Daily Buddhist Wisdom | |||
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A personal blog by a graying (mostly Anglo with light African-American roots) gay left leaning liberal progressive married college-educated Buddhist Baha'i BBC/NPR-listening Professor Emeritus now following the Dharma in Minas Gerais, Brasil.
Wednesday, June 12, 2013
Via Buddhism on Beliefnet:
Via Tricycle Daily Dharma:
Tricycle Daily Dharma June 12, 2013
Not About Being Good
Just as Buddhist shila
[ethical conduct] refers not to some imaginary static state of virtue
but to an ongoing test of volition, so too is this true of
enlightenment. Since there is no abiding personhood in any of us, rather
than speaking of an enlightened person, let’s speak of enlightened conduct.
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- Bodhin Kjolhede, "Pain, Passion, and the Precepts"
Tuesday, June 11, 2013
Via JMG: Pope: There ARE Gays In The Vatican
Pope Francis has confirmed the presence of a "gay lobby" in the Vatican.
Back in February Italian media claimed that a secret report by cardinals investigating the leaks included allegations of corruption and blackmail attempts against gay Vatican clergymen, and on the other hand, favouritism based on gay relationships."In the Curia, there are truly some saints, but there is also a current of corruption," the pope is quoted as having said during an audience last week with CLAR (the Latin American and Caribbean Confederation of Religious Men and Women).Sounds like a witch hunt is coming.
"There is talk of a 'gay lobby' and it's true, it exists. We have to see what can be done," the 76-year-old pontiff is quoted as saying on the Reflection and Liberation website, which was flagged up by religious news agencies on Tuesday. Vatican spokesman Federico Lombardi told AFP: "It was a private meeting, I have no comment to make." The secret report compiled by a committee of three cardinals for the pope's eyes only was the result of a broad inquiry into leaks of secret Vatican papers last year -- a scandal known as "Vatileaks".
Via Gay Politics Report
Can same-sex couples save marriage?
Liza Mundy writes about same-sex couples' approach to marriage, and wonders whether it can be a model for opposite-sex couples, many of whom have struggled to adapt their marriages to the realities of modern life. "[I]f a genderless marriage is a marriage in which the wife is not automatically expected to be responsible for school forms and child care and dinner preparation and birthday parties and midnight feedings and holiday shopping, I think it's fair to say that many heterosexual women would cry 'Bring it on!' " Mundy writes. A 2006 study found that heterosexual divorce rates dropped in European countries that granted legal status to same-sex partnerships. The Atlantic online (5/22)
Liza Mundy writes about same-sex couples' approach to marriage, and wonders whether it can be a model for opposite-sex couples, many of whom have struggled to adapt their marriages to the realities of modern life. "[I]f a genderless marriage is a marriage in which the wife is not automatically expected to be responsible for school forms and child care and dinner preparation and birthday parties and midnight feedings and holiday shopping, I think it's fair to say that many heterosexual women would cry 'Bring it on!' " Mundy writes. A 2006 study found that heterosexual divorce rates dropped in European countries that granted legal status to same-sex partnerships. The Atlantic online (5/22)
Via Buddhism on Beliefnet:
Daily Buddhist Wisdom | |||
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Via Tricycle Daily Dharma / FB:
Tricycle Daily Dharma June 11, 2013
A New Approach
What
disintegrates in periods of rapid transformation is not the self, but
its defenses and assumptions. Self-protection restricts vision and
movement like a suit of armor, making it harder to adapt. Going to
pieces, however uncomfortable, can open us up to new perceptions, new
data, and new responses.
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- Joanna Macy, "The Greatest Danger"
Monday, June 10, 2013
Via JMG: Google Salutes Maurice Sendak
Today's Google Doogle pays tribute to gay author Maurice Sendak, who died last year. Sendak came out in 2008 at the age of 80 and revealed a 50-year relationship with his partner.
For what would have been his 85th birthday on Monday, Google has drawn up a wonderfully imagined Google Doodle as a tribute to the beloved illustrator and children’s book author Maurice Sendak. It begins, of course, with Max sailing to the land of Where the Wild Things Are, but soon also ventures to the surreal cityscape of In The Night Kitchen and ends, appropriately, with the birthday party from Sendak's 2011 book Bumble-Ardy. Happy birthday, Mr. Sendak.
Reposted from Joe
Via JMG: No Marriage Rulings From SCOTUS Today
The Supreme Court has released its regular Monday rulings and the same-sex marriage cases do not appear on the list.
Most do not expect the DOMA and Prop 8 rulings to be issued until the
end of the month, but there is a chance they could come sooner. There
will be another round of rulings issued later this week in a rare
Thursday release.
Reposted from Joe
Via JMG: Californians Back Marriage By 22 Points
The Los Angeles Times reports on their latest poll:
The poll found that 58% of the state's registered voters believe same-sex marriage should be legal, compared with 36% against, a margin of 22 points. When the same pollsters asked that question three years ago, 52% favored gay marriage and 40% opposed it, a 12-point spread.If Prop 8 is upheld and marriage ends up returning to the ballot in California, at least we have this as a starting point. For now.
Most national polls this year have found majority support, but only one of those surveys reported it as high as 58%. The average was roughly 51% in favor of gay marriage. As in the rest of the country, more women (63%) than men (52%) in California favor same-sex marriage.
Younger California voters also support gay marriage by larger margins than older voters, the poll found. Whereas 76% of voters ages 18 to 29 support legalizing the unions, only 52% of those ages 50 to 64 agree.
Still, the shifts among older voters are dramatic. Voters 65 and older are now almost evenly divided — 46% in favor, 47% against — compared with just three years ago, when seniors opposed gay marriage by 19 percentage points.
Labels: California, marriage equality, polls, Prop 8
Via The Buddha's Face / FB:
To allow oneself to be carried away by a multitude of conflicting concerns, to surrender to too many demands, to commit to too many projects, to want to help everyone in everything is itself to succumb to the violence of our times. Frenzy destroys our inner capacity for peace. It destroys the fruitfulness of our work, because it kills the root of inner wisdom which makes work fruitful.
~Thomas Merton
Via Today.com: How Gay Married Couples get Shortchanged
How gay married couples get shortchanged
June 9, 2013 at 10:32 AM ET
Jason DeCrow / AP
"Few of those benefits are more important than Social Security," says Crosby Burns, policy analyst of the LGBT Research and Communications Project at the Center for American Progress, an independent, nonpartisan educational institute based in Washington, D.C.
"This program forms part of the bedrock of our nation's safety net," Burns says. "With full and equal access to this social insurance program, families headed by same-sex couples would finally have access to the economic safeguards they need, intended to keep them out of poverty and afloat during hard times."
Chief among them, Henry says, are the spousal benefit, the spousal disability benefit, the lump-sum benefit and the survivors benefit. The children of same-sex parents would also be affected.
Read on to see how the Social Security system works in favor of heterosexual married couples and against same-sex married couples. If DOMA is struck down, gay couples stand to gain more Social Security benefits.
Make the jump here to read the full article courtesy of today.com
Via Buddhism on Beliefnet:
Daily Buddhist Wisdom | |||
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Via Tricycle Daily Dharma
Tricycle Daily Dharma June 10, 2013
Here and Now
Heaven
and hell are not some places I’m going to go to later on. Heaven and
hell are here right now, and I create them for myself with my own
choices.
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- Hae Doh Gary Schwocho, "Beneath Belief"
Sunday, June 9, 2013
Via Tricycle Daily Dharma:
Tricycle Daily Dharma June 9, 2013
Nowhere to Stay
Pleasure
isn’t a place for you to stay. Pain isn’t a place for you to stay. Pain
wears away. Pleasure wears away. Our foremost Teacher said that all
fabrications are inconstant.
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- Ajahn Chah, “The Last Gift”
Friday, June 7, 2013
Via JMG:POLL: Parents Chill About Gay Kids
More from Pew's latest study:
Reposted from Joe
In 1985, a Los Angeles Times survey found that 64% of the public said they would be “very upset” if their child told them he or she was gay or lesbian. By 2004, that number had fallen by almost half (33%). Since then, it has declined another 14 points, to 19%. Instead, a majority (55%) now says they would not be upset if they learned their child was gay or lesbian, a 19-point increase since 2004 and a 46-point increase since the mid-1980s. Again, this has been an across-the-board shift in attitudes.
Yet the change has been more dramatic among some groups than others. In 2004, fully 82% of those 65 and older said they would be upset if their child told them they were gay, and 50% said they’d be very upset. Today, only about half (47%) say they’d be upset and just 24% say they’d be very upset.Among Republicans, the percentage saying they’d be very upset if they learned their child was gay or lesbian also has fallen by half – from 44% to 22% – since 2004.
Labels: homosexuality, parenting, polls
Thursday, June 6, 2013
Via JMG: GERMANY: High Court Rules That Gay Couples Deserve Equal Tax Benefits
In what is being characterized as a setback to the administration of Chancellor Angela Merkel, Germany's highest court has ruled that same-sex couples are entitled to the same tax benefits granted to married straight couples.
The verdict requires a change in the law and is a red rag to some in Merkel's Christian Democrats (CDU) and its traditionally Catholic Bavarian sister party, the Christian Social Union (CSU), who worry that conservative values are being diluted. The ruling was widely expected after the court in February overturned a ban on same-sex couples adopting a child already adopted by one of the partners. "The provisions set out in the income-tax law violate the general rule of equality," wrote the Karlsruhe-based court, adding the law should be changed retroactively from August 2001. Same-sex partnerships have been legal in Germany since 2001 but do not enjoy the same tax benefits as married heterosexuals.Openly gay Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle hailed the ruling, saying that the time has come "for German tax law to be as modern as its society." A spokesman for the Christian Social Union party denounced the news as an attack on the "sanctity of marriage." (Tipped by JMG reader Matthew)
Labels: Angela Merkel, Germany, LGBT rights
Via JMG: Another Positive Marriage Poll
You'll have to embiggen the above image to see the details, but here's the gist of the latest Bloomberg Poll:
Reposted from Joe
More than half of Americans support allowing same-sex couples to marry, endorsing the goal of gay-rights activists as the U.S. Supreme Court this month prepares to rule on the issue for the first time. Fifty-two percent say they back giving gay couples the right to marry, compared with 41 percent who are opposed, according to a Bloomberg National Poll conducted May 31-June 3. Of those supporters, more than half -- 61 percent -- want a national law rather than a state-by-state approach. During arguments in March, the justices signaled a reluctance to declare a right to same-sex marriage nationwide.
Labels: marriage equality, polls, SCOTUS
Via JMG: POLL: Majority Of Same-Sex Marriage Opponents Say Legalization Is Inevitable
Jeremy Hooper writes at NOM Exposed:
This is what NOM is up against: a reality where even a majority of its own supporters know that marriage equality is going to happen, despite their driven efforts. This obvious inevitability is, far and away, the most damaging thing NOM faces—which is precisely why they are working so hard to deny it. They know that the writing on the wall demoralizes their support base and depresses their donations, so they are acting as if it's all a lie. They pretend the trajectory and polling is just something we've concocted rather than an accurate representation of where America stands. This Pew Poll shows them to be wrong. More importantly, it shows that even a majority of their own supporters know it.
Labels: marriage equality, NOM, polls
Via Buddhism on Beliefnet:
Daily Buddhist Wisdom | |||
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Wednesday, June 5, 2013
Via Tricycle Daily Dharma:
Tricycle Daily Dharma June 5, 2013
Not Judging our Emotions
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.
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- Robert Augustus Masters, "From Spiritual Bypassing"
Tuesday, June 4, 2013
Via JMG: Quote Of The Day - Rep. Earl Blumenauer
"Let's get real and stop the charade about what a 'social welfare' organization is. Last year, internal National Organization for Marriage (NOM) strategy documents were leaked, stating that the organization seeks 'to drive a wedge between gays and blacks' by promoting "African American spokespeople for marriage,' thus provoking same-sex marriage supporters into 'denouncing these spokesmen and women as bigots,' and "to interrupt the assimilation" of Latinos into 'dominant Anglo culture' by making the stance against same-sex marriage 'a key badge of Latino identity.'
"Does this sound like social welfare to you? Social welfare organizations should work in the public interest -- not to divide, exploit, and conquer. When I brought this up at the hearing today, Dr. Eastman, Chairman of the Board of NOM, angrily groused, 'To say that defending traditional marriage doesn't qualify for defense of the public good is beyond preposterous.'
"To Dr. Eastman, I say that it is the denial of my constituents, and all Americans, the right to marry the person they love is preposterous. To exploit racial and religious differences so you can fundraise for and enforce your specific worldview is preposterous. But your right to be preposterous should not extend to taking political positions under the guise of a social welfare organization, raising money and campaigning." - Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), writing for the Huffington Post.
Labels: bigotry, Catholic Church, Congress, Earl Blumenauer, FTW, hate groups, John Eastman, NOM, racism, religion, Vatican
Via JMG: AFER Graphic On Prop 8 Outcomes
The Supreme Court is expected to issue its ruling this month. Rulings come on Mondays, so the next possible date is June 10th.
Reposted from Joe
Via JMG: Hate Groups Diss Gay Ark Painting
Gay artist Paul Richmond has created
the above painting titled "Noah's Gay Wedding Cruise: MarriageEvolved
Edition." Among the "drowning sinners" are Ann Coulter, former Sen.
Larry Craig, Oklahoma state Rep. Sally Kern, and Westboro founder Fred
Phelps.
Saved on the ark are Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi, Elton John and David Furnish, and Joshua and Steve Snyder-Hill, the founders of MarriageEvolved. NOM's Frank Schubert weighs in at the Christian Post:
Reposted from Joe
Saved on the ark are Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi, Elton John and David Furnish, and Joshua and Steve Snyder-Hill, the founders of MarriageEvolved. NOM's Frank Schubert weighs in at the Christian Post:
"Since those couples are inherently unable to accomplish the very thing that God intended for those who inhabited the ark – the procreation of the earth following His wrath for failing to follow His commandments." "Marriage is intrinsically the union of one man and one woman," Schubert said. "Government didn't create marriage, it merely recognizes what nature and nature's God created. Marriage was designed to bring men and women together because only those unions have the capacity to create new life.The Family Research Council's Peter Sprigg feels the same:
"The rainbow is God's symbol, not an LGBT symbol. It's particularly bizarre to use Noah's Ark," he said, noting that same-sex couples are incapable of natural reproduction, which is why same-sex is not included in the definition of marriage, and isn't recognized as marriage in most states.The artist and his partner will be among 25 couples that will take the C-Bus Of Love to Washington DC on June 21st for a marriage ceremony outside the Supreme Court. That angers Peter Sprigg, who claims that since prayers are forbidden on the steps of the Court because that would be considered a political protest, a same-sex wedding ceremony should also be banned. Sprigg: "They're definitely trying to influence public opinion, and I hope people see through it."
Labels: activism, Frank Schubert, FRC, gay artists, marriage equality, MarriageEvolved, NOM, Peter Sprigg, SCOTUS
Via JMG: Broken Bargain For LGBT Workers
A new report from the Movement Advancement Project:
Reposted from Joe
A landmark new report released today examines how lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) workers might have the same job as a coworker, yet be legally fired, denied equal benefits and be required to pay thousands of dollars more in taxes simply because of their sexual orientation or gender identity. A Broken Bargain: Discrimination, Fewer Benefits and More Taxes for LGBT Workers illustrates how America’s basic bargain—that those who work hard can get ahead—is broken for LGBT workers. The report vividly shows how antiquated and discriminatory laws make it harder for LGBT workers to provide for themselves and their families, and offers detailed policy recommendations for addressing those inequities.Read the full report.
Labels: employment, ENDA, insurance, LGBT rights
Via Buddhism on Beliefnet:
Daily Buddhist Wisdom | |||
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Via Tricycle Daily Dharma
Tricycle Daily Dharma June 4, 2013
Suffering Guaranteed
Of
course we need to practice compassion in individual thoughts and
acts—these are the bread and butter of practice, the real test. But
where we see political and economic systems guaranteed to generate
tragedy and despair, we must also respond to transform and humanize
those systems.
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- David Edwards, "Life Or Death"
Monday, June 3, 2013
Via JMG: Updated Global Marriage Map
After last week's first gay wedding in France, the Agency France-Presse posted the above map.
Reposted from Joe
Labels: Argentina, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, France, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Uruguay
Via JMG: Bar Association Group Issues Resolution Against Gay & Trans "Panic" Defenses
Via press release:
The National LGBT Bar Association applauds the American Bar Association’s Criminal Justice Section for taking up a resolution to protect victims of so called gay and trans “panic” legal defenses. The resolution supports the LGBT community by no longer allowing defense attorneys to use victims’ identities or their sexual orientation against them in court.The American Bar Association's House Of Delegates must approve the resolution at their annual meeting in August in order for it to become official ABA policy.
“This resolution puts an end to a longstanding injustice in our legal system and gives a voice to countless lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender victims of violence, one we never hear because they are no longer here to speak for themselves,” said D’Arcy Kemnitz, executive director of the LGBT Bar.
Gay and trans “panic” defense tactics ask a jury to find that a victim’s sexual orientation or gender identity is to blame for the defendant’s excessively violent reaction. The perpetrator claims that the victim’s sexual orientation or gender identity not only explain – but excuse – their loss of self-control and subsequent assault of an LGBT individual. By fully or partially acquitting the perpetrators of crimes against LGBT victims, these defenses imply that LGBT lives are worth less than others.
Labels: ABA, gay panic, hate crimes
Via Buddhism on Beliefnet:
Daily Buddhist Wisdom | |||
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Via Tricycle Daily Dharma:
Tricycle Daily Dharma June 3, 2013
The Gifts Along the Way
The
narratives implicit in spiritual training often contain misdirection of
various kinds, under the shadow of which other kinds of change and
growth, noticed and unnoticed, may be occurring. In the grand narrative
of the voyage from samsara to nirvana, we may tend to overlook all kinds
of unsought gifts that befall us along the way.
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- Henry Shukman, "A Matter of Misdirection"
Sunday, June 2, 2013
Via JMG: LIVE VIDEO: Sao Paulo Pride
The world's largest gay pride event is underway in Sao Paulo and you can watch it live here. Crowd estimates range as high as four million. Their first parade in 1997 only had 2000 participants!
Via Tricycle Daily Dharma:
Tricycle Daily Dharma June 2, 2013
How to Receive
The
Buddha encouraged us to think of the good things done for us by our
parents, by our teachers, friends, whomever; and to do this
intentionally, to cultivate it, rather than just letting it happen
accidentally.
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- Ajahn Sumedho, “The Gift of Gratitude”
Via JMG: Religion Recovery Hotline Project
The Friendly Atheist reports that a national hotline
will be launched to support people who may be considering leaving their
religion. The hotline's site notes that callers will not be encouraged
to become atheists.
Reposted from Joe
Responders will absolutely NOT urge any form of belief or disbelief. In fact, our volunteers will be specifically trained to never debate callers under any circumstances. Recovering From Religion is passionate about meeting people where THEY are at on the spectrum of disbelief. It’s not our place to do anything but encourage exploration and discovery, and to provide a solid support structure as people reconsider the role of religion in their lives. For many, this is a long process and we will be with them every step of the way. For some, they might be taking a smaller step by exploring a more liberal church, or by finding the confidence to assert their financial independence from tithing..Hit the link for much more. The group is taking donations.
Saturday, June 1, 2013
Via Tricycle Daily Dharma:
Tricycle Daily Dharma June 1, 2013
A Practical Perspective on Karma
The
whole point of karma is to recognize how our actions determine our
future, so that we can begin to act properly. It’s not just a
cosmological or philosophical matter. It’s entirely practical. The main
point is not to get in trouble again.
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- Matthieu Ricard, "Karma Crossroads"
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