Mindrolling with Raghu Markus

Discussing her new book, Ordinary Mysticism, Mirabai Starr breaks free from religious institutions and shares heart-opening mystical wisdom.

Mirabai’s upcoming book, Ordinary Mysticism: Your Life as Sacred Ground, will be released in September 2024. Preorder your copy HERE!

This time on Mindrolling, Mirabai and Raghu converse about: 

• How beginner’s mind and humility help us cope with the world
• Our capacity to feel the pain of the world as our superpower
• The dark night of the soul and Saint John of the Cross
• Mirabai’s loss of her daughter and the transformational power of suffering
• The broken, open heart and expanding our heart to contain grief and reality
• Being with ‘what is’ – as an act of devotion and love
• Religious ‘polyamory’ and intimate encounters with numerous spiritual traditions
• Mirabai’s baptism and dedication to peace in the Middle East
• Why mystical experiences do not need to happen in the container of religion

About Mirabai Starr:

Mirabai Starr is an award-winning author of creative non-fiction and contemporary translations of sacred literature. She taught Philosophy and World Religions at the University of New Mexico-Taos for 20 years and now teaches and speaks internationally on contemplative practice and inter-spiritual dialogue. A certified bereavement counselor, Mirabai helps mourners harness the transformational power of loss. Check out her many books and learn more at MirabaiStarr.com.

“Often, organized institutionalized religious spaces and belief systems (this is my belief) can be an obstacle, an impediment to an actual mystical experience, if by mystical experience we mean an experience of intimacy with the sacred as love.” – Mirabai Starr

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Author and artist Scott Snibbe visits Mindrolling to teach listeners how to train the mind for long-lasting happiness.

Get your copy of Scott’s book, How to Train a Happy Mind: A Skeptic’s Path to Enlightenment, HERE.

This week on Mindrolling, Scott and Raghu discuss: 

• How being in tune with reality leads to happiness
• Scott’s childhood and sensing the feeling of infinity
• Selfishness/self-centeredness as an antagonist to joy
• Happiness through cherishing others
• Analytical meditation and filling your mind
• Remembering how precious every day is
• Stabilizing the mind through meditation to be less reactive
• Connecting with ourselves first thing in the morning
• How cell phones externally define our world and lead to unhappiness
• Looking at who we are beneath our thoughts, feelings, and personality
• Small shifts in our daily lives such as smiling
• Embodying human rights in our thoughts and behavior

About Scott Snibbe:

Scott Snibbe is an interactive media artist, author, entrepreneur, and meditation instructor who hosts the Skeptic’s Path to Enlightenment meditation podcast. His first book, How to Train a Happy Mind, was released in 2024. Keep up with Scott on his website.

“The Buddhist view on happiness is really the reality view on happiness. The better word might be satisfaction, contentment, or well-being. It is not the temporary things like having an ice-cream cone, or a nice walk, or someone kiss-you, which are all lovely. That’s a pleasure. It doesn’t last. Happiness really can be long-lasting.” – Scott Snibbe

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Jamie Kilstein returns to the Mindrolling Podcast!

In this episode, Jamie speaks with Raghu about finding an appreciation for all faiths and shares how exploring different religions led him to Jesus.

Jamie and Raghu talk about: 

• Oppression within organized religion
• Jamie’s experience with psychedelics and Ram Dass
• Zen as the atheism of religion
• Maharaj-ji and incorporating multiple religions
• How music connects us to religion
• Being led to Jesus Christ
• The importance of Sangha and connecting to the community
• Seeing the beauty in all faiths rather than being restrictive
• How Jesus set us free for freedom

Recommendation from this episode: Jazz Musician Bill Evans

About Jamie Kilstein:

Jamie Alexander Kilstein is an American writer, radio host, and stand-up comic. He hosts the podcast, Trauma Bonding, with his wife Alex. Keep up with Jamie on his Instagram or on his website.

“I think you find the right spiritual group or people who can connect with you and can laugh so hard that you can feel God, people who can hold you accountable, that is really important with spirituality.” – Jamie Kilstein

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Author and Medium Paul Selig shares transformational wisdom from divine messengers and chats with Raghu about what our world could be like.

Paul’s third book in The Manifestation Trilogy, A World Made New, will be out in September 2024. Preorder HERE!

This week on Mindrolling, Paul and Raghu converse about: 

• Paul’s journey of becoming and the split between the perceived self and the real self
• Working with energy and understanding phenomena
• Divine guides and how they present to Paul
• Paul’s connection to Ram Dass and his vision of the Ram Dass house in Hawaii
• Mediumship and sensing Ram Dass and Maharaj-ji in the spirit realm
• Identity and the structure of reality
• Knowing the divine self and aligning with it as a demonstration of our true nature
• Channeling messages from the divine

About Paul Selig:

Paul Selig is an author and medium who is considered to be one of the foremost spiritual channels working today. In his breakthrough works of channeled literature, Selig has recorded an extraordinary program for personal and planetary evolution as humankind awakens to its own divine nature. Paul offers channeled workshops internationally and serves on the faculty of The Omega Institute, The Kripalu Center and the Esalen Institute. Also a noted educator, he served on the faculty of NYU for over 25 years and directed the MFA in Creative Writing Program at Goddard College. He lives in Maui where he maintains a private practice as an intuitive and conducts frequent live-stream seminars. Check out Paul’s numerous books HERE and preorder your copy of the upcoming A World Made New, Paul’s third book in The Manifestation Trilogy.

“Who you put in darkness calls you to that darkness. It’s all co-residence. So, if you can see the divine in someone or something you’re actually lifting it. They say what you bless blesses you in return.” – Paul Selig

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Writer and meditation teacher, Henry Shukman, joins Raghu to discuss his forthcoming book, Original Love, and how love is the true foundation of our life.

In this episode of Mindrolling, Henry and Raghu journey through: 

• Henry’s background, travels, and witnessing joy among those without materialistic riches
• Recognizing how we are a part of everything in the universe
• How meditation helped Henry stop limping through life
• Transcendental meditation and being religious about our practice
• Acknowledging our suppressed emotions and working through them with the help of therapy
• Henry’s time as a trombonist in London calypso bands
• Taking on an altruistic perspective to improve your life
• How meditation does so much more than mitigate stress
• The early Buddhist view of mindfulness
• Interrupting our constant mental commentary by focusing on bodily sensations
• The experiential reality of unity, emptiness, and boundlessness
• Breaking open our hearts through any religion or experience
• Tapping into unconditional love for ourselves and others

About Henry Shukman:

Henry Shukman is an English meditation teacher, Zen master, poet and author. Shukman teaches mindfulness and awakening practices. To learn more about his offerings, check out his website HERE. Shukman’s new book, Original Love, is coming out on July 9th and can be ordered HERE.

Check out The Way app for guided meditations from Henry Shukman

“Each of us is that very jewel that’s a boundless, loving oneness. We don’t need to be some sort of special person to find it.” – Henry Shukman

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Activist and mountaineer, Wasfia Nazreen, has an expansive talk with Raghu about her trek up the K2 peak and finding inner strength.

This time on Mindrolling, Wasfia and Raghu explore: 

• Connecting to Mother Earth
• How abandonment taught Wasfia that education was her pathway to freedom
• How moving to Georgia gave Wasfia a deep connection to the culture of the American South
• The Tonglen meditation technique and taking away the pain of others
• How Wasfia was magnetized to Tibetan Buddhism
• Wasfia’s journeys as a mountain climber and the healing power of climbing
• Revering mountains as the home of Gods and Goddesses
• Dead Zones and trekking up dangerous summits
• Wasfia’s connection to the Dalai Lama and Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche

About Wasfia Nazreen:

Wasfia Nazreen is best known for being the only Bangladeshi and first Bengali in the world to climb the Seven Summits, the highest mountains of every continent. She is also the only woman to hold the simultaneous titles of National Geographic Explorer & Adventurer. An outspoken activist since her late teens, her passion has always been driven by causes close to her heart. A human-rights activist, an environmentalist, a writer, educator, pilot, and producer – Wasfia wears many hats, all of which are grounded in strong foundations of meditation and self-realization practices. Learn more about her and follow her many adventures on her website, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter

“Ultimately, we are our own teachers, we are our own gurus, and we’re all here on our own individual karmic path, and what are we doing with it?” – Wasfia Nazreen

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OG Mindroller David Silver reunites with Raghu to discuss the themes of consciousness and spirituality that lie at the heart of Hermann Hesse's literary work.

This week on Mindrolling, David Silver connects with Raghu over: 

• Inspiration from Hermann Hesse
• The book Siddhartha and embarking on a spiritual search
• Descents into decadence and an attachment to the material world
• Embracing everything that is in front of us
• Comparing lessons from Ram Dass and Hermann Hesse
• The inevitability of suffering
• How World War II likely influenced Hesse’s understanding of suffering and isolation
• Living on more than one plane of consciousness
• The book Steppenwolf and Carl Jung’s conceptualization of the shadow
• Fear and owning up to ourselves
• Raghu’s experience at the Garchen Buddhist Institute
• The problem with media and accessing constant information
• Assuming an altruistic perspective

Learn more about Herman Hesse HERE and check out The Marginalian HERE

About David Silver:

David Silver is the former co-host of the Mindrolling podcast. He is a filmmaker and director, most recently coming out with Brilliant Disguise. Brilliant Disguise tells the unique story of a group of inspired Western spiritual seekers from the 60s, who in meeting the great American teacher, Ram Dass, followed him to India to meet his Guru, Neem Karoli Baba, familiarly known as Maharaji. Two days before he left his body, Maharaji instructed K.C. Tewari to take care of the Westerners, which he did resolutely until the day he died in 1997. K.C. Tewari—in the guise of a headmaster of a boys school in the foothills of the Himalayas—was secretly a High Yogi, frequently able to go into altered states of trance, known as Samadhi, at any moment.

“Hesse’s novels created for me a world that I aspired to but didn’t understand in any way at that time, in the sixties. It just fitted in with the flashes of wisdom that would come with an acid trip.” – David Silver

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Discussing her memoir, Lotus Girl, Helen Tworkov and Raghu talk about spiritual quests and experiencing a deeper reality.

Get your copy of Lotus Girl HERE

In this episode, Helen and Raghu talk about: 

• Growing up with tyrannical parents
• How the iconic photo of Thich Quang Duc changed Helen’s life
• Being orientated to Asia through Psychedelics, out-of-body meditation experiences, and equanimity
• Raghu’s altered state through the music of John Coltrane
• How trying to understand her family lead Helen on a quest for reality
• Helen’s friendship with Charles Mingus
• Stories of the Dalai Lama
• Holding suffering without letting it define you
• Our capacity to feel many emotions at the same time
• Being accepting of whatever is in front of you in the moment

“At the time, I had no understanding that that kind of break with reality could be an entry into a deeper reality that was very true.” – Helen Tworkov

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Reflecting on Gandhi’s principles, Raghu and Perry Garfinkel discuss sainthood, imperfection, and continued service to others.

Get your copy of Perry’s book, Becoming Gandhi, HERE

This time on Mindrolling, Perry and Raghu talk about: 

• Bob Dylan, Jazz, and music as a portal
• Perry’s journey to India looking for Neem Karoli Baba
• Following the footsteps of Mahatma Gandhi
• How sainthood does not mean you are enlightened
• Polarized views of Gandhi and controversy based on gender, race, etc.
• Acting out empathy in compassionate ways
• The six principles of truth, vegetarianism, non-violence, simplicity, faith, and celibacy
• Re-introducing Gandhi to the next generation
• Separating the idea of faith from any rigid religious dogma
• Trusting our own unique experiences

About Perry Garfinkel:

Perry Garfinkel is an author and has been a contributor to the New York Times since 1986, specializing in travel and cultural trends. A veteran journalist who has covered the overlap of East and West for more than thirty years for many major publications, he has been falling on and off the meditation cushion for just as long. He lives on Martha’s Vineyard. Visit him on his website and check out his book offerings HERE.

“My message in my book is that you do not have to become Gandhi, ridiculously disciplined. But, if you just turn the dial down or up in certain areas, life is about trying to improve yourself.” – Perry Garfinkel

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Discussing his memoir, Down for the Cause, Bruce “Badri” Margolin talks with Raghu about his work in drug reform and meeting Ram Dass, Tim Leary, and Neem Karoli Baba.

Grab your copy of Down for the Cause HERE

This week on Mindrolling, Bruce and Raghu talk about: 

• What propelled Bruce on his journey as a lawyer
• Bruce’s first marijuana defense case
• The Campaign to Abolition Marijuana Prohibition (C.A.M.P.)
• When Bruce received Be Here Now from his therapist
• Bruce’s travels through Greece, Ethiopia, India and more
• How Bruce met Ram Dass and Neem Karoli Baba in India
• Readjusting to the western world
• Bruce’s work in defending Tim Leary’s case

About Bruce Margolin:

Bruce Margolin is an American criminal defense attorney who specializes in marijuana and drug laws. Bruce defended Timothy Leary and is renowned for his work in Marijuana decriminalization. Since 1973, Bruce has served as the executive director of the Los Angeles chapter of NORML (The National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws). He is also the writer of the Margolin Guide to Marijuana Law and Down for the Cause. Follow Bruce on Instagram.

“Bruce has had the blessing to take such a huge role in helping change one of the most draconian laws that has been in existence.” – Raghu Markus

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Reflecting on spirituality and synchronicity, Dr. Lisa Miller talks with Raghu about the capacity to have an awakened mind and heart.

Get your copy of Dr. Miller’s book, The Awakened Brain, HERE

This time on Mindrolling, Dr. Lisa and Raghu talk about: 

• Dr. Miller’s synchronistic connection with Ram Dass
• Identifying threads of lived, spiritual human life in clinical psychology
• Being born with the capacity to awaken
• Cultivating our relationship to the transcendent
• The difference between a spiritual experience and a fully integrated spiritual life
• An awakened heart and mind as a protective factor against despair
• The mental health epidemic in our country
• Trust and moments of unconditional love
• Radical love on Dr. Lisa’s journey to parenthood
• How suffering brings us closer to God

About Dr. Lisa Miller:

Lisa Miller, Ph.D., is Professor in the Clinical Psychology Program at Columbia University, Teachers College, where she founded the Spirituality Mind Body Institute, the first Ivy League graduate program in spirituality and psychology. She is also the Editor of the Oxford Handbook of Psychology and Spirituality and Founder and Former Co-Editor of the APA journal, Spirituality in Clinical Practice. Dr Miller is the books The Awakened Brain and The Spiritual Child. Learn more about Dr. Miller on her website.

"No matter what religion we are born with or not born with, we are all born with a natural capacity in our brain to be in a transcendent relationship, number one, and number two, to feel power and love and guidance of that transcendent relationship as we turn towards one another.” – Dr. Lisa Miller

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RamDev, host of Healing at the Edge podcast, joins Raghu for a conversation on compassion and openness of the heart.

This week on Mindrolling, RamDev and Raghu discuss:

• RamDev’s background in mathematics and recognizing patterns
• How people in the West are not as embodied as in the East
• The first three chakras of fear, guilt, and shame
• Psychedelics and other dimensions of reality
• Going beyond separateness
• Compassion and non-dual practices
• Taming the monkey-mind
• Sub ek and quantum entanglement
• Stories about Maharaj-ji’s mystical existence
• Hope for the future and allowing our hearts to be vulnerable
• A meditation around inclusivity through compassion

About 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.

Learn more about The Living/Dying Project at livingdying.org

“In Buddhism, they say that when the mind is totally awakened, naturally arising compassionate activity occurs. You don’t have to try to be compassionate, you are compassion. Compassion is not even an emotion, it’s a state of openness of the heart in relationship to suffering.” – RamDev

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Tracy Cochran and Raghu talk about living our way to wisdom and being at home in ourselves through presence.

Subtitles for this episode are available on YouTube: Click Here

In this episode, Tracy and Raghu chat about:

• Living our way to wisdom
• The knowledge that the world offers us
• Ram Dass and Fierce Grace
• Tracy’s experience being attacked
• Being seen with eyes of love and compassion
• The power of forgiveness
• Heartfulness and living within the truest parts of ourselves
• Courage and the willingness to be open

About Tracy Cochran:

Tracy Cochran is a writer and meditation teacher. She is the author of Presence: The Art of Being at Home in Yourself, which is available on the Shambhala Publications website and on Amazon. She is the editorial director of Parabola, an acclaimed quarterly magazine that draws on the world’s cultural and wisdom traditions to explore the questions that all humans share. Her writing has appeared in The New York Times, Psychology Today, O Magazine, New York Magazine, Boston Review, and in many book anthologies and podcasts. Learn more about Tracy on her website.

Get your copy of Tracy’s book, Presence: The Art of Being at Home in Yourself, HERE

“We have to live our way to wisdom…The world offers us so much, but it’s something we live our way into. We live our own stories, our own challenges.” – Tracy Cochran

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Psychedelic therapist and author Sean Lawlor chats with Raghu about shifting the paradigm through the healing power of psychedelics.

Pre-order your copy of Sean’s book, Psychedelic Revival, HERE

In this trip on Mindrolling, Sean and Raghu take us through:

• Sean’s awakening through psychedelics
• The inter-connectivity of all things
• Psychedelic assisted therapy
• Indigenous uses of plant medicine and music
• Stories of Maria Sabina’s sacred ceremonies
• Changing our negative habits and ways of being
• Trusting ourselves to follow our inner guide
• Recreational use versus spiritual use
• Historical trauma and polarization

About Sean Lawlor:

Sean is an author, therapist, and developer of online course content. He received his Masters of Fine Arts from Chatham University and completed a 3-year Master’s program in Mindfulness-Based Transpersonal Counseling at Naropa University. Sean’s new book, Psychedelic Revival: Toward a New Paradigm of Healing, is currently available for preorder in print and digital formats. Learn more about Sean on his website.

“My most impactful and powerful psychedelic experiences have been outside of a therapy office and outside of a group, community kind of setting.” – Sean Lawlor

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Alex Tsakiris co-hosts Mindrolling with Raghu for a conversation on consciousness and the ethics of artificial intelligence.

In this episode of Mindrolling, Raghu and Alex talk about:

• A.I. and the potential for sentience
• Scientific experiments in meditation
• Transhumanist agendas in society
• The way in which greed, power, and fear is taking over our world
• The purity of motivation and a willingness to transform self-interest
• A logical perspective on consciousness
• Having faith in the world and taking positive action
• Truth as a powerful spiritual weapon
• Near death experiences and trying to comprehend the beyond
• Meeting beings who are beyond polarization
• Compassion Bot, a compassion based A.I.
• Wise hope and having positive intention without concern for results

About Alex Tsakiris

Alex Tsakiris is a successful entrepreneur turned science podcaster. In 2007 he founded Skeptiko, which has become the #1 podcast covering the science of human consciousness. Alex has appeared on syndicated radio talk shows both in the US and the UK. Alex is also the author of Why Science is Wrong…About Almost Everything.

“I don’t want A.I. ethics; I want human ethics. I don’t want A.I. compassion and community; I want human compassion and community.” – Alex Tsakiris

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Jaymee Carpenter returns to Mindrolling for an expansive talk with Raghu on addiction, luminous darkness, and loving the mystery in it all.

In this episode of Mindrolling, Jaymee Carpenter and Raghu Markus explore:

• Jaymee’s work with addiction counseling
• Adding to our own suffering / the second arrow in Buddhism
• How Jaymee’s struggles with addiction have become doorways to connect with people
• Hanuman, Christ, and love of the divine
• The high of being on a retreat
• Finding light within the darkness
• Sweat lodge ceremonies and being reborn
• Being beyond identity when dealing with addiction
• Raghu’s experience with the charnel ground in India
• Getting comfortable with the unknown
• Mother energy and unconditional caring
• All of the possibilities included in the mystery
• Relationships and being secure in love
• Navigating through our traumas

About Jaymee Carpenter:

Jaymee Carpenter is a highly revered spiritual teacher and psychospiritual counselor based in Ojai, CA, with a background of 13 years of multi-faceted professional experience in the field of addiction and mental health treatment.

Homeless and addicted on Los Angeles’s skid row district at the age of 26, Jaymee was gifted an opportunity in 2003 to enter state-funded addiction treatment and utilized the time to reassess and repurpose himself for the benefit of humanity. The result is a man who has since risen from the ashes of his former ignorance into a life and career of unique service, while simultaneously and ceaselessly engaging in comprehensive spiritual exploration.

He is a 16-year meditation practitioner and teacher within the oldest lineage of Tibetan Buddhism (Nyingma), which is his primary source of his own recovery and mental clarity. Jaymee spent 3 years recently as an apprentice to a Lakota shaman, co-facilitating sweat lodge ceremonies for hundreds of participants on sacred land blessed by His Holiness The Dalai Lama. He is additionally a master-level communicator and storyteller, and one of the world’s great listeners.

Follow Jaymee Carpenter on Instagram and check out his podcast, Love is the Author

“All of my drudgery and all of the things that formerly hurt are now doorways to connect with people. My Tibetan Buddhist study and practice and immersion, I’m a sucker for the dharma because it has done me so well.” – Jaymee Carpenter

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Taking us through her 3 near-death experiences, Michelle Clare joins Raghu to talk about the afterlife, mediumship, and finding true purpose.

This time on Mindrolling, Michelle and Raghu have a conversation about:

• Michelle’s experience growing up catholic and praying to saints
• Michelle’s first experience connecting to loved ones who have passed
• Near-death experiences (NDEs) and sensing peace and perfection
• How the religion we believe in will be what we are greeted by in the afterlife
• Telepathic communication and the soul’s ability to travel
• Michelle’s second NDE and meeting Jesus in an operating room
• The parallels between psychedelics and NDEs
• Soul planning and understanding our dharma
• Raghu’s psychic experiences with Neem Karoli Baba
• Our spirit team and the web of love that supports us
• Intuition, the gift that each one of us carries

About Michelle Clare:

Michelle Clare is a certified medium, psychic, energy healer, and life coach. She is guided by spirit and uses her gifts to heal, enlighten, encourage, and inspire others while empowering them to connect to the light within themselves. A three-time near-death experience survivor, she receives messages from loved ones who have crossed over, as well as angels and life guides. Learn more about Michelle’s offerings on her website.

“There is a divine orchestration to our time here and the lessons that we learn, and I believe that none of that is accidental.” – Michelle Clare

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This week, we take a look back at a conversation that Raghu had with Gabor Maté about trauma, desire, addiction, and getting honest with ourselves.

In this remastered episode, Gabor explores these struggles through the lens of the Hungry Ghost Realm of saṃsāra.

To learn more about all six realms of saṃsāra and the Wheel of Life in Buddhist tradition, check out this episode of the Mindrolling Podcast with Buddhist teacher, David Nichtern: Ep. 168 Awakening from the Daydream

Gabor Maté is a renowned speaker and bestselling author. After 20 years of family practice and palliative care experience, Gabor worked for over a decade in Vancouver’s Downtown East Side with patients challenged by drug addiction and mental illness. The bestselling author of four books published in over thirty languages, Gabor is sought after for his expertise on addiction, trauma, childhood development, and the relationship between stress and illness. His latest book, released in 2022, is titled the Myth of Normal: Trauma, Illness & Healing in a Toxic Culture. 

In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts

Gabor Maté has been exposed to so many patients suffering from addiction through his work as a doctor in Vancouver, BC, which has one of North America’s worst drug abuse problems. He and Raghu discuss the connection between addiction, in its many forms, and what Buddhist philosophy refers to as the Hungry Ghost Realm.

Healing Trauma, Breaking Addiction 

Gabor talks about the role of trauma in addiction. He shares his own traumatic experiences being a Jew born in Nazi-occupied Hungary. Raghu and Gabor also discuss the ways that trauma and suffering are handed down from parent to child.

The Pursuit of Desire 

In his book In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts: Close Encounters with Addiction, Gabor writes about the drive behind addictions. He and Raghu discuss how the energetic charge behind addiction is more about desire than attainment.

Equal Parts Honest and Compassion

Gabor examines how we can look at ourselves honestly and constructively by practicing compassionate inquiry.

Psychology of Spiritual Seeking

The spiritual path is a way to transform some of the wounded natures that we all grow up with. Gabor speaks about this and the risks of spiritual materialism that come along with it.

“The hungry ghosts are depicted as these creatures with large empty bellies and small scrawny necks with narrow gullets and small mouths. No matter what they do, they cannot ever fill that emptiness inside, and that relates to me as the realm of addiction.” – Dr. Gabor Maté

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Examining the concept of the ‘mere I’, Loch Kelly chats with Raghu about non-self and effortless mindfulness.

Click HERE for some complementary resources from Loch Kelly to deepen your experiential exploration into Effortless Mindfulness.

This week on Mindrolling, Loch and Raghu get into:

• How mindfulness can be effortless
• Loch’s transformative experience in Nepal
• A down-to-earth explanation of no-self or the ‘mere I’
• Sustaining the state of awakening
• Psychedelics as treatment for PTSD
• Ego dissolution and other dimensions
• Returning home through mindfulness practice
• Karma yoga and realizing our self-interested motivations
• A guided meditation from Loch

“If you ask someone or take the time to feel the mirror-eye that’s listening to these words, and then feel where is it located in your body. Most people will feel it in the middle of their head behind their eyes. Feel that location and thank it for all its hard work. Appreciate its functionality and ask it for some space and then open to a mindful witness of this mirror eye.” – Loch Kelly

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Expanding our notions of love to a universal state, ecologist and peace-pilgrim, Satish Kumar, joins Raghu to talk about his new book, Radical Love.

Get your copy of Radical Love HERE

This time on Mindrolling, Satish and Raghu journey through these topics:

• How Gandhi was a great influence on Satish’s life
• Loving people with whom we do not agree
• The ultimate love, knowledge, and heroism we receive from our mothers
• The feminine motherly quality we can find in gurus
• Satish’s experience in the Jain tradition
• Negative consequences from materialism, consumerism, and the industrial way of life
• Pollution, global warming, and harm to bio-diversity as our collective karma
• Why everyone should take a Hippocratic oath
• Remembering we are all human beings and can all practice love as our primary religion
• Science, gravity, and the capacity to understand the non-physical reality
• How love holds together the spiritual world
• Unilateral love and not waiting to love another until they love us
• Gandhi’s concept of Sarvodaya, or the uplifting of every living being without exception

About Satish Kumar:

Satish Kumar is a peace-pilgrim, ecologist, life-long activist and former monk who has been inspiring global change for over 50 years. A world-renown author and international speaker, Satish founded The Resurgence Trust, an educational charity that seeks to inform and inspire a just future for all. Satish has been the guiding spirit behind several other internationally respected ecological and educational ventures. He co-founded Schumacher College which he continues to serve as a Visiting Fellow. He appears regularly on podcasts and on radio and television shows and continues to teach, run workshops, and write about reverential ecology, holistic education and voluntary simplicity. Check out Satish’s book offerings HERE.

“Do no harm to yourself, do no harm to other people, do no harm to nature. That is the Hippocratic oath a doctor takes. I would like to suggest that everybody should take that. Politicians should take that. Scientists should take that. Economists should take that. Business and industrial leaders should take that. Do no harm. If you do no harm to yourself, and you do no harm to other people, and you do no harm to nature, then you can have a more positive karma. The consequence will be a more harmonious relationship, and a more peaceful world, and a better relationship among all humans.” – Satish Kumar

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Raghu’s original Mindrolling partner, David Silver, returns for a beautiful homage to the genius of Aldous Huxley.

Learn more about Aldous Huxley HERE

This week, David and Raghu talk about:

• How Aldous Huxley showed Ram Dass and Tim Leary the Tibetan Book of the Dead
• David Silver’s initial reading of Brave New World and the prophecy it held
• Aldous Huxley’s background
• Huxley’s Doors of Perception and Heaven and Hell
• Huxley’s perspective on non-dualism and children
• Ram Dass’ and Aldous Huxley’s friendship
• Aldous Huxley’s end-of-life experience with entheogens
• Systematic reasoning versus direct perception
• The fear that can arise when we have a mystical experience
• The transformational power of psychedelics in the field of mental health
• Jim Morrison, The Doors, and Ram Dass

About David Silver:

David Silver is the former co-host of the Mindrolling podcast. He is a filmmaker and director, most recently coming out with Brilliant Disguise. Brilliant Disguise tells the unique story of a group of inspired Western spiritual seekers from the 60s, who in meeting the great American teacher, Ram Dass, followed him to India to meet his Guru, Neem Karoli Baba, familiarly known as Maharaji. Two days before he left his body, Maharaji instructed K.C. Tewari to take care of the Westerners, which he did resolutely until the day he died in 1997. K.C. Tewari—in the guise of a headmaster of a boys school in the foothills of the Himalayas—was secretly a High Yogi, frequently able to go into altered states of trance, known as Samadhi, at any moment.

“I think the greatest compliment that Ram Dass gave him, and it wasn’t an exclamation of any sort, he said Aldous Huxley had a very great relationship with the mystery” – Raghu Markus

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Sarah Anderson joins Raghu to explore her new book, The Lost Art of Silence, and how we can reconnect to the beauty of quiet.

Get your copy of Sarah’s book HERE

In this episode, Sarah and Raghu delve into:

• How crucial and nurturing silence can be
• Sarah’s childhood trauma
• Silence’s relationship to the inner journey
• Sarah’s investigation into the art of silence
• Silence as the link between so many religions and traditions
• The way that being quiet makes us a better listener
• Raghu’s story of meeting Ram Dass
• How nature can teach us about silence
• The fear caused from sensory deprivations
• Becoming aware of God through silent meditation
• Concerns for our youth and the loudness of technology

About Sarah Anderson:

Sarah Anderson founded the Travel Bookshop in London in 1979, the shop later featured in the film Notting Hill. She studied Chinese at the London University college of SOAS, and at Heythrop, where she earned an MA in the psychology of religion. She has taught travel writing at City University, writes regular travel pieces, reviews books, and gives talks worldwide. Also an artist, Sarah’s paintings have been exhibited throughout London. Sarah is the author of several books. Her most recent book, The Lost Art of Silence, celebrates the power in being quiet.

“Even in the cacophony of going into the woods, of the birds singing, animals speaking to each other, in that cacophony is a delightful silence. Because the real silence, to me, is that your mind stops turning out this avalanche of thoughts and stories.” – Raghu Markus

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Philosopher, author, and activist Peter Singer joins Raghu to chat about his new book, The Buddhist and the Ethicist.

Pick up your copy of Peter Singer’s book HERE

This week on Mindrolling, Peter and Raghu have a comprehensive conversation on:

• Singer’s coming of age in the 60’s
• The background of Venerable Shih Chao-Hwei
• The ethical outlook of utilitarianism
• Examining the consequences of our actions
• The problems that come with not thinking about the future
• The Bodhisattva tradition
• Bhakti Yoga and merging with the supreme being
• Having compassion for those that suffer, human and non-human
• Looking at theories of human nature and basic goodness
• Karma’s compatibility with utilitarianism
• The ways that we leave traces in the world

About Peter Singer:

Peter Singer is an Australian moral philosopher and Professor of Bioethics at Princeton University. He also is also an author, and is best known for his writings about poverty and liberating animals. He wrote the book Animal Liberation, in which he argues for vegetarianism and co-founded the Australian Federation of Animal Societies, now Animals Australia, the country’s largest and most effective animal organization. Most recently, he published a book of eye-opening dialogues with Venerable Shih Chao-Hwei, a Taiwanese Buddhist monastic and social activist. Learn more about Peter Singer on his website.

“Compassion is one way of looking at how we ought to be thinking about all sentient beings. We ought to be thinking about them with concern for their well-being. When you use the term compassion, at least to westerners, that suggests a feeling, an emotion, something like we might say empathy that we have with them. That’s something that utilitarians would want to encourage because we need to think about what its like for other beings in the various possible states of the world that could result from our doing a variety of things.” – Peter Singer

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Indigenous healer Paul Callaghan teaches us about aboriginal wisdom and being a part of the collective story of humanity.

Check out Paul’s book, The Dreaming Path, to learn more about contentment, purpose, healing, and reconnecting with your story—and ultimately the universe.

In this episode of Mindrolling, Paul and Raghu get into:

• Aboriginal Dreamtime stories
• The creation myth of mother earth
• Being still in nature to receive insights
• How acute anxiety and a mental health crisis lead Paul to a life change
• Why reconnecting to his aboriginal roots lead to Paul’s healing and self-discovery
• Defining the dreaming path and promoting individuality
• How does relying on nature and living sustainably allow one to slow down?
• Finding power in unity and getting resources to all people
• Examining whether we add or take away from the collective story of humanity
• Self-care and finding out who we really are
• Going with the flow of life

About Paul Callaghan:

Paul Callaghan is a First Nations custodian in the land now called Australia and a leading Indigenous healer. Paul belongs to the land of the Worimi people which is located on the east coast of Australia about 2 hours north of Sydney, New South Wales. He is an Aboriginal storyteller and dancer. Paul has held a number of senior executive positions in his career and has qualifications in a diverse range of disciplines including surveying, drafting, accounting, economics, training, executive leadership, emotional intelligence, company boards, and executive/organizational coaching. Paul has been ‘going bush’ for many, many years and learning traditional ‘Lore’ from his Elders much of which he is willing to share with those who respect it. Check out Paul’s cultural consulting website to learn more.

“We are one thing. We are one. Humans aren’t separate from the trees, aren’t separate from the soil, aren’t separate from the waters. We use this in our western aboriginal medical systems and organizations; our definition of well-being is ‘I can’t be well if everything around me isn’t well’. So that’s non-aboriginal people, that’s my brothers and sisters, that’s everything, and then we’re all well.” – Paul Callaghan

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Focusing on the uniqueness of each of our brains, Dr. Nicole Tetreault sits down with Raghu to discuss her book, Insight into a Bright Mind.

Get your copy of Dr. Nicole’s book HERE

This week on Mindrolling, Nicole and Raghu go over:

• Nicole’s devotion to Maharaj-ji and her background in neuroscience
• Nicole’s research in Parkinsons and Autism
• How cancer influenced Nicole’s life course as a scientist
• Fixing models of healing versus bearing witness
• Coming to terms with death and suffering
• Impermanence and remembering to be present
• Changing our karmas through shifting into compassion
• The definition of neurodiversity and advocating
• Neuroplasticity and the capacity for change
• Hallucinogens and opening a doorway for learning
• Letting go of our self-critical voice
• Mirror neurons and empathy
• The pros of anxiety
• The gut-brain connection and the microbiome

About Dr. Nicole Tetreault:

Dr. Nicole Tetreault is a compassion-based neuroscientist, international speaker, author, and meditation teacher, fusing ancient Asian meditation with modern neuroscience to support people accessing the vast benefits of wiring their minds for love! Keep up with Dr. Nicole on her website.

“A big part of the advocacy around neurodiversity is to say no, different isn’t less, it’s just different, and there are so many beautiful strengths about it.” – Dr. Nicole Tetreault

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Nina Rao and Chandra Easton join Raghu to talk about embodying the goddess Tara through chanting.

Interested in seeing Nina and Chandra? Here are two upcoming events on the East Coast: Tibet House, NYC, May 11 and Kripalu, MA, May 12-17

Raghu, Nina, and Chandra spend this episode discussing:

• Chandra’s Buddhist upbringing
• The deity Tara and the sacred feminine
• Nina and Chandra’s collaboration with chanting and mantras
• An acapella chant offered from Nina
• Tara for harmony
• Tantra and spirituality for the people
• The 21 praises to Tara
• Durga, Saraswati, and other feminine deities we can invoke through mantras
• The eighth Tara as a fierce and invincible embodiment
• The mara of doubt

About Nina Rao:

Nina Rao is a devotional singer. She tours with Krishna Das, playing cymbals, singing, and acting as his business manager. Nina has two of her own albums, “Antarayaami – Knower of All Hearts” and “Anubhav”. Nina regularly leads kirtan, workshops, and retreats in her hometown of Brooklyn, New York and beyond. Together with Chandra and Genevieve Walker, Nina operates the 21 Taras Collective. You can keep up with Nina on her website or find her on Instagram @nina_rao and on Facebook @NinaRaoChant.

About Chandra Easton:

Chandra Easton is a teacher, scholar, practitioner, and translator of Tibetan Buddhism. She has taught Buddhism and Hatha Yoga since 2001. In 2015, she was given the title of Vajra Teacher, Dorje Lopön, for Tara Mandala Retreat Center by Lama Tsultrim Allione and H. E. Gochen Sang Ngag Rinpoche. Seeking to bring forth the voice of the empowered feminine in Buddhism, Lopön Chandra regularly leads retreats and classes on Tara for various organizations, develops programs and curricula for Tara Mandala, and teaches nationally and internationally. She has also co-written melodies and recorded music for the twenty-one-Taras mantras found in her new book, Embodying Tara: Twenty-One Manifestations to Awaken Your Innate Wisdom. You can find Chandra on Instagram & Facebook @loponchandra.

“The main purpose of doing this aspect of the 21 Tara’s practice through chanting and more of a kirtan style is to uplift people, just like kirtan does. To bring joy, open people’s heart to the blessings of these Taras and to Devi and to the universal way. And also to help them remember the mantra, because some of them are pretty long they can be a little challenging to remember.” – Chandra Easton

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Exploring the Jewish psychedelic underground, Madison Margolin joins Raghu to talk about Ram Dass, psychedelics and her new book, Exile and Ecstasy.

Get your copy of Exile and Ecstasy HERE

In this episode, Raghu and Madison have an expansive discussion about:

• Madison’s upbringing in the Ram Dass community
• Influences of psychedelic culture and eastern mysticism
• Madison’s intrinsic connection to her Jewish roots
• ‘Hinjewism’ and honoring multiple traditions at once
• The ways that Madison struggled with the overuse of ‘be here now’
• Ram Dass’ Jewish legacy
• How journalism school enabled Madison to connect orthodox Judaism and psychedelics
• Judaism as a container for psychedelic experiences
• Discovering altered states without psychedelics
• The history of the Baal Shem Tov
• Treatment of women in Judaism and the divine feminine
• How Rainbow Gathering changed Madison’s life
• Anchoring ourselves through practice

About Madison Margolin:

“I’m a journalist straddling California, New York, and Israel-Palestine, focused on psychedelics, cannabis, and Judaism (in jest, I’ll say “Jews & Drugs”). I also cover culture, policy, and science. I’m passionate and curious about how people can transcend their minds to access something greater than themselves — be it through getting high off acid or God, meditating, creating art, or something somatic, I’ve set out to explore the various ways people nourish their souls. This is what drives me, and most of my writing, in some way or another, connects back to this theme.

These days, I work as an editor at  DoubleBlind, the print and digital magazine I co-founded, covering psychedelics and where they intersect with mental health, spirituality, environmental justice, and social equity. I also co-founded the Jewish Psychedelic Summit and host a podcast called Set & Setting on the Be Here Now Network. I’ve been practicing journalism since 2014 and have been published in outlets like Rolling Stone, Vice, Playboy, High Times, Tablet, and Nylon, among others.

I got my start with a column on cannabis at the Village Voice, just after graduating from Columbia Journalism School. Prior to that, I lived in Tel Aviv, working with Israel’s African refugee community. In a past life, I also lived at a crazy co-op called Cloyne, while studying rhetoric and linguistics at UC Berkeley.

I’m a nerd about language and speak or dabble in French, Russian, Yiddish, and Hebrew. When not working, writing, or reporting, I’m usually dancing, spinning my hula hoop, or practicing yoga.”

“Having done psychedelics myself on Shabbat and other Jewish holidays, you realize that Judaism really does offer a container and different rituals, ways of experiencing time, and time out of time, and sort of these psychedelic notions through Kabbalah and different practices. That there is an avenue for altered experience and expanded consciousness and presence of mind and heart and soul, without psychedelics. But, combining psychedelics with Jewish practice can at least wake you up to that so you can then do it on your own, potentially without needing medicine.” – Madison Margolin

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Raghu Markus and Duncan Trussell share the story behind their new book, The Movie of Me to the Movie of We.

Snag your copy of The Movie of Me to The Movie of We

This week on Mindrolling, listen to Raghu and Duncan chat about:

• Spiritual emaciation in a world of excess
• The meaning of ‘the movie of me’
• Pyromania within humanitarianism
• Reflecting on caricatures of the self for brutal self-honesty
• Meditation and experiencing our true selves
• Our inheritance of being human
• Spiritual community and moving from student to teacher
• The perspective of non-judgement throughout The Movie of Me to the Movie of We
• Paradoxes of spiritual materialism

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.

Check out movieofme.com to learn more about the making of The Movie of Me to the Movie of We

“We are emaciated. We eat beyond what we can actually take in. We enjoy beyond enjoyment. We despair beyond despair over life’s events and that’s because we are emaciated, which is why we did this book. I think both of us felt emaciated spirituality, emaciated awareness wise.” – Raghu Markus

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In a discussion on Buddhism and wellness, author George Pitagorsky joins Raghu to explore his new book, The Peaceful Warrior’s Path.

Get your copy of George’s book HERE

In this episode, Raghu and George explore:

• George’s history with yoga and meditation
• The clear canon of Buddhism and Non-dualism
• Compassion beyond the ego
• The continuous dance between the relative and the absolute
• Cultivating patience
• Creating new patterns to replace our habits
• Hope in neuroplasticity and changing behaviors
• What is behind witnessing
• Remaining open to all skillful means
• The current suffering in the world
• Opportunities to practice self-awareness

Links & Recommendations From this Episode:

Check out this Hanuman statue from the NKB Ashram mentioned by Raghu

Joseph Goldstein’s book on Mindfullness

About George Pitagorsky:

George Pitagorsky, PMP, is a master of process who understands the way process, technology and people come together to accomplish objectives. He has advised organizations on the implementation and improvement of project management practices and methodologies. He has extensive experience in the creation and implementation of process improvements in financial, manufacturing, government and professional service environments. He also advises and coaches individuals to help them to achieve and sustain optimal performance. George brings a unique perspective to his work, combining 40 years of meditation practice and teaching with real-world business experience. He is the author of The Zen Approach to Project Management, The Peaceful Warrior’s Path, and more. Learn more about George and his offerings HERE.

“Chances are you’re not going to be completely enlightened next week, no matter what you do, though it could happen. So you take on the work of becoming as well as possible. Wellness is the subtitle of this book, and it’s not just about physical wellness. Wellness has got like eight dimensions to it including spiritual, mental, physical, financial, and all of that. Your goal is how can I cultivate wellness, how can I be as well as possible given my condition?” – George Pitagorsky

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Focusing on the climate crisis, Author Susan Murphy joins Raghu to talk about her new book, A Fire Runs Through All Things.

Susan Murphy and Raghu discuss:

• Susan’s background and growing up in touch with the earth
• Applying the fierce love and protection of parenthood to the earth
• Susan’s journey through meditation to zen practice
• The realities of the climate crisis and forest fires
• Our tendency to ignore and reject discomfort
• Lessons from indigenous elders
• A mindfulness practice to connect with the earth
• Social action through heartful connection
• How humility and not knowing leaves room for creative solutions

“The experience of it, basically it was like a graveyard spread out over enormous swaths of land and burnt hills. All to say is, this is part of our plight, I think, in terms of waking up.” – Raghu Markus

About Susan Murphy:

Susan Murphy is an Australian Zen teacher whose passionate feeling of kinship with the natural world began dueing her early childhood years living near the Great Barrier Reef and the Gondwanaland rainforest. A successful filmmaker, radio producer, and writer, she received dharma transmission from Ross Bolleter and John Tarrant in 2001. She leads regular retreats around Australia and teaches an Australia-wide sangha that extends internationally online. She is the author of Upside-Down Zen, Minding the Earth Mending the World, Red Thread Zen, and most recently, A Fire Runs Through All Things.

“The earth is inviting us to think along with her, or it. That suffering is mutual. The earth is suffering and our suffering, our agreeing to suffer with it, is the earth’s care for us. It will wake us up.” – Susan Murphy

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Wrapping up 2023, Thanissara and Raghu discuss how we can use mindfulness to relate to and make sense of the times we are living in.

Thanissara and Raghu examine these topics:

• The depth of the illusions we have built our civilization on
• The shifts that need to happen to enable us to live sustainably
• Political positioning and moral stances
• Becoming desensitized to the chaos and pain of the world
• Taking social action to create a better future for the next generation
• How mindfulness can be a huge part of the path forward
• Being receptive to how it is and taking small steps in our practice
• Fears that can be awakening versus the habit of fear
• Collectively working on a shift in consciousness
• The sangha as the coming Buddha

Links & Recommendations From this Episode:

Dive deeper into Kabir’s book that Raghu recites from for more mystical poetry

Check out The Movie of Me to the Movie of We, the audio-book collaboration between Duncan Trussell and Raghu Markus

About Thanissara:

Thanissara is a teacher, poet, climate activist, and co-founder of the Dharmagiri Sacred Mountain Retreat. She spent 12 years as a Buddhist nun and holds an MA in Core Process Mindfulness-Based Psychotherapy Practice. Thanissara was a founding member of Chithurst and Amaravati Buddhist Monasteries in England. She helped initiate/support a number of HIV/Aids response projects in deep rural South Africa. In addition, she has facilitated meditation retreats internationally for 30 years. She teaches across the U.S., in South Africa, and the UK. She is the author of several books, including her most recent, Time To Stand Up, A Buddhist Manifesto for Our Earth. 

“We are getting, in a very weird way, conditioned by and inured to all of this climate change, violence, wars, pestilence, all of this. It’s a lot. We are getting inured to it. It is just becoming part of the fabric where we don’t pause the way we paused when it first came out.” – Raghu Markus

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Author and spiritual teacher, Hameed Ali, joins Raghu to discuss seeking truth and the boundlessness of our inner consciousness.

Raghu and Hameed discuss:

• How an accident and out of body experience inspired Hameed’s Diamond Approach
• Hameed’s move from science to spirituality
• Basic trust being the fundamental platform for people to go inside of themselves
• Working with others on trust
• The boundless dimensions of our inner consciousness
• Soul as the one who experiences
• The meaning of non-dual divine love
• Raghu’s non-dual experience with Neem Karoli Baba
• A Jabba the Hutt metaphor to describe greed and disconnection
• General versus specific grace and tapping into the miracle of our existence
• Focusing on our good nature to improve the state of the world

“I wanted the truth, but I wasn’t going to get it through studying matter. I was going to get it by going inward.” – Hameed Ali

About Hameed Ali:

Hameed Ali is a writer who operates under the pen name A.H. Almaas. Hameed is the founder of the Diamond Approach to Self-Realization, a contemporary teaching that developed within the context of both ancient spiritual teachings and modern depth psychology theories. He has authored eighteen books about spiritual realization, including the Diamond Heart series, The Pearl Beyond Price, The Void, The Alchemy of Freedom, and Non-Dual Love: Awakening to the Loving Nature of Reality. Hameed is also the founder of the Ridhwan School for Spiritual Development, an inner work school devoted to the realization of True Nature. The orientation of the school is directed toward guiding students to realize their true nature to the fullest realization and further still to endless enlightenment.

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Coming together at the 2023 Love and Renewal Retreat, Raghu Markus, Jack Kornfield, Duncan Trussell, and Krishna Das discuss alleviating suffering and finding grace.

In this recording from the 2023 Love & Renewal retreat, Raghu, Jack and Duncan, and Krishna Das come together to discuss:

• Samsara and returning home to family
• Working with cynicism
• How depression blocks us into one side of a story
• Humor as a coping mechanism
• Personal and collective responsibility
• The Bodhisattva vow
• Exploring our own identity and suffering
• Emotional Pyromania
• Liberating ourselves from the movie of me
• Ram Dass’ lesson on serving others while fixing our own heart

About Jack Kornfield:

Jack Kornfield trained as a Buddhist monk in the monasteries of Thailand, India, and Burma, studying as. a monk under the Buddhist master Ven. Ajahn Chah, as well as the Ven. Mahasi Sayadaw. He has taught meditation internationally since 1974 and is one of the key teachers to introduce Buddhist mindfulness practice to the West. Jack co-founded the Insight Meditation Society in Barre, Massachusetts, with fellow meditation teachers Sharon Salzberg and Joseph Goldstein and the Spirit Rock Center in Woodacre, California. His books have been translated into 20 languages and sold more than a million copies. Learn more about Jack at www.jackkornfield.com.

“We’re each in a certain mysterious place in this universe, born into this culture, this family, this moment, and so forth. And you can make something beautiful of it, make something better, alleviate suffering, and bring something of benefit. That’s the game. Well why should I do that? Because it brings happiness. There’s nothing that brings more satisfaction than uplifting us all together and letting it come through what’s unique in you.” – Jack Kornfield

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.

“The basic math is first to tend with your own attachments, your identity, or an exploration of your identity potentially being the root of suffering. Then, after that, we can start dealing with saving all sentient beings.” – Duncan Trussell

About Krishna Das:

Layering traditional Hindu kirtan with instantly accessible melodies and modern instrumentation, Grammy nominee, Krishna Das has been called yoga’s “rock star.” With a remarkably soulful voice that touches the deepest chord in even the most casual listener, Krishna Das – known to friends, family, and fans as simply KD – has taken the call-and-response chanting out of yoga centers and into concert halls, becoming a worldwide icon and the best-selling chant artist of all time. His album ‘Live Ananda’ (released January 2012) was nominated for a Grammy in the Best New Age album category.

KD spent the late ’60s traveling across the country as a student of Ram Dass, and in August 1970, he finally made the journey to India, which led him to Ram Dass’ own beloved guru, Neem Karoli Baba, known to most as Maharaj-ji.

Krishna Das now travels the world sharing his kirtan practice and wonderful stories of his life, of Maharaji-ji, of his life on the Path and discusses bringing chanting into our lives through retreats and workshops. To date, KD has released 15 well-received albums, most recently Trust in the Heart released in October 2017. For more on Krishna Das events, music, and other offerings visit: KrishnaDas.com

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In a world that often feels like it's teetering on the edge, it's not surprising that so many of us grapple with feelings of instability and overwhelm. 

On Tuesday, December 19th, join acclaimed Buddhist meditation teachers Sharon Salzberg and Ethan Nichtern for a free online conversation on staying grounded, available, and engaged, even when the world is on fire.

Sharon and Ethan will also discuss the upcoming Dharma Moon Yearlong Buddhist Studies program and offer their insights on how studying Buddhism can help us show up more fully for ourselves and others during these challenging times.

Visit dharmamoon.com/event for more info and to reserve your free spot!

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Raghu and his son Noah talk with Joseph Goldstein about the necessity of embracing suffering in order to activate compassion.

Raghu, Joseph, and Noah explore these topics:

• Empathy and compassion for global suffering
• Fixing your own heart in order to offer compassion to others
• Lessons from Tsoknyi Rinpoche on “California Compassion”
• Checking in with our motivations and intentions
• The tendency to avoid suffering
• How a willingness to look at suffering is a precursor to compassion
• Renunciation and the willingness to let go of our own comfort
• Reminding ourselves that it is okay to feel the unpleasant
• Using suffering to learn something meaningful
• The suffering that comes along with aging
• Meditating on the our finiteness

A guided Mudita practice with Joseph

“Compassion arises when we’re willing to come close to suffering. That’s the cause for compassion, and if we don’t have that willingness, it’s not going to arise because the compassion is in response to the suffering in the world, in other people, even in ourselves.” – Joseph Goldstein

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In a world that often feels like it's teetering on the edge, it's not surprising that so many of us grapple with feelings of instability and overwhelm. 

On Tuesday, December 19th, join acclaimed Buddhist meditation teachers Sharon Salzberg and Ethan Nichtern for a free online conversation on staying grounded, available, and engaged, even when the world is on fire.

Sharon and Ethan will also discuss the upcoming Dharma Moon Yearlong Buddhist Studies program and offer their insights on how studying Buddhism can help us show up more fully for ourselves and others during these challenging times.

Visit dharmamoon.com/event for more info and to reserve your free spot!

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

Reflecting on memories with Ram Dass, musician David Block joins Raghu to talk about interconnectivity, generosity, and The Great Way.

David's single “The Great Way” featuring Ram Dass is AVAILABLE NOW: Click To Listen

In this episode of the Mindrolling Podcast, Raghu Markus and David Block discuss:

• Music and mantras
• The transactional nature of the world and noticing our interconnection
• David’s relationship with Ram Dass
• Serving others instead of self-obsession
• David’s process of creating a track for the Love Serve Remember Vinyl
• Complete attention as the greatest gift you can offer another
• The beauty of being in the moment instead of analyzing the moment
• Welcoming our struggles and accepting our inner demons
• How being silent will lead us to presence and changes in perspective
• Reminding ourselves of the mantra “I am loving awareness”

“There was no Richard Alpert and no Ram Dass; we were just in this wonderful pool of molecular interconnection. And all I felt was, ‘How can you help me’. It was all about me. Nobody had paid that kind of attention. Do you know how important that is? Paying attention to somebody? It is paramount generosity.” – Raghu Markus

About David Block:

David Block is a live electronic composer, multi-instrumentalist, and producer. The Human Experience is David Block’s principal project, wherein a delicious symphonic blend of prismatic soundscapes and sultry beats can be experienced. David is also a member of the band Gone Gone Beyond where he delivers a potent message of hope and the desire to return to humanity.

Links & Recommendations From this Episode:

Check out The Movie of Me to the Movie of We, an audio-book collaboration between Duncan Trussell and Raghu Markus

Get your copy of Love Serve Remember’s anniversary vinyl featuring music from The Human Experience

Listen to Ram Dass read The Third Chinese Patriarch

Learn to relate to the darkness we all face in the book Feeding Your Demons suggested by Raghu

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

Duncan Trussell returns to Mindrolling to talk about transporting oneself out of the movie of me and into the movie of we.

This week on Mindrolling, Raghu Markus and Duncan Trussell get into:

• Writing, producing, directing, and acting in the movie of our own lives
• Being born again
• Sitting around the fire as a metaphor for deep connection
• Honesty and being ‘a fake’
• Transactional relationships and holding emotional debt against people
• The fraudulent activities of the Ego
• Gratitude giving birth to patience
• Focusing on others and being in the spirit of the Buddha
• Ram Dass’ lesson on moving from the head to the heart
• The deep seeded fear of interconnection
• Boundaries within generosity
• Transforming our identity from me to we
• Liberating ourselves through brutal self-honesty

Snag your copy of Raghu and Duncan’s new book The Movie of Me to The Movie of We

“We have an ability to be honest with ourselves, tremendously honest with ourselves. So, all of the fakery, all of the stuff that has any vestiges of manipulation or rampant desire or pushing things away, whatever it may be, there is an honesty there to really understand the motivations and the pain and the suffering and not get lost in the fraud. Honesty allows you to not get lost in the fraudulent activity of the ego.” – Raghu Markus

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.

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

Mindfulness teacher Oren Jay Sofer sits with Raghu to discuss keeping our hearts open through difficult times.

In this episode, Raghu Markus and Oren Jay Sofer talk about:

• Oren’s path to mindfulness
• The influence of Vipassana Meditation
• How mindfulness can be a resource to navigate the horrors of global conflict
• Expanding the capacity of our hearts
• The potential that human beings have to move beyond ourselves
• The challenges we are currently faces as a species
• Compassion and the route to a better world
• Family and the importance of relationships
• How the company we keep affects our spiritual practice
• The way that individual change can impact society
• Ecology and the abuse of earth
• Yugas, cosmology, and building a future through our daily choices
• Sangha and witnessing another human being’s healing
• Stories from experiences with Munindraji
• The importance of joy and gratitude
• How self-centeredness is being encouraged and exploited by technology
• Courage and the willingness to be vulnerable
• A brief guided meditation around ease

“Our hearts were made to flourish. We are born with these immense capacities and this beautiful potential to contribute and grow and flower as human beings, if we receive the right nourishment and if we know how to water those seeds.” – Oren Jay Sofer

About Oren Jay Sofer:

Oren teaches mindfulness, meditation and Nonviolent Communication in secular and Buddhist contexts. Oren is also the founder and Guiding Teacher of Next Step Dharma, an innovative online course focused on bringing the tools of meditation to daily life, and co-founder of Mindful Healthcare. He is a CNVC Certified Trainer of Nonviolent Communication, and visiting teacher at the Insight Meditation Society. You can order your copy of Oren Jay Sofer's new book, Your Heart Was Made For This, on his website. 

Check our Oren’s recent blog post about allowing the heart to open and close during difficult times.

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

Pairing science and mysticism, Astrobiologist Dr. Bruce Damer visits Mindrolling for a sweeping discussion on the interconnected nature of the world.

This week on Mindrolling, Raghu Markus and Dr. Bruce Damer dig into:

• Interconnected fields within nature
• Group connection and relationship
• Patterned memory in space
• Ancestral memories, spirit, and the research of phenomena
• Becoming the experience and playing with thought experiments
• Albert Einstein and scientific mysticism
• Collective intelligence and receiving downloads
• The operating system of the living world
• Ram Dass, Neem Karoli Baba, and mystical stories
• Moving beyond the logical mind and tapping into possibilities
• Group field as the antidote to separation, fear, and anxiety
• The efficacy of psychedelic medicine
• The revealing that comes after individual healing
• Dr. Bruce Damer’s experience on Ayahuasca
• Death writing the code of life
• Embodiment and the ‘gooeyness’ of being human

About Dr. Bruce Damer:

Dr. Bruce Damer is Chief Scientist at BIOTA Institute, UC Santa Cruz. He is an astrobiologist working on the science of life’s origins, spacecraft design, psychedelics and genius. Dr. Bruce has spent his life pursuing two great questions: how did life on Earth begin, and how can we give that life (and ourselves) a sustainable pathway into the cosmos? A decade of scientific research with his collaborator Prof. David Deamer at the UC Santa Cruz Department of Biomolecular Engineering resulted in the Hot Spring Hypothesis for an Origin of Life published in the journal Astrobiology in 2019. Dr. Damer also has a long career working with NASA on mission simulation and design and recently co-developed a spacecraft to utilize resources from asteroids. You can keep up with Dr. Bruce Damer on Twitter.

“The common ancestor of all life is not a little, individual, primitive cell that is duking it out alone in the universe. It is actually a communal mass that is a body in growth, a body in adaptation.” – Dr. Bruce Damer

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Philanthropist Jeff Walker meets with Raghu Markus to discuss the emerging knowledge of psychedelics and energy work in the healthcare field.

In this episode, Jeff and Raghu traverse these topics:

• Jeff’s journey from the financial world into mindfulness practice
• Applying mindfulness and spirituality to the business world
• The efficacy of meditation as a healing practice
• Psychedelic therapies from the 70’s to the modern age
• Music and flow states
• Community and the ‘we’ instead of the ‘me’
• Subtle energy and biofield healing practices
• Remote healing and cancer research
• Chakras, Ayurveda, Sound healing and energy work
• Being addicted to the experience of psychedelics
• Developing trust into connectivity and intuition
• Finding your Sangha and having trusting relationships
• Sharing in happiness and sympathetic joy
• Psychedelic Health Equity
• Trauma from migration and meeting basic needs
• Political concerns, decriminalization, and the need for good therapists

Links & Recommendations from this episode:

Check out The System Catalysts podcast for more from Jeff Walker and other change-makers

BridgeBuilders - the wellbeing/flourishing investment collective. https://www.bbcollaborative.com/

Contemplative Science Center at UVA - https://csc.virginia.edu/

MAPS - bringing MDMA through the FDA. https://maps.org/

PSFC - donor collective supporting psychedelics https://psfc.co/

The Generosity Network book - https://www.amazon.com/Generosity-Network

About Jeff Walker:

Jeff Walker is Chairman of New Profit, a social change investment fund and is Vice Chair in the WHO/CHAP Venture focused on frontline health. He also currently serves on the boards of the African Philanthropy Forum, Just Capital, UVA Center for Contemplative Sciences (where he is chair), Giving Tuesday, the Aspen Management Partnership for Health, and the University of Virginia’s McIntire School of Commerce, where he was president for 10 years. He is a Partner in Bridge Builders investment fund for Mindful Wellness. Walker co-authored the book The Generosity Network, about new approaches to gather resources to address causes each of us are passionate about. He also received the John C. Whitehead Award for Social Enterprise from the Harvard Business School Club of New York City. He is currently teaching, researching, and writing on the issue of systems entrepreneurship and systems change.

“With psychedelics we’ve set up collaboration around psychedelic health equity. We have a number of people in some foundations working on this question: how do we make sure that if the MDMA is authorized by the FDA, which it should be next year, that people who are in the city and people who have high ACEs scores and people who are of color and have no income, will be able to access it?” – Jeff Walker

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Discover the transformative practice of teaching mindfulness in a new FREE 30-page ebook by Senior Buddhist teacher and Emmy award-winning musician, David Nichtern. 

With its blend of humor, wisdom, and accessible approach, The Art of Teaching Mindfulness ebook is a must-read for anyone interested in sharing the life-changing practices of mindfulness with others.

Already downloaded by over 15k people, visit dharmamoon.com/ebook to get YOUR free copy of The Art of Teaching Mindfulness!

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

David Silver returns to the Mindrolling Podcast for a conversation on the four Yugas.

This week on Mindrolling, David and Raghu look into:

• The four Hindu Yugas (Satya, Treta, Dwapara, Kali)
• How consciousness changes with the Yugas and vice versa
• Our current place in the Kali Yuga
• The White Buffalo Vision and similarities between religions
• The way our actions can manifest in the Yugas
• The four worlds spoken of by the Hopi
• The world events within this age of darkness
• Grief for the Israeli-Hamas conflict
• Elon Musk, space travel, and how those with advanced abilities still need spirituality
• Stories of Yogananda, KC Tewari, and Neem Karoli Baba
• Why exploring the Yugas can expand our consciousness
• Coupling reincarnation with the Yugas
• Kirtan, Mantra, and navigating Kali Yuga with spiritual practice
• How remembering the Yugas can remind us of our connection to a bigger picture

David Silver returns to the Mindrolling Podcast for a conversation on the four Yugas.

“If you couple the Yugas with the dynamic of reincarnation, you can see redemption for the chains from this incarnation, this sheath, to another one and progress in that way.” – David Silver

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

Mindfully infused with various Buddhist skills, this episode features a dialogue between Jetsunma Tenzin Palmo and Raghu Markus on the many opportunities for practice in our daily lives.

This time on Mindrolling, Raghu Markus and Tenzin Palmo explore:

• Tenzin Palmo’s earliest experiences of connecting to The Buddha
• The imminence of death
• Tenzin’s Book, Reflections on a Mountain Lake
• What perfection is and how we can realize it
• Tenzin’s journey to the guru in India
• Women on the path of Buddhism
• The process of starting a nunnery
• Non-self, the ego, and Becoming nobody
• Recommendations from the Buddha
• Taming the mind
• Starting with ourselves when we cultivate compassion
• The six paramitas (perfections) of the Bodhisattva path
• Opportunities for practice in our daily lives
• Death, letting people go, and expressing love
• Spirituality as a path of joy
• A brief mindfulness meditation

“During our daily life, we have so much opportunity to practice. To practice being generous, to practice being patient in the face of other people's problems, the opportunity to keep pure ethical conduct and never harm or lie or cause any problems for others. During our day, we have these endless opportunities for practicing these qualities of the heart, so we should be grateful because sitting on a cushion is not an opportunity really to practice being generous, ethical, or patient.” – Tenzin Palmo

About Tenzin Palmo:

Jetsunma Tenzin Palmo (born 1943) is a bhikṣuṇī in the Drukpa Lineage of the Kagyu school of Tibetan Buddhism. She is an author, teacher and founder of the Dongyu Gatsal Ling Nunnery in Himachal Pradesh, India. She is best known for having spent twelve years living in a remote cave in the Himalayas, three of those years in strict meditation retreat.

Links & Recommendations From this Episode:

Pick up your copy of Tenzin Palmo’s Reflections on a Mountain Lake or one of her other works HERE

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

In an expansive discussion around Steve Kanji Ruhl’s book, Appalachian Zen, Steve and Raghu explore finding equilibrium through zen practice.

“In Buddhism, the true home is that place within each of us, it’s an inner heartland. We can call it original Buddha Nature; it is accessible to all of us anytime and any place. It’s really a matter of finding this inner equilibrium and being in this moment, in this place, and being fully alive.” – Steve Kanji Ruhl

In this episode, Raghu Markus and Steve Kanji Ruhl discuss:

• Cultural Transformation in Appalachia
• Steve Kanji’s experience of violence and PTSD
• Zen practice and finding our inner equilibrium
• Enduring a soul injury and the journey of healing
• The teachers that shape us for better or worse
• Meeting Ram Dass and receiving sanctuary
• The concept of home and the path as the guru
• Holding self and other simultaneously
• Zazen meditation practice
• Living deliberately and obstructions of the will
• Balancing intention with surrender
• Breaking down the conditioning that prevents us from being clear, kind, and present
• Direct identification and Tantric intimacy
• Community as the antidote of dysfunctional solitude

About Steve Kanji Ruhl:

Reverend Steve Kanji Ruhl, M.Div., is an innovative Zen Buddhist minister ordained in the Zen Peacemaker Order by Roshi Bernie Glassman, and is also a lay Zen dharma holder and preceptor authorized by Roshi Eve Myonen Marko. Formerly affiliated with Green River Zen Center in western Massachusetts where he helped to teach and assisted Roshi Eve, he now operates independently, teaching Zen students in person and through his Touch the Earth cyber-sangha to “be clear, be kind, be present” through instruction in koans, ethical precepts, and shikantaza (“just sitting”) meditation. Also a multi-published author, Steve Kanji Ruhl was awarded the Gold Prize for Best Spiritual Memoir in the 2023 Nautilus Book Awards for his book, Appalachian Zen: Journeys in Search of True Home, from the American Heartland to the Buddha Dharma.

Get your copy of Appalachian Zen or one of Steve Kanji Ruhl’s other books HERE

Discover the transformative practice of teaching mindfulness in a new FREE 30-page ebook by Senior Buddhist teacher and Emmy award-winning musician, David Nichtern. 

With its blend of humor, wisdom, and accessible approach, The Art of Teaching Mindfulness ebook is a must-read for anyone interested in sharing the life-changing practices of mindfulness with others.

Already downloaded by over 15k people, visit dharmamoon.com/ebook to get YOUR free copy of The Art of Teaching Mindfulness!

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

Bringing indigenous wisdom into modernity, Italian writer Danielle Bolelli joins Raghu to talk about quality and restoring balance with the natural world.

“We need that wisdom, indigenous wisdom. We need to bring back something that we have lost from our move into the industrialized last couple of centuries.” – Raghu Markus

This time on Mindrolling, Raghu Markus and Daniele Bolelli converse about:

• Wisdom from Native American elders
• The balance with nature
• Money and power struggles
• Capitalism, Marketing, and what makes something successful
• The constant urge for more versus usefulness of resources
• What gives something quality
• The history of Crazy Horse, an extremely spiritual Lakota warrior
• Answering to hopelessness
• Contentment and small discipline
• The promise of potential and handling suffering

Links & Recommendations From this Episode:

• Raghu and Danielle discuss quality through the lens of Zen and The Art of Motorcycle Maintenance
• Danielle suggests checking out the show Reservation Dogs to get a glimpse of real native life
• Check out Danielle’s historical podcast, History on Fire
• Raghu Suggests reading Altered Traits by Daniel Goleman

About Danielle Bolelli:

Danielle Bolelli is an Italian writer, philosopher, and professor of comparative religion. Currently living in Los Angeles, Danielle Bolelli is also a martial artist and podcaster. Learn more about Danielle Bolelli and his published works as well as his suggested reading list on Daniellebolelli.com.

“There is something to be said about the ability to just find that spot where external reality doesn’t affect you so bad in any situation.” – Daniele Bolelli

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

Diving into treasured memories, Lama Tsultrim Allione, Krishna Das, and Raghu Markus explore the ways that the guru can move through a family.

Ram Dass' Love Serve Remember Foundation and the Alan Watts Organization invite you to open your mind, open your heart, and tap into the living truth of Alan Watts and Ram Dass. Learn more about this special 4-week Virtual Course:"The Presence of the Way: The Dharma of Alan Watts and Ram Dass"

In this episode from The 2023 Summer Mountain Retreat, Raghu Markus, Krishna Das, and Lama Tsultrim Allione explore:

• Being taken care of by the guru
• The myth and magic of Maharaj-ji
• Healing traumatic relationships
• Stories of Raghu & Krishna Das’ parents in India
• The transformations that came from meeting Maharaj-ji
• How the guru moves through the family
• Lama Tsultrim Allione’s story of becoming a monk
• How our entire family can be changed by our individual devotion
• Tales of Dzogchen Master, Adzom Paylo Rinpoche
• The fierce grace of the guru
• Breaking the wheel of abuse

“The guru is a physical embodiment of awakeness, of full awakeness.” – Lama Tsultrim Allione

About Lama Tsultrim Allione:

Lama Tsultrim Allione is the bestselling author of Women of Wisdom (1984), Feeding Your Demons (2008), and Wisdom Rising Journey into the Mandala of the Empowered Feminine (2018). Lama Tsultrim is the founder of Tara Mandala, a 700-acre retreat center with the three-story temple and library dedicated to the divine feminine in the Buddhist tradition near Pagosa Springs, in southwest Colorado. She leads a vibrant international community with over forty groups around the world. 

Learn more about Lama Tsultrim Allione’s work at Tara Mandala

“When we recognize the things we have done to ourselves, what our own karmas have impelled us to do and our own upbringing and we see how helpless we are, then we look at other people, even people who have supposedly hurt us, and we see they are also pushed around by their own karmas. That’s when we get some compassion. ” – Krishna Das

About Krishna Das:

Layering traditional Hindu kirtan with instantly accessible melodies and modern instrumentation, Grammy nominee, Krishna Das has been called yoga’s “rock star.” With a remarkably soulful voice that touches the deepest chord in even the most casual listener, Krishna Das – known to friends, family, and fans as simply KD – has taken the call-and-response chanting out of yoga centers and into concert halls, becoming a worldwide icon and the best-selling chant artist of all time. His album ‘Live Ananda’ (released January 2012) was nominated for a Grammy in the Best New Age album category.

KD spent the late ’60s traveling across the country as a student of Ram Dass, and in August 1970, he finally made the journey to India, which led him to Ram Dass’ own beloved guru, Neem Karoli Baba, known to most as Maharaj-ji.

Krishna Das now travels the world sharing his kirtan practice and wonderful stories of his life, of Maharaji-ji, of his life on the Path and discusses bringing chanting into our lives through retreats and workshops. To date, KD has released 15 well-received albums, most recently Trust in the Heart released in October 2017.

For more on Krishna Das events, music, and other offerings visit: KrishnaDas.com

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

Zach Leary, the host of the MAPS podcast, shares a conversation with Raghu about Ram Dass’ significant impact on the scientific exploration of psychedelics.

This episode was originally recorded on the MAPS podcast.

Two cultural icons. Two unique perspectives... One understanding of the presence of the way.

Ram Dass' Love Serve Remember Foundation and the Alan Watts Organization invite you to open your mind, open your heart, and tap into the living truth of Alan Watts and Ram Dass. Learn more about this special 4-week Virtual Course:"The Presence of the Way: The Dharma of Alan Watts and Ram Dass" 

In this special MAPS feature on Mindrolling, Raghu Markus and Zach Leary discuss:

• Ram Dass’ ability to describe the ephemeral
• The burgeoning scientific research on psychedelics
• The story of Neem Karoli Baba and LSD
• Finding a way to extend the psychedelic state into everyday life
• Selfish Altruism and the personal benefit of service
• Methods to experience God
• How we can remember the divinity within all of us
• Heartfulness, Loving Kindness, and Being Here Now
• The first steps to starting a mindfulness practice
• Upcoming Psychedelic Summits
• Nourishing our awe and wonder day-to-day
• Neuroscience and changing our habitual patterns

“Psychedelics give you a glimpse. We are connected. We are not separate. There is something; we can’t name it, but I completely experienced it.” – Raghu Markus

Links & Recommendations From this Episode:

Dive into the recently re-released book LSD, written by Richard Alpert and Sidney Cohen, with unique illustrations by Lawrence Schiller

Watch Dying to Know to learn more about Ram Dass and Timothy Leary

About Zach Leary: Zach is a speaker, writer, Dharmic realizer, and psychedelic advocate. He is also a journey facilitator at Evolution Retreats and Heroic Path to Light. Zach hosts the MAPS (Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies) Podcast where he explores an incredible treasure trove of audio archives sourced from the amazing talks, presentations, and panels that have taken place at past Psychedelic Science conferences and other unique events.

Keep up with Zach on Instagram

“Ram Dass didn’t stop doing psychedelics entirely. I think it’s just he found a way to (instead of going up and down) make it a lateral exploration. If you are doing this intense Sadhana and have a deep connection to spirit outside of psychedelics, it makes the use of it much more gentle.” – Zach Leary

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

Grief literary advocate Stephen Jenkinson connects with Raghu for a thought-provoking conversation on palliative care and dying wise.

In this episode, Stephen Jenkinson and Raghu Markus peruse:

• The importance of storytelling and the human voice
• Finding an alternative outlet for divinity
• Existential fear and dying wise
• Moral and ethical dilemmas within the healthcare system
• What constitutes care and the many gaps in medical practice wisdom
• Medical assistance in dying to relieve suffering
• Why limits and endings give life meaning
• The wisdom and belonging of sadness
• Bargaining for more time instead of examining the quality of time
• A better way to relate to the transition of life into death
• The idea of being ‘too late’ and the consequences of our perceptions
• Hope as a mortgage on life and the certainties we falsely rely on
• Death as a deity that we should accommodate

Two cultural icons. Two unique perspectives... One understanding of the presence of the way.

Ram Dass' Love Serve Remember Foundation and the Alan Watts Organization invite you to open your mind, open your heart, and tap into the living truth of Alan Watts and Ram Dass. Learn more about this special 4-week Virtual Course:"The Presence of the Way: The Dharma of Alan Watts and Ram Dass"

“I think if we cultivated a capacity to be sad we would make enormous headroads into our propensity for fear. I think sadness is an absolutely compelling and legitimate alternative but it needs at least as much tuition as fear does. You have to learn to be afraid, obviously, and you have to learn sadness as well.” – Stephen Jenkinson

About Stephen Jenkinson:

Stephen Jenkinson is a cultural activist, international teacher, and author. He is the creator and principal instructor of the Orphan Wisdom School and has Master’s degrees from Harvard University (Theology) and the University of Toronto (Social Work). Apprenticed to a master storyteller when a young man, he has worked extensively with dying people and their families. He is the former program director in a major Canadian hospital and former assistant professor in a prominent Canadian medical school. Stephen is also a sculptor and traditional canoe builder.

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

Facing the truth of death, Roshi Joan Halifax and Raghu Markus delve into compassion, surrender, and self-less love.

This time on mindrolling, Roshi Joan Halifax and Raghu Markus ponder:

• Soul and the Depth of Character
• Roshi Joan’s relationship with Ram Dass
• Kindness and Love across all spiritual traditions
• Transforming from the we to the me
• Holding a loving space in the face of death
• Fundamental impermanence as an ultimate truth
• A.I., predictive responses, and a pseudo-reality
• Surrender, Joy, and starting practices early in life
• Awareness of one’s motivations and self-interests
• Ram Dass and opening up the path of love
• A Buddhist story on facing the truth of old age, sickness and death
• Acknowledging the past and honoring our ancestors

“All of us little human beings, we grip onto this small-self identity that gives us a sense of security, but all of that will be let go of as we meet death and certainly if we let go into authentic love.” – Roshi Joan Halifax, Ph.D.

Are you interested in contributing to the wildfire recovery efforts in Maui and in the most impacted areas of Canada? Check out these resources below to find out how you can help:

• Hawaii Community Foundation
• Canadian Red Cross

Links & Recommendations From this Episode:

Check out Roshi Joan Halifax’s new contemplative card deck

To further the discussion on death and mindfulness, pick up a copy of Roshi Joan Halifax’s book, Being with Dying

Learn more about joining The Buddhist Chaplaincy Training Program at the Upaya Zen Center

About Roshi Joan Halifax:

Roshi Joan Halifax, Ph.D. is a Buddhist teacher, Founder and Head Teacher of Upaya Zen Center in Santa Fe, New Mexico, a social activist, author, and in her early years was an anthropologist at Columbia University (1964-68) and University of Miami School of Medicine (1970-72). She is a pioneer in the field of end-of-life care. She has lectured on the subject of death and dying at many academic institutions and medical centers around the world.

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

Learning how to love our enemies and surpass hatred, Sharon Salzberg, Robert Thurman, and Raghu Markus talk about doing the work required to transform our lives and bring love into the world.

“It’s out of compassion for ourselves in a way that we think, ‘what would it be not to just have this habitual relationship to anger, like it’s the only source of strength? Can I actually explore the domains of love and compassion as a source of strength?’.” – Sharon Salzberg

In this episode, we hear Sharon Salzberg, Robert Thurman and Raghu Markus discuss:

• Memories of Maui and prayers for Lahaina
• Loving our Enemies no matter what they may do
• Self-love and the instinct to obliterate the self
• Remodeling our concept of love to be more empowering
• Creating more harmony in our lives
• Having motives to practice
• Why we should relish in the opportunity to be around our enemies
• The antidote to fear
• Giving in versus not being controlled/obsessed with the actions of others
• The self-destruction of hatred and internalizing our enemies
• Tough love and fierce compassion
• Buddha and teachings on love
• Insightful Patience and redeeming words
• Neem Karoli Baba and the power behind love

Are you interested in contributing to the wildfire recovery efforts in Maui and in the most impacted areas of Canada? Check out these resources below to find out how you can help:

• Hawaii Community Foundation
• Canadian Red Cross

Links & Recommendations From this Episode:

Love Your Enemies 10th Anniversary Re-Release from Sharon and Robert

About Robert Thurman:

Robert Thurman is the Jey Tsong Khapa Professor of Indo-Tibetan Buddhist Studies in the Department of Religion at Columbia University and President of the Tibet House U.S., and is the President of the American Institute of Buddhist Studies. His new book, Wisdom Is Bliss: Four Friendly Fun Facts That Can Change Your Life, is now available.

“Hatred particularly seems to give someone who feels frightened and in a weak position, seems to give them the illusion of being stronger in the position by being enraged…it is actually like an addiction; it pretends to make better, but it actually ruins you.” – Robert Thurman

About Sharon Salzberg:

Sharon Salzberg is a meditation pioneer, world-renowned teacher, and New York Times bestselling author. She is one of the first to bring mindfulness and lovingkindness meditation to mainstream American culture over 45 years ago, inspiring generations of meditation teachers and wellness influencers. Sharon is co-founder of The Insight Meditation Society in Barre, MA, and the author of twelve books, including the New York Times bestseller, Real Happiness, now in its second edition, and her seminal work, Lovingkindness.

Her forthcoming release, Real Life: The Journey from Isolation to Openness and Freedom, is set for release in April of 2023 from Flatiron Books. Her podcast, The Metta Hour, has amassed five million downloads and features interviews with thought leaders from the mindfulness movement and beyond.

Learn more about Sharon and pre-order her new book at www.sharonsalzberg.com

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Paul Austin joins Gagan (Jared) Levy and Raghu Markus in a discussion about the origins of psychedelics in Western culture.

Together, they delve into the third wave of psychedelics and explore methods to enhance their effects through practices like microdosing and spirituality.

In this episode , Paul Austin, Gagan (Jared) Levy, and Raghu explore:

• Paul Austin’s Calvinistic upbringing
• Cannabis, rebellion, and having awe-inspiring experiences with psychedelics
• Moving from atheism to spirituality
• Psychedelic literacy and paradigm shifts
• Heroic ingestion of hallucinogens versus microdosing
• Having the right set and setting when using psychedelics
• Propaganda and the western lineage with plant medicine
• The Eleusinian Mysteries
• LSD and the cultural context of the 1960’s
• The internet and computers as a result of psychedelics
• Indigenous roots and a remembrance of the primal self
• Trip-sitting and being a guide through the psychedelic experience
• Intention & presence as a critical part of microdosing
• The necessary spiritual practices for psychedelic integration

About Paul Austin:

Paul Austin, the founder of Third Wave, is an entrepreneur, author, and coach, who sees psychedelic use as a skill, cultivated through clear intention, supportive mentorship, and courageous exploration. Mastering this skill is crucial in the story of humanity’s present-future evolution. Read more about the third wave of psychedelics on Thirdwave.co and keep up with Paul on Instagram.

“If there was one thing I could focus on, it would be psychedelic literacy. If we could pull one lever that would help us to address and adapt to our current context and situation, it would be amplifying the power of psychedelics to not only heal but transform our relationship with our environment. And in that help us to create a new paradigm then instead of being rooted in separation, instead it is rooted in interconnectedness.” – Paul Austin

About Gagan (Jared) Levy:

As former Co-chair of Social Venture Circle, one of the country’s most prestigious impact investor and social business communities, he leads the way to a next economy that is regenerative, just and prosperous for all. As a current board member to his prolific teacher Ram Dass’ Love Serve Remember Foundation, he has been instrumental in strategizing how to connect the greatest wisdom keepers of our time to a new generation. 

“We live in that age where there is that performance enhancement side of microdosing and there’s kind of that cumulative effect of healing past trauma, but then there’s this other part of psychedelics - which is the divine.” – Gagan (Jared) Levy

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This week on the Mindrolling Podcast, contemplative scientist Cortland Dahl and Raghu Markus discuss the Tibetan Buddhist perspective of a healthy mind and how to transition from rumination to exploration.

In this conversation, Cortland Dahl and Raghu chat about:

• Cortland Dahl’s journey to mindfulness practice
• Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche and loving the world
• Being Human, meditation, and coping with anxiety
• Embracing and Exploring the nature of our minds
• Language Immersion and translating Tibetan texts
• The story of Asanga and the Buddha Nature
• Transformation through compassionate action
• Wise-selfishness and looking at our motivations
• Turning the narrative mind into a new direction
• Gamma Oscillations and the ‘aha’ moment
• The practice of non-referential compassion
• Intersections between science and mindfulness

Links & Recommendations From this Episode:

• Raghu and Cortland talk about the book: In Love with the World: A Monk’s Journey Through the Bardos of Living and Dying by Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche
• Learn more about Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche on Tergar.org
• Check out The Center for Healthy Minds and discover the fusion of science and mindfulness
• Download the Healthy Minds app for a guide to well-being
• Why We Meditate by Daniel Goleman and Tsoknyi Rinpoche

About Cortland Dahl:

Cortland is interested in exploring the interface between the body, mind and brain, and especially in the question of how various forms of meditation may help us cultivate positive qualities like mindfulness, compassion and resilience. His current work focuses on studying the psychological and neural mechanisms of different families of meditation practice. He is also the creator of the Healthy Minds program, a well-being training program that integrates insights from scientific research with a comprehensive path of contemplative training.

Cortland has an eclectic background and has spent years studying and practicing meditation in Asia, including eight years living in Tibetan refugee settlements in India and Nepal. He has published numerous collections of translations of classic works on meditation and Buddhist philosophy from the Tibetan tradition. In addition to his work with the Center, Cortland is the Co-Founder and Executive Director of Tergar International, a global network of meditation groups and centers.

Learn more at hminnovations.org

“Instead of ruminating about our stressful day, we’re exploring the dynamics of our inner experience; and we just start to discover things the were always there, but we just hadn’t seen. The narrative and the conditioning just hadn’t been directed in that way.” – Cortland Dahl

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Raghu shares a conversation with Susan Bauer-Wu, PhD, RN about climate crisis and our interconnection with all things.

In this episode of the Mindrolling Podcast, Susan Bauer-Wu talks about her work as a teacher, clinician, and academic researcher and discusses the public meeting between His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Greta Thunberg that inspired her new book – A Future We Can Love.

In this episode, Susan Bauer-Wu and Raghu speak about:

• Our interconnection with the natural world and all things
• The need for humanity to move into better balance with our environment
• His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s public chat about climate crisis with Greta Thunberg – an inspiration for Susan’s new book, A Future We Can Love
• Raising awareness about climate change within spiritual and faith-based communities

Links & Recommendations From this Episode:

• His Holiness the Dalai Lama In Conversation with Greta Thunberg and Leading Scientists
• Mind & Life Institute
• The Loka Initiative | Center for Healthy Minds
• It Can’t Happen Here by Frank Zappa

“Just imagine that we are these, these gems, these jewels, and in it, we are reflecting all the other gems that we’re connected to that in the universe that every single one of us is part of this. I just imagine these beautiful, you know, sparkling web of all of us that we’re not we are all we are who we are because of each other and we can’t, we don’t, exist in isolation.” – Susan Bauer-Wu, PhD, RN

About Susan Bauer-Wu:

Susan Bauer-Wu is a warm and gifted teacher with a distinctive background as a meditation practitioner and teacher, clinician, and academic researcher, is the president of the Mind & Life Institute. Prior to her recent appointment at Mind and Life, she was the Kluge Professor of Contemplative End-of-Life Care and director of the Compassionate Care Initiative at the University of Virginia (UVa) School of Nursing and associate faculty in the UVa Department of Religious Studies and member of the UVa Contemplative Sciences Center. Besides many academic publications, Susan is the author of the book for the lay public, Leaves Falling Gently: Living Fully with Serious and Life-Limiting Illness through Mindfulness, Compassion, & Connectedness.

For Susan Bauer Wu’s dharma talks, click here.

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Bestselling author Carol Sanford and Gagan (Jared) Levy sit down with Raghu Markus for an insightful conversation about transforming our cultural perception of death and infusing consciousness into all aspects of life.

Carol Sanford has been an inspirational catalyst and guide, helping change agents and businesses around the world realize their aspirations to make a difference. Now she needs our help!

Last fall, Carol learned that the cause of a suite of mysterious symptoms she’d been dealing with was amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS or Lou Gehrig’s Disease)—an inexorably debilitating, ultimately fatal disease. Each month brings changing and expanding needs for multi-specialist medical attention, home retrofitting, access to 24-hour caregivers, special transportation for care, and increasingly sophisticated adaptive technologies and equipment to enable basic life functions – much of which is not covered by insurance.

Carol’s incredible capacity for caring and giving has been a hallmark of her life. On behalf of all of us who love her, thank you in advance for anything that you can contribute to support Carol and her family through this challenging time: gofundme.com/f/critical-help-for-carol-sanford

In this episode, Raghu and his guests discuss:

• Opening up our worldview by recognizing the paradigms that are in place
• The concepts of conscious living and conscious dying
• Transforming the way we think and talk about the stages of dying
• Bringing mindfulness into the workplace

Links & Recommendations From this Episode:

• The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying, translated by Sogyal Rinpoche
• The Regenerative Business & No More Gold Stars from Carol Sanford

“I believe we need to change people’s worldview of death and dying and what its purpose is.” – Carol Sanford

About Carol Sanford:

Carol Sanford is a consistently recognized disruptor and contrarian working side by side with Fortune 500 and new economy executives in designing and leading systemic business change and design. Through her university and in-house educational offerings, global speaking platforms, best-selling multi-award-winning books, and human development work, Carol works with executive leaders who see the possibility to change the nature of work through developing people and work systems that ignite motivation everywhere.

Learn more at carolsanford.com

About Gagan (Jared) Levy:

As former Co-chair of Social Venture Circle, one of the country’s most prestigious impact investor and social business communities, he leads the way to a next economy that is regenerative, just and prosperous for all. As a current board member to his prolific teacher Ram Dass’ Love Serve Remember Foundation, he has been instrumental in strategizing how to connect the greatest wisdom keepers of our time to a new generation. 

Learn more at WEAREGURU

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Author Andy Karr invites us to look into the mirror, speaking with Raghu about why it is so essential for each of us to develop the habits of self-reflection and mindfulness practice.

In this week’s episode, Raghu speaks with Andy about:

• The themes of self-reflection, applied mindfulness and cultivating a personal practice that are explored in Andy’s newest book, Into The Mirror
• Andy’s connection to Ram Dass, Buddhism and his study under Chögyam Trungpa
• ‘Crazy wisdom’ and the teachings of Chögyam Trungpa
• The importance of holding a personal practice of some sort, and what that offers to our lives

“There is no substitute, in my mind, for just developing the habit of practicing. I think alongside of that is perspective, because you see yourself and then it goes back to mindfulness. You see your resistance, your fear, your boredom, whatever it might be.” – Andy Karr

Links & Recommendations From this Episode:

• Zen in the Art of Archery by Eugen Herrigel
• Crazy Wisdom by Chögyam Trungpa
• Why We Meditate by Daniel Goleman and Tsoknyi Rinpoche

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For the 500th episode of the podcast, Mindrolling co-founder David Silver and old friend Danny Goldberg return!

In this special episode, the group reflects on the question, “Are we living in the darkest hour of a dark age?” and explores different sources of light that can guide us through the darkness.

In this episode, the group talks about:

• Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche’s belief that our era of human history is “the darkest hour of the Dark Ages”
• Looking towards spirituality and religion for the answers to humanity’s biggest problems
• Ram Dass and Alan Watts – and the theme of interconnectedness found at the heart of their teachings
• Politics, polarization and the manifestations of darkness that each generation must face

"I think we have to look towards spirituality and religion for the answers to try to mediate unbridled materialism, which we know is a death trap." - Danny Goldberg

Links & Recommendations From this Episode:

• “In Search of the Lost Chord: 1967 and the Hippie Idea” by Danny Goldberg
• Kesha’s new album Gag Order, with a track featuring Ram Dass
• The Beatles – All You Need Is Love (Broadcast live on BBC’s Our World)

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South African Shaman John Lockley returns to the Mindrolling podcast to share his experiences as a Sangoma in the Xhosa tradition and speak with Raghu about bringing indigenous wisdom into the modern world and opening the doors of our perception.

In this episode, Raghu speaks with John Lockley about:

• Different methods for opening the doors of one’s own perception
• How plant medicine is used in the Xhosa tradition
• Shamanism as a path for exploring the ineffable experiences had through inner work and psychedelics
• Working with dreams and the spirit realm

“The next part of the circle is going into the wilderness and seeing what needs to be done to stretch consciousness and help bring more healing. To maintain some mindfulness is extraordinarily important, which includes meditation and walking.” – John Lockley

Links & Recommendations From this Episode:

• Sharon Salzberg’s new book, Real Life
• John Lockley’s Newsletter
• Shift Network Courses (new course with John Lockley coming soon)

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Tim Burkett joins Raghu to chat about his journey and the lessons along the way of writing his book, Enlightenment Is an Accident.

Tim joins Raghu to shine light on:

• Stories of studying zen with Suzuki Roshi 
• The various perceptions of the term, “enlightenment”
• “Idiot compassion,” spiritual bypassing, and authentic generosity 
• The amygdala’s role in our behavior 
• The Japanese concept of wabi-sabi, and manifesting non-dual feeling

Check out Enlightenment Is an Accident here

Explore Suzuki Roshi’s books here

About Tim Burkett:

Tim Burkett began practicing Zen Buddhism in San Francisco in 1964 with renowned teacher Shunryu Suzuki (author of Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind). After completing his BA at Stanford University, Tim and his family moved to Minnesota.

Tim’s first book, Nothing Holy About It, discusses how Zen’s core teachings unfold within the ordinary comedies and tragedies of everyday life. In his books, as in his life, Tim reveals how to live in the world with a deep joy that comes from embracing the work and play of this very moment.

Tim is the former CEO of the largest non-profit organization in Minnesota for individuals with mental illness. He is a psychologist, a Zen Buddhist priest, and the Guiding Teacher of Minnesota Zen Meditation Center. He and his wife, Linda, have two grown children and two grandchildren.

“Compassion begins with embracing the flaws of others. Healing begins with embracing our flaws.” - Tim Burkett

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Dr. Sylver Quevedo and Raghu jam on psychedelic preparation and integration, the MAPS MDMA studies, a Ram Dass ketamine story in India, and how 'love, serve, remember' connects to Indigenous wisdom.

“One of the cardinal features that's been learned in the second psychedelic renaissance in the clinical trials has been the importance of two things that were not really understood that well in the 1960s—that is, preparation and integration. By contrast, one of the things that really was discovered early on and articulated very well by Ram Dass and Timothy Leary, was the importance of 'set and setting.' That has survived. It was figured out early on, never went away, and has been rediscovered over and over again.” – Dr. Sylver Quevedo

Raghu and Sylver dive into:

• Taos, New Mexico; the Pueblo people; and the Neem Karoli Baba Ashram in Taos which houses the radiant and emotive Hanuman murti who jumped the ocean from India with Ram Dass and friends back in the day
• Working with MAPS (The Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies) on their monumental MDMA for PTSD trials
• Psychedelics and love in the 1960s compared to psychedelics and science in the 2020s
• Ram Dass giving the "yogi medicine" LSD to his Guru, Neem Karoli Baba (Maharaj-ji)
• How Ram Dass and Maharaj-ji's lessons of "love, serve, remember" applies to Indigenous wisdom
• The transformational neural-plasticity and heart-opening properties of tryptamines and phenethylamines
• A fascinating Ram Dass on ketamine in India story, and Sylver's out-of-body revelation on ketamine

"In the 1960s, we were mostly young and naive kids. But on the other hand, the ideals that came through there were real, even if we were misguided and naive about a lot of things like psychedelics. Now that science is part of the reality, in terms of the truth: the love and unity that we were pursing in the 1960s was a worthy cause." – Raghu Markus

About Dr. Sylver Quevedo:

Dr. Sylver Quevedo is a psychedelic researcher who has practiced medicine for over 40 years and played major roles in world health projects. He is currently working with MAPS (The Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies) on their monumental MDMA for PTSD trials. 

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Comedian, Mike Finoia, joins Raghu to share his difficult patch with mental health and the tools that have helped him cultivate inner peace.

“I realized that there’s only two ways of operating: It’s either from a place of love or a place of fear. If you're operating from a place of fear, you really can’t be open to the love there is around us. But if you’re operating from a place of love, fear doesn’t stand a chance.” – Mike Finoia

Mike and Raghu go deep about:

• Anxiety and finding the tools that work to manage it
• Being vocal about the rough patches on Mike's public platform
• Practices for changing our internal landscapes
• Buddhist perspectives on anger, fear, good-enoughness, and emptiness
• Having a sense of humor about our “self-cherishing”
• "Mother recognition," or the essence of motherly compassion

“It takes way more courage to break through the constriction that we have in this society. And it takes courage to say, ‘I need some help.’” - Raghu Markus

Connect with Mike on his website or on social media @mikefinoia

Learn more about Vipassana meditation with Joseph Goldstein and Sharon Salzberg here

Check out The Zen of Therapy by Mark Epstein here

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Exploring the wisdom of Selfistry, Sarah Marshank joins to share her spiritual journey through the lens of Ram Dass's teaching of "from role to soul."

"There is a place that's always here that's in us and that holds us, that is 'okayness.' It's a relief to finally land there. And from there, to feel happy and sad, and witness the horrors as well as the exquisite beauty of the world, and feel okay with all of it. It's that dance—to know that everything is fundamentally okay and to address all the fucked up things in the world at the same time. Those are not mutually exclusive." – Sarah Marshank

In this episode, Raghu and Sarah mindfully explore:

• Stories and themes from Sarah's new memoir, Being Selfish: My Journey from Escort to Monk to Grandmother
• Sarah growing up in the religious container of Judaism, and how meditation helped her come to spirituality
• Ram Dass's teachings of role to soul, and cultivating the witness
• How Sarah came up with the term "selfistry" through playing with self and no-self
• Opening to the okay-ness beyond the horror and beauty of the world
• How Ram Dass's teaching of "loving awareness" is synonymous with "soul" as well as "okayness"

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Raghu is joined by singer and songwriter Kesha to talk about living authentically, finding happiness, and bringing spiritual practice into our busy lives.

Check out Kesha's new record, Gag Order, featuring a heartful interlude from Ram Dass.

Kesha joins Raghu on Mindrolling to chat about:

• Her experiences with Ram Dass’s teachings and her inspiration to sample him on her track, Ram Dass Interlude from her new album, Gag Order
• The emptiness Kesha felt from outward seeking, the world of fame, and feeling unaligned with her truth
• Feeding people to transform from “me land” to “we land”
• Having the space to work from a state of authenticity
• Motivations in the record business 
• The habitual patterns surrounding our spiritual practices
• Reincarnation and Ram Dass’ manifestations after death
• The surprising catalyst of Kesha's spiritual awakening
• Humor as an essential quality of the spiritual path

"You’re making enough space to serve yourself to get calm enough to be able to then give to others." - Kesha

Raghu's book recommendation from this episode: Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ by Daniel Goleman

Sign up for the RamDass.org mailing list for a free five-day course that will help you build a daily practice of peace, presence, and spaciousness with Ram Dass: Enroll For Free

"You'd rather be vulnerable and be hurt than living dead." - Ram Dass

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"The Hidden Artists podcast is about people who haven't been discovered yet—entrepreneurs, musicians, someone who is creative in what they do. People have all these talents, but they don't all have an opportunity to be known for what they do. I just want to give these people a chance to be able to do what they love for a living." – Natalie Dayan

In this episode, Raghu and Natalie dive into:

• What it's like for Natalie being born Jewish, being raised in India, and now living in Los Angeles
• Exploring the various parts of your identity
• The inspiration behind starting her podcast, The Hidden Artists, which helps artists and entrepreneurs get discovered
• Obtaining her Masters degree in Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine
• Working with feeling lost in life, and using fear as a way to motivate yourself
• The similarities and crossovers between Hinduism and Judiasm
• How we are not our thoughts, we are not our story
• Raghu's adventures through India, and learning Sab Ek (All One) wisdom from Maharaj-ji
• Having faith that the universe is always working for you, as well as helping you be of service
• ZaChoeje Rinpoche's wisdom to "stop struggling with struggle"
• How with people like Natalie, the future is going to be okay

"You're not your story, you're not your thoughts; who you are, of course, is way behind all of that." – Raghu Markus

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Raghu’s longtime friend, Daniel Goleman, returns to Mindrolling to catch up on his book co-authored with Tsoknyi Rinpoche, Why We Meditate.

“There’s more than normal consciousness. There are other possibilities that have their own kind of richness. There are paths to those possibilities.” – Daniel Goleman

In this episode of Mindrolling, Raghu and Daniel chat about:

• Wild stories at Raghu’s family farm when they returned to the West 
• How Danny’s wife, Tara Bennet-Gorman’s book, Emotional Alchemy, along with traditional Tibetan practices served as Tsoknyi’s inspiration for addressing the things that get in the way of our lives, particularly as Westerners 
• Tsoknyi’s various methods for mindfulness: the handshake method, dropping practice, and more
• How Ram Dass came up with the term, “little shmoos”
• Cultivating a sense of “okayness” with things as they are
• The different types of love on the spectrum of “essence love”

“These kinds of practices get integrated into your being. They're a resource for that intuitive trust.” – Raghu Markus

Open a copy of Daniel Goleman and Tsoknyi Rinpoche's new book, Why We Meditate, here.

Pick up Emotional Alchemy, written by Daniel's wife, Tara Bennett-Goleman here.

If you’re interested in general teachings of Tibetan spirituality, check out Blazing Splendor.

About Daniel Goleman:

Daniel is an internationally known psychologist and author. His New York Times bestselling book, Emotional Intelligence, was named one of the 25 “Most Influential Business Management Books” by TIME Magazine. Daniel is also a board member of the Mind & Life Institute, an organization that fosters dialogues and research collaborations among contemplative practitioners and scientists. Daniel has organized a series of intensive conversations between the Dalai Lama and scientists, and further merged Dharma and science, coauthoring Altered Traits: Science Reveals How Meditation Changes Your Mind, Brain, and Body. Learn more about Daniel’s work at danielgoleman.info

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Dr. Shamini Jain connects with Raghu Markus to discuss harmonizing our autonomic nervous system via an integration of the mind and body.

“What we know now is that our emotions have a deep effect on our physiology; they're very interconnected. We can create health simply with our breathing, with our connection with energy, with our connection with a deeper core of who we are.” – Shamini Jain, Ph.D 

In this episode of Mindrolling, Raghu talks with Dr. Shamini Jain about:

• The multiple ways to experience God within our consciousness
• Jainism and the main tenant of non-violence
• The nature of vibration and its relationship to the healing process
• Psychoneuroimmunology (PNI) and the mind-body connection
• How we can prevent disease by harmonizing our autonomic nervous system
• The subtlety of sound and Dr. Shamini's research on using music to heal
• Reiki, Chi Gong, meditation and other traditions of vibrational practices

“If you transform polarization inside yourself, you probably transform the development of cells that are in opposition to each other.” – Raghu Markus 

About Dr. Shamini Jain, Ph.D:

Dr. Shamini Jain is a psychologist, scientist, and social entrepreneur. She is the founder and CEO of the Consciousness and Healing Initiative (CHI), a nonprofit collaborative accelerator that connects scientists, health practitioners, educators, and artists to help lead humanity to heal ourselves. Dr. Jain also serves as adjunct faculty at UC San Diego, where she is an active member of the UC San Diego Center for Integrative Medicine’s Research Committee. Her bestselling book, Healing Ourselves: Biofield Science and the Future of Health, via Sounds True Publications, is available at booksellers worldwide.

Learn more about Dr. Shamini and her upcoming events/courses/books at shaminijain.com

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On a mission to connect hearts all over the world through Indigenous wisdom, Anita Sanchez illuminates her new book, The Four Sacred Gifts, with Raghu.

Sign up for Ram Dass's Yoga of Heartfulness Course, starting May 15th, at RamDass.org/heart

“Out of the beingness that is whole, loving, collaborative, and grateful, then we do the doing. Wellbeing inspires well-doing.” – Anita Sanchez, Ph.D

This time on Mindrolling, Raghu talks with Anita Sanchez about:

• Receiving wisdom, dreams, and prophecies passed down by indigenous elders
• The healing path and how indigenous wisdom paved Anita’s way 
• Creating harmony in the heart, mind, body, and spirit to radiate it to the world
• ‘The Hoop of Life’ as an emblem for unity
• Forgiveness as a pathway to freedom, a pathway to love fully, and the passcode to your own divinity
• Putting ‘wise hope’ into action

“It’s a good day to heal. It's a good day to forgive. It’s a good day to be in unity. It’s a good day to have more dreams and more hope in action.” – Anita Sanchez, Ph.D

About Anita Sanchez, Ph.D:

Anita was born into a Midwest family that was economically poor, yet rich in Mexican-American and Nahua (also known as Aztec) heritage. Fortified with the strength of her elders and connection to the earth, she became the first in her family of over one hundred first cousins to earn a doctorate degree. She has gone on to a career as an international transformational leader.

Dr. Sanchez is committed to bridging indigenous wisdom and science with or contemporary work and life, to support our individual wholeness and collective conscious evolution in partnership with People, Spirit, and the Earth. With her loving spirit, presence and skill, Anita inspires people around the world to discover and trust their gifts, to become life-giving connections to all, in service and joy.

Learn more about Anita’s soul work at anita-sanchez.com and get the book, The Four Sacred Gifts, at foursacredgifts.com.

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In this special episode, Raghu, RamDev (Dale Borglum), and Jackie Dobrinska weave the tapestry for heartfulness as a way of life.

Sign up for Ram Dass's Yoga of Heartfulness Course, starting May 15th, at RamDass.org/heart

“The development of heartfulness will help—we expect—to transform the polarity that we’re living in within ourselves and in our society and culture.” – Raghu Markus

In this episode of Mindrolling, Raghu, RamDev, and Jackie tap into:

• The path for cultivating heartfulness
• The abundance of ways that one can be in the presence of the divine
• Raghu meeting Ram Dass for the first time
• Navigating suffering with an open heart
• Practices for developing the heart-mind
• The antidote for isolation and separateness
• A heart-awakening meditation guided by RamDev
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“The heart begins to reveal how spacious it is, how connected it is. It's as vast as the sky. It's boundless.” – RamDev

“To hold our humanity in the context of our divinity, that’s the work.” – RamDev

About 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.

Learn more about The Living/Dying Project at livingdying.org

About 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 interspiritual 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. 

Learn more about Jackie’s work at asimplevibrantlife.com.

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Author, musician, and astrologist, Ahad Cobb dissects his new memoir, Riding the Spirit Bus, with Raghu Markus.

“The very fact of living in cooperative community on the earth together is itself a gift to many people in our culture.” – Ahad Cobb

This time on mindrolling, Raghu Markus and Ahad Cobb discuss:

• Ahad Cobb's background with Ram Dass
• Maharaj-ji's grace
• Writing Riding the Spirit Bus
• The Lama Foundation and becoming grounded
• Communal living
• Walking in the forest as meditation

About Ahad Cobb:

Ahad is the author, editor, and publisher of six books, including Image Nation and Early Lama Foundation. A musician and leader of Dances of Universal Peace, he has also served as a continuing member, officer, and trustee of the Lama Foundation. He studies and teaches Jyotish (Vedic astrology). He lives in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Check out Ahad's new memoir about spiritual awakening and Ram Dass, Riding the Spirit Bus, HERE

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Teacher, translator, and Rumi Scholar, Kabir Helminski, gets together with Raghu to discuss Sufi mysticism and his new book, The Mysterion.

"In Sufism, sincerity would be understood to be something like doing whatever you do for the sake of God; not for anyone's approval, not for attention, not for pleasure." – Kabir Helminski

In this episode of Mindrolling, Raghu Markus and Kabir Helminski chat about:

• Kabir's encounter with Ram Dass
• The tradition of Rumi
• Sufism and sincerity 
• The sense of self in the Sufi tradition
• Presence as a single field of awareness
• Relief from judgment and the power of laughter

About Kabir Helminski:

Kabir has been translating Rumi and writing about spirituality for more than forty years. He is a respected teacher, a Shaikh of the Mevlevi Order, which traces back to Rumi. Kabir Helminski is co-director, with his wife, Camille Helminski, of the Threshold Society, a nonprofit organization dedicated to sharing the knowledge and practice of Sufism. He is the author of Living Presence and the translator of four volumes of Rumi’s poetry, including Love Is a Stranger and Rumi: Daylight. His most recent book, The Mysterion: Rumi and the Secret of Becoming Fully Human, can be purchased HERE.

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Making friends with death, David Silver and Raghu Markus explore Tibetan Traditions and the wisdom of death and dying.

"'Mindfulness is the path to the deathless, headlessness is the path to death. The mindful do not die, but the headless are as if dead already.' If you are not mindful through the flow of your earthly life, that will bring death and its fury." – David Silver quoting/commenting on the Dhammapada 

In this episode, David Silver joins Raghu Markus to explore:

• Death and dying in the Tibetan tradition
• Individual success within the collective 
• Viewing death as an adventure
• The ego as a servant instead of a master
• Surrendering the bubble of separation

"Certainly a cause of sickness is the way we guard ourselves and the way we act in the world from this separated place. That's why you do not need to be old to get any benefit from some of the incredible wisdom of the Tibetan culture." – Raghu Markus 

About David Silver:

David Silver is the former co-host of the Mindrolling podcast. He is a filmmaker and director, most recently coming out with Brilliant Disguise. Brilliant Disguise tells the unique story of a group of inspired Western spiritual seekers from the 60s, who in meeting the great American teacher, Ram Dass, followed him to India to meet his Guru, Neem Karoli Baba, familiarly known as Maharaji. Two days before he left his body, Maharaji instructed K.C. Tewari to take care of the Westerners, which he did resolutely until the day he died in 1997. K.C. Tewari—in the guise of a headmaster of a boys school in the foothills of the Himalayas—was secretly a High Yogi, frequently able to go into altered states of trance, known as Samadhi, at any moment.

Watch Brilliant Disguise HERE

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Integrating the self, identity, and belonging; mindfulness researcher, Dr. Dan Siegel, joins Raghu Markus to explore his new book, IntraConnected.

"From a mathematical point of view, the modern construction of a separate solo self is actually a violation of a complex system's ability to adapt and learn." – Dr. Dan Siegel

In this episode Raghu Markus and Dr. Dan Siegel ponder:

• The integration of self, identity, and belonging
• Radical Trauma and losing the sense of self
• Science and contemplative wisdom
• The Optimal Flow of Harmony
• Death as a space of possibility 
• Being a part of a whole

About Dr. Dan Siegel:

Dr. Siegel is a Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at the UCLA School of Medicine and the founding co-director of the Mindful Awareness Research Center at UCLA. An award-winning educator, he is a Distinguished Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association and recipient of several honorary fellowships. Dr. Siegel is also the Executive Director of the Mindsight Institute, an educational organization, which offers online learning and in-person seminars that focus on how the development of Mindsight in individuals, families, and communities can be enhanced by examining the interface of human relationships and basic biological processes. His psychotherapy practice includes children, adolescents, adults, couples, and families. He serves as the Medical Director of the LifeSpan Learning Institute and on the Advisory Board of the Blue School in New York City, which has built its curriculum around Dr. Siegel’s Mindsight approach.

Keep up with Dr. Dan Siegel and purchase his books on his website here

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In a discussion on transcendence, Raghu Markus and Zen Priest Hozan Alan Senauke describe embodying zen practices and having a stable mind.

"What really impressed me about the Chinese/Japanese poetry was that there was a sense of the ordinary. There was something marvelous and transcendent in ordinary perceptions." – Hozan Alan Senauke

In this episode Raghu Markus and Hozan Alan Senauke explore:

• The practice of Zen
• Magic within the ordinary 
• Meeting spiritual teachers and guides
• Seeing both sides of everything and finding balance
• Embodiment and putting our practice into the world
• Being Happy and being in the moment 

Hozan Alan Senauke:

Hozan Alan Senauke is a Soto Zen priest, folk musician, poet and the Abbot of Berkeley Zen Center in California. As a socially engaged Buddhist activist, Hozan has worked closely with the International Network of Engaged Buddhists and Buddhist Peace Fellowship since 1991. In 2007, he founded Clear View Project, developing Buddhist-based resources for relief and social change in Asia and the U.S. He is author of The Bodhisattva’s Embrace: Dispatches from Engaged Buddhism’s Front Lines. In another realm, Hozan has been a student and performer of American traditional music for more than fifty years.

For Alan Senauke dharma talks, click here

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Scholar Michael Meade sits down with Raghu Markus for a mythical episode on storytelling, symbolism, and human nature.

"Myth is about vertical imagination. Myth opens up the connections we have to the heavens and the connections we have to the underworld... On the surface a myth is false, but it carries deeper truths than you can find anywhere else." – Michael Meade

In this episode Raghu Markus and Michael Meade converse about:

• Michael's induction into the realm of myth 
• Storytelling with musical instruments
• Oral and literary traditions in mythology
• Finding truth within imagination
• Life, death, and renewal
• The mythic nature of humans and dreams
• A connection between endings and beginnings 
•  The African myth of the eagle and the child

About Michael Meade: 

Michael Meade is a renowned storyteller, author, and scholar of mythology, anthropology, and psychology. He combines hypnotic storytelling, street-savvy perceptiveness, and spellbinding interpretations of ancient myths with a deep knowledge of cross-cultural rituals.

He is the author of Awakening the Soul, The Genius Myth, Fate and Destiny: The Two Agreements of The Soul, Why the World Doesn't End, The Water of Life: Initiation and the Tempering of the Soul; editor, with James Hillman and Robert Bly, of Rag and Bone Shop of the Heart; and the creator of the Living Myth Podcast.

Michael Meade is the founder of Mosaic Multicultural Foundation, a nonprofit network of artists, activists, and community builders that encourages greater understanding between diverse peoples.

Discover more from Michael Meade and purchase his books HERE

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Moving out of constriction and into connection with reality, Sharon Salzberg reunites with Raghu to talk about her new book, Real Life.

"When we are out of harmony with the truth, we are not realistic. Everything is distorted, we reach for happiness in all the wrong places, we let other people define us instead of finding out who we truly are." – Sharon Salzberg

In this episode we hear Sharon Salzberg and Raghu Markus explore:

• How to 'get real' and see the truth 
• Constriction versus connection
• Being bound by habitual patterns
• One-pointedness 
• Dealing with greed, hatred, delusion
• How to avoid spiritual bypassing 
• Toxic optimism
• A reinterpretation of Dharma

About Sharon Salzberg:

Sharon Salzberg is a meditation pioneer, world-renowned teacher, and New York Times bestselling author. She is one of the first to bring mindfulness and lovingkindness meditation to mainstream American culture over 45 years ago, inspiring generations of meditation teachers and wellness influencers. Sharon is co-founder of The Insight Meditation Society in Barre, MA, and the author of twelve books, including the New York Times bestseller, Real Happiness, now in its second edition, and her seminal work, Lovingkindness.

Her forthcoming release, Real Life: The Journey from Isolation to Openness and Freedom, is set for release in April of 2023 from Flatiron Books. Her podcast, The Metta Hour, has amassed five million downloads and features interviews with thought leaders from the mindfulness movement and beyond.

Learn more about Sharon and pre-order her new book at www.sharonsalzberg.com

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Centering on her new book, Big Mama Speaks, Dr. Sabrina N'Diaye and Raghu discuss forgiveness and the wisdom we gain from our ancestors.

"The older I get, the more I realize being a good therapist has nothing to do with all these acronyms behind my name. I know my grandmother didn't even graduate from high school, but she had a degree in the soul." – Dr. Sabrina N'Diaye

In this episode Dr. Sabrina N'Diaye and Raghu discuss:

• Understanding trauma 
• Dialoguing with our ancestors
• Dr. Sabrina's writing process
• The magic of forgiveness
• Deriving lessons from painful experiences
• Applying ancestral wisdom to therapy practice
• Making a commitment to compassion

About Sabrina N'Diaye:

Dr. Sabrina N’Diaye is an integrative psychotherapist and founder of the Heart Nest Center for Peace and Healing in Baltimore. There, she lovingly serves women, couples, other healers, and small groups. Her approach to healing is a blend of wisdom, science, and ancient spiritual practices. She is a student of the late Sufi Master Sidi Muhammad al-Jamal of Jerusalem and incorporates Sufi healing into her with individuals, families, and communities. Keep up with Dr. N'Diaye on Instagram or her website and stay tuned for her upcoming book, Big Mama Speaks.

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Author and teacher, Kevin Griffin sits down with Raghu to discuss finding a higher power and responding to everything with love.

"The Dharma can be your higher power rather than praying to some sort of Abrahamic God. The Dharma itself is powerful and provides all you need for turning your life over to the Dharma." – Kevin Griffin

In this episode Kevin Griffin and Raghu explore:

• A Buddhist path to recovery 
• How practicality can lead to spirituality 
• Dharma as a higher power
• Initial transformation in the 12-step program 
• Applying a metta practice to our daily lives
• How we can bring balance into our inner world

About Kevin Griffin:

Kevin Griffin is a Buddhist teacher and author of several books, including Living Kindness: Metta Practice For The Whole Of Our Lives, One Breath at a Time: Buddhism and the Twelve Steps, and Buddhism & the Twelve Steps DAILY REFLECTIONS. A longtime Buddhist practitioner and 12 Step participant, he is a leader in the mindful recovery movement and one of the founders of the Buddhist Recovery Network. Kevin is a husband, father and musician. His album “Laughing Buddha” is a collection of rock and world-beat tunes with Buddhist themes. Learn more at www.kevingriffin.net.

Check out Kevin Griffin's upcoming events on Spiritrock.org

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Devotional Musician Jai Uttal joins Raghu to chat about his new album which explores the deepest spiritual longings of the human psyche.

"The Bhakti's of the past, their songs are so deeply personal and intimate in their relationship to God; it's stepping into that stream, as gracefully as possible." – Jai Uttal

In this episode Jai Uttal and Raghu weave together:

• Devotional Music
• The art of translation
• Inherited sentiments and emotions
• The beauty of expressing our deepest experiences
• Intimacy with God
• The Yoga of Devotion
• Following the path of the heart 

Online Kirtan Camp with Jai Uttal – Level 2 - The Ocean of Bhakti

 Journey into the heart of devotion with Jai Uttal. 

Sign Up Here

Do you ever wish you could learn to chant? Do you have an existing mantra or kirtan practice and want to go deeper? Have you been wanting to connect with other people who love yoga, mantra and kirtan?

Begin slowly, at your own pace, and make a small and very easy commitment to chant three to five minutes a day, watering that tender shoot of devotion in the deepest recesses of your soul. Before you can even say 108 RAMs, the seed of bhakti within your heart will blossom into a beautiful tree of spiritual connection and love, and become a shelter of peace and compassion for others.

'Dust & Tears' Jai Uttal's New Album 

The nine compositions on this album continue this ancient steam of devotion. These mystical songs, though veined with heart-wrenching sorrow, express the deepest spiritual longings of the human psyche. Yet, when sung with beauty, heartfelt intensity, and vulnerability, these primordial emotions give birth to an unspoken well of sublime joy. The lyrics, composed by Nubia and I, rest on the very breath of our mystical ancestors. The inspiration is from their passionate hearts and ardent poetry. These songwriters of Bhakti were untamed revolutionaries, proclaiming the triumph of love over hate. May we, in our small way, sing like they sang, fearlessly and with abandon, longing for darshan, praying for all beings to be free. 

Each of these songs grew from a seed found in an ancient text – sometimes it was a line, sometimes just a word, and sometimes simply the sentiment – which was planted in the soil of our souls to sprout into the music you hear today. 

Listen Here

"Kirtan is the calling, the crying, the reaching across infinite space — digging into the heart’s deepest well to touch and be touched by the Divine Presence." – Jai Uttal

http://www.jaiuttal.com

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Discussing their book You Are The Universe, Amy Buetens and Julie Weinstein join Raghu to talk about Ram Dass in the next generation.

You Are The Universe is an impactful guidebook, chronicling the unconventional journey and self-discovery of Ram Dass, one of the world’s most beloved spiritual teachers. Sourced from five decades of recordings, Ram Dass shares his life story and transformative teachings in his own words with honesty and humor. These teachings from Ram Dass offer teens and adults of all ages life-altering inspiration for understanding universal truths, navigating their unique paths with compassion and awareness, and living a meaningful life. Vibrant hand-drawn and water-colored images illustrate Ram Dass’s captivating story of transformation. You Are The Universe offers an accessible perspective on our world through Ram Dass’s eyes, and explores timeless answers for today’s most urgent questions.

Grab your copy of You are the Universe here 

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ZaChoeje Rinpoche joins Raghu for a talk on being recognized as a Tulku (reincarnated Tibetan master) by His Holiness the Dalai Lama, and the true nature of struggling.

Help others improve their mental and emotional well-being, reduce stress, improve focus, increase self-awareness and self-regulation — all while deepening your own practice and understanding.

Join Buddhist teacher David Nichtern and special guest Professor Robert Thurman for a free online program on Tuesday, February 14th at 6:00pm ET. Visit dharmamoon.com/beherenow for more info and to reserve your spot for the free info session!

"The difference between the enlightened being and the un-enlightened being is: we are all struggling, but an enlightened being stops struggling over the struggles; and we struggle over the struggles. That is the truth of suffering." – ZaChoeje Rinpoche

In this episode ZaChoeje Rinpoche and Raghu dive into:

• Growing up in India as a Tibetan refugee child, and becoming a monk
• Being recognized as a Tulku (reincarnated Tibetan master) by His Holiness The Dalai Lama
• Moving to the U.S. and founding Emaho Foundation a Tibetan Buddhist center serving the greater Phoenix area
• Retranslating the Buddha's First Noble Truth (the truth of struggling)
• Disentangling from getting caught in the story of the "Movie of Me" – the fixed idea of who we are
• The role of devotion, faith, and guru in spiritual development through the lens of Tibetan Buddhism
• Connecting with the true nature of the mind as clear light
• An illuminating guided meditation practice on the sky like nature of mind and heart

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In a conversation about fallibility and self-honesty, spiritual advisor Jaymee Carpenter and Raghu Markus talk about surrender and transcending victimhood.

"When I was younger I was getting high on my identity of being a victim and I got high on drugs. Then I got sober and I got high on this new identity of a sober person. It was just a transference of ego." – Jaymee Carpenter

"We all have that generational karma in one way or the other that we are dealing with." – Raghu Markus 

In this episode Jaymee Carpenter and Raghu Markus discuss:

• Overcoming the lies we tell ourself
• Coming back from rock bottom
• Kinship and mentorship
• Meditation and miracles
• Recovery from drug and alcohol addiction
• Identity and being nobody

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Through the lens of her new book, Spring Washam joins Raghu Markus for a discussion on collective ancestry, divine destiny, and lighting the fire of change.

In this episode, Spring Washam and Raghu Markus discuss:

• Conductors of spirit
• Mystical visions and messages
• Collective ancestors
• Mystical visions and messages
• The Dharma of Harriet Tubman
• Crossing planes of existence
• Awakening through generations

“We’re talking about awakening from the underground, we’re talking about consciousness, we’re talking about this dream through the mind of freedom.” — Spring Washam

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Through a mixture of storytelling and conversation, Raghu Markus, Krishna Das, and David Silver all describe their experiences with K.C. Tewari.

NEW Meditation Series: Pause, Breathe, Be Here Now with Ram Dass, Sharon Salzberg, Jack Kornfield, Tara Brach, Joseph Goldstein, John Lockley, Ram Dev, Trudy Goodman, Lama Tsultrim Allione—FREE January 16 to 25. Sit in true peace, love, and tranquility. Join thousands of people around the world for this collective meditation experience: onecommune.com/ramdass 

"As I recognized that I didn't need to keep secrets and I didn't need to pretend to be anybody—I could just be me. It was so liberating." – Krishna Das

"When I was looking at Tewari in this film, every single time I saw him it had a flashy effect on me. It did something to me just like when I met him." – David Silver.

"With everything else, his incredible deep spiritual nature, his wisdom, but the delight of just hanging out with him. We would look forward to going to India and just hanging out even if he'd be doing his all night puja" – Raghu Markus 

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Telling tales of Ram Dass and psychedelic escapades, Raghu Markus and Jeff Krasno discuss that which is beyond our rational mind.

Discover integrating transcendent experiences into daily life using a process versus product mentality, learn about the Bhakti path, and enjoy many stories of our spiritual teachers.

NEW Meditation Series: Pause, Breathe, Be Here Now with Ram Dass, Sharon Salzberg, Jack Kornfield, Tara Brach, Joseph Goldstein, John Lockley, Ram Dev, Trudy Goodman, Lama Tsultrim Allione—FREE January 16 to 25. Sit in true peace, love, and tranquility. Join thousands of people around the world for this collective meditation experience: onecommune.com/ramdass 

"To have a different experience of yourself or of consciousness—not as a separate self but as a feeling, as a sensation of being completed integrated into the universe—to taste that, even if you just taste it for a moment and you come back down, it sparks something." – Jeff Krasno

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On a journey to release the stories that hold us back from our true selves, Dharma teacher Judith Ragir and Raghu Markus review healing wounds and changing karma for generations.

In this episode they discuss family trauma, moving beyond our conditioning, and how to repair our hearts.

NEW Meditation Series: Pause, Breathe, Be Here Now with Ram Dass, Sharon Salzberg, Jack Kornfield, Tara Brach, Joseph Goldstein, John Lockley, Ram Dev, Trudy Goodman, Lama Tsultrim Allione—FREE January 16 to 25. Sit in true peace, love, and tranquility. Join thousands of people around the world for this collective meditation experience: onecommune.com/ramdass 

Judith Ragir (also known as Byakuren in Buddhist circles) is a Dharma teacher in the Zen lineage of Katagiri Roshi. She was instrumental in founding the Clouds in Water Zen Center in St. Paul, Minnesota, where she was the Guiding Teacher for nine years and is currently Senior Dharma Teacher Emeritus. An accomplished artist, Ragir makes Buddhist-inspired quilts which are on display in Buddhist Centers around the United States. Her written pieces have appeared in many anthologies, including The Eightfold Path, Zen Teachings in Challenging Times, The Hidden Lamp, The Path of Compassion, Seeds of Virtue-Seeds of Change and Receiving the Marrow. Check out her newly released book, Untangling Karma: Intimate Zen Stories on Healing Trauma.

"The woundedness gets healed both psychologically but also through spiritual practice, through God consciousness entering you. Then you feel like something larger than yourself is holding you, helping you, and giving you love." – Judith Ragir

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Anthropologist and psychotherapist, Geral T. Blanchard, LPC, joins Raghu to discuss how to awaken the soul with indigenous wisdom for today's world.

Geral (Gerry) Blanchard, LPC, is university trained in psychological and anthropological approaches that can address a variety of mental health issues including trauma and addictions in a holistic fashion. He has decades of experience addressing matters of interpersonal violence, traumatization, as well as behavioral and substance addictions. Geral has served as a consultant and trainer for scores of social service agencies, prisons, and chemical dependency treatment centers. Geral has lectured widely throughout the U.S. and additionally in Sweden, Canada, Ecuador, and Nicaragua. He has authored a variety of books on the subjects of sexual abuse, post-traumatic growth (PTG), and the incorporation of indigenous healing traditions in today’s psychotherapeutic settings. Gerry is a regular contributor to the UK Shamanism magazine, Sacred Hoop. Order his new book Awakening the Soul: Indigenous Wisdom for Today's World. For more info please visit Geralblanchard.com

"One of the basic tenants of shamanism is that the first thing you do with any patient is you remove all obstacles to healing, and almost always fear is the number one obstacle." – Geral T. Blanchard 

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In an inspiring conversation on serving the next generation with sacred rites and mindful guidance, director Frederick Marx joins Raghu Markus.

Frederick Marx is an internationally acclaimed, Oscar and Emmy-nominated director/writer with 40 years in the film business. He was named a Chicago Tribune Artist of the Year, a Guggenheim Fellow, and a recipient of a Robert F. Kennedy Special Achievement Award. His film HOOP DREAMS played in hundreds of theaters nationwide after winning the Audience Award at the Sundance Film Festival and was the first documentary ever chosen to close the New York Film Festival.

“I’ve always been looking for ways to bring the sacred back into the every day and to make our lives that much more meaningful.” – Frederick Marx

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Dr. Sará King and Duncan Trussell join Raghu at the Ram Dass retreat to talk trust, interbeing, vulnerability, loneliness, and getting contact high.

Dr. Sará King is a UCLA-trained neuroscientist, political and learning scientist, social entrepreneur, public speaker, and yoga and mindfulness meditation instructor. She has over 20 years of experience as a research scientist, and specializes in the study of the relationship between mindfulness, complementary alternative medicine, and social justice. She is the scientific consultant for Peace in Schools, a dharma teacher with Presence Collective, a Postdoctoral Fellow in Neurology, and the founder of MindHeart Consulting, a scientific consultancy offering seminars, research and development, and trauma healing circles.

For more on Sará’s offerings, please visit mindheartconsulting.com and follow her at @mindheartcollective.

"That feeling of being in our heads with our egos is part of the experience of being human. So you can have great compassion for yourself around that experience—it's natural, it's okay, and it's part of the practice of recognizing in that moment and bringing yourself that compassion." – Dr. Sará King

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Multidimensional artist, podcaster, and comedian Ramin Nazer rejoins Raghu for an episode on wisdom givers, death, and the eternal 'I am'. 

Ramin Nazer is a multi-talented artist, podcaster, comedian, game creator and musician based out of LA. He is best known for his consistent stream of unique, psychedelic-spiritual, bite-sized art for the social media age, as well as his podcast, with comedian Shane Mauss, Mind Under Matter, where they take a hilarious and scientific approach to human behavior. You can tap into Ramin’s steady flow of art on his Instagram, tap into his solo podcast Rainbow Brainskull, and peer into his myriad offerings at RaminNazer.com.

“It’s all about the giving, the spreading, the charging others with it. And it’s not like it leaves you, it can only grow. It’s not by giving it away that you are losing the crystal—it’s helping it multiply. A positive virus in a way.” – Ramin Nazer

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Yael Schonbrun joins Raghu to talk working, parenting, healthy relationships, projection, curiosity, and thriving in our roles.

Yael Schonbrun is a licensed clinical psychologist, assistant professor at Brown University, and writer about parenting, work, and relationships. In her work, she draws on scientific research, clinical experience, and real life experiences with three small superheroes who provide with constant inspiration. Her new book, Work, Parent Thrive, offers a fresh perspective on working parenthood and a scientifically-backed approach to a happier and more successful life with multiple demanding roles.

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Word Woman, Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer, returns with Raghu to dive deep into poetry, spirituality, silence, grief, love, trust, and listening. 

Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer lives in Southwest Colorado with her family, served as the third Colorado Western Slope Poet Laureate (2015-2017) and was a finalist for Colorado Poet Laureate (2019). Her poetry has appeared in O Magazine, on A Prairie Home Companion and PBS New Hour, in Ted Kooser’s American Life in Poetry, in back alleys and on river rocks. Rosemerry is the co-host of Emerging Form, a podcast on creative process; and teaches and performs poetry for addiction recovery programs, hospice, mindfulness retreats, women’s retreats, teachers and more. For more info, poetry books, and daily poetry offerings please visit, WordWoman.com

"To be a wide open listener, that's the real invitation of any poem. People say they need to find their voice; actually we need to be wide open listeners. That's what's really being asked of us. How widely can you listen? How openly can you listen?" – Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer

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Writer, speaker, and traveler, Ann Tashi Slater, returns with Raghu to talk the bardos, the Tibetan Book of the Dead, trust, travel, NDE's, letting go, Padmasambhava, and faith. 

Ann Tashi Slater is a writer, speaker and traveler, born on a summer evening in Andalusia to an American father and a Tibetan mother. Ann lived in Spain for two years, Darjeeling and Kathmandu for a year, and then moved to the States. Her fiction, essays, and interviews have been published by The New Yorker, The Paris Review, The New York Times, The Washington Post, Catapult, Guernica, Tin House, AGNI, Granta, Kyoto Journal, and the HuffPost, among others, and she is a contributing a contributing editor at Tricycle. Her writing also appears in Women in Clothes (Riverhead) and American Dragons (HarperCollins); a translation of fiction by Reinaldo Arenas was published in Old Rosa (Grove). She speaks and teaches workshops throughout the world. More info at AnnTashiSlater.com

"One thing we know for sure is that things are going to change and end, including us. We dread this, of course, but in the Tibetan Buddhist way of thinking, it's really an opportunity to find meaning and think about the things that matter to us." – Ann Tashi Slater 

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Raghu is back fresh from an India trip to talk with OG Mindroller, David Silver, about life, death, Pema Chödrön, and the way you live.

"I took my first acid trip and experienced groundlessness as if I was dead. I was terrified. Working through that—as everybody does who does psychedelic transformative substances in the right way—I realized there was groundlessness in my life as if I were dead. I was shocked. Going through that, I began to notice this was worth massive focus." – David Silver

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Noah Markus hijacks this episode to present an anthology of the practical Buddhist wisdom he has received during his Mindrolling conversations with Sharon Salzberg, Jack Kornfield, and Joseph Goldstein.

“It’s not the problem that you have the thoughts; they’re creative in a way, they could hire you in Hollywood, you’d make some really good horror movies. It’s not the content, it’s the fact that you believe that shit.” – Jack Kornfield

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Comedian, Duncan Trussell, and mindfulness teacher, David Nichtern, join Raghu to explore the intersection of Bhakti and Buddhism.

In this special live recording from the LSRF 2022 Summer Mountain Retreat in Boone, North Carolina, Mindrolling favorites, Duncan Trussell and David Nichtern, join Raghu for a deep and hilarious discussion spanning the variant and connected nuances of the spiritual paths of Bhakti and Buddhism. 

Take an online course with David at Dharma Moon & check out Duncan Trussell's podcast The Duncan Trussell Family Hour

"The reason I’m meditating is so that the next time I’m sitting in front of a Hanuman statue, experiencing some sort of transcendent bliss, I'm not drowning it out with a machine gun rattle of seventy questions regarding what that is.” – Duncan Trussell

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In this anthology, Mary Clare PhD, Gary Ferguson, John Lockley, Sarah Wilson, & Alastair McIntosh join Raghu to talk Dharma & Ecology.

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Mindrolling – Raghu Markus – Ep. 460 – Untangled: Walking the Eightfold Path to Clarity, Courage, & Compassion w/ Koshin Paley Ellison

Koshin Paley Ellison returns with Raghu to explore social action, suffering, pleasure, honoring it all, hungry ghosts, taking risks, and getting untangled.

Sensei Koshin Paley Ellison, MFA, LMSW, DMIN, co-founded the New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care, which is the first Zen-based organization to offer fully accredited ACPE clinical chaplaincy training in America. He is the academic advisor for the Buddhist students in the Master in Pastoral Care and Counseling program at New York Theological Seminary. Check out his upcoming book, Untangled: Walking the Eightfold Path to Clarity, Courage, and Compassion. Learn more about Koshin and his offerings at zencare.org.

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Raghu Markus is joined by Deborah Eden Tull for a thoughtful discussion about the potential presented by the darkness inside and outside of ourselves.

Deborah Eden Tull is a zen meditation and engaged dharma teacher, public speaker, author, and sustainability educator. She is also the founder of Mindful Living Revolution. She trained for seven and a half years as a Buddhist monk at a silent zen monastery and has taught engaged dharma for over 20 years. Deborah has lived in sustainable communities and as an organic gardener/farmer for decades and celebrates the essential wisdom of nature. She currently resides in the mountains of western North Carolina, originally Cherokee land, with her husband. She offers retreats, workshops, classes, and consultations nationally and internationally, integrating presence and partnership with nature. Her newest book, Luminous Darkness: An Engaged Buddhist Approach to Embracing the Unknown, is now available for purchase.

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Wise beyond her years, Raghu’s granddaughter, Zoey Markus, returns to share Gen Z insights on closing the divide of separateness through awareness and understanding.

Support podcasts like this through the Be Here Now Network 6th-Anniversary Fundraiser Drive - win tickets to the Ram Dass Legacy retreat in Maui, shop limited edition BHNNxBrunofsky merch and more: beherenownetwork.com/fundraiser

Fresh back from the classroom, a Mindrolling favorite and Raghu's wise granddaughter, Zoey Markus, returns to offer her opinion on the zeitgeist of modern society, exploring her Gen Z perspective on war, self-awareness, polarity, redeemability, distraction, effort, paying attention, the environment, woke culture, and understanding.

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Parvati Markus and Pete Holmes join Raghu to share stories from Parvati's new book, Whisper in the Heart, on the ongoing presence of Maharaj-ji. 

Parvati Markus is an author, a devotee of Neem Karoli Baba, and longtime friend of Ram Dass. She recently released the book, Whisper in the Heart: The Ongoing Presence of Neem Karoli Baba. Pete Holmes is a comedian, actor, writer, producer, and podcaster. You can listen to him on his podcast You Made It Weird. His book Comedy, Sex, God offers a comedic and autobiographical philosophical inquiry on living a spiritual life.

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Dream expert, Machiel Klerk joins Raghu for a conversation on how we can build a trusting communicative relationship with our dreams.

Support podcasts like this through the Be Here Now Network 6th-Anniversary Fundraiser Drive - win tickets to the Ram Dass Legacy retreat in Maui, shop limited edition BHNNxBrunofsky merch and more: beherenownetwork.com/fundraiser

Machiel Klerk is a social entrepreneur, licensed mental health therapist, international speaker, dream worker, and published author. Machiel founded the organization Jung Platform based on a night-time dream. This organization focuses on providing quality programs for personal development from a soul-centered perspective. Machiel is an internationally-recognized and gifted dream worker. His book Dream Guidance shows how one can connect and find guidance from the soul through dreams. He further travels extensively to Africa, Europe and through the United States, lecturing on soul-oriented psychological topics. More at MachielKlerk.com

“Dreams are not just little fragments that happen at night, but is coexisting reality or stream of consciousness that continues to exist when you wake up.” – Machiel Klerk

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John Lockley returns with Raghu for a conversation on overcoming inner apartheid, learning from animals, dream tracking, and finding your edge.

John Lockley began his journey as a young medic drafted into the South African military. He then trained under Zen master Su Bong from South Korea, and returned to post-Apartheid South Africa to spend 10 years in apprenticeship with MaMngwevu, a medicine woman from the Xhosa tribe. John now splits his time teaching in South Africa, Ireland, Europe, and the US. Find out more about John’s work learn more about his retreats and offerings at JohnLockley.com.

Learn more about how you can support Be Here Now Network podcasts like the Mindrolling Podcast through our 6th-Anniversary Fundraiser Drive - win tickets to the Ram Dass Legacy retreat in Maui, shop limited edition BHNNxBrunofsky merch and more: beherenownetwork.com/fundraiser

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Duncan is back with Raghu for a conversation on moving from a mindset of selfishness and polarization to one of service, humor, and compassion.

Celebrating the 6th anniversary of Be Here Now Network, Raghu invites back his podcast guru, Duncan Trussell—the main inspirational spark behind the creation of this far-spanning family of podcasts. In this episode, they dive into how service makes you less of a selfish asshole, why a good sense of humor is synonymous with spirituality, and how to move past the illusion of polarization.

Learn more about how you can support Be Here Now Network podcasts like the Mindrolling Podcast through our 6th-Anniversary Fundraiser Drive - win tickets to the Ram Dass Legacy retreat in Maui, shop limited edition BHNNxBrunofsky merch and more: beherenownetwork.com/fundraiser

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Robert Rosenbaum joins Raghu to discuss being here now, Qigong, Zen, Taoism, truth, sex, and his new book on the Surangama Sutra.

Join Raghu, Duncan Trussell, Nathalie Kelley, David Silver, Spring Washam and more friends for a special anniversary live podcast - August 15th @ 8pm EST on the Be Here Now Network Youtube Channel. Set a reminder here: https://youtu.be/Sla4EHxOe9U

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Robert Rosenbaum, Ph.D. is a clinical neuropsychologist and psychotherapist in the San Francisco Bay area, a Zen practice leader and senior teacher of Dayan Qigong, and a mountaineer. He brings a lifetime of practice to the moment-by-moment harmonization of body, mind, and spirit. Check out his amazing new book, That Is Not Your Mind!: Zen Reflections on the Surangama Sutra

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RamDev Dale Borglum returns with Raghu to discuss Maharaj-ji as a Satguru, disagreeing with Ram Dass, honesty, Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche, and if sake can be spiritual.

Join Raghu, Duncan Trussell, Nathalie Kelley, David Silver, Spring Washam and more friends for a special anniversary live podcast - August 15th @ 8pm EST on the Be Here Now Network Youtube Channel. Set a reminder here: https://youtu.be/Sla4EHxOe9U

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Ram Dev 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 co­author with Ram Dass, Daniel Goleman and Dwarka Bonner of Journey of Awakening: A Meditator’s Guidebook, Bantam Books and has taught meditation since 1974. Dale lectures and gives workshops on the topics of meditation, healing, spiritual support for those with life ­threatening illness, and on caregiving as spiritual practice. Learn more about Ram Dev’s work via the Living/Dying Project, tune into his Thursdays with Ram Dev on Instagram, and subscribe to Dale’s Healing at the Edge

"Maharaj-ji didn't have one path – he was all paths." – RamDev Dale Borglum

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David Silver returns to Mindrolling for a thought-provoking chat with Raghu about living in a time of extremes.

Join Raghu, Duncan Trussell, Nathalie Kelley, David Silver, Spring Washam and more friends for a special anniversary live podcast - August 15th @ 8pm EST on the Be Here Now Network Youtube Channel. Set a reminder here: https://youtu.be/Sla4EHxOe9U

Learn more about how you can support podcasts like Mindrolling through our 6th-anniversary fundraiser: https://beherenownetwork.com/fundraiser

“This reality that we want to be immersed in, which is directed by love, which is about love, which in fact expresses love at all times, is beyond this sticky other stuff.” – David Silver

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This time on the Mindrolling Podcast, author Matt Kahn and Raghu Markus explore the intersection of bhakti & holding space for ourselves and others.

Matt Kahn is an incomparable spiritual teacher, highly attuned empathic healer, powerful speaker, and captivating author. He enriches people’s lives by providing heart-centered solutions that ignite, delight, and unite! Matt wrote the highly acclaimed books Whatever Arises, Love That, Everything Is Here to Help You, and The Universe Always Has a Plan, which have been translated into more than a dozen languages. His newest book, All For Love: The Transformative Power of Holding Space, is receiving early accolades and is sure to top bestsellers lists. Matt has also become a YouTube sensation with his healing and often humorous videos. Follow him and find relief from the challenges of daily life through his heart-centered messages.

"In order to love ourselves we have to be authentic and in order to be authentic we have to love ourselves." – Matt Kahn

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Dr. James S. Gordon rejoins Raghu for a humbling discussion on transforming trauma in war-stricken countries like Ukraine.

James S. Gordon, MD, a Harvard-educated psychiatrist, is internationally recognized for using self-awareness, self-care, and group support to heal population-wide psychological trauma. He is the founder and executive director of the nonprofit Center for Mind-Body Medicine, and the author of The Transformation: Discovering Wholeness and Healing After Trauma, and Unstuck: Your Guide to the Seven-Stage Journey Out of Depression. Learn more about him at JamesGordonMD.com.

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Music legend, Richard Wolf, joins Raghu for a discussion on music and mindfulness, silence and listening, John Coltrane and nonduality, and music as self-transcendence.

Richard Wolf is an Emmy Award–winning composer, multi-platinum-selling music producer, and professor at the University of Southern California’s Thornton School of Music, where he teaches classes on music and mindfulness. As a producer/remixer/songwriter/composer, Wolf worked on projects with Prince, Bell Biv DeVoe, Freddie Mercury, Seal, MC Lyte, and Coolio, and has been contributing to the soundtracks for hundreds of films and television programs including twelve seasons of the worldwide hit NCIS. He started practicing Zen meditation when he was a teenager, recently bridged music and spirituality in his new book In Tune: Music as the Bridge to Mindfulness.

"It's about listening and about hearing music, it's about exploring your interior soundscape." – Richard Wolf

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Jamie Kilstein returns with Raghu to talk breaking up, f*cking up, standup comedy, music, following your passions, and being true to yourself.

Explore the intersection of Buddhism & Bhakti with Raghu and an eclectic group of dharma teachers and mindful artists at the inaugural Love Serve Remember Summer Mountain Retreat August 25th - 29th in Boone, NC!

Jamie Kilstein is a comedian, writer, musician, fighter, and podcaster who hosts, A F*ckup’s Guide to the Universe, where he talks about culture, self-improvement, drugs, mental health, Jiu-Jitsu, spirituality, and being an outcast. He also hosts Jamie made his debut tv appearance on Conan and has been seen on MSNBC’s Up with Chris Hayes, Countdown with Keith Olbermann, Showtime, and BBC America. For more info visit JamieKilstein.com, for more awesome content sign up for his Patreon, and to keep up to date with music and offerings, check out his Instagram and Twitter.

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Legendary filmmaker, David Lynch, joins Raghu for a chat on finding true happiness, creativity and peace through Transcendental Meditation.

David Lynch is a filmmaker, painter, photographer, sculptor, musician, woodworker, and founder and chairman of the David Lynch Foundation for Consciousness-Based Education and World Peace. Possibly best known for his work on the cult classic film, Dune, as well as the CBS series, Twin Peaks; David’s life’s mission has been to spread the benefits of Transcendental Meditation throughout the world. Tune into his Daily Weather Report, short films, and more surprises, on his David Lynch Theater Youtube channel, and check out DavidLynchFoundation.org for more Transcendental Meditation education and resources.

Explore the intersection of Buddhism & Bhakti with Raghu and an eclectic group of dharma teachers and mindful artists at the inaugural Love Serve Remember Summer Mountain Retreat August 25th - 29th in Boone, NC!

"A human being is like a lightbulb—we radiate out what's inside. So if you're filled with anger, stress, and hate, you'll radiate that out. People don't like to sit down next to somebody who's filled with anger and negativity. On the other hand, if you're filled with happiness and love, you radiate that out; people like that and they feel good around you. It's just the way it is" – David Lynch

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Lama Tsomo joins Raghu for a discussion on becoming happy, cultivating compassion, and seeing between the frames of the movie of me.

Explore the intersection of Buddhism & Bhakti with Raghu and an eclectic group of dharma teachers and mindful artists at the inaugural Love Serve Remember Summer Mountain Retreat August 25th - 29th in Boone, NC!

Lama Tsomo has followed a path of spiritual inquiry and study that ultimately led to her ordination as one of the few American lamas in Tibetan Buddhism. Lama learned Tibetan to study with her teacher Tulku Sangak Rinpoche, and now shares the teachings of the Namchak lineage in the US and abroad. Lama holds an M.A. in Counseling Psychology and is the author of books such as the award-winning Why Is the Dalai Lama Always Smiling?, and her upcoming Deepening Wisdom, Deepening Connection. For more info, please visit Namchak.org

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In this specially curated anthology episode of the Mindrolling Podcast, Raghu explores the many ways that music can become a vehicle for spiritual transformation with his musically inspired guests - David Silver, John Forté, Justin Boreta, East Forest & Trevor Hall.

Check out the first episode in the Mindrolling Anthology Series: Science & Spirituality

Explore the intersection of Buddhism & Bhakti at the inaugural Love Serve Remember Summer Mountain Retreat August 25th - 29th in Boone, NC!

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Mikey Pauker and Shiva Baum join Raghu for a conversation around music, spirituality, and getting vulnerable.

Mikey Pauker is a folk/world artist playing such festivals and venues as Electric Forest and Red Rocks. His new album, ASCENSION, is an invitation to listen to the call of our inner wilderness and to greet our darkness with understanding and an open heart. Inspired by teachers who blend yoga and mystical practices, he went to study in Jerusalem, soaking up the hidden teachings of his ancestral lineage. These spiritual dimensions guided his artistic development as he explored ecstatic music festivals and mystical religious traditions. Check out Mikey's new song: "Great Spirit"

Shiva Baum is a record producer and peak performance coach. With an expertise in sacred mantra chanting, he is the head of music programming for the world renown yoga music festivals Bhakti Fest and Shakti Fest.

Explore the intersection of Buddhism & Bhakti at the inaugural Love Serve Remember Summer Mountain Retreat August 25th - 29th in Boone, NC!

"There are things in the world that are so horrific and so heartbreaking, that if you let them, they will lock you out of your heart. And our job as artists, as leaders in working with higher consciousness and promoting higher consciousness—our job is not to let these moments, these situations, these tragedies, this pain, lock us out of our own heart." – Shiva Baum

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Welcome to this week's episode of Mindrolling, where Raghu Markus is joined by Jai Uttal for a music-filled talk on opening our hearts through the magnitude of melodies.

Jai Uttal is a grammy-nominated sacred music composer, recording artist, multi-instrumentalist, and ecstatic vocalist. Having traveled extensively in India, he met many great saints and singers and Bhakti Yoga became his personal path. Jai has been leading, teaching, and performing kirtan around the world for nearly 50 years. He creates a safe environment for people to open their hearts and voices.

Join Raghu and a collection of dharma teachers in exploring the intersection of Buddhism & Bhakti at the inaugural Love Serve Remember Summer Mountain Retreat August 25th - 29th in Boone, NC!

“Music is way more vast than any one human person can understand.” – Jai Uttal

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Nancy Colier returns with Raghu to help us let go of thoughts, anxiety, trauma, labels, negativity, righteousness, & grief—in a conversation on why we can't stop thinking.

Join Raghu and a collection of dharma teachers in exploring the intersection of Buddhism & Bhakti at the inaugural Love Serve Remember Summer Mountain Retreat August 25th - 29th in Boone, NC!

"At the deepest level it doesn't really matter what your thoughts are saying. They might say crazy things, they might say helpful things, they might say mean things—but if you're not your thoughts, then you're not in this constant battle with your thoughts that they have to be a certain way." – Nancy Colier

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Bestselling author, Barbara Graham, joins Raghu to discuss the mystery of reincarnation and past lives in relation to trauma, fear, and collective karma.

Barbara Graham is the author/editor of the New York Times bestselling Eye of My Heart: 27 Women Writers Reveal the Hidden Pleasures and Perils of Being a Grandmother, her non-Hallmark take on the complexities of being a grandparent in the 21st century. She’s also the author of Women Who Run with the Poodles: Myths and Tips for Honoring Your Mood Swings, a national bestseller that offers a satirical look at the dark side of the self-help movement. Barbara’s plays have been produced Off-Broadway and at theaters around the country. What Jonah Knew is her first novel being released July 2022. Preorder here. For more info please visit BarbaraGrahamAuthor.com

Join Raghu and a collection of dharma teachers in exploring the intersection of Buddhism & Bhakti at the inaugural Love Serve Remember Summer Mountain Retreat August 25th - 29th in Boone, NC!

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This week on the Mindrolling podcast, Raghu Markus invites Susan B. Eirich, Ph.D. to share her wisdom on the connections between the wild and the human.

Susan B. Eirich, Ph.D. is the founder and executive director of Earthfire Institute, a wildlife sanctuary with a mission to change how humans see and therefore treat wildlife, for all our sakes. She uses her background as a biologist and psychologist to bridge our scientific and spiritual understanding of animals. Through retreats, newsletters, speaking, videos, and social media she carries their voices out to an international audience.

Explore the intersection of Buddhism & Bhakti at the inaugural Love Serve Remember Summer Mountain Retreat August 25th - 29th in Boone, NC!

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Sharon Salzberg & Noah join Raghu for a metta-steeped conversation around emotions, mindfulness, self-compassion, and real change.

Explore the intersection of Buddhism & Bhakti at the inaugural Love Serve Remember Summer Mountain Retreat August 25th - 29th in Boone, NC!

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Mike Posner joins Rachael and Raghu to share on meeting Ram Dass, walking across America, climbing Mt Everest, and going through the Dark Night of the Soul.

Mike Posner is a Grammy-nominated singer, songwriter, record producer, poet, and artist who famously walked across America and climbed Mount Everest for charity. He is best known for his track, I Took a Pill in Ibiza. Rachael Fisher is the Creative Director for Love Serve Remember amongst wearing many other hats for the foundation. Find out more about Mike Posner at MikePosner.com, and check out his April 22nd performance on the Soul Land Music Series: Songs & Stories Inspired by Ram Dass.

Explore the intersection of Buddhism & Bhakti at the inaugural Love Serve Remember Summer Mountain Retreat August 25th - 29th in Boone, NC!

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In this special anthology episode of the Mindrolling podcast, Raghu explores the brimming intersection of science and spirituality with an assortment of wise and insightful friends.

We are excited to introduce a special anthology episode peering into how the topics of science and spirituality connect in our modern age, sourcing hand-selected clips from previous Mindrolling podcasts with David Silver, Ananda Danielle Krettek Cobb, Dr. Bruce Damer, Lisa Broderick, and Dennis Mckenna.

Check out a new Spring season of the Ram Dass Soul Land Music Series featuring artists such as Gone Gone Beyond, David Starfire, & Jai Uttal!

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Recorded live at the Wisdome in Los Angeles, Raghu Markus and Pete Holmes discuss how accepting all parts of ourselves can enrich our lives and allow us to experience divine love. 

This podcast is brought to you by BetterHelp. Click to receive 10% off your first month with your own licensed professional therapist: betterhelp.com/mindrolling

Pete Holmes is an American comedian, actor, writer, producer, and podcaster. You can listen to him on his podcast You Made it Weird with Pete Holmes and check out his new TV show, How We Roll.

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Visionary artist, John Speaker, joins Raghu to talk Ram Dass, psychedelics, depicting deities, live painting at music festivals, and the spiritual path of art.

Welcoming visionary artist, John Speaker, to Mindrolling, Raghu shares about the Ram Dass portrait John jammed on live during Random Rab’s Soul Land Music Series performance. After Raghu inquires into what sparked John onto the spiritual path of creating psychedelic art, John reflects on how two tabs of acid, a pen, and a piece of paper transformed his life from gloomy suicidal ideations to inspired creative artistry. Check out John’s mind-expanding work at JohnSpeaker.com

Check out a new Spring season of the Ram Dass Soul Land Music Series featuring artists such as Gone Gone Beyond, David Starfire, & Jai Uttal!

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Oteil Burbridge, Mike Finoia, & Raghu read Ram Dass’ eulogy for Jerry Garcia, in a Grateful Dead steeped discussion spanning from Owsley Stanley’s ‘Wall of Sound’ to John Mayer’s musical karma.

This podcast is brought to you by BetterHelp. Click to receive 10% off your first month with your own licensed professional therapist: betterhelp.com/mindrolling

Oteil Burbridge is a two time Grammy-winning bassist who has been in the music business touring and recording for over three decades, playing in acts such as Dead & Company, the Allman Brothers Band, and the Aquarium Rescue Unit feat. Col. Bruce Hampton. Mike Finoia is a nationally touring comedian and producer who has been featured on Comedy Central, TruTV, and Sirius XM. Mike is a producer for the acclaimed show Impractical Jokers, as well as host of the Amigos podcast. Together, Oteil and Mike host Comes a Time – a podcast exploring spirituality and meaning through the lens of jam music culture, self-exploration, and beyond.

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Spiritual theologian and author, Matthew Fox, joins Raghu for a conversation on Creation Spirituality, Original Blessing, Thomas Merton, Hildegard of Bingen, and Jesus and the feminine.

Matthew Fox is a spiritual theologian, author, Episcopal priest, and activist for gender and eco-justice. With nearly 40 books translated over 70 times, he has contributed much to the rediscovery of Hildegard of Bingen, Meister Eckhart, and Thomas Aquinas as pre-modern mystics and prophets. Matthew holds a doctorate in the history and theology of spirituality from the Institut Catholique de Paris. The founder of the University of Creation Spirituality in California, he conducts dozens of workshops each year and is a visiting scholar at the Academy for the Love of Learning. Learn about his new book, Essential Writings on Creation Spirituality and more at MatthewFox.org

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Zenju Earthlyn Manuel joins Raghu to discuss Buddhism, Shamanism, Indigenous ceremony, the Vodou–Zen connection, taking Earth's 'strong medicine,' and religion's mystical roots.

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Osho Zenju Earthlyn Marselean Manuel is a poet, author, Zen priest, medicine woman of the drum, and dharma heir of Buddha and the late Zenkei Blanche Hartman in the Shunryu Suzuki Roshi lineage through the San Francisco Zen Center. Zenju’s practice is influenced by Native American and African Indigenous traditions. She participated in ceremony with Ifá diviners from Dahomey, Africa, and briefly studied Yoruba. She was raised in the Church of Christ, holds a Ph.D, and worked for decades as a social science researcher, development director for non-profit organizations serving women, girls, cultural arts, and mental health. For info, offerings & books, please visit, Zenju.org

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Dr. Connie Zweig and Raghu investigate the lifelong process of aging through the lens of 'shadow awareness' and 'shifting from role to soul.'

Connie Zweig, PhD, is a bestselling author who has retired from clinical practice, and has been initiated into Elderhood as a Certified Sage-ing Leader. She is extending her work into late life for Baby Boomers with The Inner Work of Age: Shifting from Role to Soul. As co-author of Meeting the Shadow: The Hidden Power of the Dark Side of Human Nature and Romancing the Shadow: Illuminating the Dark Side of the Soul, Dr. Connie has come to be known as a guide who can go where others fear to tread. For more info and to join Dr. Connie's Wisdom Circle communities, please visit, ConnieZweig.com.

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Dr. Ellen Vora joins Raghu for a conversation on the connection between mind and body—exploring psychedelics, anxiety as grace, and our personal hotline to intuition.

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Ellen Vora, MD received her B.A. from Yale University and attended Columbia University medical school. She’s a board-certified psychiatrist, medical acupuncturist, and yoga teacher. Dr. Vora takes a functional medicine approach to mental health—considering the whole person and addressing imbalance at the root, rather than reflexively prescribing medication. In addition to her private practice and speaking engagements, Dr. Vora consults for healthcare startups and has a book called The Anatomy of Anxiety coming out in March 2022. Fore more info, please visit EllenVora.com

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The illustrious Johnny Pemberton joins Raghu to explore perspective and trust, comedy as alchemy, and the connection between acting, observation, and truth.

Johnny Pemberton is a comedian, actor, podcaster, writer, expert gardener, musician, reggae enthusiast, and friend to both insects and mammals. He can be seen in films like “21 Jump Street” “22 Jump Street” “Neighbors 2” “The Watch” and Armando Ianucci’s Oscar nominated film “In the Loop.” He plays Peanut on Disney’s “Pickle and Peanut,” ‘Bo’ on NBC’s “Superstore”, ‘Max’ on FXX’s “You’re the Worst,” ‘Alangulon’ on the Fox series “Son of Zorn,” amidst his work on Duncan Trussell’s “Midnight Gospel.” Catch Johnny in the Executive Buffet on his Live to Tape podcast. More info and tour dates at JohnnyPemberton.dog

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Intuitive animal communication expert, Lori Ann Spagna, joins Raghu to share about our innate spiritual connection to animals.

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Lori Ann Spagna is a Best Selling Author, Speaker, Spiritual Teacher, Ascension Guide, Multi-Dimensional Channel, Intuitive, Animal Communicator, Energy Healer, Lightworker, Visionary and Luminary who assists others to awaken to their alignment with the true Divine Source which exists within each and every being so that all beings can live their best life ever. From: LoriSpagna.com

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Jack Kornfield and Noah Markus join Raghu for a conversation weaving together Thich Nhat Hanh, Ram Dass, intuition, negativity, creativity, forgiveness, and letting go.

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Dr. Mark Epstein returns with Raghu to discuss the Zen of Therapy—merging eastern spirituality & western psychology—in a conversation spanning Ram Dass, India, & the Self.

Dr. Mark Epstein is an author and psychotherapist who has paved the way for the brimming modern cross-section of Western psychology with Buddhist philosophy, writing a number of defining books including the new, The Zen of Therapy: Uncovering a Hidden Kindness in Life. Learn more at MarkEpsteinMD.com.

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David Chernikoff joins Raghu Markus for a 'Mindrolling' conversation around aging, dealing with polarity, and how to become at ease with the mystery that is life. 

David Chernikoff is the author of Life, Part Two: Seven Keys to Awakening with Purpose and Joy as You Age. He began the study and practice of meditation in 1971, and started teaching Insight Meditation in 1988. David has also studied and practiced with spiritual guides such as Ram Dass and Father Thomas Keating, and previously taught psychology and meditation at Naropa University. Learn more about him at davidchernikoff.com. 

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Raghu Markus, Sharon Salzberg, and Ram Dev talk more about the gifts of Ram Dass’ legacy, plus Sharon leads a Metta meditation and answers questions related to that practice.

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Get more wisdom from Sharon Salzberg and Ram Dev (Dale Borglum) on the Be Here Now Network

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Raghu Markus, Ram Dev, and Roshi Joan Halifax explore the gifts of Ram Dass’s legacy, including his honesty, sense of humor, loving awareness practice, and so much more.

Get more wisdom from both Ram Dev (Dale Borglum) and Roshi Joan Halifax on the Be Here Now Network

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David Silver and Raghu ring in the New Year with a discourse on the wisdom teachings of Tibetan Buddhist Master, Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche.

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Lisa Broderick joins Raghu to offer you all the time in the world, illuminating the science and spirituality of how we can transform our daily lives by learning how to slow down time.

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Lisa Broderick is an accomplished senior executive whose career has been defined by understanding how technology impacts society and changes behavior. She is also someone who experiences and studies the world in terms of data, best practices and quantum science. Lisa teaches that life is about constant change, in which energy and matter are the basis of transformation. Now, her groundbreaking new book, All the Time in the World, reveals how new scientific literature is revolutionizing our understanding of what time is and, more importantly, how we can affect it. More info at AllTheTimeBook.com

A brand new Ram Dass Dharma book just dropped! Order Ram Dass Words of Wisdom from the LSRF Shop

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Danny Goldberg returns with Raghu to discuss the themes of art, spirituality and social polarization featured in Danny’s timely new book Bloody Crossroads 2020: Art, Entertainment, and Resistance to Trump.

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Danny Goldberg, host of BHNN’s archived Rock & Roles podcast, is a music executive who has spent decades in the business. As a manager, Danny’s clients included Bonnie Raitt, Nirvana, The Allman Brothers Band, and Sonic Youth. As a label executive he was President of Atlantic Records, and Chairman of Warner Bros Records and the Mercury Records Group – among others. His latest book, Bloody Crossroads 2020: Art, Entertainment, and Resistance to Trump, is now available.

A brand new Ram Dass Dharma book just dropped! Order Ram Dass Words of Wisdom from the LSRF Shop

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Ananda Danielle Krettek Cobb, founder of Google's Empathy Lab, returns to the Mindrolling podcast for a conversation that circles the intersection of technology, empathy, cynicism & magic.

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Ananda Danielle Krettek Cobb is the Founder of Google's Empathy Lab — Google's resident expert on human understanding and flourishing. Danielle is an award-winning creative force with work across design, technology, film, art, architecture and social impact. With her work for Nike, Apple and Google, as well as Ram Dass' Becoming Nobody documentary, Danielle has brought vibrant heart, humanity and beauty to products and culture for nearly 20 years.

A brand new Ram Dass Dharma book just dropped! Order Ram Dass Words of Wisdom from the LSRF Shop

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David Silver and Raghu jam on late Tibetan Buddhist Master, Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche’s mind-rolling new book, Cynicism and Magic.

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In one of their newly infamous “ask the experts” sessions; OG Mindroller, David Silver, returns with Raghu for a meandering conversation gravitating around the teachings of Tibetan Master and founder of Boulder CO’s Naropa University, Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche. Inspired by his new book, Cynicism and Magic, the two friends trade stories and insights, applying Rinpoche’s ancient Buddhist wisdom to our modern afflictions.

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Meditation teacher and author, Amanda Gilbert, joins Raghu to talk about living with kindness, mindfulness, freedom, intention, and compassion.

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Amanda Gilbert is a modern-day meditation teacher, writer and speaker. She has been a meditator for over 15 years and teaches from coast to coast in the US, including in Los Angeles, New York City, San Diego, Miami and San Francisco, as well as online. She is a professor of mindfulness at the University of Southern California and the author of Kindness Now: A 28-Day Guide to Living with Authenticity, Intention and Compassion. For more info, please visit AmandaGilbertMeditation.com

"Can we allow kindness to be synonymous with being brave, being courageous, being outspoken, being in alignment with the values and change we want to see in the world? Being kind does not mean rolling over into passivity, it doesn't necessarily mean niceness or being a doormat. Being kind is sometimes the hardest thing we are being called to do, especially in the face of our close inner circle triggers, family and friends." – Amanda Gilbert

A brand new Ram Dass Dharma book drops on Nov. 23rd: Preorder Ram Dass Words of Wisdom from the LSRF Shop

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