Ep. 306 – Our Place in the Dance

Listen to the original Here and Now radio show! 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.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.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.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.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.“ 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 DassSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In the conclusion of this classic talk, Ram Dass explores giving up our rushes, working with death, not judging the trip, using a relationship to awaken, 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. Give here: BHNN 10th Birthday FundraiserRam 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 a retreat at the Embassy Auditorium in Los Angeles in 1980. Don’t miss the first part of this talk: Ep. 304 – The Wisdom of the Universe.Ram Dass begins by talking about how hard it can be to give up the rushes of life; it’s painful when the melodrama isn’t captivating anymore. He dives into his work with death and dying, reading “A Letter to Rachel.” Ram Dass transitions into an exploration of using a relationship to awaken. He says that when we want to become who we truly are badly enough, there’s no way not to use everything in our lives as a vehicle for awakening, including our relationships.As the talk draws to a close, Ram Dass reminds us that the basic social institution is the human heart. He tells us not to underestimate the power of giving ourselves the space to deepen our beings.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.“If you are using a relationship to awaken, everything that your partner does is what they do, and that’s part of the humanness of the situation. And don’t deny the humanness. And don’t get lost in it.” – Ram DassSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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.  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.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 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.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.“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 DassSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Ram Dass explores how understanding the wheels of birth and death helps us appreciate the preciousness of our incarnation.   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.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 a retreat in Chappell Hill, Texas, in September of 1980. As an introduction to this talk on death, Ram Dass reads from William Buck’s version of the Ramayana. He begins to share what he has learned about death through a combination of his life experiences, study, and his guru. Ram Dass talks about the process of dying and advises us that the best preparation for death is to live in the moment. He says that if we know someone who has died, we can still talk with them and help guide them through any confusion they might have.Understanding the wheels of birth and death allows us to appreciate the preciousness of our incarnation. Ram Dass shares stories of his work with dying people and how it’s the highest thing he does in life. He says that death is just another moment of a continuous dance of illusion.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.“The most exciting adventure of life is dying. You might as well enjoy it.” – Ram DassSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this exploration of the practice of karma yoga, Ram Dass talks about the sweetness of service and how the mystery of the universe is in the precise action of the moment.  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 a retreat at the Lama Foundation in July of 1986. After priming us with a quote from the poet Kabir, Ram Dass explores the bhakti component of the yoga of service. It is the practice of seeing the Beloved everywhere. He talks about allowing time in our lives to process what’s going on and come back to center. Ram Dass continues to speak about the nature of karma yoga, saying the mystery of the universe is in the precise action of the moment. He talks about burnout and knowing our limits, and advises us to read about Hanuman.Using the example of caring for his aging father, Ram Dass shows us the sweetness of service. Service can be a vehicle for us to lighten, loosen, let go, open, allow, and appreciate.Love Serve Remember Foundation’s new course, Many Paths, One Mountain: Practices for Living with Awareness and Heart, is running now. Join us to explore a variety of spiritual practices, including karma yoga and service.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. 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.“It gets to be so sweet to meet people through service that finally all you can express is your appreciation to them for allowing you to serve them.” – Ram DassSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Ram Dass explores the process of listening and tuning that takes place on the spiritual journey as we find the practices that align with our unique karmic predicaments.  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.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 a workshop at the Lama Foundation in July of 1982. Outside in the mountains of New Mexico, Ram Dass speaks about the process of listening and tuning to hear the unique predicament of our spiritual journey. The quieter we get, the more we can hear which spiritual practice is the right one for us in the moment.Ram Dass talks about appreciating how all methods are traps. There is an excitement and joy in finding a method that’s harmonious with our being, and a sadness when that method self-ejects. He focuses on the practice of karma yoga and his own pattern of going out into the world, and then retreating for a period of time.To listen and tune, we must be willing to let go of our models. There must be a quietness of mind. To illustrate this point, Ram Dass reads a story about the Dalai Lama’s personal physician, Yeshi Dhonden. He closes the talk by saying, “All of these methods are, indeed, methods of purification, methods to prepare you as an instrument to hear so that your actions are in harmony with the way of things.”Dig even deeper into the world of spiritual practices with Love Serve Remember Foundation’s new course, Many Paths, One Mountain: Practices for Living with Awareness and Heart. Join us for 10 days of meditation, mindfulness, chanting, and devotion beginning on Monday, April 13. “You can’t grab. You can only listen and tune, and listen and tune, and listen and tune. And in the process of listening and tuning, you keep hearing many, many guides and instructions.” – Ram DassSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Take flight with Ram Dass as he shares stories about love, power, and the very subtle teachings of his guru, Maharaj-ji.  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 summer of 1979. Ram Dass begins with a series of brief stories about his guru, Maharaj-ji, and the very subtle ways he transmitted his teachings. Listen for the little levels at play within each story.Ram Dass asks, “Whose karma is it to have intervention by a guru?” He talks about the guru’s grace, the problem with writing a book about Maharaj-ji, and learning to trust the heart.Ram Dass shares more stories from his time in India, including one about a mantra that enabled him to fly on another plane of reality. But Maharaj-ji’s basic teaching was not about power; it was about love and listening to the heart.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.“And yet, for all the power things that Maharaj-ji did, the basic teaching was not power. The basic teaching was love. There was a quality in which you were bathed in presence, in which all you could feel was love. That’s all there was.” – Ram DassSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Ram Dass answers questions about spirituality and money, being indecisive, ego trips, listening for your unique manifestation in life, and more. 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 comes from a Q&A session with the “unique manifestation” group at a retreat in 1989.The first question is about whether it’s possible to grow spiritually and be financially prosperous. Ram Dass talks about playing with our desires and our attachments to worldly things.Next up are questions around listening for your unique manifestation in life, how to tell if you’re on an ego trip, and finding your next stage of purpose. Ram Dass tells a story about his “Eight-Fold Bath of the Upper Middle Way”.The next question is about whether being indecisive can be part of your unique manifestation. We end by revisiting the first question about spirituality and money. In this society, we’re all up to our eyeballs in desire systems.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.“You have to be ready to know that what you hear at one moment about unique manifestation is gonna constantly be changing and changing and changing. And you’ve gotta be listening afresh all the time. You’re listening for a unique manifestation, meaning that form of expression that will be… it’s the confluence between your karma and your dharma.” – Ram DassSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Ram Dass explores living in times of great change, the cost of individuality to our compassionate hearts, and the importance of building and being part of the web of human caring.  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 the conclusion of Ram Dass’ lecture in St. Louis, Missouri, on February 27th, 1992. Listen to Here and Now Ep. 297 for the first part of this talk.  Ram Dass begins by laying out the societal changes taking place from his vantage point in the 90s, and how people get reactive and frightened by change. In order to hear our predicament, we must quiet down enough to be able to listen clearly.Ram Dass talks about the cost of individuality to our compassionate, human hearts. He explores how we can set boundaries and learn to say no without closing our hearts, and how we can take any situation and turn it into karma yoga.Ram Dass speaks to how we can honor individual differences without being trapped by them. Being caught in our separateness cuts us off from the community of fellow beings, but it is possible to build the web of human caring and be part of it. We can be at peace in the midst of great change.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.“To recognize fully that we have cut ourselves off from our spiritual lifeblood by cutting ourselves off from the community of fellow being, because our mind has caught us in our separateness, and therefore, reaching out to create community. Through helping, through loving, through sharing, through acknowledging family, through whatever. Build the network or the web of human caring and be part of it.” – Ram DassSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Ram Dass explores how the process of karma yoga is about cultivating a spiritual perspective that allows us to see any situation on multiple planes simultaneously.  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 is also brought to you by Strawberry Moons Media. Strawberry Moons Media is a collection of new YouTube channels that blends dharma-focused education and entertainment for all ages. Be sure to check out and subscribe to Strawberry Moons Media on YouTube. You can also visit their website at strawberrymoonsmedia.com. This episode of Here and Now is from the first part of a Ram Dass lecture in St. Louis, Missouri, on February 27th, 1992. Check back soon for the conclusion of this talk.  Ram Dass begins by talking about how the primary practice in his life is karma yoga, using the stuff of life as a route to liberation. The process of karma yoga is about cultivating a context, or a spiritual perspective, to see any situation on more than one plane simultaneously.Ram Dass discusses how fear is rooted in getting caught in one plane of reality and how we need to find a balance between separateness and unity. He explores some of the immense changes taking place in the 90s, including ecological destruction and economic disparity. We can either respond to the change and the chaos with fear, or we can respond to it as an opportunity to awaken. Ram Dass talks about the roller coaster ride that is living in the Kali Yuga, and how working with death and dying helps him respond to times of change with great appreciation. 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.“At that point, when you see that your next curriculum is honoring what is in your incarnation, so that you end up honoring it as relatively real. You do your dharma, you do your part, you play your part in it. And yet, at that same moment, there is absolute equanimity in you about it. What is required in the process of karma yoga is cultivating a context. And that's what’s called a spiritual perspective… It’s a context so that you see any situation on more than one plane simultaneously.” – Ram DassSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.