Be Here Now Network

With compassion and presence, Trudy Goodman teaches listeners how to bear the unbearable through our own willingness to hold it. In this episode, Trudy Goodman offers her perspective on: - Learning to be present and okay with our strong emotions - Recognizing our emotions as the first step in working with them - Allowing difficult emotions without being swept away - Surrounding our pain with compassion - Noticing the bodily sensations that arise with strong emotions - Self-regulation and soothing the startled heart - The powerful statement “it’s like this” - Merging with the world of intuitive wisdom This was recorded at Spirit Rock and was originally published on Dharmaseed About Trudy Goodman: Trudy is a Vipassana teacher in the Theravada lineage and the Founding Teacher of InsightLA. For 25 years, in Cambridge, MA, Trudy practiced mindfulness-based psychotherapy with children, teenagers, couples and individuals. Trudy conducts retreats, engages in activism work, and teaches workshops worldwide and online. She is also the voice of Trudy the Love Barbarian in the Netflix series, The Midnight Gospel. “By allowing reality to be as it is, since it is that way anyways, we’re making a relationship with it that’s based on clarity. It is a paradox that I think most therapists know, that by allowing something and accepting something and even by positively connoting what needs to change, not struggling with it, surrounding it with metta and compassion, we actually stop our war with reality. When we stop resisting what’s true, we aren’t fixating on it, and it’s free to move and change. This is called radical acceptance.” –Trudy Goodman

Palestinian peace activist Sami Awad explores how all cultures and contexts can embrace Christ-consciousness and create a more peaceful, loving world. Check out Sami’s book,The Sacred Awakening: Reclaiming Christ Consciousness This week on Set & Setting, Madison and Sami discuss: - What it means to be anointed - Rediscovering Jesus and the concept of loving thy neighbor - Christ-consciousness spirituality - How patriarchy creates dualism and an us vs. them mentality - The depths of sacred activism - Neem Karoli Baba’s connection to Christ-consciousness - The intersection of Christ-consciousness with psychedelic-consciousness - Holding compassion even for our enemies - How Jesus was a disruptor for the greater awakening About Sami Awad: Sami Awad is a Palestinian activist, author, coach, and facilitator. He is Co-Director of Nonviolence International and author of the Sacred Awakening, a book that invites readers to embody a radical path to liberation, justice, and peace. Raised in and currently living in Bethlehem, occupied Palestine, Sami has lived his life at the intersection of spirituality, justice, and nonviolent resistance. He brings lived experience with occupation and spiritual reflection to invite us to resist injustice, embody courageous love, and embrace a deeper way of living in the face of colonialism. Learn more on Sami’s website. “We are living in what now I define as the prevailing consciousness, the consciousness of separation, fear, ego, hierarchy, patriarchy, us vs. them, competition, comparison, violence, that we live in our personal and collective lives, and there is another way of living consciously. It is the bigger umbrella that encompasses all culture, content, context.” –Sami Awad

RamDev takes listeners through the three faces of the heart, each of which serves a different, necessary purpose and combines into nondual awareness. This time on Healing at the Edge, RamDev chats about: - What Maharaj-ji said about being in the heart - How the heart center stabilizes presence - Starting practice as human, and standing up as divine - The left, relational heart: feeling, devotion, intimacy, grief, longing - The right side of the heart and the arising of witness consciousness - Nondualism and combining wisdom with warmth - The greatest medicine for the fear of death “If we only live in the left side of the heart, devotion can become too emotional. The feeling becomes the practice instead of the doorway to deeper qualities of the heart. Grief, if we are only in the left side of the heart, can loop, can continue without metabolizing. The heart can stay open, but it’s not grounded. The practitioner gets blown away by the emotions of daily life.” –RamDev About RamDev Dale Borglum: RamDev Dale Borglum founded and directed the Hanuman Foundation Dying Center in Santa Fe, New Mexico, the first residential facility in the United States to support conscious dying. He has been the Executive Director of the Living/Dying Project in Santa Fe and since 1986 in the San Francisco Bay Area. He is the co-author with Ram Dass, Daniel Goleman and Dwarka Bonner of Journey of Awakening: A Meditator’s Guidebook, Bantam Books and has taught meditation since 1974. RamDev offers lectures and workshops on meditation, healing, spiritual support for those with life-threatening illness, and caregiving as spiritual practice. He has a doctorate degree from Stanford University. RamDev’s passion is the healing of our individual and collective fear of death so that we may be free.

Celebrating Spirit Rock's new stupa and 40 years of practice, Jack Kornfield reflects on spiritual community, resilience in times of suffering, and the timeless wisdom that helps us meet life with an awakened heart.

In this exploration of relationships and awakening from the illusion of separateness, Ram Dass talks about looking behind the veil of individual differences and coming to a place where you are love itself. This episode is supported by Omega Institute. Like the Be Here Now Network, Omega believes that personal transformation can change the world—one heart at a time. Discover immersive retreats, workshops, and gatherings in New York's Hudson Valley. Visit the link in the comments to learn more. This episode of Here and Now is the conclusion of a talk Ram Dass gave at the LA Whole Life Expo on February 18, 1989. Don’t miss the first part of this talk, available on YouTube, Episode 307 Being in Other Planes of Reality: https://youtu.be/Cohgd9_q0NU Ram Dass explores how settling into other planes of reality helps us deal with the immense suffering on this plane of reality. He talks about awakening out of the illusion of separateness and seeing your life as a curriculum. This includes seeing your relationships as part of the curriculum for coming to God. Ram Dass dives into the subject of relationships and how everyone is God in drag. Ultimately, you only meet God. Sharing some classic stories, Ram Dass talks about how relationships are a way to delight in the play of form. He explores moving away from the deprivation model of love into a place where, ultimately, you are love itself. “And you shift gears; you no longer try to collect love. You just are in love with everybody. ‘In love’ is the last stop on the train of dualism before you enter into Nibbana, where you become love, and you are no longer experiencing the experience of loving. You are love. And that is inevitable and irrevocable.” – Ram Dass The Ram Dass community gathers regularly to engage in meaningful discussions about the podcast. We invite you to join us and share your curiosities, insights, and wisdom. Sign up for the General Fellowship to receive event invitations directly in your inbox. About Ram Dass: Ram Dass’s spirit has been a guiding light for generations, carrying millions along on the journey. Ram Dass teaches that through the Bhakti practice of unconditional love, we can all connect with our true nature. Through these teachings, Ram Dass has shared a little piece of his guru, Maharaj-ji, with all who have listened to him. Learn more at ramdass.org.

Sharing meaningful stories from a life of practice, Gil Fronsdal chats about the impact of spiritual community, simplicity, and generosity. This week on the BHNN Guest Podcast, Gil Fronsdal outlines: - Honesty, communication, and understanding as an alternative to LSD - The impact of reading Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind, and going to the San Francisco Zen Center - The importance of doing spiritual practice with other people and finding community - Finding freedom within simplicity and generosity - The practice of working through fear and becoming relaxed - Gil’s mindful founding of the Insight Meditation Center, balancing the commercial forces of society - How growing up in wartime inspired Gil’s interest in nonviolence and civil disobedience About Gil Fronsdal: Gil Fronsdal is the co-teacher for the Insight Meditation Center in Redwood City, California; he has been teaching since 1990. He has practiced Zen and Vipassana in the U.S. and Asia since 1975. He was a Theravada monk in Burma in 1985, and in 1989 began training with Jack Kornfield to be a Vipassana teacher. Gil teaches at Spirit Rock Meditation Center where he is part of its Teachers Council. Gil was ordained as a Soto Zen priest at the San Francisco Zen Center in 1982, and in 1995 received Dharma Transmission from Mel Weitsman, the abbot of the Berkeley Zen Center. He currently serves on the SF Zen Center Elders’ Council. In 2011 he founded IMC’s Insight Retreat Center. He is the author of The Issue at Hand, essays on mindfulness practice; A Monastery Within; a book on the five hindrances called Unhindered; and the translator of The Dhammapada, published by Shambhala Publications. You may listen to Gil’s talks on Audio Dharma. This recording was originally published on Dharmaseed “When I went to the Zen center, people didn’t participate; they didn’t pick up the cues and act accordingly. They became a mirror for me, and I said, ‘This is fantastic’, to be able to see myself clearly through other people. I wanted that mirroring to be seen. In that time of living at Zen Center, I am very confident that I couldn’t have practiced as much as I have done over the years without the support of the community that I was with.” –Gil Fronsdal

Selfless Service in Action | Krishna Das' Pilgrim Heart Podcast Ep. 194 by Be Here Now Network

Duncan Trussell joins Raghu Markus and Kelly Rego for a heartfelt conversation on Ram Dass’s enduring legacy and the auspicious experiences that brought the Be Here Now Network team together. In this episode, Duncan, Raghu, & Kelly discuss: - Duncan’s introduction to Ram Dass: swimming, playing, and seeing the light again - How Ram Dass helped Duncan process the loss of his mother - Spreading Ram Dass’s love and legacy through the Be Here Now Network - How the universe guides us right to where we need to be - Moving through a dark night of the soul - The lasting love we have for those we have lost - The profound generosity of giving our full attention to another About Duncan Trussell: Duncan Trussell is a stand-up comedian, podcaster, and actor. His popular podcast, The Duncan Trussell Family Hour, has been downloaded over 25 million times and is known for its blend of humor, fringe ideas, eclectic guests, and great interviews. The DTFH is the foundation for Duncan’s Netflix animated series, The Midnight Gospel, which he co-created with Pendleton Ward in 2020. “At the time, I was living in a roach motel. Literally roaches everywhere, sleeping on a mattress on the floor, super depressed. I would just lie on this mattress listening to Ram Dass; it was really helping a lot. LA can be so lonely and weird. On the website, it said you can arrange these phone calls with Ram Das—I signed up. All of a sudden, Ram Dass is on the screen...beaming out from Hawaii into this garbage apartment” –Duncan Trussell About Kelly Rego: Kelly Rego is an Integrated Marketing & Media Specialist. An Emerson College alumni, Kelly has over 15 years experience of facilitating projects into reality. She has worked as a Peace Corps Volunteer with women’s groups and dairy cooperatives in Costa Rica, a media strategist and buyer in New York City, and has produced a full-length documentary. Kelly is the Marketing Director for Ram Dass’s Love Serve Remember Foundation, as well as the project manager of Be Here Now Network, a podcast network dedicated to spirituality, mindfulness, and personal growth. About Raghu Markus: Raghu Markus spent 18 months in India with Neem Karoli Baba and Ram Dass. He has been involved in music and transformational media since the early 1970s, when he was program director of CKGM-FM in Montreal. In 1974, he collaborated with Ram Dass on the box set Love Serve Remember. In 1990, he launched Triloka Records, which established itself as a critical leader in the development of world music. For 17 years, Triloka was home to such artists as Krishna Das, Hugh Masekela, Walela, Jai Uttal and transformational media projects that featured Ram Dass, Deepak Chopra, and Les Nubians. Raghu lives in Ojai, California, and is the Executive Director of the Love Serve Remember Foundation. In 2016, he co-founded the Be Here Now Network, where he hosts the Ram Dass Here & Now podcast, as well as his own Mindrolling podcast. He is the producer of Becoming Nobody, a Ram Dass documentary feature film that was released in 2019.

John Snyder, pioneer of guitar pedals and founder of Electronic Audio Experiments, explores the intersection of engineering, creativity, and the endless pursuit of great sound. This week on The Indie Spiritualist, Chris and John discuss: - John’s journey as a musician, creating guitar pedals and altering sound - What it was like finishing a PhD in an electrical engineering program during the coronavirus pandemic - How Electronic Audio Experiments took off - Blurring the lines between art and science - Guitar gear as an extension of the instrument itself - Navigating creative burnout and the gap between efforts and outcomes - How neurodivergent traits can be valuable in the creative industry and beyond About John Snyder: John Snyder is a long-time guitarist with a PhD in electrical engineering. John combined these passions and became the owner and head designer at Electronic Audio Experiments (EAE). EAE is an exploration in sound and texture via electronics. EAE focuses primarily on stompboxes for electric guitar and bass, with occasional ventures into amplification and synthesis. “It’s very edifying to do something like this that is really blurring the art that I want to make with the science background that I have. There’s so much subjectivity to it that it feels like an art project rather than an engineering project much of the time.” –John Snyder

Contemplative Scholar Andrew Holecek joins David Nichtern to delve into the powerful practices of dark retreat, bardo yoga, and dream yoga. Grab a copy of Andrew’s book, Total Eclipse of the Mind, to discover more about the power of darkness for creativity, healing, and transformation. In this episode, Andrew and David explore: - An inquiry into the nature of mind and reality - How asking questions is much more important than having answers - Going into dark retreat and practicing bardo yoga - Entering spiritual teachings as if immersing into a different realm - The Buddha as the ultimate lucid dreamer - Dream interpretation and liminal dreaming for insights into the self - Working mindfully with artificial intelligence - The balancing principle that darkness represents - Becoming sensitive to other beings and archetypes when in dark retreat About Andrew Holecek: Andrew Holecek is an interdisciplinary scholar-practitioner in Tibetan Buddhism and other nondual wisdom traditions. He is the Resident Contemplative Scholar at the Institute for Advanced Consciousness Studies, and a research consultant for the Cognitive Neuroscience Program at Northwestern University. His work involves studies on dream yoga and the practice of dark retreat. Dr. Holecek is a member of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, the author of nine books, and a concert pianist. He has completed the Tibetan Buddhist three-year retreat and is a frequent subject in scientific studies on meditation and lucid dreaming. His work integrates ancient wisdom traditions with contemporary perspectives, aiming to help individuals navigate spiritual challenges and end-of-life experiences. He is currently writing two books on dark retreat. Holecek holds degrees in classical music, biology, and a doctorate in dental surgery. Learn about his upcoming retreat events. “I have died so many times with psychedelic experiences, with extended meditations; I’ve been doing dark retreat for 30 years. This is what dark retreat is largely about; it’s fundamentally a bardo yoga designed to bring about highly concordant experiences with the death process.” –Andrew Holecek

Sharon comes together with Mark Epstein to remember the life of dear friend and colleague, Robert AF Thurman, for episode 290 of the Metta Hour. Robert AF Thurman (August 3, 1941 – June 16, 2026) was an American Buddhist author and academic who wrote, edited, and translated books on Tibet, Buddhism, art, politics, and culture. He was the first Westerner to be ordained as a Tibetan Buddhist monk by His Holiness the Dalai Lama and was the Je Tsongkhapa Professor of Indo-Tibetan Buddhist Studies at Columbia University before retiring in 2019. He was the co-founder and president of Tibet House US in New York, New York, and Menla Retreat in Phoenicia, New York. In the Tibetan Buddhist tradition, there is a 49-day period of mourning after an individual dies, which is considered a transitional “bardo” time. This is a time to honor the individual and support them as they transition into their incarnation through ceremonies, offerings, and prayers. In that spirit, Sharon and Mark Epstein come together to share stories and reflections about Bob after his unexpected death. Mark Epstein, M.D., a psychiatrist in private practice in New York City, is the author of a number of books about the interface of Buddhism and psychotherapy, including “Thoughts without a Thinker” and “Going to Pieces without Falling Apart.” His latest work, “The Zen of Therapy,” was published in 2022 by Penguin Press. He has been a student of Vipassana meditation since 1974. This episode also includes an excerpt of an archival recording of Sharon interviewing Bob from 2021. Originally aired on the Metta Hour in celebration of Bob’s book “Wisdom is Bliss,” this recording includes some classic zesty-Bob-banter with Sharon, as well as some wonderful teachings. The recording closes with Bob leading a guided meditation. Please join us as we celebrate and honor a dear friend and dharma teacher who filled our lives with such joy, wisdom, and laughter. "When we opened the Insight Meditation Society in 1976, we discovered we had a near neighbor, about 40 minutes away in Amherst, MA: Professor Bob Thurman. I’ve felt so lucky to know him as a friend, to have the chance to teach with him through the years, and to collaborate with him on a book, “Love Your Enemies.” Though he was widely known as a dedicated scholar, I was always most struck by Bob as a person of faith in the best sense of the word— faith in each of our potential, in the very real possibility of freedom, in the blessings of lineage and the enormous gifts of people like HH Dalai Lama to the world. Before the sudden, unexpected news of his passing, I noted how much content he was putting on his Substack, what seemed to me almost like a drive to help as many people as he could, to remind us all of hope in these very troubled times. His impact on so many people and the light he spread is so clear right now." - Sharon Salzberg

Touching into the selfless nature of experience, Joseph Goldstein explores uprooting the defilements through the clarity that comes from practice. This episode is the 3rd and final part of a 3-part series. It was originally published on Dharmaseed and recorded at the Barre Center for Buddhist Studies, a non-profit organization founded by renowned meditation teachers Joseph Goldstein and Sharon Salzberg to integrate Buddhist study and practice. To start at the beginning, check out Ep. 261 – Gradual Cultivation in Buddhist Practice: https://soundcloud.com/beherenownetwork/joseph-goldsteins-insight-1 This time on Insight Hour, Joseph Goldstein provides his perspective on: - Engaging with mindfulness - The radical uprooting of self and identification with experience - Seeing a glimpse of the deathless in our practice versus the transcendent moment of the unborn - Slowly seeing clearly over time with dedicated practice - The emptiness within the defilements - Taking all things as an invitation to explore rather than to believe - A brief guided meditation with Joseph - Moving our mental dialogue into a passive voice “If you put your hand in fire, do you know that it burns? Do you have any doubt about it? In the genuine experience of things being uprooted, there is that quality of certainty. It is very different than what you were saying about ‘Yeah, it looks to me that the defilements are uprooted.’ The experience that results in the uprooting, which is the experience of the unborn. It has that same immediacy and certainty as putting your hand in fire and knowing it burns.” –Joseph Goldstein

Meditation master and teacher Orgyen Chowang Rinpoche explores tools for success from Tibetan wisdom on mindfulness, gratitude, and more. This week on Mindrolling, Orgyen and Raghu discuss: - What life was like for Orgyen growing up in a remote village in Tibet - The Tibetan Buddhist leader Khenpo Jigme Phuntsok - Reframing the construct of ‘success’ - The 10 powers that lead us to success: wisdom, integrity, decency, mindfulness, fairness, reliability, gratitude, hopefulness, faith, generosity - Lessons from Mipham Rinpoche - The necessity of respect for good communication - Navigating conflict through mindfulness and decency - Self-awareness as the number one tool for good communication - How inner emptiness shapes how we see the world - Discriminating awareness, deciding what to accept vs. what to reject About Orgyen Chowang Rinpoche: Orgyen Chowang Rinpoche is a meditation teacher and master in the Nyingma lineage of the Buddhist tradition residing in the San Francisco Bay Area. He is the author of Our Pristine Mind: A Practical Guide to Unconditional Happiness, and is known for his accessible, passionate, and joyful approach to personal transformation. Rinpoche teaches regularly in the Bay Area, and travels throughout the world speaking to a broad range of audiences about how to improve their lives through meditation. He received his education and training for nine years starting at the age of fourteen at Larung Gar in Serta, eastern Tibet, with his teacher, the great Jigmed Phuntsok Rinpoche, who is widely acknowledged as one of the greatest Dzogchen masters of the twentieth century. Learn more about Orgyen Chowang Rinpoche’s work and his non-profit, The Pristine Mind Foundation. “Even if someone is in conflict, you need to be mindful, reliable, you need to be a decent person at the same time. Then, it works. If your mind is in conflict, if there’s anger, resentment, that totally destroys communication.” –Orgyen Chowang Rinpoche

Expressive artist & healer Phoenix Song explores the voice as a path to freedom and a means of releasing trauma. This week on the BHNN Guest Podcast, Phoenix and Vincent chat about: - Connecting to our full emotional life via voice work - The preciousness (and difficulties) of being born into this incarnation - How breath impacts your speaking voice and your singing voice - Phoenix’s profound experience during an ancestral healing ritual at Plum Village - Focusing on voice work after recovering from dengue fever in India - The journey to reclaim and inhabit our own bodies - The invitation to ask yourself “what season am I in?” - Crafting rituals for others and for yourself - The importance of taking your time and healing at your own pace This conversation was originally recorded on the Paths of Practice Podcast. Listen to more episodes here on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@PathsofPractice About Phoenix Song: Phoenix Song is a queer, nonbinary Korean American adoptee teacher, performer, writer, and healer featured in SF Magazine’s Best of the Bay for yoga music. Phoenix was initiated on the spiritual path at Plum Village with Thich Nhat Hanh and is a dharma teacher at East Bay Meditation Center and Spirit Rock. They believe that everyone can sing and love to help people free their voices and rhythm in private and group classes. Much of Phoenix’s life has been about exploring identity issues and healing ancestral, racial, sexual, and gender wounds. They offer tools that have helped them by leading ancestral healing, grief, and diversity/solidarity workshops and trainings that use expressive arts and somatic processes. “By doing more voice work, people start to shake up their breath, their emotions, their body instruments so more of their colors, emotions, personality, what’s happening with them, can come through their voice, you start to hear a more expressive, free, emotional voice. It starts to feel like more colors are coming out than just a few.” –Phoenix Song About Vincent Moore: Vincent Moore is a creative and creative consultant living in San Francisco, California, with over a decade of experience in the entertainment industry and holds a graduate degree in Buddhist Studies. For years, he performed regularly at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre, an improv and sketch comedy theatre based in New York and Los Angeles. As an actor, Vincent performed on Comedy Central, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, The Late Show with Seth Meyers, Above Average, and The UCB Show on Seeso. As a writer, he developed for television as well as stage, including work with the Blue Man Group, and his own written projects have been featured on websites such as Funny or Die. Additionally, he received a Masters of Buddhist Studies from the Institute of Buddhist Studies with a Certificate in Soto Zen Studies and engages in a personal Buddhist practice within the Soto Zen tradition. Vincent is also the creator and host of the podcast, Paths of Practice, which features interviews with Buddhists from all over the world.

Through powerful storytelling, Jack Kornfield turns toward the deeper invitation of the spiritual path: to listen with the heart and respond to life with courage, compassion, and presence.

Conscious futurist Stephanie Trager inspires listeners to heal the Earth through the Kogi's wisdom, the restoration of sacred lands, and the power of reciprocity. Check out this recent feature article on Stephanie’s work restoring sacred Kogi lands and learn how you can contribute! In this episode, Anita and Stephanie discuss: - Returning sacred lands to the Kogi people, the four tribes of the Sierra Nevada de Colombia - The Duanama stone carvings and other sacred sites - A powerful message from the Kogi people - Collectively navigating ancestral trauma and trauma to Mother Earth - The Sierra Nevada as a regulatory system for our planet - Tending to sacred land sites as a way to protect the entire world - Finding our path for the future by first healing the earth and giving the land back to our indigenous peoples - Reaching within our own hearts to see what we can offer to the world About Stephanie Trager: Stephanie Trager, JD is a transformational catalyst, earthkeeper, medicine woman, and advocate for the wisdom of the natural world. With over 30 years of experience spanning law, environmental justice, conscious governance, leadership development, and human potential, she bridges ancient wisdom with modern science to help visionary leaders create meaningful change. A former environmental attorney and co-founder of one of the first corporate responsibility law firms in the U.S., Stephanie has worked on forest conservation, human rights, and sustainability initiatives worldwide. She now serves as a board member of Dream Change, advises on rights of nature and ethical governance, and is developing an Earth School in collaboration with Indigenous communities in Colombia. She is also the author of the forthcoming book Rise of the Conscious Futurist. Check out Stephanie’s website and her podcast, Catalyst Talks “The Kogi know, and the tribes know, the Sierra Nevada as the great regulatory system for the entire planet. If we look at the Amazon as the lungs of the earth, the Sierra Nevada they consider the heart of the earth. The sacred sites need to be tended to, and unless they are, the systems of the earth cannot be maintained. Sacred sites are the organs, the nervous system, the brain of the earth.” –Stephanie Trager

Help us celebrate 10 years of Be Here Now Network and support the next chapter of Ram Dass Here and Now. Gifts are matched dollar for dollar through June 30. Learn more and give at https://beherenownetwork.com/10years. This time on the Ram Dass Here and Now Podcast: With his classic combination of heart and humor, Ram Dass guides us through an exploration of being on other planes of reality and getting comfortable with having nowhere to stand. Ram Dass Here & Now is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/ramdass and get on your way to being your best self. This episode of Here and Now is from the first part of a talk Ram Dass gave at the LA Whole Life Expo on February 18, 1989. Check back soon for the conclusion of this lecture. Ram Dass begins with the story of having a kidney stone, and the delight he felt in watching his consciousness flicker. Thus begins an exploration of consciousness and being on other planes of reality. With some classic stories and his unique humor, Ram Dass talks about what happens when we awaken and start to recognize these other planes. As we get more comfortable in these other planes of reality, it can be easy to lose our ground on this plane. In the end, we can’t push away this plane because it doesn’t feel as good as others. Ram Dass shares how he saw it wasn’t about getting high, it was about getting free and being comfortable with having nowhere to stand. We must embrace our humanity along with our divinity. The Ram Dass community gathers regularly to engage in meaningful discussions about the podcast. We invite you to join us and share your curiosities, insights, and wisdom. Sign up for the General Fellowship to receive event invitations directly in your inbox. About Ram Dass: Ram Dass’s spirit has been a guiding light for generations, carrying millions along on the journey. Ram Dass teaches that through the Bhakti practice of unconditional love, we can all connect with our true nature. Through these teachings, Ram Dass has shared a little piece of his guru, Maharaj-ji, with all who have listened to him. Learn more at ramdass.org. “You’ve had this as your basecamp. You go into these other planes, and then you come back, and you go in, and you come back, and you go in. And you start to get comfortable being in other planes of reality and functioning here.” – Ram Dass

Be Here Now Network invites you to listen to this special look back at Dr. Robert Thurman’s many appearances on Mindrolling, we hear about Ram Dass, surfing reality, keeping an open heart, and so much more. You can help continue Dr. Thurman’s life’s work to preserve Tibetan culture. Visit Tibet House online to learn more. Spanning 10 years of collaboration with the podcast, Dr. Thurman talks about: - His decades-long friendship with Ram Dass - Unclamping the heart and seeing our connection with all people - Clearing out the poison of fear and judgment - The precious gem of our human embodiment, the waking bardo - Surfing through reality, rather than trying to control it - A realistic take on the Eightfold Path and right livelihood - How releasing selfishness actually benefits us and creates joy - Lessons on altruism & education from the Dalai Lama - Cultivating both a clever mind and an open heart About Dr. Robert Thurman: Robert Thurman (1941-2026) was an American Buddhist author and academic who wrote, edited, and translated many books on Tibetan Buddhism. He was the Je Tsongkhapa Professor of Indo-Tibetan Buddhist Studies at Columbia University before retiring in June 2019. He held the first endowed chair in Buddhist Studies in the West. After education at Philips Exeter and Harvard, he studied Tibet and Tibetan Buddhism for almost thirty years as a personal student of His Holiness the Dalai Lama. He wrote both scholarly and popular books and lectured widely all over the world. As President of the American Institute for Buddhist Studies, he convened the First Inner Science Conference with His Holiness the Dalai Lama at Amherst College in 1984. He was also a founding trustee of Tibet House New York. Check out his most recent book Wisdom Is Bliss: Four Friendly Fun Facts That Can Change Your Life. “When you’re not generous enough, when you’re not open-hearted enough, when you haven’t cultivated opening yourself, then you shoot right past it, just like we shoot through our life. At the moment of death, people report, ‘My life flashed before my eyes in a split second.’ What that means is they didn’t live lucidly. They ran around making money, getting pleasure, doing things, and they have only one split second of quality time when they were there now somewhere” –Dr. Thurman

Duncan Trussell joins Raghu Markus and Kelly Rego for a heartfelt conversation on Ram Dass’s enduring legacy and the auspicious experiences that brought the Be Here Now Network team together. Help us celebrate 10 years of Be Here Now Network and support the next chapter of Ram Dass Here and Now. Gifts are matched dollar for dollar through June 30. Learn more and give at https://beherenownetwork.com/10years. In this episode, Duncan, Raghu, & Kelly discuss: - Duncan’s introduction to Ram Dass: swimming, playing, and seeing the light again - How Ram Dass helped Duncan process the loss of his mother - Spreading Ram Dass’s love and legacy through the Be Here Now Network - How the universe guides us right to where we need to be - Moving through a dark night of the soul - The lasting love we have for those we have lost - The profound generosity of giving our full attention to another “An ex-Ivy League acid-head runs into a guru in India, and now we’re at the point where that convergence of minds is being technologically amplified around the planet. We live in an algorithmically controlled world. My algorithm, oh my god, the horror that I have seen. The more of Ram Dass’s lectures, the more Kornfield, more of the people in this community that you signal boost out onto the world, I don’t think there’s any way to quantify the benefit of that, what that’s doing for the world.” –Duncan Trussell About Duncan Trussell: Duncan Trussell is a stand-up comedian, podcaster, and actor. His popular podcast, The Duncan Trussell Family Hour, has been downloaded over 25 million times and is known for its blend of humor, fringe ideas, eclectic guests, and great interviews. The DTFH is the foundation for Duncan’s Netflix animated series, The Midnight Gospel, which he co-created with Pendleton Ward in 2020. To learn more about Duncan’s work, visit his website at duncantrussell.com. About Raghu Markus: Raghu Markus spent 18 months in India with Neem Karoli Baba and Ram Dass. He has been involved in music and transformational media since the early 1970s, when he was program director of CKGM-FM in Montreal. In 1974, he collaborated with Ram Dass on the box set Love Serve Remember. In 1990, he launched Triloka Records, which established itself as a critical leader in the development of world music. For 17 years, Triloka was home to such artists as Krishna Das, Hugh Masekela, Walela, Jai Uttal and transformational media projects that featured Ram Dass, Deepak Chopra, and Les Nubians. Raghu lives in Ojai, California, and is the Executive Director of the Love Serve Remember Foundation. In 2016, he co-founded the Be Here Now Network, where he hosts the Ram Dass Here & Now podcast, as well as his own Mindrolling podcast. He is the producer of Becoming Nobody, a Ram Dass documentary feature film that was released in 2019. About Kelly Rego: Kelly Rego is an Integrated Marketing & Media Specialist. An Emerson College alumni, Kelly has over 15 years experience of facilitating projects into reality. She has worked as a Peace Corps Volunteer with women’s groups and dairy cooperatives in Costa Rica, a media strategist and buyer in New York City, and has produced a full-length documentary. Kelly is the Marketing Director for Ram Dass’s Love Serve Remember Foundation, as well as the project manager of Be Here Now Network, a podcast network dedicated to spirituality, mindfulness, and personal growth.

In loving memory of our dear friend, Dr. Robert Thurman, Dakota shares a recent interview with him in which they explore the bardos and the joyful wisdom of seeing all beings as a Buddha. You can help continue Dr. Thurman’s life’s work to preserve Tibetan culture. Visit Tibet House's website to learn more. In this insightful & heart-opening episode, Dakota and Robert Thurman explore: - How the Romans twisted the teachings of Jesus - Becoming Jesus and doing something really good ourselves - The connection between psychedelics and the bardos - The healing that comes after collapse - Adoring all things just as they are - Choosing love just as Ram Dass did - Feeling the spark of bliss and connection - Art as a spiritual practice - Taking responsibility for our next lives - Life-long learning as the highest spiritual practice “We have allowed the more heavily diluted people to take over and spread their misery over all of us. It will collapse, and we’ll heal them by taking away their power and letting them turn their attention to healing themselves.” —Dr. Robert Thurman About Dr. Robert Thurman: Robert Thurman (1941-2026) was an American Buddhist author and academic who wrote, edited, and translated many books on Tibetan Buddhism. He was the Je Tsongkhapa Professor of Indo-Tibetan Buddhist Studies at Columbia University, before retiring in June 2019. He held the first endowed chair in Buddhist Studies in the West. After education at Philips Exeter and Harvard, he studied Tibet and Tibetan Buddhism for almost thirty years as a personal student of His Holiness the Dalai Lama. He wrote both scholarly and popular books and lectured widely all over the world. As President of the American Institute for Buddhist Studies, he convened the First Inner Science Conference with His Holiness the Dalai Lama at Amherst College in 1984. He was also a founding trustee of Tibet House New York. Check out his most recent book Wisdom Is Bliss: Four Friendly Fun Facts That Can Change Your Life.

Help us celebrate 10 years of Be Here Now Network and support the next chapter of Ram Dass Here and Now. Gifts are matched dollar for dollar through June 30. Learn more and give at https://beherenownetwork.com/10years. Dismantling the illusion of separation, Alan Watts shares how recognizing our fundamental unity with the universe transforms the way we live, perceive, and prepare for death. This week on Being in the Way, Alan Watts lectures on: - Playing hide and seek with our true selves - How your body knows that you are one with the universe - Seeing things versus noticing things - The yoga of preparing for death - The partial view that the ego keeps us trapped in - The continuous energy of our bodies - Dissolving the distinction between voluntary and involuntary behavior - The transaction between the individual and the world This series is brought to you by the Alan Watts Organization and Ram Dass’ Love Serve Remember Foundation. “Doesn’t it really astonish you that you are this fantastically complex thing and that you’re doing all of this and you never had any education in how to do it? You never learned, but you’re this miracle. From a strictly physical, scientific standpoint, this organism is a continuous energy with everything else that’s going on. If I am my foot, I am the sun. Only, we’ve got this little partial view. We’ve got the idea that ‘I’m just something in this body’, the ego, that’s a joke.” –Alan Watts

The Buddha taught a path of awakened living, but how does that manifest in today’s world of constant connectivity and widespread suffering? How do we keep our hearts open without being defined or hardened by the pain that surrounds us, whether personal, collective, or historical? How do we navigate the paradox of holding both pain and joy, without mistaking suffering for punishment or personal failure? Can we infuse our compassion with wisdom and perspective to find the agency to take meaningful action in our communities? In her new series, Engaged Compassion, Sharon delves into these questions and more, engaging in candid conversations with a diverse group of teachers, activists, and changemakers. For the seventh episode in the series, Sharon’s speaks with teacher Geshe Lobsang Tenzin Negi, marking his first appearance on the Metta Hour. Geshe Lobsang Tenzin Negi, PhD, is the cofounder and director of the Emory-Tibet Partnership, a multi-dimensional initiative founded in 1998 to bring together the foremost contributions of the Western scholastic tradition and the Tibetan Buddhist sciences of mind and healing. He is also professor of practice in Emory University’s Department of Religion. In 2018, he launched, with the Dalai Lama, SEE Learning, a free compassion curriculum for children. Geshe Lobsang, a former monk, was born in Kinnaur, a small Himalayan kingdom adjoining Tibet. He began his monastic training at the Institute of Buddhist Dialectics and continued his education at Drepung Loseling Monastery in south India, where he received his Geshe Lharampa degree in 1994, the highest academic degree granted in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition. In this conversation, Geshe and Sharon speak about: • How Geshe grew up in the Himalayas • Becoming a monk at age 14 in 1974 • Geshe and Sharon’s first meeting • Center for Contemplative Science and Compassion-Based Ethics • Cognitively Based Compassion Training • What neuroscience says about compassion • Tania Singer’s research work • Richie Davidson’s discovery with neuroplasticity • The inner qualities that are actually skills • Putting compassion into real action • How discernment must guide compassion • Story of the starfish on the beach • How small acts of kindness affect others • Developing the inner disposition for kindness • Is compassion fatigue actually compassion? • The natural reciprocity of compassion • “Compassionomics” by Stephen Trzeciak • Why self-compassion is a struggle • Accepting the human condition • Drepung Loseling Monastery • H.H. Dalai Lama’s SEE Learning Program

Author Phil Goldberg explores the laws of karma as an educational tool for awakening rather than as a system of spiritual judgment. This week on Mindrolling, Phil and Raghu discuss: - The rise of karma in American pop culture - The Law of Karma by Dr. Robert Svoboda - Looking to science to understand the laws of karma - Exploring consciousness through The Secret of Secrets by Dan Brown - How the same action can produce different karmas depending on our states of mind - Every moment as the result of karma About Phil Goldberg: Philip Goldberg is the author or co-author of numerous books, including the award-winning American Veda: From Emerson and the Beatles to Yoga and Meditation, How Indian Spirituality Changed the World (2010); the definitive biography of Paramahansa Yogananda, The Life of Yogananda: The Story of the Yogi Who Became the First Modern Guru (2018); the timeless Spiritual Practice for Crazy Times: Powerful Tools to Cultivate Calm, Clarity, and Courage (2020); and his latest, Karmic Relief: Harnessing the Laws of Cause and Effect for a Joyful, Meaningful Life (2025). His numerous articles have appeared in publications ranging from the Los Angeles Times to Huffington Post to Spirituality & Health. As a public speaker and workshop leader, he has presented at leading venues online and in person. A spiritual counselor, meditation teacher, and ordained Interfaith Minister as well, he hosts the Spirit Matters podcast and writes substantive essays on his Substack, Practical Spirituality with Philip Goldberg. “The same action can produce different karma depending on the state of the mind of the person doing it and their intention. Someone can write a big check, but if they’re doing it to get their name on a plaque, it doesn’t have the same karmic impact as a humble person giving what they can without any hope of recognition or any ego.” –Phil Goldberg

Help us celebrate 10 years of Be Here Now Network and support the next chapter of Ram Dass Here and Now. Gifts are matched dollar for dollar through June 30. Learn more and give at https://beherenownetwork.com/10years. M.J. Schwartz explores how to meet perfectionism with mindfulness and heal the cultural messages that keep us striving for impossible standards. In this episode, David and M.J. chat about: - M.J.’s introduction to mindfulness and meditation - How mindfulness was incorporated into M.J.’s work as a doula and midwife - Learning how to wisely deal with perfectionism - Healthy striving versus tethering our identity to a certain result - How childhood parentification can lead to adult perfectionism - Other-oriented perfectionism and criticizing those who do not meet our expectations - Picking up perfectionism from the world around us - Perfectionism’s role in eating disorders and the obsession with body size in our culture - Synchronizing the mind and body “Other-oriented perfectionism goes hand in glove with self-oriented perfectionism. If a parent is hyper-perfectionistic, there is a chance that they are then very hard on their children.“ –M.J. Schwartz About M.J. Schwartz: M.J. Schwartz is the founder of Studio138 Family Yoga and Mindfulness. Having started practicing yoga and mindfulness at age twelve, M.J. is passionate about sharing these modalities with families of all stages and configurations. As a parent and grandparent themselves, they understand the nuances of a practice that evolves alongside life's many changes. M.J. holds a B.A. in psychology from Smith College, where they studied perfectionism with a leading researcher in the field, along with certifications in mindfulness, yoga, and Intuitive Eating. Before returning to school in midlife, they worked as a doula, childbirth educator, and midwife, and continue to teach pregnancy and postpartum classes that blend mindfulness with evidence-based information. Check out M.J. on Substack.

Help us celebrate 10 years of Be Here Now Network and support the next chapter of Ram Dass Here and Now. Gifts are matched dollar for dollar through June 30. Learn more and give at https://beherenownetwork.com/10years. Followed by spoken-word poetry from Dreaming Bear, Ram Dass and Uma Reed explore how the union of Bhakti and Vedanta leads to unchanging bliss and eternal awareness. Recorded in 2008 at Studio Maui, this mini-series features Ram Dass and guests from his satsang. Check out the first two episodes of this mini-series on episodes 245 and 255 of the Be Here Now Network's Guest Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9unzwX_nQ_8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B39siEQaQg8 In this episode, Uma Reed and Ram Dass share insights on: - Weaving together the paths of Bhakti and Vedanta - Connecting to our blissful nature and a joy that is unchanging - Ram Dass’s mushroom trip at Tim Leary’s house: seeing the roles vs. the soul - Stripping everything away until you are pure awareness and love - Spoken word with Dreaming Bear - Loving all of each other the way we love our beloved - Giving yourself permission to become wild and undomesticated About Uma Reed: Uma was first exposed to Hindu devotional chanting in the early 1970s, while studying meditation and spiritual practices with Ram Dass and various other teachers. Kirtan was a practice that touched her deeply, and as a devotee of Neem Karoli Baba, she often participated in kirtan gatherings with fellow devotees, as well as in other ashrams and spiritual communities. For years she held kirtan in her home, and for the past dozen years or so, she has led kirtan formally in yoga studios, spiritual centers, and retreat settings. She has taught workshops and led kirtan on numerous retreats and in satsang with Ram Dass and other spiritual teachers in the U.S. and abroad. About Dreaming Bear: Dreaming Bear is a master word-smith delivering his fervent message with extraordinary verbal dexterity and relevance. He's a nomadic bard, a hip mystic and modern-language Sufic style philosopher-poet. If you'd like to experience a living combination of Spaulding Gray, Rumi, Jack Kerouac, Robin Williams, Shel Silverstein, Michael Talbot and Thich Nhat Hanh, you owe it to yourself to see Dreaming Bear. The foundation for Dreaming Bear’s work as a transformational epic orator and poetic storyteller is deeply attuned to the natural world. His work as a university teacher/researcher was further defined by years spent living 'off the grid'. While in a deep communion with what the Hawaiians call the a'ina, or life force of the land, he began to take his artistry to a new level and developed many of the works that have proven to be inspiring to so many. Find out more about Nature’s Poet Laureate by reading a book of his poetry. “You will always exist. Isn’t that reassuring? You always exist.” –Ram Dass

With an anthropological perspective on psychedelics, Madison and Bia contrast healing as a cultural buzzword vs. an ongoing embodied process. Help us celebrate 10 years of Be Here Now Network and support the next chapter of Ram Dass Here and Now. Gifts are matched dollar for dollar through June 30. Learn more and give at https://beherenownetwork.com/10years. This time on Set & Setting, Madison and Bia discuss: - The anthropological study of cultural foundations - The commodification of indigenous plant medicines - Giving platforms to people of color, the indigenous, LGBTQ people, etc. - The transformation capacity of psychedelics - Spiritual voyeurism & the media culture in America - The constant process of revisiting our shadows - How everyone can be a social scientist - Healing as a private matter rather than a buzzword About Bia Labate, PhD: Dr. Bia Labate (Beatriz Caiuby Labate) is an anthropologist, educator, author, speaker, and activist, committed to the protection of sacred plants while amplifying the voices of marginalized communities in the psychedelic science field. As a queer Brazilian anthropologist based in San Francisco, she has been profoundly influenced by her experiences with ayahuasca since 1996. Dr. Labate has a Ph.D. in social anthropology from the University of Campinas (UNICAMP) in Brazil. Her work focuses on plant medicines, drug policy, shamanism, ritual, religion, and social justice. She is the Executive Director of the Chacruna Institute for Psychedelic Plant Medicines and serves as a Senior Advisor for Culture and Strategy at the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS). Additionally, she is a Visiting Scholar at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley and acts as advisor for around 15 organizations, among them the Veteran Mental Health Leadership Coalition, Soltara Healing Center, Sacred Plant Alliance and the Alaska Entheogenic Awareness Council. Dr. Labate is also a co-founder of the Interdisciplinary Group for Psychoactive Studies (NEIP) in Brazil and the editor of its site. She has authored, co-authored, and co-edited 29 books, three special-edition journals, and numerous peer-reviewed and online publications. “You have different ways to define what is disease, and therefore you have different ways to define what is healing. These plant medicines originate from cultures that have different founding paradigms to understand reality itself.” –Bia Labate

Beginning with reflections on global crises and personal difficulty, Jack reminds us that while suffering is inevitable, how we respond is what shapes our lives.

Help us celebrate 10 years of Be Here Now Network and support the next chapter of Ram Dass Here and Now. Gifts are matched dollar for dollar through June 30. Learn more and give at https://beherenownetwork.com/10years. ================ Through faith, meditation, and surrender to the divine, RamDev explores the art of resting in presence—embracing all of life, light and dark alike. This time on Healing at the Edge, RamDev chats about: Recognizing that presence is always there, whether the mind is calm or not How having faith in presence will actually quiet the mind A short guided meditation Seeing God in everything rather than trying to figure everything out Taking inspiration from Rumi and resting in the heart-cave Finding the space to be with what we feel, rather than wondering why we are feeling it Giving up our identity and story and being in presence itself Searching for an embodied sense of self which unites with The One Accepting both the dark and the light The poem Lovedogs by Rumi Living without resistance to the divine unfolding of reality About RamDev Dale Borglum: RamDev Dale Borglum founded and directed the Hanuman Foundation Dying Center in Santa Fe, New Mexico, the first residential facility in the United States to support conscious dying. He has been the Executive Director of the Living/Dying Project in Santa Fe and since 1986 in the San Francisco Bay Area. He is the co-author with Ram Dass, Daniel Goleman and Dwarka Bonner of Journey of Awakening: A Meditator’s Guidebook, Bantam Books and has taught meditation since 1974. RamDev offers lectures and workshops on meditation, healing, spiritual support for those with life-threatening illness, and caregiving as spiritual practice. He has a doctorate degree from Stanford University. RamDev’s passion is the healing of our individual and collective fear of death so that we may be free. Learn more about RamDev’s work via the Living/Dying Project and follow him on Facebook | Instagram | YouTube | TikTok. “We in the West tend to think of presence or God as something positive, pleasant, and enjoyable, and yet, it’s all presence. There is nothing that isn’t.” –RamDev

Listen to the original Here and Now radio show! In this episode of the Here and Now Podcast, Ram Dass takes to the airwaves in 1996 to try his hand at a medium he hopes will bring us together and help us hear our place in the dance. To help celebrate BHNN’s 10th Anniversary, we present this recording of the original Here and Now radio show from December 8, 1996. On a quiet Sunday morning, Ram Dass takes to the airwaves on KSRO in Northern California to hang out with people in a compassionate way. He talks about doing this show as a way to help us hear our place in the dance and become free. Ram Dass opens up the phone lines to take some calls. He answers questions about keeping our hearts open in the presence of suffering, the fleeting nature of life, polarization, and conscious dying. The calls continue to roll in. Ram Dass talks about setting aside judgment, living in hard-hearted times, passing values on to the next generation, right livelihood, and Timothy Leary’s death. He ends the show by answering a question about what advice he would give to children. “ I see this as a way in which we can figure out together how to live our lives consciously, with awareness, so that we can have our hearts open to one another, to one another as a species, one another across species, to the Earth itself—in fact, to the entire cosmos—so that we can hear our place in the dance. Our place in the dance.” – Ram Dass About Ram Dass: Ram Dass’s spirit has been a guiding light for generations, carrying millions along on the journey. Ram Dass teaches that through the Bhakti practice of unconditional love, we can all connect with our true nature. Through these teachings, Ram Dass has shared a little piece of his guru, Maharaj-ji, with all who have listened to him.

With humor and wisdom, Duncan Trussell shares how the ego can turn spirituality into another achievement, and why freedom comes from realizing there's nothing to prove. Help us celebrate 10 years of Be Here Now Network and support the next chapter of Ram Dass Here and Now. Gifts are matched dollar for dollar through June 30. Learn more and give at https://beherenownetwork.com/10years. This time on the BHNN Guest Podcast, Duncan chats about: - Lessons on spiritual materialism from Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche - Staying connected to everyday life while being spiritual - Transcendental common sense vs. getting puffed up in the ego - Staying connected to everyday life while being spiritual - The trouble with actively ignoring parts of ourselves - Reconciling higher consciousness with everyday affairs - Surrendering to all of it and becoming ‘normal’ again - Hyperfixating on suffering rather than the end of suffering About Duncan Trussell: Duncan Trussell is a stand-up comedian, podcaster, and actor. His popular podcast, The Duncan Trussell Family Hour, has been downloaded over 25 million times and is known for its blend of humor, fringe ideas, eclectic guests, and great interviews. The DTFH is the foundation for Duncan’s Netflix animated series, The Midnight Gospel, which he co-created with Pendleton Ward in 2020. To learn more about Duncan’s work, visit his website at duncantrussell.com. “It’s a very frustrating thing to our ego to imagine that you don’t have to do anything. You don’t have to learn Sanskrit, know about your chakras, have those scars on your arm from frog venom, do 90 ayahuasca retreats, go to the Ram Dass retreats, listen to Alan Watts lectures. You don’t have to do anything because you’re already there.” –Duncan Trussell About The Host, Jackie Dobrinska: Jackie Dobrinska is the Director of Education, Community & Inclusion for Ram Dass’ Love, Serve, Remember Foundation and the current host of Ram Dass’ Here & Now podcast. She is also a teacher, coach, and spiritual director with the privilege of marrying two decades of mystical studies with 15 years of expertise in holistic wellness. As an inter-spiritual minister, Jackie was ordained in Creation Spirituality in 2016 and has also studied extensively in several other lineages – the plant-medicine-based Pachakuti Mesa Tradition, Sri Vidya Tantra, Western European Shamanism, Christian Mysticism, the Wise Woman Tradition, and others. Today, in addition to building courses and community for LSRF, she leads workshops and coaches individuals to discover, nourish and live from their most authentic selves.

Old friends RamDev and Raghu revisit memories of Maharaj-ji as they explore the wisdom of holding both joy and sorrow in the awakened heart. Help us celebrate 10 years of Be Here Now Network and support the next chapter of Ram Dass Here and Now. Gifts are matched dollar for dollar through June 30. Learn more and give at https://beherenownetwork.com/10years. In this episode, Raghu and RamDev have a conversation on: - Memories with Maharaj-ji from Allahabad (now Prayagraj), India - The Tibetan Buddhist concept of Rigpa (the awakened mind) - K.C. Tewari’s constant mindfulness and advanced yogic state - Honoring the religion of our roots as we explore spirituality - Compassion: keeping your heart open when there is suffering - Tantric Buddhism and empowerment - Holding both joy and sadness at the same time - Shifting from the cerebral to embodied mindfulness practice - ‘Minding the gap’ between thoughts and the breath About RamDev: RamDev Dale Borglum is the founder and Executive Director of The Living/Dying Project. He is a pioneer in the conscious dying movement and has worked directly with thousands of people with life-threatening illness and their families for over 30 years. In 1981, Dale founded the first residential facility for people who wished to die consciously in the United States, The Dying Center. He has taught and lectured extensively on the topics of spiritual support for those with life-threatening illness, on caregiving as a spiritual practice, and on healing at the edge, the edge of illness, of death, of loss, of crisis. Check out RamDev’s podcast, Healing at the Edge, on the Be Here Now Network. “He’s looking at this picture, and the feeling started getting so thick. Some tears started coming down Maharaj-ji’s cheeks. The feeling was that he was remembering the moment when Ram embraced Hanuman. All the people in the front began weeping; there was so much love.”–RamDev

Joseph Goldstein investigates the not-so-obvious delight of seeing our own arrogance (Māna), and the balance of knowing ultimate truth while living with a functional sense of “I.” Help us celebrate 10 years of Be Here Now Network and support the next chapter of Ram Dass Here and Now. Gifts are matched dollar for dollar through June 30. Learn more and give at https://beherenownetwork.com/10years This episode is the 2nd part of a 3-part series. It was originally published on Dharmaseed and recorded at the Barre Center for Buddhist Studies, a non-profit organization founded by renowned meditation teachers Joseph Goldstein and Sharon Salzberg to integrate Buddhist study and practice. To start at the beginning, check out Ep. 261 – Gradual Cultivation in Buddhist Practice here on YouTube: https://youtu.be/F0S9vDHFl_c In this episode of the Insight Hour podcast, Joseph Goldstein discusses: - Realizing the truth of non-self while still having an underlying feeling of ‘I am” - The Buddhist concept of Māna, which can be translated as "pride", "arrogance", or "conceit" - Our tendency to project the past into the future - Recognizing Māna for what it is and letting the thoughts dissolve - How the residue of ‘I’ and ‘self’ can fall away during practice - Engaging the self just enough to live in the relative world “These days, I am totally delighted when I see Māna arise in my mind…one of the reasons I am delighted is that I would much rather see it than not see it to recognize 'that’s Māna', instead of not recognizing it and being caught up and identified with that pattern. Just the seeing of it is freeing.” –Joseph Goldstein

The Buddha taught a path of awakened living, but how does that manifest in today’s world of constant connectivity and widespread suffering? How do we keep our hearts open without being defined or hardened by the pain that surrounds us, whether personal, collective, or historical? How do we navigate the paradox of holding both pain and joy without mistaking suffering for punishment or personal failure? Can we infuse our compassion with wisdom and perspective to find the agency to take meaningful action in our communities? In her new series, Engaged Compassion, Sharon delves into these questions and more, engaging in candid conversations with a diverse group of teachers, activists, and changemakers. For the sixth episode in the series, Sharon’s speaks with teacher and change-maker Reggie Hubbard, marking his third appearance on the Metta Hour. Reggie is an internationally recognized yoga and meditation teacher and the founder and chief serving officer of Active Peace Yoga. Reggie's yoga and meditation practice have served as a sanctuary of peace and perspective while navigating the stresses of being a Black man in the world. He has been a featured speaker on new consciousness, racial justice, and civic engagement for leading wellness publications. In addition, Reggie has held many senior strategic and logistical roles across a variety of fields, ranging from global marketing to Presidential campaigning. His life's work sits at the intersection of bringing more peace and balance to activists, guiding the wellness community toward being more engaged, concerned citizens, and enhancing the well-being of all walks of life. In this conversation, Reggie and Sharon speak about: • Democracy as call and response • Re-imagining our current circumstance • What Reggie learned from his stroke • The ability to hope is crucial • Wisdom from Joanna Macy • External circumstance is not the end of the story • How spiritual life informs activism • There is no harvest without planting seeds • Reggie’s healing retreats for Men of Color • The challenges men face from patriarchy • Tending and mending grief • The importance of not-being-okay • Compassion versus the rising tides of hatred • “Love’s in need of love today” - Stevie Wonder • Why extend goodwill to those who harm us? • Compassion doesn’t dictate certain actions • Impermanence as a hope in dark times • What sphere of influence can you impact? • Joy as a radical act of self-care • There must be dancing in the revolution • Finding peace amidst extreme challenges

Help us celebrate 10 years of Be Here Now Network and support the next chapter of Ram Dass Here and Now. Gifts are matched dollar for dollar through June 30. Learn more and give at: BHNN 10th Birthday Fundraiser: https://beherenownetwork.com/10years Joseph Goldstein, along with Noah & Raghu Markus, discuss how to maintain a balance of compassion and equanimity for a more peaceful life. This time on Mindrolling, Joseph, Noah, and Raghu explore: - The podcast 10% Happier with Dan Harris - Buddhist philosophy on relative truth vs. ultimate truth - Feeling the body as an energy field of changing sensations rather than something solid - How one can tend the heart in troubled times - The manifestations of reactivity that make the heart retract - Seeing our reality as a blip in cosmic time - Inspiring awe through nature as a way to open and soften the heart - The book Fall of Civilizations by Paul Cooper - Balancing the qualities of compassion and equanimity - Investigating the phenomena of thinking rather than the content of a thought - Lessons on direct experience from the Bāhiya Sutta About Joseph Goldstein: Joseph Goldstein has been leading insight and loving-kindness meditation retreats worldwide since 1974. He is a co-founder of the Insight Meditation Society in Barre, Massachusetts, where he is one of the organization’s guiding teachers. In 1989, together with several other teachers and students of insight meditation, he helped establish the Barre Center for Buddhist Studies. “At those times, you’re stronger on the compassion side and less strong on the equanimity side. When you see that, that can be a good reminder: ‘Oh yeah, this is what’s happening; I need to go out and look at the stars’. We need both. Either one by itself can tend to states that may not be that helpful.” –Joseph Goldstein About Noah Markus: Noah Markus is a content curator & archivist for Love Serve Remember Foundation. He spends his time curating Ram Dass content for podcasts, courses, and much more.

Help us celebrate 10 years of Be Here Now Network and support the next chapter of Ram Dass Here and Now. Gifts are matched dollar for dollar through June 30. Learn more and give at https://beherenownetwork.com/10years. This time on The Four Sacred Gifts podcast, Community organizer Britt Gondolfi joins Anita to explore the impact of knowing your roots, embracing your story, and becoming a force for good. Anita and Britt explore: - What it means to understand the self and the shame we carry with us - The importance of tracing where you come from - Connecting to our ancestors in dream life and waking life - Taking responsibility for the care of ecosystems - The beauty of being in community with people who want to do something good - Navigating conflict through love - Going to court on behalf of our environment About Britt Gondolfi: Britt Gondolfi, born and raised in Southeast Louisiana, is a children’s book author, community organizer, and mother. Since 2017, Britt has worked with the Bioneers Intercultural Conversation Program, facilitating programming for students from Atlanta, Bogalusa, and Houma. While in law school, Britt supported the Bioneers Rights of Nature initiative by researching the intersection of tribal sovereignty and Federal Indian law, facilitating workshops on the Rights of Nature at the Ho-Chunk and Mashpee Wampanoag nations. She recently took a stand for women’s rights, running a fierce campaign for State Senate in Louisiana. Her first Children’s book, “Look Up! Fontaine the Pigeon Starts a Revolution,” is a hilarious social commentary on digital distraction and Nature’s fight to save us from ourselves. “I have to recognize that all of that historical memory lives in me, and within this body and lifetime. How do I alchemize the lessons of all of my ancestors? ” – Britt Gondolfi

Exploring the factors of enlightenment, Vipassana teacher Trudy Goodman offers listeners ‘the good news’ of Buddhist Practice.

In the second half of this powerful wartime talk, Jack Kornfield guides us through the practice of lovingkindness and explores what it means to stay open-hearted in the face of exhaustion, grief, and overwhelm.

Krishna Das reflects on Maharaj-ji’s teaching that all names, forms, and journeys lead to the same truth.

With both insight and vulnerability, Author Annette Knopp explores how our earliest attachment experiences shape the way we love, relate, and walk in this world. In this episode, David and Annette chat about: - Connecting to our own personal experiences within a creative process - The intersection of healing and liberation - Annette’s journey through complex post-traumatic stress disorder - How our unhealed parental projections create issues within our relationships - Attachment trauma and somatic healing work - How our psychological blueprint begins as early as the womb - The theory of being a ‘good enough’ parent 30% of the time - Offering repair and having a baseline of secure attachment - Working with our unmet needs through awareness and observation - Looking at the message (imprint) rather than the messenger (trigger) - The motherly presence that is within the path of healing Join Dharma Moon’s for their 100-hour course on teaching mindfulness meditation or for a course on meditation and embodied wisdom About Annette Knopp: Annette Knopp is the author of Mystic Nomad: A Woman's Wild Journey to True Connection and co-founder of Blue Spirit Retreat Center in Costa Rica. A meditation teacher, somatic educator, and nature mystic rooted in 30 years of personal contemplative practice, she weaves Indo-Tibetan meditation, Andean earth-based practices, and modern Western approaches to trauma resolution into transformative teaching and mentorship. Her work bridges ancient wisdom and contemporary healing in service of human dignity, wholeness, and embodied connection. Grab a copy of Annette’s book, Mystic Nomad: A Woman's Wild Journey to True Connection, or join her in Costa Rica for an upcoming retreat.

What does it mean to see psychedelics as tools or guides instead of solutions? Dakota and his guest, Your Mate Tom, look at how transpersonal experiences provide insight yet still require real-world integration, self-work, and spiritual practice to fully embody. If Dakota’s perspective resonates with you, you’ll enjoy Tom’s documentaries, vlogs, and in-depth interviews that explore psychedelics, personal transformation, and the world at large through a different lens. Explore this topic further over on the ‘​​Your Mate Tom’ YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@yourmatetom (Sorry folks, no extended interview this week. All the goodness is packed into this episode!) This time on The Flower Heads Show: What can be learned from spending time with shamans The pharmacy of the Amazon jungle How Bhavani Baba helped Dakota direct the wisdom of Sapo to the right place How psychedelics give us a hall pass to accept our power Putting what psychedelics show us into practice Loving yourself first and treating your mind, body, and heart well A chat with Dakota and YouTuber ‘Your Mate Tom’ while in India Wisdom and unconventional teachings from Neem Karoli Baba The basic yet profound practice of feeding people and chanting the name of God About Dakota Wint: Dakota Wint is a documentary filmmaker, vlogger, podcast host, and spiritual teacher from Detroit, Michigan. His films and podcasts revolve around current events, strange spirituality, and taboo traditions. You can subscribe to his podcast, A Place for Humans, HERE. Dakota grew to fame as an internet personality via his popular YouTube channel, Dakota of Earth. Dakota hosts retreats around the world and runs a non-profit focused on cultural and language preservation. Learn more about current happenings on his website. “The sapo (toad) works. The psychedelics work. But we have to look at where they’re pointing and not confuse the light within the substance itself with what it shows us. It is a spotlight saying, ‘Hey, look over here.’” — Dakota Wint

Author and speaker Eric Zimmer shares how committing to small, sustainable habits transformed his life—moving him from addiction and homelessness to integrity and meaning.

Atheist spiritual director Britt Hartley explores climbing out of the void and building a life that is worth experiencing rather than focusing on what comes next.

While offering a guided meditation, Gil Fronsdal traces the movement between knowing, feeling, and relaxing in our practice.

From her research into female spiritual role models, Writer Erica Bassani joins Raghu to discuss her new book which offers an exploration of faith, practice, and feminine power.

Middle Eastern Medicine Musician Yehoo Shalem frames life as a psychedelic experience, tracing how sound, prayer, and mindfulness can create intimacy with the divine.

Embracing the ever-changing nature of identity, queer somatic experiencing practitioner Coral Short discusses Buddhism’s place in polyamory, trans-embodiment, and more.

In this deeply moving talk offered to those living through war in Ukraine, Jack Kornfield reminds us that even in the most difficult conditions, the human heart has the capacity to remain open, compassionate, and free.

In this 1980 talk, Ram Dass explores how we aren’t who we think we are and leads a meditative experience to help us quiet down enough to become statements of the universe's wisdom.   This episode of Here and Now is from a retreat at the Embassy Auditorium in Los Angeles in 1980. Check back soon for the second half of this talk. In the City of Angels, Ram Dass wonders what he might say to a gathering of angels. He talks about how we aren’t who we think we are and accepting our humanity in order to fully awaken. Ram Dass reads a story to help us understand how we can listen clearly to another human being. He explores how our desires color everything we see, and how we can break identification with them.  Ram Dass talks about how the guru is like a pure mirror that lets us see who we truly are. He leads a meditative experience to help us quiet down enough to become statements of the wisdom of the universe. “If everything in your life had come out the way you expected it to, your life wouldn’t be nearly as interesting as it’s turned out to be, would it?” – Ram Dass

Joseph Goldstein explores gradual cultivation, highlighting that even if we are suddenly awakened, we still must have an ongoing practice to work with hindrances and ingrained habits. This week on Insight Hour, Joseph Goldstein discusses: - The areas of life where clinging shows up most - How clinging to sensory pleasures is so embedded in our culture - Lightening up for enlightenment and not taking ourselves so seriously - How a sense of humor can benefit our practice - Unhelpful attachment to view and opinion - The unity of clarity and emptiness (self-existing wakefulness) - The Buddhist meaning of unborn/unformed - Uprooting of the view of self with the understanding that there is still more work to do - Having an ongoing, gradual cultivation of skillful means This episode was originally published on Dharmaseed and recorded at the Barre Center for Buddhist Studies, a non-profit organization founded by renowned meditation teachers Joseph Goldstein and Sharon Salzberg to integrate Buddhist study and practice. “Very often, people can have genuine realization and have a really deep understanding, and then get attached to that as if everything is done. So very often these folks can get engaged in skillful behavior, thinking it’s all coming from their deep realization, it’s really coming from all the work that still needs to be done.” –Joseph Goldstein

Moving beyond the imagined boundary of form, Alan Watts explores the idea that humanity is a microcosm of the universe and that the two are inseparable. This time on Being in the Way, Alan Watts discusses: - Considering whether being part of a whole means that we are the whole - The radial structure of humanity, Earth, and all beings - Recognizing that skin is not the boundary of man - How foreign the inner workings of the human body seem to humanness - The nature of the mind, likened to the nature of space - The illusion of an individual operating from himself - Blending together materialism and mysticism, not getting too stuck in one or the other This series is brought to you by the Alan Watts Organization and Ram Dass’ Love Serve Remember Foundation. “Any other way of looking at things is kind of schizoid. It looks at human beings as if they arrived in this world like a bunch of birds on the branches of a barren tree. They just got settled there, they don’t belong, a sense of being strangers and pilgrims from another domain altogether. Well, where is this other domain, and how does it relate to this one?” –Alan Watts