Saturday, October 8, 2022

Via Dhamma Wheel | Right Effort: Restraining Unarisen Unhealthy States

 

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

Here a person rouses the will, makes an effort, stirs up energy, exerts the mind, and strives to restrain the arising of unarisen unhealthy mental states. One restrains the arising of all five unarisen hindrances. (MN 141)
Reflection
Having gone through the five hindrances individually—sense desire, ill will, restlessness, sluggishness, and doubt—we are now encouraged to work with all five of them as the opportunity arises. Instead of looking at each in turn and exploring how it might be inhibited from arising (not suppressed once arisen!), we allow ourselves to guard against any of them erupting by learning to avoid the conditions giving rise to them.

Daily Practice
The hindrances are a natural part of our everyday lives, but we need not feel at their mercy. They are mental qualities that obstruct our ability to focus and relax our minds, and they can be resisted with some understanding of what sets them off and how to avoid triggering them. Cultivating equanimity, for example, will inhibit the arising of sense desire and ill will. The other hindrances too have antidotes that can be deployed.

Tomorrow: Establishing Mindfulness of Body and Abiding in the First Jhāna
One week from today: Abandoning Arisen Unhealthy States

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Via Daily Dharma: Life Is Simple

Life is a very simple matter. We’re just doing what we’re doing. But we add extra tension all the time. If you stop and feel your face, you’ll notice it’s usually a little bit tight. We don’t need that tension. We have a face; we don’t need to have an extra face.

Charlotte Joko Beck, “Mute the Commentary”

Friday, October 7, 2022

22 years ago Matthew Shepard was beaten, tortured and left to die...

 


Via Daily Dharma: Embracing Ambiguity

We can spend our whole life suffering because we can’t relax with how things really are, or we can relax and embrace the open-endedness of the human situation, which is fresh, unfixated, unbiased.

Pema Chödrön, “The Fundamental Ambiguity of Being Human”


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Via Dhamma Wheel | Right Living: Abstaining from Harming Living Beings

 

RIGHT LIVING
Undertaking the Commitment to Abstain from Harming Living Beings
Harming living beings is unhealthy. Refraining from harming living beings is healthy. (MN 9) Abandoning the harming of living beings, one abstains from harming living beings; with rod and weapon laid aside, gentle and kindly, one abides compassionate to all living beings. (M 41) One practices thus: “Others may harm living beings, but I will abstain from the harming of living beings.” (MN 8)

What is wrong livelihood? Scheming, cajoling, hinting, belittling, pursuing gain with gain. (MN 117)
Reflection
The Buddhist emphasis on non-harming goes beyond killing and encompasses all forms of “raising the rod to strike against” a living being. Beyond physical assault, this can also include various kinds of psychological or emotional abuse, as mentioned in this passage. When you hurt others in some way, you also damage your own heart and mind. Like thrusting a flaming torch into the wind, you hurt yourself more than the other.

Daily Practice
It is not healthy to engage in dishonest or manipulative behavior, and if you need to do this as part of your job, you should think about changing professions. This is not to make a moral judgment but rather to point out a simple fact: harsh and harmful states of mind damage not only others but also the person initiating them. Take an honest look at how you behave as part of your livelihood and make changes if appropriate.

Tomorrow: Restraining Unarisen Unhealthy States
One week from today: Abstaining from Taking What is Not Given

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Questions?
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Thursday, October 6, 2022

Sometimes BBC Outlook is astonishing, obrigado BBC!

 



Via Daily Dharma: Becoming a Vehicle for Helping Others

 Meditation on lovingkindness accentuates the altruistic dimension of practice, showing us that we practice not merely for our own benefit but to make ourselves a fit vehicle for truly benefiting others.

Bhikkhu Bodhi, “The Four Protective Meditations”


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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 have done an action with the body, reflect on that same bodily action thus: “Was this action I have done with the body an unhealthy bodily action with painful consequences and painful results?” If, on reflection, you know that it was, then tell someone you trust about it and undertake a commitment not to do it again. If you know it was not, then be content and feel happy about it. (MN 61)
Reflection
While Buddhist teachings encourage us to be in the present moment and not ruminate obsessively on the past, it can still be valuable to reflect on past behavior in order to learn from it. The point is not to relive your faults or retell the story to yourself, but to bring things into the light of day so they don’t get buried in the unconscious mind. Self-examination and self-honesty can be powerful tools for internal transformation.

Daily Practice
If you feel remorse about something you have done in the past because it has caused harm to you or someone else, it can be helpful to admit to the action, acknowledge the harm it caused, and undertake a commitment to refrain from such behavior in the future. You can do this internally, but it can be even more effective to reveal the action to a person you respect and trust. This really brings it into the open.

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

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Questions?
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Wednesday, October 5, 2022

Via Facebook // Chestor Hitchcock

 



I retired in July of 2019 with a plan to launch a ministry teaching my Gospel Memory Course in churches, first locally and eventually taking it nationwide.  

My wife and I mailed out flyers and were beginning to plan our schedule for evening and weekend seminars; then the pandemic hit in January 2020 and churches canceled their plans.  

Through 2020 I shifted my ministry focus to launching a YouTube channel where I recorded various Bible lessons for people to enjoy at home while church attendance was canceled in some places and greatly limited in others.

One of my YouTube Bible series is titled “God Loves the LGBTQ+ Community”.  

For most of my tenure in pastoral ministry I accepted the general view held by most Christians regarding the LGBTQ+ Community.  While I showed love and compassion, I also believed that all same-sex relationships were sin.  I have to admit that it isn’t always easy to change one’s life-long beliefs when we consider evidence.

Nevertheless, when the need presented itself to consider the evidence, due to questions that were asked by some in my congregation, I fully expected to show how the texts demonstrated what Christians generally believe about being gay.  While my professional training didn’t address the LGBTQ topic, it did provide the biblical research tools and skills to reexamine generally accepted beliefs and to my surprise, I wasn't finding the answers I expected to find there.

The research tools and skills are pretty simple, not requiring a college degree as much as a courageous heart to respond to what the Bible says regardless of what one expects it to say.  My YouTube series on LGBTQ uses these simple principles to examine every passage used to address the LGBTQ topic in the generally accepted understanding.

While the view that I present in each passage may greatly alter the accepted view of the passage, it causes no harm to the Christian doctrines of love, grace and righteousness by faith which is the heart and soul of the Christian faith.

Unfortunately, many loving, grace-oriented Christians struggle with the idea of fully accepting and affirming the gay community even after seeing the evidence.  To do so not only challenges their own life-long view, but also puts them at odds with most traditional and conservative churches where they attend.  Furthermore the topic has become so politically charged that to acknowledge that the Bible isn’t as anti-gay as they once believed, puts many people at odds with their political views.

Suddenly, evidence or no evidence, changing one’s mind regarding what the Bible really says or doesn’t say about the gay community requires more than a simple change in thinking.    It requires more than altering one’s understanding of a Bible passage here and a Bible story there.  It requires an entire altering of our spiritual, political and social relationships.

Sometimes these alterations in life are not possible unless we witness someone close in our family dealing with the pain and suffering associated with being born different from the majority and being accused of choosing a sinful lifestyle.  When that happens, many people are willing to open their eyes to the evidence for the sake of the one they love.

As a straight, cis-gender, heterosexual, white male pastor with all of the privileges afforded to me; I have chosen the road less traveled.  I don’t have “a dog in the fight” as they say.  I don’t know anyone in my family who is LGBTQ.  I am not trying to defend myself or anyone close to me.  I am however, committed to defending God’s Word at all cost.

While defending God's Word from the misinterpretations and speaking out against traditional views, I have suffered rejection, criticism, silence and avoidance for my stand for truth.  When Paul says “rejoice in suffering” I have discovered how difficult that is when it could be totally avoided by simply following the religious crowd, but so it is!  Here I stand!  And I cannot do anything else but be true to my calling.  All professionals must be willing to take a hard stand when necessary regardless of whether it affects themselves or others.  In this case, I rejoice in whatever criticism comes my way if it brings hope and happiness to those suffering from misinterpreted Bible passages.

Watch for my upcoming video that addresses the phrase, “God created Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve” used by some against the LGBTQ Community.

Grace and Peace,

Pastor Chester

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 overt sharp speech to be true, correct, and beneficial, one may utter it, knowing the time to do so.  (MN 139)
Reflection
It is important to speak the truth, even if it is inconvenient for some to hear it. It is even more important to speak up when what you say is likely to be beneficial. When you can help a person or situation emerge from what is unhealthy or unwholesome and become established instead on a more healthy course, it is worthwhile and even necessary to say something. Even so, good timing and sensitivity are useful skills to employ.

Daily Practice
Speech is such a rich area for mindfulness practice. It is important to be aware of not only your own internal intentions as you speak but also the context and how your words are likely to be heard and received by others. Right speech is skillful speech, and one of the skills to be learned is knowing when and how to say things that are difficult for people to hear. You will need to balance being truthful, helpful, and timely.

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

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Via Daily Dharma: There Is Just Now

 Invite the mind to pay attention to the body’s time so that the mind can learn a simple truth: There is just now.

Willa Blythe Baker, “Being in Body Time”


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Via Ram Dass - Love Serve Remember Foundation // Words of Wisdom - October 5, 2022 💌



"I think in relationships, you create an environment with your own work on yourself, which you offer to another human being to use to grow in the way they need to grow." - Ram Dass

 

Via White Crane Institute // LOUISE FITZHUGH

 


Author Louise Fitzhugh
1928 -

LOUISE FITZHUGH was an American writer and illustrator of children's books, born on this date (d: 1974), known best for the novel Harriet the Spy. Her other novels were two Harriet sequels, The Long Secret and Sport, and Nobody's Family is Going to Change.

Fitzhugh was the illustrator of the 1961 children's book Suzuki Beane, a parody of Eloise; while Eloise lived in the Plaza, Suzuki was the daughter of beatnik parents and slept on a mattress on the floor of a Bleeker Street pad in Greenwich Village. Fitzhugh worked closely with author Sandra Scopperttone to produce Suzuki Beane, which incorporated typewriter font and line drawings in an original way. Although a parody of both Eloise and beatnik conceit, the book sprang to life as a genuine work of literature. Today, it is much sought after on used-book websites.

Fitzhugh's best-known book was Harriet the Spy, published in 1964 to some controversy since so many characters were far from admirable. It has since become a classic. According to her New York Times obituary, published November 19, 1974: "The book helped introduce a new realism to children's fiction and has been widely imitated". Like Fitzhugh, Harriet is the daughter of affluent New Yorkers who leave her in the care of her nanny, Ole Golly, in their Manhattan townhouse.

Louise’s father, Millsaps Fitzhugh, was a prominent lawyer who told Louise that her mother, Mary Louise Perkins, a ballet teacher from Clarksdale, Miss., died when Louise was a baby.  That was a lie. Mary Louise was alive and well, teaching dance in Clarksdale (about an hour and a half away from Memphis) and trying to see her baby. Mary Louise — who had met Millsaps while vacationing in Europe — had chafed under her husband’s controlling, boorish behavior (he wouldn’t let her teach, gave her a paltry allowance and disparaged her family, calling them “trash”) and demanded a divorce. Despite the emotional abuse he inflicted on his wife, Millsaps won full custody of Louise — he had bragged that he had the courts “all sewn up” due to his family name. 

The Fitzhughs refused to let Mary Louise see the child; Josephine particularly thought Mary Louise, who came from a poor family, was a bad influence. 

Hardly the feminine girl heroine typical of the early 1960s, Harriet is a writer who notes everything about everybody in her world in a notebook which ultimately falls into the wrong hands. Ole Golly gives Harriet the unlikely but practical advice that: "Sometimes you have to lie. But to yourself you must always tell the truth". By and large, Harriet the Spy was well-received—it was named to the New York Times Outstanding Book Award list in 1964—and it has sold 4 million copies since publication. It was very popular among young girls, particularly unfeminine or non-conforming girls who lacked representation in fiction; Fitzhugh, like many of Harriet's fans, was a lesbian.

Two characters from the book, Beth Ellen and Sport, were featured in two of Fitzhugh's later books, The Long Secret and SportThe Long Secret deals fairly honestly with female puberty; the main characters are pre-teen girls who discuss how their changing bodies feel. Another young adult manuscript, Amelia, concerned two girls falling in love. This manuscript was not published and was later lost.

Fitzhugh illustrated many of her books and had works exhibited in Banfer Gallery, New York, in 1963, among many other galleries.

According to a recent biography, Sometimes You Have to Lie, written by Leslie Brodie,  Fitzhugh led a secret life that would have thrilled her nosy heroine. She was a pint-sized heiress with a wealthy, dysfunctional Southern family. She was a lesbian who dressed in tailored suits and capes and had multiple affairs with women and a few men. She wrote her books before her death in 1974, at the young age of 46, and her last romantic partner took pains to keep as much of Louise’s salacious past — including her sexuality — under wraps. 

Those attempts notwithstanding, Fitzhugh was artistic, rebellious, impulsive and captivating. Standing at a pint-sized 4 feet, 11 inches, she looked like a fairy or sprite — with her delicate frame and sly smile. As a teen she wore overalls and cropped hair and dated both boys and girls. The summer before college, she eloped with one of her high school sweethearts, Ed Thompson, one wild evening in Mississippi, though she was sleeping with a woman, artist Amelia Brent, at the time. (The marriage was quickly annulled, but she and Ed remained friendly.) 

Later, after transferring to Bard to study writing, she seduced her gay male poetry adviser, James Merrill, who recounted in his memoir that Louise “began undressing me” and “what we found ourselves doing proved to be a thrilling discovery.” 

Louise, however, preferred sleeping with women, and in 1951 she moved to Greenwich Village with her old flame Amelia. There, Louise would fall in with an artistic lesbian crowd, including pulp novelist Marijane (MJ) Meaker, playwright Lorraine Hansberry and the photographer Gina Jackson. She frequented gay coffee shops and nightclubs and swore off women’s clothes, preferring button-down shirts, trousers and sometimes a velvet cape.

An inheritance from her grandmother — despite being estranged from her father’s family — allowed Louise to live the life of a starving artist without the starving part, and she studied painting not only at the Art Students League, but also in Paris, where she would meet her second serious girlfriend, France Burke, and Bologna, Italy, where she painted frescoes alongside her friend and lover Fabio Rieti. Rieti and Louise had a tempestuous two-month affair, and she told him that he was the only man she ever loved, though she ultimately decided “I can’t abide a male human being in my bed,” and dumped him. 

“Harriet the Spy” was controversial when it was published in 1964. It was shockingly subversive. Harriet’s parents are rich, well-meaning but clueless yuppies who attend cocktail parties and leave their 11-year-old in the care of her nanny, Ole Golly. Her best friend, Sport, has to cook and make cocktails for his degenerate writer father. Her other best friend, Janie, wants to be a scientist so she can “blow up the world.” Harriet sees a child psychologist, drinks egg creams and uses curse words. One reviewer called the book “depressing”; another called Harriet “pathetic.” But the novel flew off the shelves and ushered in a wave of realism in children's literature, from S.E. Hinton’s “The Outsiders” to Judy Blume’s “Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret.” 

After a string of live-in girlfriends, she met a nurse named Lois Morehead and the two moved to Connecticut with Lois’ 13-year-old daughter in 1969. Lois helped keep Louise in line — and away from her wild New York friends, to their annoyance. But Louise was productive. In 1974, she finished another book, “Nobody’s Family Is Going to Change,” about a middle-class black family. But a few weeks before it was published, Louise suffered a brain aneurysm and was rushed to the hospital. She died at just 46. 

Lois, as executor of Louise’s estate, would — as Brody writes in the biography — “preserve the mystique surrounding the author of Harriet the Spy." While a few picture books and one other novel have been published since Nobody’s Family Is Going to Change, many of Louise’s manuscripts have remained under lock and key. 


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