Monday, June 15, 2015

Via Sri Prem Baba: Flor do Dia- Flor del Día- Flower of the day 15/06/2015

“A verdadeira felicidade é aquela que vem de dentro, pois ela possibilita a experiência da liberdade. Uma coisa é você estar com o outro por amor, porque é bom estar próximo, porque existe uma sinergia, uma afinidade, e a energia cresce nesse encontro; e outra coisa bem diferente é acreditar que depende do outro para ser feliz.”

“La verdadera felicidad es aquella que viene de adentro, porque ésta posibilita la experiencia de la libertad. Una cosa es que estés con otro por amor, porque es bueno estar cerca, porque existe una sinergia, una afinidad, y la energía crece en ese encuentro; y otra cosa bien diferente es creer que dependes del otro para ser feliz.”

“True happiness comes from within, and allows you to experience freedom. You may be with someone out of love because it’s good to be close to them, and there is a synergy. The energy of this affinity grows with every encounter. That is the complete opposite of believing that your happiness is dependent on this person.”

Friday, June 12, 2015

Today's Daily Dharma: Free of Fear

Image: Stephen Webster/Photonica
Free of Fear

Being free of fear is not a matter of never feeling it, but of not being flattened when we do. We can feel it and know it is a natural phenomenon, also an impermanent one, which will have its say and be gone.

- David Guy, "Trying to Speak: A Personal History of Stage Fright"

Thursday, June 11, 2015

Via Power of Positivity / FB:


Destroyed Buddha Statues Rise Again...In 3D


Via JMG: WaPo 2016 Net Favorability Poll



 
Of all the declared and potential 2016 candidates in the Washington Post's net favorability poll, only Sen. Bernie Sanders is (barely) in positive territory.
The real-world surveys show that the overwhelming majority of presidential candidates are running negative favorability scores. Quinnipiac has Bernie Sanders at +1 overall, although that's partly because 62 percent of Americans say they haven't heard enough about him to form an opinion. The closest Republican is Marco Rubio — the same number of Americans say they view him positively as those who view him negatively, meaning his score nets out to exactly zero. Clinton and Obama are tied at -4. And it's all downhill from there, all the way down to Donald Trump. Only 15 percent of Americans view him favorably, compared to 71 percent who have a negative opinion. That gives him a net favorability of -56, more than twice as bad as the next-lowest candidate, Chris Christie, with his -26 score.
(Tipped by JMG reader Daddy Ray)
 
Reposted from Joe Jervis  

Via JMG: American Airlines Joins Pride Parade


Paging Franklin Graham!


Reposted from Joe Jervis

Via JMG: Hate Groups Publish Full-Page Message To SCOTUS In The Washington Post: We Won't Honor Your Ruling On Marriage



 
A coalition of hate groups and Christian pastors calling themselves Defend Marriage has published a full-page message to SCOTUS in the Washington Post. Among the signers at the bottom of the ad are Mat Staver, Elaine Donnelly, the Benham brothers, Alveda King, Jim Garlow, John Hagee, E.W. Jackson, Don Wildmon, Dave Welch, Robert Jeffress, and Penny Nance. From the text:
We affirm that any judicial opinion which purports to redefine marriage will constitute an unjust law, as Martin Luther King Jr. described such laws in his letter from the Birmingham Jail. We are Christians who love America and who respect the legitimate rule of law. However, we will not honor any decision by the Supreme Court which will force us to violate a clear biblical understanding of marriage as solely the union of one man and one woman. We affirm that Marriage, as existing solely between one man and one woman, precedes civil government. Though affirmed, fulfilled, and elevated by faith, the truth that marriage can exist only between one man and one woman is not based solely on religion but on the Natural Law, written on the human heart.
Bolding is theirs. (Tipped by JMG reader Jim)


Reposted from Joe Jervis

Rachel Maddow - Franklin Graham's anti-gay banking protest backfires


Via JMG: LIST: America's Most Well-Read Cities



Via Business Wire:
Amazon.com today announced its fifth annual list of the Most Well-Read Cities in America – just in time for summer reading season. The ranking was determined by compiling sales data of all book, magazine and newspaper sales in both print and Kindle format from April 2014 to April 2015, on a per capita basis in cities with more than 500,000 residents. Seattle, Wash., the home of Amazon headquarters, not only purchased the most books overall but also purchased the most Kindle books, magazines, and newspapers. Washington, D.C. residents, ranked #5 overall on the list, prefer the print book, outranking Seattle as the city with the most purchases of print books. California is for readers with three cities making the top 20 list this year: San Francisco, San Diego, and San Jose.
The most-purchased book in seven of the above cities was Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn.


Reposted from Joe Jervis

Via JMG: POLL: 65% Expect Supreme Court To Rule In Favor Of Same-Sex Marriage



 
Via the Associated Press:
Nearly two-thirds of Americans expect the Supreme Court to legalize same-sex marriage nationwide when it rules on the issue within the next few weeks, according to a new poll. Only 25 percent expect the high court to leave existing state bans on gay marriage intact, while 65 percent expect the bans to be overturned, according to the poll conducted by the nonpartisan Public Religion Research Institute. Its nationwide survey of 1,009 adults was conducted from June 3 to June 7. Mirroring the findings of several other recent national polls, the new survey found 55 percent of Americans in favor of allowing gay and lesbian couples to marry legally, and 37 percent opposed.
The survey found sharp divisions over same-sex marriage along religious lines. Majorities of religiously unaffiliated Americans (79 percent), white mainline Protestants (60 percent) and Catholics (58 percent) favor allowing gay and lesbian couples to marry. But gay marriage was supported by only 29 percent of white evangelical Protestants and 35 percent of nonwhite Protestants. The survey also asked about perceptions of discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. Three-quarters of Democrats, 61 percent of independents and 50 percent of Republicans said there is a lot of discrimination against transgender people.
See more about the poll here.



Reposted from Joe Jervis

Via JMG: Australian Headline Of The Day



 
From an Australian version of The Onion: "In response to threats from a Canberra couple to divorce were equal marriage laws to pass, a local couple in a committed same-sex relationship have in turn threatened to absolutely not give the slightest shit were that to happen. Local couple Brett and Harry have said that while they are not heterophobic and do their best to be open to all different kinds of views if this divorce does go ahead they will have no choice but to go on with their lives completely unaffected by such a dumb stunt." (Tipped by JMG reader John)

RELATED: See my post about the Canberra couple.


Reposted from Joe Jervis

Via Sri Prem Baba: Flor do Dia- Flor del Día- Flower of the day 11/06/2015

“A vontade é talvez o maior poder da alma. E esse poder é desenvolvido através da persistência e da disciplina. Por isso sempre incentivo a prática da austeridade inteligente, aquela que nasce da compreensão. Quando você faz a relação de causa e efeito e compreende a origem de determinados hábitos negativos que sabotam sua felicidade, você tem condições de reverter essa situação através dessa prática. Então, reflita sobre qual seria a austeridade que te ajudaria a fortalecer a vontade? Qual seria a prática que te ajudaria nesse momento da sua jornada?”

“La voluntad es tal vez el mayor poder del alma. Y este poder es desarrollado a través de la persistencia y de la disciplina. Por eso siempre incentivo la práctica de la austeridad inteligente, aquella que nace de la comprensión. Cuando haces la relación de causa y efecto y comprendes el origen de determinados hábitos negativos que sabotean tu felicidad, tienes condiciones de revertir esa situación a través de esta práctica. Entonces reflexiona sobre ¿cuál sería la austeridad que te ayudaría a fortalecer la voluntad? ¿Cuál sería la práctica que te ayudaría en este momento del camino?”

“The will is perhaps the greatest power of the soul. This power is developed through the persistence of discipline. This is why I always encourage you to practice an intelligent austerity, one that is born out of comprehension. When you make the link between cause and effect and can understand the origin of certain negative habits that sabotage your happiness, you have the potential to revert the situation through this practice of an intelligent austerity. Take a moment to reflect on what kind of austerity would help you to strengthen your willpower. Which particular practice would help you most at this point of your journey?”

Today's Daily Dharma: Replacing Addiction with Compassion

Image: Courtesy Don Farber
Replacing Addiction with Compassion
The real purpose of Buddhist practice is to cut down your addictions and to correct your habitual patterns and this can be achieved as a layperson or as a monk or nun. That brings us to the question of Buddhist ethics?changing habitual patterns and getting rid of the old addictions, such as attachments, and replacing them with love, compassion, generosity, and patience.

- Gelek Rinpoche, "A Lama for All Seasons"

Wednesday, June 10, 2015

Via FB: Jesus Cures Homophobia!

Na Parada LGBT da maior cidade brasileira, evangélicos se unem para mostrar que a intolerância não pode ter lugar na nossa sociedade.  

#JesusCuraaHomofobia #MaisAmor #ParadaLGBTdeSP



These are cool... from LGBT News / FB:








Via Sri Prem Baba: Flor do Dia- Flor del Día- Flower of the day 10/06/2015

“As técnicas e práticas espirituais estão a serviço de propiciar serenidade mental. Mas uma coisa é a técnica meditativa, outra coisa é a meditação. Qualquer um pode praticar técnicas, mas nem todos podem entrar em estado de meditação. Esse é um fenômeno que não se domina, pois não está sob a jurisdição do ego. A técnica é uma escolha do ego consciente, mas o fenômeno de ser arrebatado pelo Divino está além dele. Você pode plantar sementes, mas não pode determinar quando elas brotarão.”

“Las técnicas y prácticas espirituales están al servicio de propiciar serenidad mental. Pero una cosa es la técnica meditativa, y otra cosa es la meditación. Cualquiera puede practicar técnicas, pero no todos pueden entrar en estado de meditación. Este es un fenómeno que no se domina, porque no está bajo la jurisdicción del ego. La técnica es una elección del ego consciente, pero el fenómeno de ser arrebatado por lo Divino está más allá de él. Puedes plantar semillas, pero no puedes determinar cuando ellas brotarán.”

“Spiritual techniques and practices serve to make mental serenity possible. A meditative technique is different from meditation itself. Anyone can practice techniques, but not everyone can enter a state of meditation. This is a phenomenon that cannot be controlled, because it’s not under the jurisdiction of the ego. The technique is chosen by the conscious ego, but the phenomenon of being overtaken by the Divine happens beyond the ego. You can plant the seeds, but you cannot determine when they will sprout.”

Today's Daily Dharma: Mindfulness from Beginning to End



Mindfulness from Beginning to End
To know the truth of what is there . . . is the beginning and end of mindfulness.

- Joan Duncan Oliver, "Do I Mind?"

Tuesday, June 9, 2015

Via Sri Prem Baba: Flor do Dia- Flor del Día- Flower of the day 09/06/2015

“A criança nasce amando, mas logo aprende a odiar, porque entra em contato com a inconsciência coletiva. Muito cedo ela aprende a sentir ciúme e a usar máscaras para receber o que deseja. Isso aciona um círculo vicioso que faz com que o fluxo natural do amor seja interrompido.”

“El niño nace amando, pero luego aprende a odiar, porque entra en contacto con la inconsciencia colectiva. Muy temprano aprende a sentir celos y a usar máscaras para recibir lo que desea. Esto acciona un círculo vicioso que hace que el flujo natural del amor sea interrumpido.”

"When children are born, they are loving. But soon after they learn to hate, because they come into contact with the collective unconscious. From very early on they learn to feel jealousy and to use masks to get what they want. This sets off a vicious circle that interrupts the natural flow of love.”

Today's Daily Dharma: Less Ambition, Less Disturbance

Photograph by Iva Peele
Less Ambition, Less Disturbance
The beautiful thing about having less obsessions and ambitions, and just sitting straight and watching the breathing, is that nothing will disturb us. Things only disturb us when we have an aim. When we have an aim, we become obsessed. Say our aim is to go somewhere, but somebody parks right in front of our car, blocking us. If something gets in the way of our aim, it becomes a terrible thing. If we don?t have an aim, though, it doesn't matter.

- Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse Rinpoche, "Do Nothing"

Monday, June 8, 2015

Via Sri Prem Baba: Flor do Dia- Flor del Día- Flower of the day 08/06/2015

“Você pode responder às situações da vida de duas maneiras: agindo ou reagindo. A ação é uma resposta que nasce da presença, e jamais gera sofrimento. Ela é inofensiva. A reação é o contrário. Ela sempre gera uma cadeia de consequências negativas. Por exemplo, se você come porque sente fome, apenas para suprir uma necessidade natural do seu corpo, essa resposta é positiva. Mas, quando come sem sentir fome, para aliviar uma ansiedade, você sobrecarrega o seu metabolismo, gerando consequências danosas para todo o seu sistema.”

“Puedes responder a las situaciones de la vida de dos maneras: actuando o reaccionando. La acción es una respuesta que nace de la presencia, y jamás genera sufrimiento. Es inofensiva. La reacción es lo contrario. Siempre genera una cadena de consecuencias negativas. Por ejemplo, si comes porque sientes hambre, solo para suplir una necesidad natural de tu cuerpo, esa respuesta es positiva. Pero cuando comes sin sentir hambre, para aliviar una ansiedad, sobrecargas tu metabolismo, generando consecuencias dañinas para todo tu sistema.”

“You can respond to life situations in two ways: by acting or reacting. An action is a response that is born of the present moment and it never generates suffering nor causes harm. A reaction is the opposite of this: it always sparks a chain of negative consequences. For example, if you eat because you are hungry, simply to fulfill a natural need of your body, this is a positive response. But if you eat when you are not hungry, to alleviate some anxiety, then you overload your metabolism, generating harmful consequences for your whole body.”

Today's Daily Dharma: The Music of the Mind


Photograph by Mian61/Dreamstime.com
The Music of the Mind
The practice of meditation involves listening closely to the music of your mind. We are not concerned in the moment about how things get to be the way they are, only that they are so very much exactly what they are.

- Andrew Olendzki, "The Music of the Mind"


Sunday, June 7, 2015

Via Sri Prem Baba: Flor do Dia- Flor del Día- Flower of the day 07/06/2015

“Um ditado popular no Brasil diz: “Quanto mais eu rezo, mais assombração me aparece”. Essa sensação é normal no início da jornada evolutiva, porque o primeiro vislumbre da Verdade geralmente é uma grande escuridão. Quando você começa a desamortecer, ou seja, quando começa a retirar as máscaras, os monstros que estavam escondidos atrás delas começam a aparecer, e isso pode ser bastante assustador.”

“Un dicho popular en Brasil dice: "Cuanto más rezo, más fantasmas me aparecen". Esta sensación es normal en el inicio del camino evolutivo, porque el primer vislumbre de la Verdad generalmente es una gran oscuridad. Cuando empiezas a salir de la anestesia, es decir, cuando empiezas a retirar las máscaras, los monstruos que estaban escondidos detrás de ellas comienzan a aparecer, y esto puede ser bastante aterrador.”

“There is a popular saying in Brazil that goes like this: ‘The more I pray, the more ghosts appear.’ This sensation is quite normal at the outset of the evolutionary journey, because the first glimpse of the truth is usually a great darkness. When you start to de-numb yourself by removing the masks, the monsters that were hiding behind them start to appear, and this can be pretty scary.”

Via Freedom From Religion Foundation / FB


Today's Daily Dharma: What Will Carry You



What Will Carry You
Just as oil rises to the top of a pot submerged in water, your virtue, your goodness, your faith, or generosity will rise to the top, and that is what will carry you to your next destination.

- The Buddha, "The Best Possible Habit"

Via Justabahai: Homosexuality – a false dichotomy?

” … I feel I can no longer associate with a religion that does not perceive LGBT rights as a true social value,” Rayshel said, adding, “I, as a gay man, find it offensive that my same-sex attraction is primarily summed up to a sex act or a perceived notion that I over-emphasize my sexuality which is seen as destructive and self-indulgent.”
Sean Rayshel in The Bay Area Reporter, 4 June 2015.


Is the Bahai Faith “a religion that does not perceive LGBT rights as a true social value?” At the practical level, that is true except where a Bahai makes it clear that they do not discriminate and that their communities do not discriminate. For the present at least, the Bahai community has something to prove in this respect.

Because of the dominance of the perception of discrimination within the Bahai community, I have to constantly state first that I am for equality for gays and lesbians and only then state that I am a Bahai. Otherwise the person I am speaking to is put off from the beginning. I have so many stories, so many encounters, in which people do a double-take and tell me, “but Bahais don’t like gays” or “Bahais discriminate.” In the Philippines, in the U.K., in New Zealand, in the U.S., in the Netherlands … people have said things such as: “Oh what is the Bahai Faith about, because when I read that you didn’t accept gays, I stopped reading” or “So tell me more – I thought the Bahai Faith was conservative” and “When I read about homosexuality being forbidden I thought it was a fundamentalist church.”


I explain that I am as much a Bahai as the person who told them that gays cannot join the Bahai Faith. Then they learn that the discrimination is not embedded in our teachings. For me it is not so much whether or not a seeker is put off but two bigger issues: that our gay children are not tormented by impossible demands, and that our community practises the essential Bahai principles of justice and equality. 

Friday, June 5, 2015

MALAFAIA VERSUS BOTICÁRIO!


Via Human Rights Campaign / FB:


Human Rights Campaign's photo.

‪#‎ICYMI‬: Hafa adai to marriage equality!🇬🇺:
‪#‎MarriageEquality‬ Reaches Guam, Where America’s Day Begins!

Read more: http://www.hrc.org/…/breaking-marriage-equality-reaches-gua…

In a historic win, marriage equality has reached Guam following a decision by Chief Judge Frances Tydingco-Gatewood at the U.S. District Court on Guam. The Pacific island of Guam now officially becomes the first U.S. territory where marriage equality is the law of the land.

Located just past the international date line, Guam is where America’s Day Begins & where momentum for marriage equality continues.

#‎MarriageMomentum‬ ‪#‎LoveCantWait‬ ‪#‎GuamaniansforEquality‬

Via Sri Prem Baba: Flor do Dia- Flor del Día- Flower of the day 05/06/2015

“Não é possível conhecer o amor através da mente. O amor é a respiração da vida - é a fragrância do Divino. Para conhecê-lo é preciso correr o risco de abrir mão de todas as crenças e ideias a respeito dele, pois só é possível conhecer o amor amando.”

“No es posible conocer el amor a través de la mente. El amor es la respiración de la vida - es la fragancia de lo Divino. Para conocerlo es necesario correr el riesgo de soltar todas las creencias e ideas acerca de él, pues sólo es posible conocer el amor amando.”

It’s impossible to know love through the mind. Love is the breath of life: it is the fragrance of the Divine. In order to know love, we must take a risk and let go of all our beliefs and ideas about it, because it’s only possible to know love by loving.”

Today's Daily Dharma: The Happiness of Uncertainty


Image: Untitled (Mandala # 406), Bill Armstrong
The Happiness of Uncertainty

Part of the reason we try to understand the causes of our experience is that we believe we can make these experiences happen again. The problem is, understanding also makes the experience less valuable, because we adapt to it. It?s surprising things, uncertain things, things we don?t fully comprehend that seem to bring us the greatest and longest-lasting happiness.

- Daniel Gilbert, "The Pleasure Paradox"


Thursday, June 4, 2015

David Cross: Gay Voice


Via JMG: Hate Group Leader Kayla Moore Passes Along Fake Story About Hillary Clinton



 
This weekend Foundation For Moral Law head Kayla Moore will be headlining yet another anti-gay marriage rally in Alabama. In the meantime she's posted a fake news item about Hillary Clinton from a satire site.  


Reposted from Joe Jervis

Do I Sound Gay? - Official Trailer I HD I Sundance Selects


Via AlterNet / FB:


Via Torpedo Bags / FB:


Via Seven Factor / FB:


Via Yahoo News: Meet the plaintiff at the heart of a Supreme Court case that could legalize same-sex marriage nationwide

“What we're asking for is simply to be part of that same tradition of marriage where two people commit to each other and make those promises to love, protect and honor each other. How are we changing that? How are we harming that? We're just asking to do the same thing.”

Jim Obergefell is fired up. He’s the lead plaintiff in a case before the Supreme Court that this month could change gay rights in America forever. And in an exclusive interview with Yahoo global news anchor Katie Couric, he explains why.

Via JMG: Occupy Democrats


Via JMG: Katie Couric Interviews Jim Obergefell


 
Via Yahoo News:
“What we're asking for is simply to be part of that same tradition of marriage where two people commit to each other and make those promises to love, protect and honor each other. How are we changing that? How are we harming that? We're just asking to do the same thing.” Jim Obergefell is fired up. He’s the lead plaintiff in a case before the Supreme Court that this month could change gay rights in America forever. And in an exclusive interview with Yahoo global news anchor Katie Couric, he explains why.

“It's scary to think about having the highest court in the land rule that you really are a second-class citizen and you don't deserve the same rights, the same protections, the same responsibilities as other people.” His case, Obergefell v. Hodges, rests on two questions. One is whether the Constitution requires a state where same-sex marriage is not legal to recognize a marriage licensed in a state where it is legal. The other question is whether the Constitution requires states to license marriages between two people of the same sex — in other words, whether same-sex marriage should be legal nationwide.
You might need a tissue for this clip.

UPDATE: The clip won't embed properly for some reason. Hit the link at watch it at Yahoo.
Reposted from Joe Jervis

JMG CALIFORNIA: "Intolerant Jackass Act" Backers Can Start Collecting Signatures



Via CBS San Francisco:
While the status of a “Sodomite Suppression Act” proposed state ballot initiative remains in limbo, proponents of a rival “Intolerant Jackass Act” initiative were cleared by state Secretary of State Alex Padilla to begin collecting signatures Wednesday. The rival initiative would force the filer of the Sodomite Suppression Act or any similar initiative to attend sensitivity training and donate $5,000 to a pro-gay or pro-lesbian organization. When Huntington Beach attorney Matt McLaughlin filed the Sodomite Suppression Act earlier this year, which would make homosexuality punishable by death, it set off a nationwide backlash for its evident hatred and dubious constitutionality. Attorney General Kamala Harris sought a court injunction rescinding her obligation to prepare a title and summary for the initiative, a necessary step before proponents can begin gathering the 365,880 signatures necessary to get it on the ballot.
The Intolerant Jackass Act was filed by activist Charlotte Laws in late March. Last month the California Assembly approved a bill that would raise the referendum filing fee from $200 to $8000. The measure has not yet been heard by the state Senate.


Reposted from Joe Jervis

Via Sri Prem Baba: Flor do Dia- Flor del Día- Flower of the day 04/06/2015

“Estamos destruindo o planeta porque não sabemos lidar com essa forma de energia que é o dinheiro. Ele é um instrumento de troca que deve estar a serviço do Espirito. Damos ao dinheiro um grande valor emocional e acreditamos que ele trará a felicidade que tanto buscamos. Mas essa visão distorcida tem gerado grande sofrimento para a humanidade.”

“Estamos destruyendo el planeta porque no sabemos lidiar con esta forma de energía que es el dinero. Es un instrumento de intercambio que debe estar al servicio del Espíritu. Le damos al dinero un gran valor emocional y creemos que nos traerá la felicidad que tanto buscamos. Pero esta visión distorsionada ha generado gran sufrimiento para la humanidad.”

“We are destroying the planet in large part because we don’t know how to deal with money as a form of energy. Money is an exchange tool that should be at the service of the spirit. We attribute great emotional value to money and believe that it will bring us the happiness that we so desperately seek. This distorted vision has generated tremendous suffering for humanity.”

Today's Daily Dharma: Delusion Is Like a Stepladder.

 

Delusion Is Like a Stepladder

The most important point is to establish yourself in a true sense, without establishing yourself on delusion. And yet we cannot live or practice without delusion. Delusion is necessary, but delusion is not something on which you can establish yourself. It is like a stepladder. Without it you cannot climb up, but you don?t stay on the stepladder. With this confidence, you can continue to study our way.

- Shunryu Suzuki, "Brown Rice Is Just Right"

 

Wednesday, June 3, 2015

Via JMG: Hillary Launches Gay Rights T-Shirt



 
From the campaign store:
"In honor of 2011 International Human Rights Day, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton declared at the United Nations that 'being LGBT does not make you less human….[G]ay rights are human rights, and human rights are gay rights.' If you couldn’t give that a standing ovation then, let the world know you agree with this shirt."
It really was an astounding speech. The shirt is $30.


Reposted from Joe Jervis