the Norman Invasion of 1066 that appeared at first glance to be a husband and wife. The bodies were buried embracing each other, but genetic testing revealed both were men. It remains unknown if they were lovers, relatives, warrior companions, or just good friends…but I think we know.


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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 White Crane Institute // The world's first legal, modern same-sex civil union

 


1989 -

DENMARK: The world's first legal, modern same-sex civil union are sanctioned and called "registered partnership."

 

 


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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 Daily Dharma: Love Comes from Attention

 Attention is the start of love. There can be no love without attention. In cultivating attention, we’re cultivating a possibility for intention and a possibility for connection.

Anne C. Klein, “Ritual as an Opening to Love”


CLICK HERE TO READ THE FULL ARTICLE