Monday, September 21, 2015

Today's Daily Dharma: Always Interdependent with Nature

Always Interdependent with Nature
“Part of what fuels manic consumption is the desire to fill gaps in our lives that emerge because of severed connections of various kinds—with community, with one another, and also with the natural world. We tend to think about connections to nature as something you have to get out of the city in order to build. . . . But I also think that we have to be able to engage with the fact that we are still profoundly dependent on nature even when we are in urban environments.”
—Naomi Klein, "Capitalism vs. the Climate"
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Sunday, September 20, 2015

PWR BTTM - 1994 (Official Music Video)


Boy takes down hate preacher in the most Scottish way possible


Via WGB: Vatican Reportedly Irked by LGBT Guest List at Pope’s White House Ceremony


"Several guests invited to the White House for the welcoming ceremony for Pope Francis are reportedly troubling the Vatican including openly gay Episcopal Bishop Gene Robinson, Mateo Williamson, is a former co-leader of Dignity USA Transgender Caucus, and Sister Simone Campbell, the pro-choice nun who is executive director of NETWORK, a 44-year-old national social justice lobbying group. Williamson is the guest of Vivian Taylor, a trans woman who formerly served as executive director of Integrity USA, an Episcopal LBGT advocacy group.

The WSJ reports:

According to a senior Vatican official, the Holy See worries that any photos of the pope with these guests at the White House welcoming ceremony next Wednesday could be interpreted as an endorsement of their activities.

The tension exemplifies concerns among conservative Catholics, including many bishops, that the White House will use the pope’s visit to play down its differences with church leaders on such contentious issues as same-sex marriage and the contraception mandate in the health care law." Full story here via Towleroad!


WGB :: Yet another reason (reason #3,871) why I love the Obama Whitehouse!

Via The Master Shift / FB:


Via Sri Prem BabaFlor do Dia- Flor del Día - Flower of the Day 20/09/201

Project Everyone - Metas Globais
12.CONSUMO RESPONSÁVEL
“Para que possamos salvar o planeta, o consumo compulsivo precisa dar lugar ao consumo responsável. E isso só é possível se o ser humano se libertar da carência afetiva que cria a necessidade de agregar valor à falsa ideia de eu. A carência é a maior doença do ser humano. Ela nos faz acreditar que, através do acúmulo de bens materiais, seremos felizes.”


Project Everyone - Metas Globais
12. CONSUMO RESPONSABLE
“Para que podamos salvar el planeta, el consumo compulsivo necesita dar lugar al consumo responsable. Y esto solo es posible si el ser humano se libera de la carencia afectiva que crea la necesidad de agregar valor a la falsa idea de yo. La carencia es la mayor enfermedad del ser humano. Nos hace creer que, a través de la acumulación de bienes materiales, seremos felices.”


Project Everyone - Global Goals
12.RESPONSIBLE CONSUMPTION & PRODUCTION
“In order to save the planet, compulsive consumption must give way to responsible consumption. This will only be possible if human beings can become free of the emotional neediness that makes us strive to add value to the false idea of self. Neediness is the greatest disease of mankind, and makes us believe that we can only be happy by accumulating material goods."

Today's Daily Dharma: Awakening from Without.

Awakening from Without
“One is not capable of achieving one’s salvation by one’s own conscious effort. In fact, it is the very realization that one is so incapable that leads to the transformation that constitutes real Buddhist wisdom: namely, the awakening to non-self.
—David Brazier, "Other-Power"
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Saturday, September 19, 2015

Via Truth Teller / FB:


Via Sri Prem Baba: Flor do Dia- Flor del Día - Flower of the Day 19/09/201

Project Everyone - Metas Globais
11.CIDADES E COMUNIDADES SUSTENTÁVEIS
"A vida nas grandes cidades se tornou insustentável. A poluição, a violência, o excesso de pessoas por metro quadrado, a desconexão com a natureza... Tudo isso tem gerado uma tremenda perturbação em nossos corpos e mentes. Por isso, a vida em ecovilas têm apontado boas soluções. Mas, o ponto de equilíbrio só virá quando pudermos unir matéria e espírito, e quando tivermos coragem de olhar com seriedade para o tema do controle da natalidade".


Project Everyone - Metas Globais
11. CIUDADES Y COMUNIDADES SOSTENIBLES
“La vida en las grandes ciudades se volvió insustentable. La polución, la violencia, el exceso de personas por metro cuadrado, la desconexión con la naturaleza…Todo esto ha generado una tremenda perturbación en nuestros cuerpos y mentes. Por eso, la vida en eco-villas viene registrando buenas soluciones. Pero el punto de equilibrio solo vendrá cuando podamos unir materia y espíritu, y cuando tengamos coraje para ver con seriedad el tema del control en la natalidad.”


Project Everyone - Global Goals
11. SUSTAINABLE CITIES AND COMMUNITIES
"Life in big cities has become unsustainable. The pollution, violence, overcrowding, and disconnection with nature have generated tremendous agitation in our bodies and minds. Life in ecovillages shows us good solutions, but the turning point will only come about when we can unite matter and spirit. With such a huge global population, it is also essential that we have the courage to look seriously at the issue of birth control."

Today's Daily Dharma: See Yourself Clearly

See Yourself Clearly
“In meditation we have the opportunity to meet ourselves, to see ourselves clearly for the first time. We have never met ourselves properly or spent this kind of time with ourselves before. . . . We cook, we talk, we take a walk, or we swim. We never just sit with ourselves.
—Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche, "Cool Boredom"
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Friday, September 18, 2015

Not A Sin


NSFW - Best Rant ever: Gay Marriage Is Legal


Via Sri Prem Baba: Flor do Dia- Flor del Día - Flower of the Day 18/09/201

Project Everyone - Metas Globais
10.REDUÇÃO DE DESIGUALDADES
“Não é possível haver igualdade sem caridade e sem humildade. A igualdade é a mãe da caridade e filha da humildade."


Project Everyone - Metas Globais
10.REDUCCIÓN DE LA DESIGUALDAD
“No es posible que haya igualdad sin caridad y sin humildad. La igualdad es la madre de la caridad y la hija de la humildad.”


Project Everyone - Global Goals
10. REDUCED INEQUALITIES
“There can be no equality bereft of charity and humility. Equality is the mother of charity, and the daughter of humility."

Today's Daily Dharma: The Aspiration Is What Counts

The Aspiration Is What Counts
“Beginning students commonly ask how they can honestly vow to save all beings. It sounds like missionary arrogance. [7th-century Chan monk] Hui-neng offers a response: "You are saving them in your own mind." It is bodhicitta that you are cultivating—your own aspiration for wisdom and compassion, and your determination to practice it in the world as best you can.
—Robert Aitken, "The Bodhisattva Vows"
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Thursday, September 17, 2015

Via WP: How to communicate like a Buddhist — mindfully and without judgment



There’s a lot that used to frustrate me about communicating. Well, if I’m honest, it was that I didn’t know how to do it. I knew how to speak and string words together, but no one ever sat me down and taught me the purpose of communication or how to effectively express myself so I was heard and how to listen so I could understand. A lot of times it seemed that because I knew how to talk, that automatically meant I should know how to communicate.

Let’s be honest, communicating effectively is hard to do, especially in heated situations. It’s difficult because rarely do we stop to pay attention to what we’re saying or the purpose of our communication.

What I’ve found to help guide me on my quest is the Buddhist practice of mindfulness, specifically mindful communication.

Read the full article here

Via Sri Prem Baba: Flor do Dia- Flor del Día - Flower of the Day 17/09/201

Project Everyone - Metas Globais
9.INOVAÇÃO E INFRAESTRUTURA
"Intuição e razão precisam se unir para encontrar criativas e inovadoras soluções para as necessidades de infraestrutura e urbanismo. Por mais que a mente possa engendrar soluções geniais, somente a sabedoria interna, que nasce do coração, pode indicar a melhor direção a seguir. "


Project Everyone - Global Goals
9. INDUSTRY, INNOVATION & INFRASTRUCTURE
"Intuition and reason need to come together to find creative and innovative solutions for the demands of infrastructure and urban planning. As much as the mind can devise ingenious solutions, only inner wisdom that comes from the heart can indicate the best path to follow."


Project Everyone - Metas Globais
9. INDUSTRIA, INNOVACIÓN E INFRAESTRUCTURA
"Intuición y razón precisan unirse para encontrar creativas e innovadoras soluciones para las necesidades de infraestructura y urbanismo. Por más que la mente pueda concebir soluciones geniales, solamente la sabiduría interna, que nace del corazón, puede indicar la mejor dirección a seguir."

Today's Daily Dharma: The Testing Ground for Practice

The Testing Ground for Practice
“Experimental Buddhism returns us not to the meditation hall but to the messy conditions of contemporary social orders. . . . Society, and not the temple or monastery, is becoming the ultimate testing ground and arbiter for what constitutes the viability and effectiveness of a Buddhist practice that 'works.'”
—John Nelson, "Experimental Buddhism"
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Wednesday, September 16, 2015

Via Advocate: Why Mr. Leather Went to Uganda


When Mr. Los Angeles Leather 2015, Patrick Smith, gave his 90-second speech at the International Mr. Leather contest in Chicago this year, he spoke on something he cared deeply about. 

"The speech celebrated the progress we have made in the Western world, but it also called attention to the fact that things are very difficult for LGBT people in many other areas," Smith tells The Advocate.
The 90-second speech comes on the final day of the contest, which has taken place every year since 1979. At 91 seconds, the microphone shuts off. The speech is followed by a physique show where contestants strut onstage in leather jockstraps and harnesses.

When Smith won, he knew he had to do something important with the platform the title offers. "I wanted to actually walk the walk and not just pay lip service to these issues," he says. "Uganda was a natural choice given all of the attention it's been getting for its recent legislative actions against LGBT people." 

Uganda has a dark history regarding its LGBT citizens. In early 2014, antigay President Yoweri Museveni signed into law the infamous Anti-Homosexuality Act, dubbed the "jail the gays" bill, which was struck down six months later by the nation's high court (because of a procedural issue, not its content). But homophobia still runs rampant in the east African nation. A glaring example of the animus came when Ugandan newspaper Rolling Stone published the names of Ugandan LGBT activists with the headline, "Hang Them." Homosexuality remains criminalized in Uganda.

In many ways, Uganda is the antithesis of Smith's leather culture, which celebrates sexuality in open, public ways. "I was actually encouraged not to go [to Uganda] by a good number of people," Smith says. "They were concerned for my safety, which is understandable, but I felt this was something very important for me to do."

Smith, who financed his own trip, met with some of Uganda's most prominent activists to learn about the daily lives of LGBT people there and figure out what more could be done to help. He interviewed Frank Mugisha, who won the JFK Human Rights Award in 2011

"He's very warm, open, and candid," Smith says. Mugisha told him about his experience with a suicidal boy who reached out to him. Risking a possible entrapment situation, Mugisha counseled the child.  

"This boy had been told by his friends, in church, and in the media that same-sex attraction was wrong and sinful, and felt he had no other choice than to take his life," Smith says. "Dr. Mugisha talked with him for hours, and over the next several days and weeks, and he didn't kill himself." 

Smith also met Rev. Mark Kiyimba, a Ugandan LGBT activist who leads the Unitarian Universalist Church in the capital city of Kampala. Kiyimba preaches that homosexuality is compatible with Christianity — a bold campaign in a country like Uganda. As The New York Times and others have reported, the fierce wave of antigay sentiment and legislation in Uganda is partly due to the work of American Christian right activists. Some of them spoke at a 2009 Kampala conference that, according to Stephen Langa, the Ugandan organizer of the event, was about "the gay agenda — that whole hidden and dark agenda."

While Smith's interviews and meetings were impactful, what affected him the most was seeing Uganda's antigay laws carried out. "The day I was leaving, news broke that Ugandan football manager Chris Mubiru was convicted under the country's sodomy law, which carries with it an 18-year prison sentence. Actually being there in that country when the story broke felt much different than reading it from afar."

According to Ugandan newspaper The Observer, the state prosecutor asked the court to give Mubiru a sentence of life imprisonment because his actions were "against the cultural norms." Smith says, "It really hit home that this is the reality for thousands of LGBT people in Africa, and it could happen to any one of them." 

Smith isn't the first Mr. L.A. Leather to use the platform for good. One of Smith's best friends, Eric Paul Leue, won Mr. L.A. Leather 2014. Leue has spent the past year educating gay and bi men across the United States and Europe on pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP.

Leue is the director of sexual health and advocacy at Kink.com, a leather, fetish, and BDSM porn studio based in San Francisco. Leue estimates that he has been to over 70 cities and held more than 55 PrEP panels so far.

"Fighting HIV and AIDS has always come naturally to us, because when you're into stuff like bondage, flogging, extended bondage, S&M, fisting, you have to be comfortable talking about the body and about your limits," Leue says. "So talking about HIV even in the early days of the epidemic came naturally to us."  

Smith agrees, saying the title of International Mr. Leather has "been a service-oriented title for quite some time now. In the beginning — 37 years ago — it was mostly about sex appeal. But once the AIDS crisis hit, you saw a new wave of titleholders who were more dedicated to community service." 
But Marlon Morales, chair of Los Angeles Leather Pride, said the focus on community service is not a feature of the organizations that choose the winners. "We [the L.A. Leather Coalition] never ask the winners to do anything specific," Morales says. "To win, you just have to be approachable, charistmatic, and sexy — we don't shy away from that, we're a very sex-positive community." Morales says that the trend of titleholders giving back is because "that's the people that win. If you go back and see past winners, both of Mr. L.A. Leather and International Mr. Leather, a lot of them come from backgrounds of activism. Some of the greatest activists have come out of the leather and fetish communities." 

Now that he's back in the States, Smith will continue to use his title as International Mr. Leather to raise awareness about the situation of LGBT people in Africa. "I really think we need to become more internationally focused," he says. "While there is always still work to do at home, we have it pretty good in the U.S., and it's time to help the sexual minorities overseas who are really struggling." 

 

Via Sri Prem Baba: Flor do Dia- Flor del Día - Flower of the Day 16/09/201

Project Everyone - Metas Globais
8.BOM TRABALHO E CRESCIMENTO ECONÔMICO
“Ao colocar seus dons e talentos a serviço do bem maior, você se torna um elo na corrente da felicidade. A alegria, a prosperidade e o amor passam por você para chegar ao outro. Você começa a se sentir guiado e levado por algo maior do que você. Mas, enquanto estiver isolado, querendo fazer tudo do seu jeito, isso não é possível. É preciso se colocar na corrente. E você faz isso quando pergunta: “Como posso servir?”. Assim você se torna um canal da felicidade.”


Project Everyone - Metas Globais
8.EMPLEO DIGNO Y CRECIMIENTO ECONÓMICO
“Al colocar tus dones y talentos al servicio del bien mayor, te conviertes en un eslabón en la cadena de la felicidad. La alegría, la prosperidad y el amor pasan por ti para llegar al otro. Comienzas a sentirte guiado y llevado por algo más grande que tú. Pero mientras estés aislado, queriendo hacer todo a tu manera, esto no es posible. Es preciso colocarse en la corriente. Y haces esto cuando preguntas: "¿Cómo puedo servir?". Así, te conviertes en un canal de la felicidad.”


Project Everyone - Global Goals
8.DECENT WORK & ECONOMIC GROWTH
"By placing your gifts and talents at service of the greater good, you become a link in the chain of happiness. Joy, prosperity and love pass through you to reach the other. You begin to feel guided and led by something greater than you. But that’s not possible if you remain isolated, wanting to do everything your way. You have to make yourself into a link in the chain, which you do by asking: ‘How can I serve?’ That’s how you become a channel of happiness."

‪#‎FlordoDia‬ ‪#‎GlobalGoals‬ ‪#‎MetasdoMilênio‬ ‪#‎SriPremBaba‬

Today's Daily Dharma: Sticking with Fear

“When I walk into my fear, practice there, sit upright in the middle of it, completely open to the experience, with no expectation of the outcome, anything is possible.”
—Judith Randall, "The Hidden Lamp"
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Tuesday, September 15, 2015

Thich Nhat Hanh speaks first words after Stroke

The monks and nuns of Thich Nhat Hanh‘s Plum Village community have issued a new statement regarding the Vietnamese Zen master’s ongoing post-stroke therapy. As reported here, Nhat Hanh recently arrived in California’s Bay Area for various forms of treatment. In their letter, the monks and nuns highlight different aspects of said treatment and how Thay, as Nhat Hanh is affectionately called, is responding. He’s even spoken his first post-stroke words, thanks to speech therapy. From the letter:
It has been two months now since Thay arrived in America, with the hope of getting more intensive treatment to recover from his stroke. Thanks to the incredible support of our Beloved Community we have been able to obtain the very best doctors and therapists for Thay, across all treatment modalities. We are happy to be able to share that Thay is benefitting from the best of Western, Eastern, conventional, and alternative medical approaches. Thay is receiving acupuncture every day, as well as physical therapy, speech therapy, osteopathy, and neurofeedback, with the support and oversight of a phenomenal team of doctors at UCSF.
With Thay’s advanced age, the severity of the hemorrhage, as well as various complex health issues, recovery is extremely challenging. When Thay first started physical therapy, Thay was very engaged and enthusiastic with his therapists and the program that they had created for him. Preparing for Thay’s sessions of physical therapy, we could all feel the joyful determination in his body language. We would tell him, “Thay, let’s get ready for physical therapy” and Thay would raise his fist in the air and smile, as if to say “Let’s go!”
However, the level of fatigue and physical discomfort that Thay was experiencing when we first arrived in the US limited his ability to participate in the sessions. With the help of the whole team of doctors and therapists we have been able create an integrated program of treatment which allows Thay to have restful sleep, and more alertness, ease and peace in his body, enabling him to more fully participate in the sessions of therapy.
A recent breakthrough has been that whilst using a partial weight support walking frame, Thay’s right leg has started to make small movements, initiating the stepping motion.
Thay has received training from three different speech therapists over the last two months, one of whom was able to help Thay speak his first words since the stroke. It was a legendary day. We are happy to be able to share his very first words:
In, out (several times)
Happy (several times)
Thank you (several times)

and “Vui quá” (meaning, “So happy,” in Vietnamese)
It was like a guided meditation. Everyone was crying and laughing at the same time, including Thay.
Unfortunately, as the speech therapist who helped him to achieve this breakthrough lives far from San Francisco, she had to go back home after three days and Thay lost some momentum. We have tried a number of other speech therapists but have not been able to maintain Thay’s initial rapid progress. We are still looking for a local speech therapist, ideally fluent in Vietnamese, who would be able to work with Thay several times per week.
The letter goes on to tell more about Nhat Hanh’s time in the Bay Area, as well as the community’s plans for the fall, which include a tour by the monks and nuns

Read the complete posting here

Read the whole letter here.

Via Acariya Mahā Boowa



"Instead of trying to rely on ourselves we always put our hopes in other things, other people. We can't stand on own two feet. This is because the heart isn't wise enough to check whether the objects it grasps hold of are right or wrong, good or bad. It doesn't know how to care for itself, how to help itself, because there's no one to teach it. There's nobody to advise on how to know which things are dangerous and which are beneficial, which things should be held on to and which things shouldn't. The heart therefore continues indiscriminately to grasp hold of anything, whether good or bad, as long as it likes the look of it. Even if it isn't gratifying, the heart's characteristic trait is still to keep on grasping and clinging. Why should it be like this?"

-'To the Last Breath Dhamma Talks on Living and Dying'

Via Sri Prem Baba: Flor do Dia- Flor del Día - Flower of the Day 15/09/201

Project Everyone - Metas Globais
7. ENERGIA RENOVÁVEL
"A raça humana tem uma única chance de permanecer existindo: encontrando meios de fazer com a energia renovável se torne sua principal fonte de energia".


Project Everyone - Metas Globais
7.ENERGÍAS RENOVABLES
"La raza humana tiene una única oportunidad de permanecer existiendo: encontrando medios para hacer que la energía renovable se convierta en su principal fuente de energía."


Project Everyone - Global Goals
7. AFFORDABLE AND CLEAN ENERGY
"The human race has one way of remaining alive: to figure out how to make renewable energy into our main energy source."


‪#‎FlordoDia‬ ‪#‎GlobalGoals‬ ‪#‎MetasdoMilênio‬ ‪#‎SriPremBaba‬

Today's Daily Dharma: Present for All of It

“No one really knows what will happen from one moment to the next: who will we be, what will we face, and how will we respond to what we encounter? We don’t know, but there’s a good chance we will encounter some rough, unwanted experiences, some surprises beyond our imaginings, and some expected things, too. And we can decide to stay present for all of it.”
—Elizabeth Mattis-Namgyel, "Open Stillness"
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Monday, September 14, 2015

Via The Beer Party L.G.B.T.Q. / FB:


Why Does the Supreme Court Get to Decide Marriage Laws?


Today's Daily Dharma: Don't Cling to Passing Moods

“Lust and hate arise but leave no trace, like birds in flight; don't cling to passing moods.”
—Padampa Sangye, "On What Is Most Important"
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New at Tricycle: On What Is Most Important

On What Is Most Important
Contemplative traditions are in steep decline—or so we're told. Nobody meditates anymore. They're too busy playing Candy Crush or writing screeds in the comments section below YouTube videos. As Tricycle readers, you know better. This week we look at how Buddhist teachings and rituals remain vibrant in our time. 
Before we examine the teachings that thrive today, however, we must get a sense of the ones from the past that are worth holding onto. We offer a perfect example in our latest magazine piece, "On What Is Most Important," in which the Tibetan master Kenchen Thrangu elaborates on eight classical Indian verses from the yogi Padampa Sangye. Together they emphasize practicing the dharma in every moment, no matter the circumstance. Then, and only then, they say, can we make the most of our lives. 
In "A Quiet Subversion," we hear from a modern-day Buddhist trying to do just that. By romanticizing the cave-dwelling recluse, says writer Leath Tonino, we perceive his lifestyle as an exotic one far different from our own. In this humorous yet insightful piece, Tonino erases that divide by showing us how a solitary spiritual life is possible even for a young city-dweller with a job, a girlfriend, and an obsession with Seinfeld.
Both of those magazine articles are available to everyone this week, but join as a Supporting or Sustaining member to read the entirety of our latest issue. In it, find out how to escape from jealousy's clutches, feel good about what you've got, and actually celebrate your friends' success with the issue's special section on jealousy and envy. It features a Zen teacher who cops to those green feelings, a writer who says they don't deserve such a bad rap, and a Tibetan Buddhist who offers five steps to free yourself from them for good.
As the Buddhists know, nothing lasts forever. That makes our choices about which teachings to hold onto and which to leave behind all the more important. In a provocative blog interview with longtime Vajryana teacher and practitioner Sangye Khandro, "No Adaptation Required," she speaks candidly about this tension between tradition and renewal. 
Every generation—every person—resolves that tension differently. There's no easy answer. But by virtue of our mere rumination, perhaps we invent the teachings anew.

Was Dr. Smith Gay?...Yep, says Lost in Space's June Lockhart


Sunday, September 13, 2015

Via Janis Ian / FB:


Last Week Tonight with John Oliver: LGBT Discrimination (HBO)


Via United Americans / FB:


Via Instinct Magazine: Did They Just Find That Homophobia Is A Disease?


I think they just found that homophobia is a disease?  Here's an excerpt from the longer livescience.com article.  




Via Sri Prem Baba: Flor do Dia- Flor del Día - Flower of the Day 13/09/201

Project Everyone - Metas Globais
5.IGUALDADE ENTRE OS SEXOS
“Embora a diferença entre homem e mulher seja algo bem definido, no que tange a interação entre eles, os contrastes se equilibram na balança. Tanto o homem como a mulher carregam dentro de si um masculino e um feminino positivo e um masculino e um feminino negativo ou distorcido. A facilidade ou dificuldade se dá na interação: se o meu masculino ou feminino distorcido se relaciona com o masculino ou feminino distorcido de outra pessoa é sempre difícil, independentemente do gênero.”


Project Everyone - Metas Globais
5. IGUALDAD DE GÉNERO
“Aunque la diferencia entre hombre y mujer sea algo bien definido, con respecto a la interacción entre ellos, los contrastes se equilibran en la balanza. Tanto el hombre como la mujer llevan dentro de sí un masculino y un femenino positivo y un masculino y un femenino negativo o distorsionado. La facilidad o dificultad se da en la interacción: si mí masculino o femenino distorsionado se relaciona con el masculino o femenino distorsionado de otra persona es siempre difícil, independientemente del género.”


Project Everyone - Global Goals
5. GENDER EQUALITY
“Although it seems like men and women are very different, in taking a closer look at their interactions, it becomes clear their qualities counter-balance each other. Just as both men and women carry distorted masculine and distorted feminine qualities, they both carry the positive qualities as well. Human interactions can be more or less challenging based on how one person’s distorted masculine and feminine qualities relate with another’s, regardless of gender.”

Today's Daily Dharma: Prayer for Its Own Sake

“Prayer just for itself, just for the act of praying . . . is a way of connecting to the deep ocean of being that we all are. It is a way of offering our bows, our incense, our flowers, to the ineffable reality of the moment, to the absolute reality of this experience.”
 

Ian Shoales: Dualism


Saturday, September 12, 2015

Via WGB: New York Man Accused of Torching Gay Pride Bench



Police say they've have charged a 47-year-old man with a hate crime for torching an outdoor bench that had been painted in rainbow colors by members of a northern New York group to show support for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people.

Authorities in Ogdensburg say Francis Solis was charged Wednesday with arson and criminal mischief as a hate crime. Full story here!

WGB :: I am so glad he got caught but I am not surprised he did this after reading THIS ARTICLE.

Real Time with Bill Maher: Kim Davis Controversy – Sept. 11, 2015 (HBO)


Via Lizzy the Lezzy / FB:


Via Sri Prem Baba: Flor do Dia- Flor del Día - Flower of the Day 12/09/201

Project Everyone - Metas Globais
4. EDUCAÇÃO DE QUALIDADE
"Uma completa renovação na educação se faz necessária, pois é através dela que um novo ser humano, mais consciente e responsável, surgirá. A criança é sábia e traz com ela dons e talentos a serem compartilhados com o mundo. Nós precisamos criar espaço para que isso aconteça, incentivando o empoderamento da criança. Para isso, uma educação baseada em valores humanos espirituais precisa se tornar política pública.”


Project Everyone - Global Goals
4. QUALITY EDUCATION
"We are in need of a complete educational reform, for it is through education that a new kind of human being will emerge, more conscious and responsible. Children are wise; and they bring to the world gifts and talents to be shared. We need to create space for this by encouraging people to empower children. For this to occur, an education based on spiritual human values must become public policy."


Project Everyone - Global Goals
4. EDUCACIÓN DE CALIDAD
"Una completa renovación en la educación es necesaria, ya que es a través de ella que un nuevo ser humano, más consciente y responsable, surgirá. El niño es sabio y trae dones y talentos a ser compartidos con el mundo. Precisamos crear espacio para que esto suceda, incentivando el empoderamiento del niño. Para ello, una educación basada en valores humanos espirituales precisa convertirse en política pública.”

Via Te Greko - konstantin dimopoulos / FB:



Konstantin Dimopoulos’s The Barbed Wire Buddha is a fresh addition to his thought-provoking public art interventions in urban and landscape environments, yet it is not simply just a tool for public engagement. The sculpture also raises key formalist art questions of materiality and technique. At Conny Dietzschold Gallery, Sydney Contemporary.


Today's Daily Dharma: Violence Begets Violence

“Hostilities aren't stilled through hostility, regardless. Hostilities are stilled through non-hostility: this, an unending truth.”
—Shakyamuni Buddha, "September 11: Practice and Perspectives"
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Today's Daily Dharma: Doubt Brings Depth.

 
“Doubt in itself is not [a] problem. The problem comes from identifying with the doubting 'me' and believing that this is who we really are. But if seen for what it is, doubt can even be a positive force in practice. Provided we don’t get lost in the negative beliefs that arise with it, it can lead to a deepening of our quest.”
—Ezra Bayda, "Breaking Through"
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Friday, September 11, 2015

Via Tricycle: Simply Stop


Simply Stop

Thich Nhat Hanh elucidates the no-frills wisdom of 9th-century Chinese Zen teacher Master Linji, founder of the Rinzai school of Zen.
Thich Nhat Hanh

Filed in Zen (Chan), Insight (vipassana)

Via Sri Prem Baba: Flor do Dia- Flor del Día - Flower of the Day 11/09/201

Project Everyone - Objetivos Globais
3. SAÚDE E BEM ESTAR
“Aprendemos a buscar saúde fora de nós, e assim buscamos soluções para nossas mazelas na medicina. Normalmente não cultivamos uma vida saudável, simplesmente tratamos dos sintomas que surgem através das soluções criadas pela ciência. Mas a ciência não tem tido sucesso em construir uma sociedade saudável porque desconsidera a existência daquilo que é a fonte da cura. Ela desconsidera a existência do espírito.”


Project Everyone -Objetivos Globales
3. BUENA SALUD
“Aprendemos a buscar salud fuera de nosotros, y así buscamos soluciones a nuestros males en la medicina. Normalmente no cultivamos una vida saludable, simplemente tratamos los síntomas que surgen a través de soluciones creadas por la ciencia. Pero la ciencia no ha tenido éxito en construir una sociedad saludable, porque no considera la existencia de aquello que es la fuente de la cura. Ella desconsidera la existencia del espíritu.”


Project Everyone - Global Goals
3. GOOD HEALTH AND WELL-BEING
“We have learned to seek health outside of us, turning to the medical field to cure all our illnesses. Instead of cultivating a healthy lifestyle from the start, we end up focusing on just treating the symptoms that arise. Even with all the solutions science gives us, we are still not a healthy society because we disregard the source of all healing, which is the spirit.”

Thursday, September 10, 2015

Via Daily Kos / FB:


Via Sri Prem Baba: Flor do Dia- Flor del Día - Flower of the Day 10/09/2015

Projeto Todos - Metas Globais
2.FOME ZERO
"Todo filho dessa Terra tem direito de matar sua fome e saciar sua sede com os alimentos que ela própria oferece. A Terra é uma manifestação da Mãe Universal que dá tudo em abundância. E nenhuma mãe quer ver seus filhos passarem fome. Porém, por conta do medo da escassez e da carência, nós transformamos a Mãe em uma mercadoria. Tiramos tudo dela sem dar nada em troca. Precisamos resgatar nossa relação com a Mãe, porque enquanto abusarmos dela, haverá fome neste planeta.”


Proyecto Todos – Objetivos Globales
2. HAMBRE CERO
"Todo hijo de esta Tierra tiene el derecho de quitar su hambre y saciar su sed con los alimentos que ella misma ofrece. La Tierra es una manifestación de la Madre Universal que lo da todo en abundancia. Y ninguna madre quiere ver a sus hijos pasar hambre. Sin embargo, debido al miedo a la escasez y a la carencia, nosotros transformamos a la Madre en una mercancía. Le sacamos todo sin dar nada a cambio. Precisamos rescatar nuestra relación con la Madre porque mientras abusemos de ella, habrá hambre en este planeta.”


Project Everyone - Global Goals
2. ZERO HUNGER
“Every child on Earth has the right to satiate their hunger and quench their thirst with the nourishment that the earth itself provides. The earth is an embodiment of the Universal Mother who gives everything with abundance. No mother wants to see her children starve. Due to the fear of scarcity or that something will be lacking, we have turned the Mother into a commodity. We took everything from Her without giving anything in return. We need to rescue our relationship with the Mother, for as long as we continue abusing Her, hunger will prevail on this planet.”

Today's Daily Dharma: Words Lose Their Meaning

Words Lose Their Meaning
“In Master Linji's time [9th-century China], some Buddhist terms were used so often they became meaningless. People chewed on terms like 'liberation' and 'enlightenment' until they lost their power. It’s no different today.”
— Thich Nhat Hanh, "Simply Stop"

 
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Wednesday, September 9, 2015

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

Projeto Todos - Metas Globais 

1. FIM DA POBREZA
"O sentimento de pobreza é um dos mais nocivos para a alma humana. É um dos principais alimentos para a insegurança. Sentimentos como impotência, fracasso e exclusão estão na mesma frequência. Porém, o desenvolvimento da consciência só é possível se houver autoconfiança. Por isso é preciso acabar com a pobreza (interna e externa). Isso precisa acontecer de dentro para fora, através do autoconhecimento; e de fora para dentro, através de políticas públicas que estejam alinhadas com esse propósito."


Project Everyone - Global Goals
1. NO POVERTY / FIM DA POBREZA
"The feeling of poverty is one of the most harmful sentiments for the human soul. Poverty mentality feeds a sense of insecurity. This mentality also comes with feelings of helplessness, of failure and exclusion. The development of consciousness is only possible if there is trust. Ending poverty, both within and without, is crucial; it happens from the inside-out through self-knowledge, and from the outside-in through public policies that are aligned with this purpose."


Proyecto Todos – Objetivos Globales
1.FIN DE LA POBREZA
"El sentimiento de pobreza es uno de los más nocivos para el alma humana. Es uno de los principales alimentos para la inseguridad. Sentimientos como impotencia, fracaso y exclusión están en la misma frecuencia. Sin embargo, el desarrollo de la conciencia solo es posible si hubiese autoconfianza. Por eso es necesario acabar con la pobreza (interna y externa). Esto necesita suceder de adentro hacia afuera, a través del autoconocimiento; y de afuera hacia dentro, a través de políticas públicas que estén alineadas con este propósito."

Today's Daily Dharma: Knowing Impermanence Directly

Knowing Impermanence Directly

One of the great insights we can get from mindfulness meditation practice is that each moment of experience arises and passes. Having a direct experience of this impermanence, from observing awareness, helps us let go of the attempt to calcify any single moment of time, to try to make something stable that is not.

- Loch Kelly, "When Am I?"