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.
Sunday, November 20, 2016
Via Daily Dharma / November 20, 2016: Learn to Help without Praise
In
being told we’re good when we’re helpful, we receive the praise we
crave. Yet once we confuse helpful behavior with our own needs, we’re
locked into a pattern that undermines our genuine desire to do good.
—Ezra Bayda, "The 'Helper' Syndrome"
—Ezra Bayda, "The 'Helper' Syndrome"
Saturday, November 19, 2016
Via Daily Dharma / November 19, 2016: Fostering Empathy, Avoiding Harm
When there are thoughts, speech, and actions strong enough to cause suffering, reflect: Just as I do not wish to suffer, neither do others wish to suffer. As such, one avoids doing harm.
—Sayadaw U Pandita, "The Best Remedy"
—Sayadaw U Pandita, "The Best Remedy"
Friday, November 18, 2016
Via Daily Dharma / November 18, 2016: Cutting Through a Clouded Mind
Much
of the time our mind is thick, with thoughts and emotions and cognitive
content, but when focused on the breath or on some other object it
narrows, gets sharper and more precise, and is increasingly capable of
becoming aware of just that thin sliver of experience presenting itself
in the present moment.
—Andrew Olendzki, "Giving Pain the Slip" |
Thursday, November 17, 2016
Via Daily Dharma / November 17, 2016: The Difference Between Wisdom and Goodness
Wisdom
inclines toward the good but is not attached to it. It shies away from
what is not good, but has no aversion to it. Wisdom recognizes the
difference between skillful and unskillful, and it sees the
undesirability of the unskillful.
—Sayadaw U Tejaniya, "The Wise Investigator"
—Sayadaw U Tejaniya, "The Wise Investigator"
Wednesday, November 16, 2016
Via JMG: 2016 Presidential Medal Of Freedom Honorees: Ellen DeGeneres, Robert De Niro, Bruce Springsteen, Others
Note that two of this year’s honorees, De Niro and Springsteen, are among the loudest Trump critics. CBS News reports:
The White House on Wednesday announced the recipients of the Presidential Medal Of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor. The prestigious accolade is given to people “who have made especially meritorious contributions to the security or national interests of the United States, to world peace, or to cultural or other significant public or private endeavors.” This year’s recipients include famous actors (Robert De Niro, Tom Hanks, Robert Redford) legendary athletes (Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Michael Jordan) and television icons (Ellen DeGeneres, Lorne Michaels).Here’s what the official White House notice says about Ellen:
Ellen DeGeneres is an award-winning comedian who has hosted her popular daytime talk show, The Ellen DeGeneres Show, since 2003 with her trademarked humor, humility, and optimism. In 2003 Ellen lent her voice to a forgetful but unforgettable little fish named Dory in Finding Nemo. She reprised her role again in 2016 with the hugely successful Finding Dory. Ellen also hosted the Academy Awards twice, in 2007 and 2014. In 1997, after coming out herself, DeGeneres made TV history when her character on Ellen revealed she was a lesbian. In her work and in her life, she has been a passionate advocate for equality and fairness.See the White House bio for each honoree here. We shudder to think who will be on the 2017 list.
Make the jump here to read the original on JMG and more
Via Daily Dharma / November 16, 2016: The Pleasure of Being Foolish
The
pleasure of being foolish lies precisely in the freedom it gives from
self-importance and social expectations; the freedom from striving, from
the pressure to impress others, to do things the way others do them.
—Roger Housden, "A Fool’s Bargain"
—Roger Housden, "A Fool’s Bargain"
Via Ram Dass
There’s
a place that we can be inside of ourselves, inside of the universe, in
which which we can appreciate the delight in life. Where we can still
have equanimity, and quality of presence, and the quietness of peace.
Just imagine a mandala or a flower and think about the center of the flower and then all the petals that come out from the center and think of the center of the flower as absolutely still, and think of all of the petals as moving, and energy, and change, but the center is still.
Where is your center?
Just imagine a mandala or a flower and think about the center of the flower and then all the petals that come out from the center and think of the center of the flower as absolutely still, and think of all of the petals as moving, and energy, and change, but the center is still.
Where is your center?
Tuesday, November 15, 2016
Via Daily Dharama / November 15, 2016: Naming Thoughts as Thoughts
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Monday, November 14, 2016
Via Daily Dharma / November 14, 2016: A New Consciousness in Every Moment
The
mind that sees something quickly dies, and a different consciousness
hears a sound. No self or soul carries over from one perceptual act to
the next. In truth, your life-span is only one moment long.
—Cynthia Thatcher, "Disconnect the Dots"
—Cynthia Thatcher, "Disconnect the Dots"
Sunday, November 13, 2016
Via Ram Dass
The
game of powers is always very simple: Don’t use them. The minute you
get a power and say, “I’ve got this power, I will use it,” you’re stuck
again. A new attachment, a new ego trip. Don’t use them, rather let them
be used through you.
Purity brings powers. Unfortunately, that’s one of the lions at the gate that brings you incredible powers. The minute you’re a little less attached than everybody else, you have incredible power over everybody, because you don’t want anything that everybody else wants so much. The minute you don’t want so much, suddenly you’re free, in a way that you can’t believe because you’re so used to being trapped in this network of needs and desires.
Purity brings powers. Unfortunately, that’s one of the lions at the gate that brings you incredible powers. The minute you’re a little less attached than everybody else, you have incredible power over everybody, because you don’t want anything that everybody else wants so much. The minute you don’t want so much, suddenly you’re free, in a way that you can’t believe because you’re so used to being trapped in this network of needs and desires.
Via Daily Dharma / November 13, 2016: A Completely Useless Buddha
In
the very act of sitting, we actualize the completeness of the act
itself and we actualize our own full completeness as a useless human
being, another name for which is Buddha.
—Barry Magid, "Uselessness"
—Barry Magid, "Uselessness"
Saturday, November 12, 2016
Via Daily Dharma / November 12, 2016: The Speechless Center
The
only parts of the practice that can be described with confidence are
the rough, cerebral edges. What happens at the center, when the mind
quiets down, is impossible to verbalize.
—Jeff Greenwald, "The Great Indoors"
—Jeff Greenwald, "The Great Indoors"
Friday, November 11, 2016
ViaTricycle: Buddhist Teachings for Post-Election Healing
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Encouragement from 'Abdu'l-Baha:
The darkness of this gloomy
night shall pass away. Again the Sun of Reality will dawn from the
horizon of the hearts. Have patience, wait but do not sit idle; work
while you are waiting; smile when you are wearied with monotony; be firm
while everything around you is being shaken; be joyous while the ugly
face of despair grins at you; speak aloud while the malevolent forces of
the nether world try to crush your mind; be valiant and courageous while
men all around you are cringing with fear and cowardice. Do not yield
to the overwhelming power of tyranny and despotism. Serve the cause of
democracy and freedom. Continue your journey to the end. The bright day
is coming. The nucleus of the new race is forming. The harbinger of the
new ideals of international justice is appearing. The trees of hope will
become verdant; the copper of scorn and derision will be transmuted
into the gold of honor and praise; the arid desert of ignorance will be
transformed into the luxuriant garden of knowledge; the threatening
clouds shall be dispelled and the stars of faith and charity will again
twinkle in the clear heaven of consciousness."
- Abdu'l-Baha , Baha'i Scriptures, p. 547
- Abdu'l-Baha , Baha'i Scriptures, p. 547
Thursday, November 10, 2016
and that's how democracy dies
25.6% voted Clinton
25.5% voted Trump
46.9% didn't vote
and that's how democracy dies
(https://twitter.com/
Via JMG: NOM Issues Plan To Work With Donald Trump For “Inevitable Reversal” Of Same-Sex Marriage Ruling
November 9, 2016
Christianists, Hate Groups, Marriage Equality
And pretty much every other LGBT advance achieved by the Obama administration. From hate group leader Brian Brown:
Make the jump here to read the original and more at JMG
Donald Trump has won a historic election, an unprecedented victory that has turned the establishment upside down. We heartily congratulate him and his team on their incredible win. President-elect Trump will now turn his attention to governing, and NOM is committed to working with him. We are confident that our voice and our views will be important in a Trump administration.
Here is our plan:
We will work with President Trump to nominate conservative justices to the U.S. Supreme Court, individuals who will adhere to the words and meaning of the constitution. Such justices will inevitably reverse the anti-constitutional ruling of the Supreme Court imposing same-sex ‘marriage’ on the nation in the Obergefell decision, because that decision lacked any basis in the constitution.
We will work with President Trump to rescind the illegal, over-reaching executive orders and directives issued by President Obama, including his dangerous “gender identity” directives, attempting to redefine gender just as he sought to redefine marriage.
We will work with President Trump to reverse policies of the Obama administration that seek to coerce other countries into accepting same-sex ‘marriage’ as a condition of receiving US assistance and aid. It is fundamentally wrong for a president to become a lobbyist for the LGBT agenda, and we are confident that will end in the Trump administration.
We will work with President Trump and Congress to pass the First Amendment Defense Act (FADA), which Mr. Trump supports. FADA is critical legislation to protect people who believe in marriage from being targeted by the government for persecution.
This is a bright and exciting time for NOM, and we are committed to taking full advantage of the opportunity we have. Our voice and our views matter to the incoming administration, and that means your voice and views matter.
To make sure that we can influence the policy debates that are coming, we need to step-up our communications. The first step is to grow our presence on social media. Please act today to follow NOM and me on Twitter, and to like us on Facebook.
It only takes a few seconds to follow us on Twitter and to like us on Facebook, but doing so will help us increase our ability to educate and mobilize our supporters.NOM remains the sole national hate group to support the First Amendment Defense Act. The Family Research Council, the Liberty Counsel, and the American Family Association all withdrew their support after new language was added which would also legalize discriminating against married straight couples on the the basis of “sincerely held religious belief or moral conviction.”
We’re excited about the future, and we are looking forward to work with the Trump administration to restore marriage, uphold gender, protect religious liberty and promote families.
Make the jump here to read the original and more at JMG
Via Daily Dharma / November 10, 2016: Learning From Anger
When
we approach our feelings of anger with awareness, with mindfulness, it
becomes a productive part of our practice. We find, after all, that
anger has something to teach us.
—Jules Shuzen Harris Sensei, "Uprooting the Seeds of Anger"
—Jules Shuzen Harris Sensei, "Uprooting the Seeds of Anger"
Wednesday, November 9, 2016
the invitation has arrived
to step into our courage
and our full humanity
from this day forward
the harm can only unfold
and multiply and spread
with our silence
with our consent
with our participation
we will not be silent
we do not consent and
we will not participate
in legitimating violence, lies and division
the love that we are
the love that connects us all
the love that bends history
even in this dark moment
towards liberation
We are one
we are many and
we are one
it is time
dear friends
the revolution of love
must be completed
And it is only possible
if on this day
we commit our lives
to walking the hard road
because there is now only one way forward
adapted from work by Taj James, founder and Executive Director of the Movement Strategy Center
Join us for a Special Charter for Compassion Conference Call: After the Election
Thursday, November 10 at 11:30 am https://zoom.us/webinar/ register/ 36baa35b64dee048c5b9141539e44e e6
A
discussion about compassion and how we are called to act following a US
election season that has brought out strains of racism, misogyny,
xenophobia, and bigotry. How can we heal? How are we called to action?
What can we bring to the mission of making compassion a luminous force?
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.
Via Ram Dass
The
enlightened being, or the person that’s awakened, realizes that the
game is to walk through the path and leave no footprint. Leave no
footprint because whatever footprint you leave is just more karmic
stuff. Do what you do, but do it so purely. They say in the Tao, “The
leader who leads best leads so that at the end, you think you did it
yourself.” The next best leader you admire, the next best you fear, and
the worst leader pays you.
Via Daily Dharma / November 9, 2016: Anger, Sans Storyline
When
you feel the fear and you feel the rage in meditation, there’s no
storyline. There’s just the experience of the arising and passing away
of the emotions and the sensations in the body, and seeing how they
relate to one another.
—Gavin Harrison, "Lotus in the Fire"
—Gavin Harrison, "Lotus in the Fire"
Tuesday, November 8, 2016
Via Daily Dharma / November 8, 2016: The Buddha’s Ballot Box
If
Buddha had added a ninth practice to the Eightfold Path, it might have
been Right Voting. Voting is a manifestation of the law of
interdependence: Each of our actions, no matter how small, affects the
whole cosmos. Our votes count.
—Susan Moon, "Ten Practices to Change the World"
—Susan Moon, "Ten Practices to Change the World"
Monday, November 7, 2016
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