Mindrolling with Raghu Markus

Duncan Trussell returns to talk fatherhood, harmonizing the home, and confusion as a condition of enlightenment; in this psychic arm-wrestling match with Krishnamurti's concept of a mischievous me.

OG Mindroller, David Silver, rejoins Raghu to share mind-blowing stories with exceptional individuals, giving insight into spiritual discernment, consciousness, psychedelics, compassion, & relationships.

The band is back together, as Mindrolling alumni, David Silver, returns with Raghu to share more remarkable stories and epiphanies from his rich, nuanced, deeply authentic, and synchronistic life. For part two of this autobiographical series, curating an assortment of handpicked stories inspired from his upcoming book, David illuminates his life through his relationship with remarkable individuals and extraordinary circumstances, gracefully offering firsthand lessons learned about spiritual discernment, consciousness, psychedelics, compassion, and relationships. From a wildly transformational breakthrough peyote ceremony at a convergence of some of the world's highest shamans, to hilarious and meaningful run-ins with the likes of Phil Spector and Paul Newman, David Silver truly offers one-of-a-kind, holographic, intergenerational wisdom.

Anthony Thogmartin, of Papadosio and EarthCry, joins Raghu to discuss the inseparability of music and spirituality, at the brimming intersection of nature and technology.

Anthony Thogmartin is a consciousness, technology, and ecologically minded multi-instrumental musician, producer, and teacher best known for his work with the jamtronica outfit Papadosio, and his solo electronic act, EarthCry, aimed at “healing the planet and its people.” Anthony recently stepped into the teaching role with his Seed to Stage Academy, where he shares lessons, both digitally and in group settings, to help up-and-coming musicians and producers learn the art, technology, and fundamentals so they can begin tapping their imaginations, creating music, and playing shows. You can find information about his upcoming offerings, like his newest album Identity Mitosis, at EarthCry.net

Don't Miss Anthony performing as EarthCry to kick off this spring's Soul Land Music Series: Songs and Stories Inspired by Ram Dass on March 19th!

For the full artist lineup, dates, and details visit RamDass.org/Music

Social psychologist, Mary M. Clare, Ph.D, & science writer, Gary Ferguson, join Raghu to help us past the seperation myth, & into a restored balance of full ecology, environment, & human nature.

Mary M Clare, Ph.D., brings her lifelong passion for the natural world together with a 30-year career as a social and cultural psychologist. A fellow in the APA with 100+ scholarly articles and two books, she opens doorways for considering how the natural world around and inside of us can be tapped as a guiding force for creating more contented and fruitful lives. For info on her new book with Gary, Full Ecology, please visit FullEcology.com. For Mary's personal offerings, please visit, ClaseConsultation.com.

Gary Ferguson, a best-selling science writer and keynote speaker, began his career chronicling the tracks humans leave in nature. Today, he’s working “to portray the tracks nature leaves in us,” with books like, The Eight Master Lessons of Nature, which shines a powerful new light on the dazzling processes that nourish the creative powers of nature. For info on his new book with Mary Full Ecology, please visit FullEcology.com. For Gary's personal offerings, please visit, WildWords.net

Writer, Anne Lamott, rejoins Raghu with her unparalleled honesty and humor, to shine twilight's mystical light through the dark of night, exploring the illuminating dawn of hope, faith, forgiveness, repentance, revival, and courage.

Teacher, David Harshada Wagner, joins Raghu to discuss the intersection of selfless service with becoming nobody, depict the importance of keeping a loving inner guru, & share poetry of Kabir.

David Harshada Wagner is a creative mindset consultant, teacher, author, artist and proud father who has dedicated more than 30 years of his life to the path of selfless service, spiritual awakening, and radical self-transformation. His training is vast and varied, from 12 Step Recovery training, to the Indian wisdom traditions of Yoga, Bhakti, Vedanta, and Tantric Shaivism. David has served on the faculties of YogaGlo, Kripalu, and Omega, and is the author of Backbone – the Modern Man’s Ultimate Guide to Purpose Passion and Power. David currently is based in in Ojai, California and travels widely serving his worldwide community. For more info, please visit DavidHWagner.com

Lama Tsultrim Allione rejoins Raghu to share rare, behind the scenes, Ram Dass stories, and explore how to work with afflictive emotions by feeding your demons, rather than running from them.

One of Mindrolling's favorite reoccurring guests, Lama Tsultrim Allione, returns to join Raghu for an illuminating, fun, and healing conversation. Beginning the talk by sharing exceptionally rare stories of Ram Dass, involving Bhagavan Das and Allen Ginsberg; they naturally flow into potent Maharajji lilas before subtly weaving the conversation into the main topic of the podcast: feeding your demons. Laying down a path away from polarization, and into the oneness of interconnected love, Lama Tsultrim and Raghu brainstorm how to cultivate a new paradigm of being, starting from the inside out.

Author Cuong Lu drops by Mindrolling to talk about his new book, share stories of studying with Thich Nhat Hanh, and explore how we can all stop the fighting within ourselves.

Cuong Lu, a Buddhist teacher, scholar, and writer, was born in Vietnam in 1968 and emigrated to Holland with his family in 1980. In 1993, he was ordained a monk at Plum Village in France under the guidance of Thich Nhat Hanh. Cuong is the founder of the Mind Only School, where he teaches Buddhist philosophy and psychology. His latest book, Wait: A Love Letter to Those in Despair, is available on February 9, 2021.

Visionary artists, Allyson and Alex Grey join Raghu to share their deep connection with Ram Dass, Be Here Now, Maharajji, psychedelics, Dzogchen Buddhism, and creativity.

Visionary artists, wise psychonauts, and podcasters, Allyson and Alex Grey are co-founders & Ministers of CoSM, the Chapel of Sacred Mirrors, a transformational art based non-profit which grew into an interfaith church and thriving artist community. Allyson and Alex are currently in the process of constructing Entheon, a sanctuary for visionary art, and sacred, nondenominational temple and hub for visionary artists and inner-seekers. Allyson and Alex host Sunday Art Church events, fusing creativity and dharma; as well as Full Moon Gatherings, which bring together artists, musicians, wisdom teachers, and free-thinkers to honor our cosmic alignment with nature and the creative forces. For a deep dive into their minds, check out their new podcast, The CoSM Podcast, and for updates on Entheon, CoSM, their art and events, visit their website CoSM.org

Dr. Robert Svoboda rejoins Raghu, with special guest Noah Markus, to share ancient Ayurvedic wisdom elucidating how to navigate our incarnations within the law of karma.

Dr. Robert Svoboda is the first Westerner ever to graduate from a college of Ayurveda and be licensed to practice Ayurveda in India. During and after his formal Ayurvedic training he was tutored in Ayurveda, Yoga, Jyotish, Tantra, and other forms of classical Indian lore by his mentor, the Aghori Vimalananda. He is the author of twelve books including Prakriti: Your Ayurvedic Constitution and the Aghora series, which discusses his experiences with his mentor during the years 1975 – 1983. In the years since 1986, Dr. Svoboda has traveled extensively and often speaks on Ayurveda, Jyotish, Tantra, and allied subjects in locales across the world. Subscribe to his many enlightening online courses, and keep up with his offerings at DrSvoboda.com

Trudy Goodman visits the Mindrolling podcast to share her experiences with Ram Dass and reflect on the impact that his teachings have made in the world.

Trudy Goodman Kornfield, Ph.D., is a Vipassana teacher in the Theravada lineage and the Founding Teacher of InsightLA. She also teaches residential retreats at Spirit Rock Meditation Center in Woodacre, CA, Vallecitos Mountain Retreat Center, and Insight Meditation Society in Barre, MA, among others. Learn more at trudygoodman.com.

Aubrey Marcus returns with Raghu to share poetry and dig into topics of navigating collective karma with intuition, the unconditional love of the mother, and the nature of time and free will.

Aubrey Marcus (IG: @aubreymarcus) is the founder of Onnit, a lifestyle brand based on a holistic health philosophy he calls Total Human Optimization. Onnit is an Inc. 500 company and an industry leader with products optimizing millions of lives, including many top professional athletes around the world. Aubrey is the author of the NYT bestseller Own The Day, Own Your Life, with a followup Master Your Mind, Master Your Life due out 2021. He currently hosts the Aubrey Marcus Podcast, providing a motivational destination for conversations with the brightest minds in athletics, business, science, relationships, and spirituality. Connect mind, body and spirit at aubreymarcus.com.

Joseph Goldstein returns to Mindrolling to share stories about Ram Dass, including how he was the doorway to Joseph’s teaching career and how he inspired Joseph’s mantra of compassion.

Don’t forget to preorder Being Ram Dass and leave a message about how Ram Dass influenced you.

As we crest the anniversary of Ram Dass leaving his body, Sharon Salzberg visits Raghu to share stories about Ram Dass and his amazing capacity to both give and receive love.

Author, journalist, & activist, Sarah Wilson joins Raghu to discuss balancing the inner spiritual journey with outer action, sharing, and sacrifice in order to be of service to the collective.

Sarah Wilson is a former journalist and TV presenter, author and activist, who wrote the New York Times bestsellers I Quit Sugar and First, We Make the Beast Beautiful, which Mark Manson described as, “the best book on living with anxiety that I’ve ever read.” Previously she was editor of Cosmopolitan Australia, host of Masterchef Australia and founder of the largest wellness website in Australia, IQuitSugar.com. In May 2018, Sarah closed the business and gave all money to charity. She now builds and enables charity projects that “engage humans with each other” and campaigns on mental health and climate issues. Sarah ranks as one of the top 200 most influential authors in the world and has a combined digital audience of 2.5 million. Sarah’s latest book, This One Wild and Precious Life, is a soul’s journey through the complexities of climate change, coronavirus, racial inequalities and our disconnection from what matters. For more info, visit SarahWilson.com

Comedian & Podcaster, Jamie Kilstein joins Raghu to talk about honesty, vulnerability, f*cking up, atheism, suicide, psychedelics, and spirituality.

Jamie Kilstein is a comedian, writer, musician, fighter, and podcaster who hosts, A F*ckup’s Guide to Self-Help, where he talks culture, self-improvement, drugs, mental health, and being an outcast. He describes it as a magical journey of self-discovery, self-loathing, f*cking up, and learning from those f*ck ups. 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

Author and podcaster Daniele Bolelli drops by the Mindrolling podcast for a conversation around dealing with fear and suffering, facing loss, and balancing toughness and kindness as we go through life. 

Daniele Bolelli is a writer, martial artist, university professor, and podcaster. He was born in Italy and currently lives in Los Angeles. Learn more about Daniele at his website, follow him on Twitter, and check out his podcasts, The Drunken Taoist and History on Fire.

Alastair McIntosh rejoins to explore climate change through Ram Dass' lens of karma & grace, reframing it as a dangerous opportunity to cultivate a resilient, loving, interconnected future.

Writer, speaker, and activist, Alastair McIntosh has been described by BBC TV as “one of the world’s leading environmental campaigners.” A pioneer of modern land reform in Scotland, he helped bring the Isle of Eigg into community ownership. His work focuses on advancement in human ecology, land reform, urban regeneration, and spiritual activism. He just released a new book, Riders on the Storm: The Climate Crisis and the Survival of Being. Learn more about Alastair’s work at AlastairMcIntosh.com

Daniel Goleman joins Raghu to celebrate the 25th anniversary of his paradigm-shifting book, Emotional Intelligence, and discuss the intersection of science and spirituality through the lens of Ram Dass, mindfulness, neuroplasticity, and intuition.

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

Marc Lesser joins Raghu to talk about bringing Zen Buddhism to Google, working with evolutionary fear, cultivating humor and courage, and reclaiming mindfulness as a warmhearted practice.

Marc Lesser is a speaker, facilitator, workshop leader, and executive coach, known for his engaging, experiential presentations that integrate mindfulness and emotional intelligence practices and training. He is the author of four books, including his 2019 release, Seven Practices of a Mindful Leader: Lessons from Google and a Zen Monastery Kitchen. Marc was the co-founder and CEO of the Search Inside Yourself Leadership Institute, featuring a mindfulness program he helped develop within Google. Prior to his business and coaching career, he was a resident of the San Francisco Zen Center for 10 years, and director of Tassajara, Zen Mountain Center.

Mindrolling alumni, David Silver, rejoins to share epiphanies inspired by his upcoming book. From elephant parties with John Lennon, to mixtape requests from Gaddafi, to his friendship with Bob Marley, to meeting Malcolm X; David’s stories are truly ones of grace, humor, compassion, & wonder.

Comedian, actor, and writer, Pete Holmes, rejoins Raghu to reflect on his experiences with Ram Dass, sharing rare and hilarious stories exemplifying his deeply personal, spiritual transformation.

This special episode of Mindrolling is part of a series of conversations for an upcoming book project on individual’s remarkable experiences with Ram Dass. Recorded just months after his Dec 22, 2019 passing on Maui, Raghu invites Pete to share about his personal spiritual journey with Baba Ram Dass. Diving into the cascading catalysts which led him to read Be Here Now, his travels alongside Duncan Trussell to the Love Serve Remember retreats, and his deeply loving and humorous relationship with Ram Dass on Maui, Pete elucidates the unique lilas (divine plays), in his life, which brought him to Ram Dass, Hanuman, and Maharajji.

Multidimensional artist, podcaster, and comedian, Ramin Nazer, joins Raghu to discuss his high-podcast diet, talk Frank Zappa’s idea of expanding through contrasting material, and dive into the topics of art, eternity, practice, creativity, & death.

Ramin Nazer is a multitalented 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 eclectic podcast, The Rainbow Brainskull Hour, where he chats with guests about subjects like creativity, spirituality, psychedelics, music, meditation, and death. You can tap into Ramin’s steady flow of art on his Instagram, and peer into his myriad offerings at RaminNazer.com

Dr. Robert Roeser joins Raghu to explore how Buddhism and mindfulness practices merge with modern neuroscience and developmental psychology.

As Penn State’s first-ever Professor of Caring and Compassion, Robert W. Roeser, PhD is tasked with designing classes that meld the ancient practices of mindfulness and meditation with modern neuroscience to help students become calmer, more focused, and more deeply engaged caring citizens of the world. With a Ph.D. from the Combined Program in Education and Psychology at the University of Michigan and masters degrees in religion and psychology, developmental psychology and clinical social work, Dr. Roeser has been a two-time US Fulbright Scholar in India; a WT Grant Faculty Scholar; and the Senior Program Coordinator for the Mind and Life Institute (Boulder, CO).

Race relations expert Daryl Davis joins Mindrolling to share the incredible story of his work engaging with Ku Klux Klan members and bringing down their walls of ignorance and fear.

Daryl Davis is a musician, band leader, actor, author, and race relations expert. He is well known for his work with engaging Ku Klux Klan members, many of whom wind up leaving and denouncing the KKK. Learn more about Daryl and all of his work at daryldavis.com. 

Acclaimed musician SIMRIT joins Raghu to talk growing up adopted, her influences in music and yoga, the practicality of mantra, and trusting your intuition.

Chart-topping and world-renowned musician and vocalist, SIMRIT, has been studying and working with the science of sound and consciousness for two decades. SIMRIT creates vibrationally powerful and healing music to impact both positive internal & external change. Decades of study and experimentation with the quantum technology of Naad Yoga (the ancient science of using sound to impact the brain’s neural pathways and chemicals, eliciting altered states of reality) deeply influences her music. Her highly acclaimed courses, including The Supreme Sound 2.0, are studied worldwide. For more information head over to SimritKaurMusic.com

Dr. Sabrina N’Diaye joins Mindrolling for a conversation around grief and gratitude, working with trauma, and the extraordinary healing power of listening.

Dr. Sabrina N’Diaye is an integrative psychotherapist and founder of the Heart Nest Center for Peace and Healing in Baltimore. She is a student of the late Sufi Master Sidi Muhammad al-Jamal of Jerusalem, and incorporates Sufi healing into her work with individuals, families, and communities. Dr. Sabrina is also a proud faculty member of the Center for Mind-Body Medicine, where she teaches the art of self-care to healthcare professionals around the globe. Learn more about her at drsabrinandiaye.com. 

Tezra and Koa from the I Am Not That Podcast join Raghu to share their spiritual catalysts, explore victimhood vs empowerment in allyship, and talk self-inquiry and forgiveness.

Tezra and Koa are the hosts of the ‘I AM Not that’ podcast, an exploration of how to become liberated from our limiting thoughts, ideals and beliefs, and reclaim our unlimited power of potentiality. They join Raghu to share their own unique sparks of finding the spiritual path, along with their personal journeys in embodying this uncovered wisdom. After sharing their synchronistic story of falling in love, Tezra and Koa dive into the intention behind their podcast, explain the difference between a well-wisher and an ally, and offer advice for self-inquiry and spiritual liberation.

Devon and Craig Hase join Raghu to talk tangible mindfulness, authenticity in meditation, and dismantling racism in spiritual communities.

Devon has been committed to meditation since 2000, spending years in retreat in the Insight and Vajrayana traditions, and has been mentored by Joseph Goldstein, Tara Brach, Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche. Craig began intensive meditation training in 1994, living in a Zen monastery for six years before getting his PhD in counseling psychology. Together they are teachers and mentors in the spiritual community, and they just released their new book, How Not To Be A Hot Mess. You can find about more their offerings at DevonandCraigHase.com

Shaman, John Lockley, returns to talk the history of racism in South Africa, healing cultural wounds through listening, and decolonizing the mind.

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 Mentoring, In-Person Divinations, Plant Healing and more at johnlockley.com.

Robert Thurman returns to share stories about Ram Dass, discuss his psychedelic years, and explore the topics of reincarnation, identity and activism.

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. Keep up with Robert at bobthurman.com

Thanissara joins Raghu to discuss social action, unconscious racism, and the mystery of the collective bardo, before guiding a breathwork meditation.

Thanissara, formerly a Buddhist nun for 12 years, has been teaching meditation retreats alongside her partner Kittisaro since 1992. Together they founded Dharmagiri Sacred Mountain Retreat in South Africa and co-authored Listening to the Heart, A Contemplative Guide to Engaged Buddhism. She is also author of Time To Stand Up, A Buddhist Manifesto for Our Earth, and several poetry books. Thanissara and Kittisaro recently launched Sacred Mountain Sangha, a California based Non Profit that hosts the Dharmapala Training, a two year, seven module training. Keep up to date with her offerings at dharmagiri.org and sacredmountiansangha.org

The Venerable Tenzin Priyadarshi Rinpoche joins Raghu to discuss joyful effort, karma, first-hand experience, and his new book Running Toward Mystery.

Danny Goldberg returns to the Mindrolling Podcast to honor the life of civil-rights leader and former United States House Representative John Lewis.

John Robert Lewis (February 21, 1940 – July 17, 2020) was an American politician and civil-rights leader who served in the United States House of Representatives for Georgia’s 5th congressional district from 1987 until his death in 2020.

John Lewis fulfilled many key roles in the civil rights movement and its actions to end legalized racial segregation in the United States. Lewis was one of the “Big Six” leaders of groups who organized the 1963 March on Washington. In 1965, Lewis led the Selma to Montgomery marches across the Edmund Pettus Bridge. In an incident that became known as Bloody Sunday, armed Alabama police attacked unarmed civil rights demonstrators, including Lewis, Hosea Williams, and Amelia Boynton.

A member of the Democratic Party, Lewis was first elected to Congress in 1986 and served for 17 terms in the U.S. House of Representatives. Due to his length of service, he became the dean of the Georgia congressional delegation. He was a leader of the Democratic Party in the U.S. House of Representatives, serving from 1991 as a Chief Deputy Whip and from 2003 as Senior Chief Deputy Whip. Lewis received many honorary degrees and awards, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Links From This Episode: King In The Wilderness Full Film (Free) | John Lewis Full Interview – King in the Wilderness | John Lewis: Good Trouble – Official Trailer | C.T. Vivian Full Interview – King in the Wilderness

Mehcad Brooks joins the Mindrolling Podcast for a conversation around how we can navigate the challenges of the world with inner work and raise our consciousness together.

Mehcad Brooks is a multi-talented actor, musician and model. Featuring lead roles in many movies and television shows, Mehcad is most known for his roles in Super Girl, Desperate Housewives and True Blood. Look out for Mehcad in 2021 starring as Jax in the upcoming Mortal Kombat movie. You can keep up with Mehcad online on Instagram and Twitter @MehcadBrooks

Old friends of the show Duncan Trussell and Natasha Leggero join Raghu to celebrate the Be Here Now Network's fourth annual anniversary and share a conversation around how the Indian concept of Kalyānamitra - unconditional spiritual friends - may offer our best hope in these troubled times.

Listen to Natasha and her husband Moshe Kasher every week on The Endless Honeymoon Podcast and catch regular episodes of the  Duncan Trussell Family Hour Podcast – both featuring a cavalcade of hilarious, insightful and gifted guests!

MAPS founder Rick Doblin returns to Mindrolling for a reality-altering conversation about the psychedelics renaissance happening around his work with MDMA and trauma.

Konda Mason, Mirabai Bush, and Raghu Markus join for a conversation on Cultivating Resilience in the Face of Racial Injustice and Disparity.

Dissecting the lie of “not seeing race” and the “Privilege of not knowing”, our speakers examine the intersections of land, race, money, and spirit, and the roles they play in the framework of our society. Through compassion and finding ways to accept unsavory truths, we can learn to open our hearts and realize our interconnection with everyone.

Valarie Kaur joins Raghu to discuss revolutionary love, divine rage, joy as resistance, and seeing the world with a warrior’s heart and a Saint’s eyes.

Nikki Walton joins Raghu to discuss her beginnings as a spiritual seeker, the process of letting go, and how to tune into the silence to find love.

Therapist Ralph De La Rosa returns to the Mindrolling Podcast for a conversation about finding freedom through the wisdom and practices of both Eastern and Western psychology.

David Silver, Mindrolling alumni and longtime friend, joins Raghu to share wisdom on finding silver linings within the dangerous opportunity of coronavirus. Catching up for the first time since the start of the novel coronavirus pandemic, David and Raghu trade stories and thoughts on how they have been dealing with the the changing times and uncertain future. Each of them have been able to find silver linings amongst the heavy clouds of our current predicament, paving a way for light to enter, no matter the circumstances.

If you enjoy the Mindrolling Podcast, we think that you will appreciate this new podcast series from Dr. Robert Svoboda.

You can subscribe to the Living With Reality Podcast with Dr. Robert Svoboda in your podcast player to receive regular insight from Dr. Svoboda on integrating the practices of mindfulness into our lives and more easily accepting things as they are.

Roshi Joan Halifax returns to Mindrolling to remember her unique and playful relationship with Ram Dass, and talk about how wise hope is rooted in the radical uncertainty we face today.

What can the wisdom of indigenous communities teach us about overcoming our narratives, working with the ego, and dissolving the barriers between ourselves and others? Tyson Yunkaporta joins Raghu for a conversation around how adopting indigenous thinking might help us change ourselves and the world for the better.

Psychologist and author Dr. Rick Hanson visits the Mindrolling Podcast for a conversation around cultivating resilience, healing trauma and the practices that are available for training our reactivity.

Nicholas Petricca, lead singer of the rock band Walk the Moon, joins Raghu for a conversation about healing with music, connecting with others and bringing awareness to our suffering.

Would you like to be part of the next generation of mindfulness meditation instructors? If so, we invite you to take a unique opportunity to study with Jack Kornfield and Tara Brach and become a certified instructor to guide others in their practice – The Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Certification Program: A Two-Year Training Program for Teaching Awareness and Compassion-Based Practices

Legendary singer-songwriter Steve Earle drops by Mindrolling for a conversation around Rock and Roll, LSD, 12-step programs, and his son’s very special connection with Ram Dass.

The great Sharon Salzberg returns to Mindrolling to provide Raghu Markus some guidance on grief and emotional resilience, and talk about her new book on change and social action.

With the Coronavirus raging worldwide, Raghu Markus calls on James Gordon, MD, to provide some tools to help us transform trauma and embrace hope.

In this special session from the 2015 Spring on Maui Retreat, Ram Dass and Duncan Trussell join Raghu Markus for a playful and thought-provoking conversation on courage, trust, and love. 

Lily Cushman drops by Mindrolling to talk about the meaning of mantra, and how a spoonful of music can help the medicine of mantra go down.

Tara Brach joins Mindrolling for a discussion around awakening from the grip of fear, RAIN-ing on blame and judgment, and breaking the trance of unworthiness.

Would you like to be part of the next generation of mindfulness meditation instructors? If so, we invite you to take a unique opportunity to study with Jack Kornfield and Tara Brach and become a certified instructor to guide others in their practice – The Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Certification Program: A Two-Year Training Program for Teaching Awareness and Compassion-Based Practices

Author Norma Levine visits the Mindrolling Podcast for a conversation about her experiences and lessons learned through her relationship with Zhabdrung Rinpoche, the exiled spiritual king of Bhutan.

Danny Goldberg returns to Mindrolling to chat about the current landscape in politics and how we can deal with the polarization caused by our fear driven social structures.

Zen meditation teacher Deborah Eden Tull drops by Mindrolling for a conversation around turning towards pain and suffering, processing fear, and cultivating ‘we’ consciousness.

Raghu Markus welcomes author and journalist Krista Tippett onto the Mindrolling Podcast for a loving remembrance of Ram Dass' teachings and an exploration of how we can get free through love, acceptance, and inner inquiry.

Krista Tippett is an American journalist, author, and entrepreneur. She is the creator and host of the public radio program and podcast On Being. In 2014, Tippett was awarded the National Humanities Medal by U.S. President Barack Obama. Subscribe to On Being and find thoughtfully curated collections of audio, essays, and poetry from The On Being Project’s deep archive at onbeing.org.

Joseph Goldstein drops by Mindrolling for a conversation around investigating and uncovering afflictive emotions such as grief, loss, and anxiety, and how we can turn up the dial of intentionality.

Musician, writer, and artist Bunny Micheal joins Raghu on the Mindrolling Podcast to talk about how we can bring awareness and acceptance to all aspects of ourselves.

Dr. Bruce Damer drops by Mindrolling for a conversation around why evolution is about lifting and gifting, the origin of life and consciousness, and creating a spacious awareness.

In this special episode of the Mindrolling Podcast, Raghu and guest host Noah Markus speak with director Jamie Catto about creating the film Becoming Nobody with Ram Dass.

Recorded shortly after the passing of Ram Dass, this episode celebrates Ram Dass' teachings around death and looks at how the film Becoming Nobody can be a valuable tool in our journey of awakening. Becoming Nobody is available now on DVD and digital download.

David Silver joins Raghu Markus to talk about Ram Dass’s journey into the mystery of death, and reflect on an interview they did with Ram Dass around the power of self-honesty. 

Duncan Trussell and Dr. Robert Svoboda continue their Mindrolling conversation with Raghu around trust and surrender, decentralized gurus, and the complexity of everyday karma.

Duncan Trussell and Dr. Robert Svoboda join Raghu for a conversation about karma and rewriting our false narratives.

This podcast was recorded live on stage at the 2019 Open Your Heart in Paradise Retreat in Maui. Sign up for the Ram Dass mailing list to get information about upcoming retreats, exclusive free teachings and announcements at RamDass.org

It’s what’s happening when fast friends Pete Holmes and Michael Gungor drop by Mindrolling to talk about becoming nobody, non-duality, and the intersection of wisdom and heart.

Elizabeth Mattis Namgyel joins Raghu Markus on the Mindrolling Podcast for a conversation around the roles that grace and faith play in our journey of awakening.

The multi-talented Kelly Carlin joins Raghu for a conversation around working with our suffering and waking up to our true selves.

Kelly Carlin is a writer, speaker and broadcast host. Kelly is also a practitioner of Zen Buddhism, has a Masters in Jungian/Archetypal psychology and a producer on-screen and in the theater. Daughter of comedian George Carlin, Kelly comes from a family steeped in comedy, full of big ideas and warm hearts. Learn more about Kelly’s work, find her podcast, radio show and more at thekellycarlinsite.com

Lama Surya Das and Raghu Markus share stories about their gurus as they explore the Bhakti-Buddhist connection, a meeting point of warm compassion and cool wisdom.

Buddhist teacher Shantum Seth joins Mindrolling to talk about his time with Thich Nhat Hanh, using the breath as an anchor to the present, and the power of the Sangha.

Author and clinical psychologist Jeffrey Mishlove joins Raghu for a conversation around consciousness, identity and the intersection of science and spirituality.

Jeffrey Mishlove, Ph.D., is a licensed clinical psychologist, an accomplished radio and television interviewer, and one of the most erudite and articulate personalities on television. Jeffrey holds the only doctoral diploma in parapsychology to be awarded by an accredited American university. Learn more about Jeff and his work at thinkingallowed.com.

Raghu shares his second collection of essential and practical practices, curated from conversations with some amazing teachers, to help with living a life in balance. 

David Silver returns to Mindrolling for a free flowing conversation with Raghu around ego-based projections, how becoming nobody is the antidote to anger, and dependent origination. 

Raghu shares a collection of essential practices, specially curated from conversations with some of his most beloved teachers, to help us navigate our daily lives and create a sense of balance in a chaotic world.

Shelby Hartman and Madison Margolin, founders of the psychedelic focused magazine DoubleBlind, join Raghu for a conversation about their work covering the renaissance of psychedelics in our culture, politics and daily lives.

DoubleBlind is a biannual print magazine and media company covering timely, untold stories about the expansion of psychedelics around the globe. Find unique articles and learn more about DoubleBlind at doubleblindmag.com.

It's the best of the Buddhists on Mindrolling! Raghu shares a collection of thought-provoking conversations with some of his beloved Buddhist teachers.

Musician and author Michael Gungor drops by Mindrolling to talk about navigating the spiritual path and letting go of the stories we tell ourselves.

David Nichtern returns to Mindrolling to talk about his upcoming book, his new podcast, and how we can break free from our illusory sense of reality.

Dale Borglum drops by Mindrolling to chat with Raghu about shifting our view of life away from identification with the thinking mind and the stories we tell ourselves to that of pure awareness itself.

Trudy Goodman, Duncan Trussell, and Google Empathy Lab founder Ananda Danielle Krettek join Mindrolling to discuss what Becoming Nobody means to them, the intersection of technology and spirituality, and much more. 

Pouria Montazeri visits the Mindrolling Podcast for a conversation with Raghu around the poetry of Rumi and the different paths of the heart.

Pouria Montazeri grew up with Rumi’s poetry and teachings. He draws from his 28 years of experience with Sufism, Advaita Vedanta, and other mystical and contemplative practices and his experiences as a teacher, spiritual director/coach, speaker, poet, mindfulness instructor, sangha guide, mentor, and filmmaker to support himself and others to live more creative, peaceful, and meaningful lives. He wrote, directed, and shot the award-winning film, Shams & Rumi: The Fragrance of Axis Mundi. Learn more about Pouria and his tuition-free in-person and online courses dedicated to providing authentic translations and windows into the heart of Rumi’s teachings at footprintsofrum.com

Shaman John Lockley returns to the Mindrolling podcast to discuss the importance of preserving and reconnecting with the wilderness.

Danny Goldberg returns to the Mindrolling Podcast to share stories from his new biography that remembers the life of Kurt Cobain.

In this episode, record executive and artist manager Danny Goldberg speaks about his close relationship with Kurt Cobain and reflects on the addiction that Kurt struggled with so greatly. Raghu shares a letter written to Ram Dass that brings to question how we react to the darkness and suffering that exists in the world.

East Forest returns to the Mindrolling Podcast to celebrate the release of “Ram Dass”, the full-length album that pairs soul-stirring music with the wisdom of Ram Dass like never before.

Listen to samples from “Ram Dass” by East Forest x Ram Dass and find upcoming events with East Forest at EastForest.org.

Clinical psychologist Anthony P. Bossis joins Raghu on the Mindrolling Podcast for a conversation about his research on psychedelics and learning to put trust in consciousness through the psychedelic experience.

Anthony P. Bossis, PhD, is a clinical psychologist and clinical assistant professor of psychiatry at NYU School of Medicine. He conducts FDA approved psychedelic research investigating the therapeutic efficacy of psilocybin on existential and psycho-spiritual distress at the end of life. Anthony is a co-founder of Palliative Care Service at Bellevue Hospital and on the advisory committee and faculty for the Art of Dying Institute in New York City where he maintains a private psychotherapy practice.

Co-host David Silver returns to celebrate 300 episodes of Mindrolling!

David and Raghu share their favorite memories from the past 300 episodes and dip into the Ram Dass archives to share wisdom around the cultivation of awareness and personal transformation. 

Koshin Paley Ellison returns to Mindrolling for a free-flowing conversation that touches on lone wolves, social media zombies, service, and the importance of paying attention. 

David Silver returns to the Mindrolling Podcast for an exploration of the different states of bardo and the practices that help us better navigate them.

Duncan Trussell returns to the Mindrolling Podcast for a conversation with Raghu about navigating unknown spaces in our lives and the option that always exists to turn away from our destructive patterns.

Raghu is joined by renown activist Alastair McIntosh for a conversation about integrating spirituality, environmental conservation and social activism.

Alastair McIntosh has been described by BBC TV as “one of the world’s leading environmental campaigners.” A pioneer of modern land reform in Scotland, he helped bring the Isle of Eigg into community ownership. Alastair guest lectures at military staff colleges, most notably the UK Defence Academy, on nonviolence.Learn more at AlastairMcIntosh.com

Live from the 13th Annual “Open Your Heart in Paradise” Retreat, Raghu Markus is joined on stage by Anne Lamott, Duncan Trussell and Pete Holmes for a conversation around practices and perspectives that we can use to pursue our journey of awakening with an honest heart.

Fleet Maull visits Raghu on the Mindrolling Podcast for a conversation about the practices and perspectives that can help us all move about our daily lives with grace.

Fleet Maull, PhD, CMT-P, is an author, consultant, trainer and executive coach. Fleet also serves as a meditation teacher, consultant, trainer, social entrepreneur, and end-of-life care educator.

In this episode, Fleet shares how the practices of service, mindfulness and compassion enabled positive personal transformation during his 15 years in prison. He looks at how taking radical responsibility for our life can allow us to move beyond fear.

Psychotherapist and meditation teacher Loch Kelly returns for an exploration of the ways we can use the powerful practice of effortless mindfulness to connect to our true nature and live from an expansive place of loving awareness.

Tim Desmond visits the Mindrolling Podcast for a conversation about how mindfulness practice can get us through the greatest difficulties that life has in store for us.

A psychotherapist, author, and faculty Scholar at Antioch University New England, Tim Desmond is also a long time student of Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh. Tim is a co-founder of Morning Sun Mindfulness Center and a teacher of mindfulness and self-compassion practices audiences around the world.

David Silver returns to the Mindrolling Podcast for a conversation around the teachings of Sri Ramana Maharshi and the floating factors of being in nothingness.

In this special episode of the Mindrolling Podcast, Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche, Tibetan teacher and master of the Karma Kagyu and Nyingma lineages of Tibetan Buddhism, shares a conversation with Raghu Markus and Krishna Das about navigating the path of spiritual practice.

Born in 1975, Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche is a much-loved and accomplished Tibetan Buddhist meditation teacher. From a young age, he was drawn to a life of contemplation. In addition to extensive training in the meditative and philosophical traditions of Tibetan Buddhism, Rinpoche has maintained a lifelong interest in Western science and psychology. Rinpoche currently teaches throughout the world, with centers on four continents. His candid, often humorous accounts of his own personal difficulties have endeared him to Buddhist and non-Buddhist students alike. Learn more about Rinpoche and find his world wide teaching schedule at tergar.org.

This week on the Mindrolling Podcast, Raghu is joined by Zen priest Zoketsu Norman Fischer for a conversation about the ways that we can bring balance and compassion into our lives.

Zoketsu Norman Fischer is a poet and Zen Buddhist priest. For many years he has taught at the San Francisco Zen Center, the oldest and largest of the new Buddhist organizations in the West, where he served as Co-abbot from 1995-2000. He is presently a Senior Dharma Teacher there as well as the founder and spiritual director of the Everyday Zen Foundation, an organization dedicated to adapting Zen Buddhist teachings to Western culture.

Raghu Markus is joined live on stage by Sharon Salzberg, Jack Kornfield, and Joseph Goldstein!

In this episode of the Mindrolling Podcast, Raghu and his guests discuss what set them on the spiritual path early in life and explore the link between generosity, compassion and the spiritual awakening. Our group of Buddhist teachers closes the show with a unique round-robin meditation session. This episode was recorded live from the 2018 Open Your Heart In Paradise retreat with Ram Dass and friends.

Kanwer Singh, aka Humble The Poet, visits Raghu Markus on the Mindrolling Podcast for a conversation around building a better life from rock bottom, using fear as a tool, bringing awareness to our feelings and more!

Dr. Judson Brewer visits the Mindrolling Podcast for an exploration of how we can overcome the craving and habits of the mind.

Author and entrepreneur Aubrey Marcus visits the Mindrolling Podcast for a conversation about what is necessary to wake up from our false narratives and live life fully.

Mirabai Starr, the author of Wild Mercy, shares a conversation with Raghu Markus about the subversive wisdom of mystics throughout history and bringing balance to the feminine and masculine within ourselves.

Author and artist Amber Rae visits the Mindrolling Podcast! Explore the possibility of overcoming our fears, discomforts, and false narratives by pursuing our inner wonder.

Dr. Mark Epstein returns to the Mindrolling Podcast for a conversation that touches on the topics of emptiness, untangling our self-narrative and working with the fear that comes with impermanence and surrender.

Author and speaker Charles Eisenstein visits Mindrolling to talk about climate change, the societal myths that steer us wrong, and transcending our own stories.

Contemplative psychotherapist Dr. Miles Neale visits Mindrolling to chat with Raghu about intuition, emptiness, renunciation, and the mystical being that is Bob Thurman.

Bestselling author Martha Beck visits the Mindrolling Podcast for a conversation with Raghu that touches on how we can best navigate the waves of change, uncover our true nature and find freedom through telling the truth.

Martha Beck is the author of several bestselling memoirs and self-help books, life coach and columnist for O, The Oprah Magazine. 

Mindrolling co-host David Silver returns to the podcast for a conversation that looks at the teachings of Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche that show us how we can best live an ordinary life in the modern world.

Author Anne Lamott returns to the Mindrolling Podcast! She and Raghu talk about finding hope through the practice of compassion, escaping our narratives and liberating ourselves from our fear of death.

Anne Lamott writes and speaks about subjects that begin with capital letters: Alcoholism, Motherhood, Jesus, Hope. But armed with self-effacing humor – she is laugh-out-loud funny – and ruthless honesty, Lamott converts her subjects into enchantment. Actually, she writes about what most of us don’t like to think about. In all her novels, she writes about loss – loss of loved ones and loss of personal control. She doesn’t try to sugar-coat the sadness, frustration and disappointment, but tells her stories with honesty, compassion and a pureness of voice.

Psychotherapist and meditation teacher Ralph De La Rosa shares a conversation with Raghu about moving beyond the wounded narratives of our monkey mind with spiritual practice.

Ralph De La Rosa is the author of the #1 bestselling The Monkey Is the Messenger: Meditation & What Your Busy Mind Is Trying to Tell You and has been named amongst Sonima’s “Next Generation of Meditation Teachers.” Ralph is a state-licensed therapist in private practice in NYC and offers virtual life coaching services to clients all over the world. 

This week on the Mindrolling Podcast, Mirabai Bush shares a conversation with Raghu about reworking the conditioning of the brain, bringing clarity to the moment and the practice of being with someone in their time of dying.

Comedian and actor Pete Holmes returns to the Mindrolling Podcast, sharing a conversation with Raghu that touches on generosity, spiritual practice and seeing through the stories we tell ourselves.

Michael “Jadu” Daner returns to the Mindrolling Podcast to share more stories of the seekers and smugglers who traveled The Hippie Trail.

Michael “Jadu” Daner is the co-founder of the Conscious Living: Conscious Working Program. In Goa, India in 1970 Michael was inspired to begin practicing yoga and meditation. He explored Bhakti Yoga as a devotee of Neem Karoli Baba, studied Dzogchen Buddhism with Namkhai Norbu, and returned to the West to teach mindfulness practices in NYC for 14 years at NY Insight. Learn more at michaeldaner.com

David Nichtern and Duncan Trussell return to the Mindrolling Podcast for a conversation about understanding the real value of emptiness and recognizing the active role we play in our own ignorance.

How can we cultivate the ability to see through the distortion of our own thoughts and emotions? In this episode, the group examines what the Buddhist teachings around dependent origination and emptiness can teach us about seeing through the fabrications of the mind.

Author and teacher Thanissara joins Raghu for a conversation about the waking up together and breaking our karmic patterns.

Thanissara, author of Time To Stand Up, A Buddhist Manifesto for Our Earth, was a Buddhist nun for 12 years. She has been teaching meditation retreats with her partner Kittisaro since 1992. Together they founded Dharmagiri Sacred Mountain Retreat in 2000 in South Africa and co-authored Listening to the Heart, A Contemplative Guide to Engaged Buddhism.

In this special episode of the Mindrolling Podcast, Raghu is joined live on stage by Ram Dass, Trudy Goodman, Jack Kornfield, and Duncan Trussell to explore practices for waking up from the movie of “me”.

This time on the Mindrolling Podcast, Dr. Dan Siegel shares a conversation with Raghu around the exploration of consciousness and the intersection between science and awareness.

Dan Siegel, MD, 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. He is also the Executive Director of the Mindsight Institute which focuses on the development of mindsight, which teaches insight, empathy, and integration in individuals, families and communities. Learn more at drdansiegel.com.

Find show notes and links here: https://beherenownetwork.com/mindrolling-ep-268-dr-dan-siegel/

Lama Surya Das returns to the Mindrolling Podcast for a conversation about navigating the battlefield of our interior selves. 

Find show notes and links here: https://beherenownetwork.com/mindrolling-ep-267-the-interior-battlefield-with-lama-surya-das/

Old friend and former host, David Silver, of Mindrolling Podcast is back to talk about correcting our own wrong knowing with compassion and wisdom.

Find show notes and links here: https://beherenownetwork.com/mindrolling-ep-266-wrong-knowing-with-david-silver/

This week on The Mindrolling Podcast, Raghu sits down with Sister Jenna and Gagan Levy to talk about bringing a sense of sacredness and compassion to social action. The group talks about methods of approaching the intersection of media and activism in a way that does not require fear to engage the public.

Find show notes and resources here: https://beherenownetwork.com/mindrolling-ep-265-a-sacred-theory-of-change-with-sister-jenna-and-gagan-levy/

Sister Jenna is a spiritual leader, author, radio host and TV personality, renowned speaker and founder of the Meditation Museum I & II in metropolitan Washington, DC. Selected by EBW2020 as one of the 100 most influential leaders for 2015, her mission is to decode critical current issues and offer a perspective for folks to find clarity, power, and insight. Find meditations from Sister Levey and more at americameditating.org.

Gagan (Jared Levy) sits on the board of directors for the prestigious Social Venture Network, a premier socially responsible business community, as well as the board of Ram Dass’ Love Serve Remember Foundation. Also, an adjunct professor for the University of Colorado advertising program and frequent speaker/contributor for many universities, conferences and corporate events. Learn more at WeAreGuru.com.

Raghu sits down with Lutheran pastor Nadia Bolz-Weber for a heartwarming conversation about the emphasis of grace at the heart of the Lutheran tradition and breaking the cycle of harm with forgiveness.

Find show notes and resources: beherenownetwork.com/mindrolling-ep-264-nadia-bolz-weber/ 

Nadia Bolz-Weber is the founding pastor of House for All Sinners and Saints in Denver, Colorado.  She is the author of the New York Times bestseller Accidental Saints: Finding God in All the Wrong People, as well as Salvation on the Small Screen? 24 Hours of Christian Television and the New York Times bestselling theological memoir, Pastrix: the Cranky, Beautiful Faith of a Sinner & Saint.

David Silver returns to the Mindrolling Podcast for a conversation around the fixation on “me” that we all share and an exploration of ways that we can transform our own narratives and how we relate to the world.

Dr. Mitch Abblett shares a conversation with Raghu about the hurdles that get in the way of our happiness and cloud our awareness.

Find show notes and resources here: https://beherenownetwork.com/mindrolling-ep-262-hurdles-to-happiness/

Raghu continues his conversation with Robert Thurman, Krishna Das and Duncan Trussell around questions of death and cultivating a heart of compassion.

The group touches on questions of enlightenment, karma, ego, death, and the doorway to love that is opened through faith.

Find show notes and resources here: https://beherenownetwork.com/mindrolling-ep-261-doorway-of-faith/

Live from the 2018 “Spring on Maui” retreat, Raghu is joined by Robert Thurman, Krishna Das and Duncan Trussell for a conversation that explores difficult questions around death and embracing the emptiness that comes from the practice of compassion.

Find show notes and resources here: https://beherenownetwork.com/mindrolling-ep-260-spring-on-maui-part-1/

This week on the Mindrolling Podcast, Dr. Omid Safi joins Raghu for a conversation about the path of radical love found in the Sufi tradition. 

Show notes and resources: https://beherenownetwork.com/mindrolling-ep-259-sufi-heart/

Nina Rao visits the Mindrolling Podcast for a chat with Raghu about the transformative power of mantra and the fruits of pursuing a spiritual path.

Find show notes and resources here: https://beherenownetwork.com/mindrolling-ep-258-nina-rao/

Raghu shares an open-hearted exploration of mantra, mythology and archetypes in the Hindu tradition with his guest Dr. Manoj Chalam.

Dr. Manoj Chalam uses humor and personal anecdotes in his lectures and workshops to illuminate Hindu mythology. An Indian-born scientist with a Ph.D. from Cornell University, Manoj helps individuals find their archetypes in Hindu Yogic deities and teaches the 4 ways to work with an archetype as a Vedantic practice. Find upcoming events with Manoj and his wife Jyothi: Unique Arts  

Find show notes and resources: https://beherenownetwork.com/mindrolling-ep-257-dr-manoj-chalam/ 

Adyashanti shares a discussion with Raghu about facing challenges along the spiritual path and finding a balance between effort and grace.

Find show notes and book recommendations here: https://beherenownetwork.com/mindrolling-ep-256-adyashanti/

Raghu shares a conversation with author and meditation teacher Spring Washam about finding liberation by turning towards suffering with a clear mind and compassionate heart.

Spring Washam is a meditation teacher, author and visionary leader based in southern California. She is one of the founders and core teachers at the East Bay Meditation Center, located in downtown Oakland. She has been extensively trained by Jack Kornfield and is a member of the teacher’s council at Spirit Rock Meditation Center in northern California.

Find show notes and links: https://beherenownetwork.com/mindrolling-ep-255-spring-washam/

Rick Jarow shares a conversation with Raghu about the practice of right-livelihood, the yoga of work, and shares strategies from his Ultimate Anti-Career Guide.

Rick Jarow, Ph.D. has transformed the way the world thinks about their work, purpose and vocation. As the pioneer of the anti-career movement and author of Creating the Work You Love, he has helped thousands open to their intuition, transform their values into action, and answer their true calling… instead of settling for yet another job.

Find links and show notes here: https://beherenownetwork.com/mindrolling-ep-254-joga-of-work/

Loch Kelly shares a conversation with Raghu about moving into in the space beyond ego with the practice of effortless mindfulness.

Find show notes and links here: https://beherenownetwork.com/mindrolling-ep-253-effortless/

David Silver returns to the Mindrolling Podcast for a conversation about Carl Jung, the influence of Eastern philosophy in Jung's work and his private study of the Self that lies beyond ego.

Find show notes, images from The Red Book and suggested links: https://beherenownetwork.com/mindrolling-ep-252-carl-jung/ 

Raghu is joined by, author and teacher, Gangaji who shares memories of her Guru, Papaji, talks about what it means to surrender to trust and reflects on the difficulties encountered on the spiritual path.

Find links and show notes here: https://beherenownetwork.com/mindrolling-ep-251-gangaji

Justin Boreta, from the electronic band Glitch Mob, joins Raghu and Rachael Fisher, Content & Development Director at LSRF, for a conversation around the intersection of spiritual practice and the transformative power of music.

Links from this episode: Imagine – Ram Dass & Boreta | Glitch Mob | Propeller 

Shep Gordon joins Raghu to talk about some of the lessons around service, trust and equanimity he learned while working with some of the most prominent celebrities and figures of his time.

In the course of his legendary career as a manager, agent, and producer, Shep Gordon has worked with, and befriended, some of the biggest names in the entertainment industry, from Alice Cooper to Groucho Marx, Blondie to Jimi Hendrix, Sylvester Stallone to Salvador Dali. He is also credited with inventing the “celebrity chef,” and has worked with Nobu Matsuhisa, Emeril Lagasse, Wolfgang Puck, Roger Vergé, and many others, including His Holiness the Dalai Lama.

Don Miguel Ruiz visits the Mindrolling podcast for a conversation about three essential questions that drive our lives and govern our spiritual power.

This week on the Mindrollling Podcast, Michael Taft drops in for a conversation about deconstructing our ego, bringing life into balance and dealing with afflictive emotions.

Chris Grosso returns to the Mindrolling Podcast to talk about overcoming our self-defeating behaviors with spiritual practice.

This week, Trevor Hall joins Raghu for a conversation about the growth that can come from turning towards our suffering in periods of fruitful darkness.

Nick Polizzi returns to the Mindrolling Podcast to discuss the ways that sacred medicines can transform how we relate to death, fear and the world at large. 

Anne Lamott and Duncan Trussell join Raghu for an honest chat about taking the fear out of our relationship with death.

David Nichtern returns to the show for a conversation about lifting the veils of reality, understanding the key components of awareness and recognizing the seeds of karma.

 

Robert Thurman returns to the show for a conversation about facing reality, transforming our reactivity and understanding karma. 

 

This week, journalist Sally Quinn joins the show to talk about her search for God as an agnostic, finding meaning in suffering and embracing the transformational power of love.

 

 

Raghu is joined by Scott Kriens, founder of 1440 Multiversity, and Jared “Gagen” Levey, founder of Guru Media Solutions, for a conversation around the rise of contemplative practice, the pursuit of authentic leadership and bringing mindfulness into our roles in the workplace.

Dr. Shefali Tsabary joins the show for a conversation around the cultivation of mindfulness, conscious parenting and methods for living an awakened life.

Dr. Shefali is a world-renowned clinical psychologist who specializes in the integration of Eastern philosophy and Western psychology. She lectures extensively on mindful living and conscious parenting around the world and is in private practice in NYC.

This week on the Mindrolling Podcast, Lama Tsultrim Allione returns for a conversation around the practice of mandala and connecting with the aspect of the divine feminine known as the Dakini.

This week on the Mindrolling Podcast Dr. Mark Epstein joins the podcast to talk about changing our perspective and getting over ourselves with the tools of Buddhist practice.

Musician East Forest, aka Trevor Oswalt, joins the Mindrolling Podcast for a conversation around music, psychedelics and spirituality.

 

This week Ethan Nichtern joins the show to talk about sharing the teachings of Buddhism in a more relatable way and following our karmic road home.

 

This week, Roshi Joan Halifax returns to the show for a conversation around finding freedom at the edge where fear and courage meet.

 

Alan Watt’s eldest daughters, Anne and Joan Watts, join the show to talk about their father’s work and his recently published collection of letters.

This week, Raghu is joined by Lama Surya Das for a conversation about how we approach reality and karma.

 

Sharon Salzberg and Raghu share a conversation about the process of getting real with ourselves with the help of mindfulness and meditation practice.

Joseph Goldstein returns to the show to help unpack a few challenging Dharmic concepts and opens our eyes to the subtle craving of becoming.

 

Jack Kornfield returns to the show to talk about how spiritual practice provides a place of peace and security within ourselves that we can always return to.

 

Comedians Duncan Trussell and Pete Holmes return to the podcast for a conversation around trust and what happens when the world as we know it comes crashing down around us.

Tom Bluewolf joins the show to talk about the lessons of peace, equanimity and divine purpose taught by his Muscogee Native American tradition.

David Silver returns to the Mindrolling Podcast for a special conversation about entering 2018 with mindfulness and compassion.

Raghu is joined by Dr. Gabor Maté for a conversation about the Hungry Ghost Realm of addiction and healing from trauma with compassionate inquiry.

Raghu is joined by Dr. Robert Svoboda for a conversation about karma and the Tantric traditions.

 

Jamie Catto joins the podcast to talk about how we can transform our suffering with spiritual practice and a change of perspective.

Live from the 2017 Spring on Maui Retreat, Raghu is joined by Duncan Trussell, Sharon Salzberg and David Nichtern for a conversation about spiritual practice and the inner journey.

Fresh from retreat in India, Krishna Das returns to the podcast for a conversation around finding trust in the heart with the grace of the Guru.

Performing artist and yoga teacher MC YOGI visits the show to talk about the transformative power of music and living a balanced life with spiritual practice.

 

This week, kirtan artist Jahnavi Harrison returns to talk about trust, commitment and the path of Bhakti yoga.

Vincent Horn, from the Buddhist Geeks podcast, returns for a conversation around psychedelics, surrender and the self.

 

Tami Simon, author of The Dharma of Dogs, returns for a conversation about the relationships we form with our animals and the wisdom they have to teach us. 

 

South African shaman, John Lockley, returns to talk about his book, Leopard Warrior, and share wisdom about dreams, the rhythm of truth and finding our center.

 

This week on the Mindrolling podcast, Rabbi Naomi Levy shares her journey of searching for the soul and discusses the wisdom shared by all spiritual traditions.

 

Dr. Jeffrey Long visits the Mindrolling podcast to talk about his fascinating research around near death experiences.

 

Author, Pico Iyer, visits the Mindrolling podcast for a conversation about inner exploration, Zen Buddhism, and the Dalai Lama. 

 

Author, Barbara Bonner, visits the show to talk about inspiring generosity and courage within ourselves and in others.

Director of "Fierce Grace", Mickey Lemle, returns to the podcast to talk about his latest film, “The Last Dalai Lama?” 

Trudy Goodman joins the show for a conversation around meeting everything life has to offer with an open heart and harmonize with what is. 

Outdoorsman, author and teacher, Jaimal Yogis, visits the show to talk about his latest book, "All Our Waves are Water."

 

David Silver and Duncan Trussell return for a very special 200th episode of the Mindrolling podcast!

On this episode of the Mindrolling podcast, Rabbi Rami Shapiro returns to talk about the perennial teachings found in his new book, “The World Wisdom Bible.”

Raghu and Rabbi Rami Shapiro discuss the shared message that can be found in the major world religious once we look past the surface differences.

Sharon Salzberg joins Raghu Markus from one of the Life In Balance Q&A webinars, answering questions about meditation practice, dealing with fear and learning to trust.

Joel Solomon and Jared Levy join the Mindrolling Podcast for a conversation around changing the world by developing sustainable businesses that build social and financial equity.

Jack Kornfield joins the Mindrolling podcast to talk about trust, freedom from troubled emotions, and Jack’s newest book “No Time Like The Present.” Raghu shares excerpts from “No Time Like The Present,” and the two discuss the uncertain times we find ourselves in and how loving-awareness practice can see us through them.

Joel Salinas M.D. joins the Mindrolling podcast to talk about his book, “Mirror Touch,” and the phenomena of mirror-touch synesthesia. Raghu and Joel discuss this fascinating phenomenon which blurs the boundaries between the self and others. They talk about the importance of inner work and how different spiritual practices affect our physiology.

Danny Goldberg joins the Mindrolling podcast to talk about his new book “In Search of the Lost Chord: 1967 and the Hippie Idea.”

Professor Robert Thurman joins the Mindrolling podcast to talk about his time with the Dalai Lama, Loving Activism, and finding space within. Robert Thurman is the Jey Tsong Khapa Professor of Indo-Tibetan Buddhist Studies in the Department of Religion at Columbia University, President of the Tibet House U.S., a non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation and promotion of Tibetan civilization, and President of the American Institute of Buddhist Studies, a non-profit affiliated with the Center for Buddhist Studies at Columbia University and dedicated to the publication of translations of important artistic and scientific treatises from the Tibetan Tengyur.

On this episode of Mindrolling, profound musician, Benjy Wertheimer, shares his practice of Nāda yoga along with stories of his study under legendary musician Ali Akbar Khan. Raghu and Benjy discuss the consciousness changing qualities of devotional music and how those insights can be used to better interact with ourselves and the world.

Raghu is joined by his old friends, and armchair Ramayana scholars, Rameshwar Das and Krishna Das, for an in-depth discussion on the Ramayana and how it can impact our daily lives. Using K.K. Sah's insightful Ramayana commentary as a reference, the group explores the nine forms of devotion taught in the Ramayana. They give a fresh perspective on true devotion and how we can all apply its lessons in our day-to-day living.

David Silver returns to share words of peace and wisdom for an upside-down world from the sage Thích Nhất Hạnh. Zen Master Thích Nhất Hạnh is the epitome of peace, mindfulness and awareness. David and Raghu talk about how we can transform Hạnh’s wisdom into inner and outer change.

Jared “Gagan” Levy returns to Mindrolling to talk about the realities of social action and turning compassion into the passion. When we turn compassion into passion, it is possible to prevent social action from transforming our compassion into anger. Gagan and Raghu reflect on the teachings of Ram Dass and encourage us to redirect our anger into passion.

Anne Lamott visits Mindrolling to talk about her new book, “Hallelujah Anyway: Rediscovering Mercy.” These days, the need for rediscovering mercy is more important than ever. Anne Lamott shares a fresh way to look at mercy and the importance of showing it to ourselves as much as we do others.

Spiritual success coach, motivational speaker and author, Joanna Garzilli, visits Mindrolling to talk about intuition and big miracles. Joanna teaches her clients to use their gift of intuition and to lead through service. She and Raghu discuss fulfilling our soul’s blueprint, taking responsibility for our lives and overcoming the traps set by our ego and fears.

YouTube sensation, JP Sears, visits Mindrolling to talk about his unique form of satire and new book, "How to Be Ultra Spiritual." JP Sears is an emotional healing coach and international teacher, whose work is intended to empower people to empower themselves to live more meaningful lives. JP is most known for his satirical YouTube series, "Awaken With JP." JP's witty and insightful form of comedy shines a light of critical honesty that aims to make us consider ourselves, and life, in a more thoughtful way.

This week on Mindrolling, Raghu is joined by inspirational YouTube personalities, Dakota Wint and Koi Fresco, to talk about the next generation of spiritual seekers. Dakota Wint and Koi Fresco are two seekers who guide other young people with their insightful and creative YouTube channels. They talk about how to engage the world in a positive way, as well as discuss the similarities between the 60’s and the world we live in now.

Psychologist, Dr. Paul Ekman, visits Mindrolling to discuss his influential research, work with the Dali Lama and our relationship to emotions. Dr. Paul Ekman's research on emotions and non-verbal behavior explore what we share and what links us all together. He and Raghu dive into the nature of emotions and how we respond to them.

Roshi Joan Halifax joins Raghu to talk about anger and the integration of justice and love. What do we do with the anger incited by social injustice? Roshi Joan talks about equanimity and the role that our perspective of anger plays in the integration of justice and love.

Raghu is joined by his good friends Duncan Trussell and Pete Holmes to search their synaptic cleft for consciousness and the guru. The group talks about whether experiencing a fully realized being in spirit is the same as encountering them in the flesh. They ask questions about the nature of consciousness, in and beyond the synaptic cleft, and what it is to open your heart to the possibility of something bigger than anything the material world has to offer.

Lama Surya Das joins Raghu to talk about our political sea change, responding to anger, and encourage us all to find our authentic selves and "mensch up." How do we deal with our reactivity and anger? Lama Surya Das gives practical advice on how to deal with anger in the moment. He encourages us to use courage and compassion to "mensch up" and become our most authentic selves.

Poet and activist, Mona Haydar, joins Raghu to talk about connecting with others, transforming challenges, and showing love, always. Mona practices a life of sacred activism, poetry, contemplation and advocacy for living gently upon the Earth. She teaches classes and retreats on mindfulness and Islamic spirituality, leads workshops on creative writing and performs her poetry. Her words have found homes in the hearts of seekers, wanderers, poets, artists, lovers and stewards of the Earth.

Raghu chats with author Nancy Colier about balancing spiritual practice and our ever increasing use of technology. Nancy Colier is a psychotherapist, interfaith minister, author, mindfulness teacher and public speaker. She is also a longtime student and practitioner of Eastern spirituality. Raghu speaks with Nancy about breaking our technology addiction and how we might use technology for the tools that they are.

Mindrolling co-host, David Silver, returns to talk about the American presidential inauguration and the inner excavation that can be done to stop the polarization that separates us from one another.  David takes a break from working on his book to catch up with Raghu and the Mindrolling community. They talk about their reaction to Trump, polarization, fear, and how practice allows for an inner excavation of what separates us from each other and ourselves.

Lama Tsultrim Allione returns to Mindrolling. She and Raghu talk about transforming anger, devotion, and the teaching of One Ground, Two Paths, Two Results.   Tsultrim discusses our potential to redirect negative emotions in a positive and productive way. She and Raghu talk about her article, "One Ground, Two Paths, Two Results," which teaches us to recognize the path that leads away from our true nature and the path that leads back to it.

Sharon Salzberg and Danny Goldberg join Raghu for a special conversation about our foreboding political climate and better ways to approach it through practice.   In times like this, of fear and polarization, it is important to find balance and approach others with loving-kindness. The group inspires us not to despair by remembering that even though the past and future are full of darkness, love is beyond time and will carry us through.

Author and speaker Rob Bell joins Mindrolling to talk about his new book and how he helps others live life with a deeper level of appreciation and love for each other. Rob Bell is a pastor and New York Times bestselling author of Love Wins, What We Talk About When We Talk about God, The Zimzum of Love and his most recent book How To Be Here. He and Raghu discuss their common practices, barrier dissolving experiences, and how applying practice can help us overcome our greatest challenges.

Chris "Bash" Bashinelli joins Raghu to discuss his inspirational documentary series and how it as informed his inner journey.  Bash gave up an acting career to exchange with the world and fulfill a higher calling. His documentaries give a personal perspective of what life is like in other cultures, highlighting the similarities we share with them despite all the differences. Bash empowers each of us to become GLOBAL CITIZENS, productive members of our organization, our family, and ultimately- the world!

Mindrolling Podcast welcomes world-renown spiritual teacher, Mooji.   Mooji provides a unique and refreshing perspective on what it means to be on the spiritual path. He and Raghu discuss the non-dualism, free-will, and the pitfalls of self.   "Anyone whose mind is in the heart has inherited a tremendous space. It is like the whole universe becomes yours." - Mooji

Raghu brings Jared Levy and Martin Winiecki on the show to talk about the Tamera community and the book that it inspired, Terra Nova. Jared Levy returns to Mindrolling to introduce Martin and talk about the important work being done at Tamera. Martin is a core team member of the Tamera Biotope in Portugal, where he is Coordinator of the Terra Nova School and the Political Department. The two discuss the impactful research done at Tamera as well as the hope it holds for our future.

This week, on Mindrolling, Nick J. Polizzi joins Raghu to discuss Nick's inspiring documentary on Shamanic medicine and what it has to offer the West. The documentary, Sacred Science, brings together eight patients whose illnesses Western medicine could not cure. Nick and Raghu talk about the movie, the medicine, and the future of this practice which has so much to offer the world.

Mindrolling co-founder David Silver returns to talk about what he has been up to, the ominous state of the world, and the moving power of devotion. Raghu and David read from an article written by a Buddhist Rinpoche who addresses the role of emotion and devotion in Tibetian Buddhism. Find out how one of the greatest Boddhisatvas of our time was brought to tears and what his depth of heart has to teach us. There may be no crying in baseball, but on this episode of Mindrolling Raghu and David show how off base that sentiment really is.  

Raghu is joined once again by musician, author, and teacher, David Nichtern. David chats with Raghu about his new book, “Awakening from the Daydream,” which reimagines the ancient Buddhist parables of the Wheel of Life and Samsara. David describes a few of the realms of Samsara and where we see them playing out in our world today. He also gives us practices to overcome these obstacles to our inner balance. This conversation about Buddhism is not one to be missed. Everyone can learn something, as David relates the teachings of Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche in a way that is accessible to anyone. “In each of these realms, the peace that you are talking about has been mistaken. You think the peace is, ‘ If I keep competing and keep getting to the top, then I will have peace.’ In The Hungry Ghost realm,’ If I keep consuming if I keep craving things that act will bring me peace.’ But it is exactly that act which keeps you from having peace.” – David Nichtern,Awakening from the Daydream: Reimagining the Buddha’s Wheel of Life   More About David David Nichtern is a senior teacher in the Shambhala Buddhist lineage of Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche and Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche. This tradition combines a contemporary, secular approach to meditation with the ancient practices and philosophies of Tibetan Buddhism. David was one of the initial American students of renowned meditation master Trungpa Rinpoche and studied closely with him soon after his arrival in the United States in 1970. David has been co-director of the LA Shambhala Center and Karme Choling Meditation Center in Vermont, as well as Director of Expansion for Shambhala Training International and Director of Buddhist Practice and Study for OM yoga. He has been a featured writer and regular contributor to The Huffington Post and leads meditation workshops around the world and online. David also works individually with meditation students in person and via Skype. He does a weekly live broadcast on Ustream (via his Facebook page) and has several online meditation workshops available through creativeLIVE.com. His DVD/CD package OM YOGA & MEDITATION WORKSHOP, created in conjunction with yoga teacher Cyndi Lee, is widely available David Nichtern is also a well-known composer, producer and guitarist – a four-time Emmy winner and a two-time Grammy nominee. He is the founder of Dharma Moon and 5 Points Records. David has recorded and played with Stevie Wonder, Jerry Garcia, Lana Del Rey, Maria Muldaur, Paul Simon and many others. Among his many credits in records, film and tv, David wrote the classic song “Midnight at the Oasis” and composed the score for Christopher Guest’s film “The Big Picture”. As the Beyman Bros, he collaborated with Guest and CJ Vanston on an album “Memories of Summer as a Child” and has produced multiple records for Grammy nominated kirtan performer Krishna Das. For more conversation with David, listen to his last visit to the Mindrolling Podcast.

On this week's episode of Mindrolling, Raghu sits down with Bioneers co-founder, Kenny Ausubel. They discuss the role of Bioneers and how it is bringing innovative thinkers together to create radical social and environmental change. Kenny explores the interconnectedness of all things and what can be done to strike a balance between nature and humanity.   "Before we think that we can change anything, we are going to have to change our own hearts." - Ram Dass   More About Bioneers Bioneers was founded in 1990 in Santa Fe, New Mexico by social entrepreneurs Kenny Ausubel and Nina Simons. Bioneers advances the great transformation underway in human civilization by serving as a seed head for game-changing social and scientific vision, knowledge and practices that honor the genius of nature and human ingenuity. Bioneers does so through their annual National Bioneers Conference, award-winning media, local conferences and community resilience networks, and leadership training programs focused on youth, women, and Indigenous peoples. The next Bioneers Conference is October 21-23, 2016. For information or to register, click here.

On this episode of Mindrolling, Raghu finally gets the opportunity to bring an old friend, Dr. Larry Brilliant, on the show. Larry Brilliant is a remarkable individual with an incredible story. Larry shares with us highlights from his life of service to others. Through Maharaji, Larry discovered his true love for everyone and was led to help eradicate smallpox from India and the world. "Love Everyone, Serve Everyone, Feed People, Remember God." - Maharaji

An old friend of the show, Dr. Judith Orloff, returns to have a conversation with Raghu about empathy and sensitivity. We are given a compelling look at the life of an empath and how one might stay spiritually open while protecting themselves from being overwhelmed by what they let in. Judith is an Assistant Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at UCLA, practicing Psychiatrist, and best-selling New York Times author. Her unique approach marries traditional psychiatric practices, intuition, spirituality, and energy medicine, unlike any other practitioner. "People who are sensitive in life may suffer much more than those who are insensitive. But, if they understand and go beyond their suffering, they will discover extraordinary things." - Jiddu Krishnamurti

Our podcast guru, Duncan Trussell, introduces Raghu to writer and producer Dan Harmon. Dan is known for his cutting humor and honest introspection. Our trio sits down in Dan’s studio for a conversation about work, introspection, and finding happiness.Coming from a background of not making enough money and working undesirable jobs, Dan tries to find balance with his life and workload now that everyone wants to hire him for something.  Dan shares his recent struggle of being aware of, and respecting, the feelings and experience of his employees. The group discusses mindfulness and being aware of the destructive patterns that play out in our lives. Tune in for all this and more on this week’s unique episode of the Mindrolling Podcast with Dan Harmon!Show Notes07:30 – Dan talks a bit about his relationship with work and his “workaholism”. It can be hard to turn away any creative work away when you remember what it’s like not having any. 12:30 – The group discusses the idea of mindfulness and finding satisfaction in even the most menial of tasks. There is fulfillment in being present and at one with our work. Dan reminisces about an impactful conversation with a very honest telemarketer about her place in life.17:05 – Dan romanticizes a future where every person has moral dealbreakers on how they spend their time. In an economy where most are forced into sacrificing more of themselves than they may wish, what would the world look like under different circumstances?19:40 – Duncan accidentally uncovers the anarchist roots of Twitter.21:05 – Raghu talks to Dan more about “workaholism”. Dan is currently working on how his “workaholism” is affecting the people who work for him. He is especially sensitive to his actions because of how much abuse workers in the entertainment industry receive already.26:30 – Duncan expresses what it is like being caught in the machine that is corporate entertainment. How does one acknowledge and respect every individual involved in such a high-intensity position?30:05 – Raghu points out that the first step in approaching the issue of fully recognizing others in the moment is having the intention to make that person a priority.  Dan opens up about his difficulty being mindful of this dilemma.35:40 – We go around everyday projecting what others are thinking and allowing them to influence how we interact with the world. This is why the mindfulness movement is gaining so much popularity. Allowing us to understand what is really going on in our mind and what motivates us. Duncan and Dan share where they are at in their lives on the subject of mindfulness.38:50 – There are these recursive videotapes of habit that we run throughout our lives. Duncan exposes about how uneasy he feels thinking about this concept of the replaying tapes, and the work it takes to break the loop they catch us in.45:30 – Dan has difficulty in putting his finger on what exactly he wants, is that a sign that he may already have it? Duncan relates Dan’s dilemma to Buddhist and Bhakti teachings.50:15 – Forget trying to reach Nirvana while we are still asking, “why am I not happy?” We need to focus on simple steps, looking inside is the first step on that path to happiness. Raghu explains Jack Kornfield’s question of “How do we make friends with suffering?”55:35 – Dan Harmon is known for talking about truth no matter how uncomfortable it may be. He shares his view of truth as a life-saving mechanism. It is difficult for Dan to see the duplicity in so much of our modern world, which fuels his pursuit of honesty and truth.1:00:20 – When we remain blind to our self-centeredness we create deeper layers of complexity to our suffering. Duncan relates Dan’s position to Copernicus’s theory of Heliocentrism. Dan expresses his difficulty in separating himself from the “I”.  Raghu reminds us that we all are going through the same trip and explains how his practice has changed the way he navigates life.Dan Harmon is a writer, show runner, and producer. Harmon is best known for creating and producing NBC comedy series Community, co-creating Adult Swim animated television series Rick and Morty, and co-founding the alternative television network/website Channel 101. Keep an eye out for Dan’s hilarious new animated show HarmonQuest and Youtube series Great Minds with Dan Harmon!Also, check out Dan and Duncan’s chat about “workaholism”, being in the moment, and more on the 200 episode anniversary of the “Duncan Trussell Family Hour“

South African shaman John Lockley returns! In this episode, John brings us stories from the bush and tales of the inner landscape. “Radical mindfulness is radical listening. Without judgment, without ego, just listen.” – John Lockley Raghu and John talk about the self, the spirit world, and the interconnectedness of mystical traditions. What is in a name? How does a shaman practice mindfulness? Find out on this episode of the Mindrolling Podcast. “We must dream the impossible. Seek the beauty of sharing wisdom through the cracks of our longing. Usher into reality the possibility of a world village glued together by a concert of wisdom.” – Malidoma Somé   John Lockley is a fully initiated sangoma (healer and shaman) in the Xhosa lineage of South Africa, having spent 10 years in an apprenticeship with the tribe that gave us Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu. His remarkable journey through the constraints of Apartheid is a testament to the human spirit, and to the power of forgiveness and reconciliation. For more information on John his schedule, check out his event calendar. 

Raghu talks with Be Here Now Network staffers, JR Morton and Corey Leonard, about being mindful in the era of smartphones. They discuss the pros and cons of a device that gives us access to so much but is changing how we interact and how our brains function. Smartphones are pulling us away from ourselves at an alarming rate. What can we do to mitigate their downsides and use them for the tools they are meant to be?

While in L.A., Raghu drops by for a chat with a newly made friend, comedian Natasha Leggero. They talk about what led Natasha on a path of self-inquiry. How Ram Dass has played an important role in her life and career. Natasha talks about how inspirational relationships and self-work have brought her a life she couldn’t have imagined as a struggling comedian. Raghu touches on the topics of shakti, mantra, and “drugs”. 

Raghu gets the opportunity to chat with new found friend Vincent Horn, host of the Buddhist Geeks podcast. They discuss the interplay of technology and spiritual experience. In what ways do the internet, smartphones, and emerging technologies affect our spiritual practice and how can we utilize them to their greatest potential?   Vincent founded his podcast "Buddhist Geeks" and website "Meditate.IO" with the philosophy of taking a fresh approach to old practices. He and Raghu talk about this philosophy and what role they think technology and the internet have in the practice of spirituality. What are the potentials of our newfound interconnectivity via the internet and smartphones? How can they be used to foster a network of awakened individuals as opposed to separating and polarizing us? Listen as Vincent tells his vision of our "technodelic" future. Using technology as a teaching tool to bring us into altered states of consciousness and awareness.

Mindfulness and approaching it from as many practical approaches as possible. In this latest episode, Raghu and Ramesh look at: What does mindfulness really mean? What kind of perspective you can have about it that can change your life, the different practices of it that people can do on a day to day basis without joining anything, you can sit there and work with your breath, so you can bring awareness and the witness into your life so you can see your motivations and have a curiosity on who you really are. Bringing mindfulness into your life so you can just relax into a moment where you’re not judging yourself and can just be. In a world that asks us to be constantly multi-tasking, how do we curb the monkey mind? Ramesh and Raghu explore a variety of practices and perspectives that help to cultivate a less discursive mind. Such as the breath, which brings all your life systems to one place and is critical to focusing. Or Vipassana, also known as Insight Meditation, is a meditation that helps develop concentration and facilitates having clear focus, or one-pointedness. Whatever the practice, it’s about settling the mind and body down, so that one’s consciousness can come together. Amazon Recommendations Mindfulness: A Practical Guide to Awakening by Joseph Goldstein The First and Last Freedom by Jiddu Krishnamurti

Raghu welcomes Mirabai Starr- famous for her Christian Mystic books and now her memoir- Caravan of No Despair. Raghu asked what in the world she asked for while still in the Bardos between lives - her first few decades in this incarnation being so full of intense suffering! As if she knew what she needed to transform her being but she really asked for the full monty and managed to come through with flying colors! At one point Mirabai talks about how she "fired" God- "...all the teachings I had once embraced I now dismissed as artifacts of magical thinking." Of course this led to our discussion of the dark night of the soul and St John of the Cross whose book she then translated. And in the midst of that work she had a realization. "Tragedy and trauma are not guarantees for a transformational spiritual experience, true, but they are opportunities." Mirabai also explains two key concepts- Radical Unknowingness and Sacred Unraveling. These two form the backbone of a spiritual path that is not pre-digested concepts but more visceral reality. For more from Mirabai Starr, visit her website or Facebook page. Mirabai's Book: Caravan of No Despair

Raghu and his Guru pal Duncan Trussell, get together for an illuminating conversation with Trevor Hall at the most recent Ram Dass retreat on Maui. Trevor shares his amazing transformation through discovering the guru, Neem Karoli Baba, by meeting Raghu’s younger brother at the age of 17, and eventually winding up living in a Kali temple in Laguna Beach, CA. Duncan’s infectious curiosity anchors this podcast as Trevor describes the many layers of symbolism found in the image of the fierce goddess Kali. Most people don’t see the significance behind the many layers of this Goddess, usually getting distracted by the gore depicted and not seeing the undertones of motherly unconditional love represented. Trevor draws from his years living at the Kali temple to explain the iconography and the unconditional love behind the Divine Mother Goddess Kali. Duncan’s questions serve as a guide as Trevor elaborates on all facets of the portrayals of Kali: from the reason Kali is seen biting her tongue, to the implications of her holding the sword of discernment in one hand, and a severed head in the other. In the case of Kali’s bloody garland of 50 skulls, Trevor helps to break down the symbolism: “the 50 heads represent the 50 letters of the sanskrit alphabet, which includes all sound. All sounds come from the mother, everything we hear: good, bad, the sound of the ocean, this language, everything is filled with the mother’s presence. So what happens if we have that mindset, everything I hear is just ma, ma, ma…” Or as Duncan summarizes it: “So everything I hear is a severed head on the neck of Kali.” Raghu recounts his experiences with different embodiments of the Divine Mother: with reading the “Gospel of Ramakrishna”; a meeting with Sri Aurobindo’s spiritual partner, “Mother” in Pondicherry; and his interactions with his Indian mother, the saint, Siddhi Ma. Together, they continue to explore their own personal experiences with Divine Mother, their mothers, and the spectrum of both positive and negative attachments Western culture has with the word “Mother.” To wrap up, Trevor chants a prayer to the Divine Mother, or Ma. 

Raghu is joined by his roommate from back in the day in India, Rameshwar Das Lytton or just plain Ramesh! Ramesh has been Ram Dass co-author on his two latest books- Be Love Now and Polishing The Mirror. Raghu quotes from Ram Dass about those who saw the physical Guru- “None of us knew Maharaji- we just knew our own projections” More fodder for the reality of not needing to meet the Guru in the flesh. Also on the table is; what is a Guru vs a Saint vs a Siddha or perfectly enlightened one. Raghu and Ramesh also delve into the reality of our overactive, busy minds and the effect on our lives. Referring from a NY Times article that corroborated scientifically that “the capacity for original thinking is markedly stymied by stray thoughts, obsessive ruminations and other forms of mental load” and “your internal exploration is too often diminished by an overly occupied mind”. So our only conclusion is Meditate Now!

Raghu with his co-host, true blue soul mate wife, Saraswati Markus hang with Gil Fronsdal- newly named Baba Gil. Gil hails from the Insight Meditation family and was discovered by Saraswati during her long nite festivals of Dharama talks. When we talk about the difficulties people have with meditative practice Gil calls out to people to remember that it is a "failure free zone". We talk about the Be Here Now concept and Gil renames it "unconditional acceptance of the present moment". And of course the hosts inevitably have to ask about mindfulness and it's very worldly application in these times- Gil suggests that we use mindfulness to check out our thoughts and motivations and follow and be aware of where our focus wanders. Saraswati engages Baba Gil about the Buddhist No Self teaching which he comments on as " the self is like wind drag- when you eliminate that drag you can become free- no self".   Gil Fronsdal- The Issue At Hand- Essays on Mindfulness http://www.insightmeditationcenter.org   Amazon recommendations; Radiohead- A Moon Shaped Pool When Anger Hurts Matthew Mckay

Raghu is joined by Duncan Trussell and Lama Surya Das at the Ram Dass Maui spring retreat  live podcast session. Unfortunately, just before the session Raghu cut someone off in the bathroom line and then was reprimanded by the aggrieved party. Of course there ensued guilt and recrimination which Duncan, in his wisdom, reassured Raghu that we all can't live up to impossible standards all the time- he then drifted into some comparison to the crucifixion.... Lama Surya Das on the other hand came to the table with exemplary explanations of the very difficult Buddhist concept of emptiness in his inimitable practical teaching style. In the end a sense of humor and a sense of our human predicament mashed in with a sense of the possibilities of a human incarnation.

Raghu chats with Danny Goldberg- a man well versed in culture and politics to discuss the intense polarization in this country in this election year. The discussion circles around an article by Arthur C Brooks entitled Bipartisanship isn’t for Wimps, After All. Even friends are polarized by loyalties to Hillary or Bernie not to mention between Democrats and Republicans. As Mr Brooks mentions in his article- “we don’t like each other very much” and bigotry reigns all the way to contempt. How do we deal with this in our lives and stop the individual tendencies towards this polarization in our society. The Dalai Lama suggests the anti-dotes. Of course looking to ourselves and our behavior and not to governments and institutions to make the necessary changes. The Dalai Lama goes further to suggest a cultivation of warm heartedness towards those with whom we disagree. Sound squishy? No it’s actually tough but practical advice. As Danny says though- I don’t think it’s a contradiction of warm heartedness to say to those you disagree with- I respect your pain, I can love your soul but there are some moral issues that you advocate that I cannot agree with and I will counter in every way that I can. And Danny tells of ride sharing with a Trump supporter that featured two warm hearts!

Raghu is joined by Frank Osteseski, a Buddhist teacher andguiding light for people who are facing the death and dyingprocess.Raghu talks about his recent experience with the transition ofhis close friend Jyoti and it how it was like being at the veryprecipice of awakening when he sat with her as she was slippingthrough the Bardos.Frank describes being with someone who is dying as anopportunity to let go of our of all preconceived notions and to usethe transparency and rawness of that experience to bring ourselvesinto the moment.Frank encourages everyone not to wait to tell our near and dearthat we love them, and practicing for the eventual transition issomething to consider sooner than later.

Raghu introduces Lisa Wimberger, who got hit by lightening, blacked out and lost her pulse at 15 years old! Her traumatic event let Lisa to a new path, developing Neurosculpting - a fusion of brain science and mindfulness. As she says, even the most insidious mental beliefs can be re-written- and boy could we all use a little brain re-wiring! Lisa and Raghu talk about the flight-fright-freeze survival response and how it takes over our lives and how to protect ourselves from “contagious” emotions. Also Raghu delights in an article Lisa wrote on the New Age Scourge - she says, “ First stop saying Namaste and bless you when what you really mean is screw you.” This leads us to a conversation about clearing out toxic beliefs and behavior patterns. This podcast will change our tune with its mind-altering insights!

Raghu and guest host Michael "Jadu" Daner chats with dream yoga teacher Michael Katz, co-author of an excellent book, "Dream Yoga and the Practice of Natural Light".   Jadu tells his earliest fearful dream experiences that turned into euphoric flying dreams - and how flying in dreams presages lucid dreaming. Michael talks about how the mastering of lucidity in the dream state eventually will help master our final transition through the bardos or states of consciousness we enter into when we die.In dream yoga the emphasis is on the possibility of some level of enlightenment experience at the time of final transition. Michael Katz introduces his teacher, Lama Namkai Norbu (co-author of Dream Yoga) who said once, "I never claimed to be enlightened but I am a really good dream yogi." He is said to be able to return to specific dreams every night! "Rather than seeing dreams as messages from the psyche the Dzogchen tradition (Liberating Awareness) views them as an opportunity to recognize and interact with the foundations of your life."

Raghu speaks with Koshin Paley Ellison, the founder and partner of the New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care, an organization that works closely with people who are passing or ill. Koshin Paley describes his origins and how he was introduced to Zen Buddhism. He talks about the teachers, influences and triggers which geared the direction of his life and practice.  Including; the Aids Epidemic of the 1980’s, Alan Ginsberg, and his first Zen teacher John Daido Loori as well as being exposed to Ram Dass as a very young person. Koshin Paley tells the moving story of the passing away of his grandmother and the tremendous impact that experience had on his life. (hint: The New York Center for Contemplative Care wouldn’t be here otherwise!) Raghu and Koshin discuss the blending of Jungian depth techniques with Buddhist psychology and what exactly a Spiritual Bypass is. Other topics covered are relationships, bearing witness, loving action and what is being brought to light by working with dying people.  

Raghu is joined by Rick Doblin, head of (take a deep breath for this one) Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies, otherwise known as MAPS! Rick describes some of the things that helped him to see into a new reality, including his faith-puncturing Bar Mitzvah, which forced him out of what would have been a “manufactured” mystical connection. Rick then goes on to describe his introduction to LSD in college, and how he discovered a new way of processing information and consciousness from those experiences; it opened him up to the emotional world. Other topics discussed include: - The emotional stability of our culture -  Using psychedelics for healing and therapy - Using psychedelics to rail against the “us” and “them” rhetoric present between countries, religions, races and creeds. -  Doblin’s discovery of the underground psychedelic community - How LSD opened the “Westerners” up to to a visceral understanding of their time with Neem Karoli Baba (Maharaji) when they traveled to India - How do the subjects of the “Good Friday” experiment look back on their psychedelic experiences today? - How does MDMA work? - What is The Theory of Causal Indifference? - How can psychedelics help with PTSD and other trauma?  

Saraswati Markus finally makes her debut on Mindrolling! Who else could so exquisitely describe all of the incredible facets of the ancient technology of Yoga (she is Raghu's beloved you know!)   At the same time Saraswati shows the synthesis she has created with The Dao, Yoga and Chinese medicine and the potential healing modalities they contain. Not just physical but a true path to untangle the knots that form our habitual patterns. She expands on that idea by showing how we can all access the innate wisdom of our bodies for healing.    Also there is the concept of healing when you change what you like - Not easy and of course Raghu rebels cause he won't give up his toast and Chai with a lot of sugar!   Go to daoflowyoga.com to learn more about her work. 

Mindrolling and Raghu have a new best friend! Jake Sasseville of the Jake Sasseville podcast is a unique human who has been in show biz from a very early age. Jake shares a very traumatic family story which eventually tripped him onto the spiritual path in a very substantial way. Raghu shares Ram Dass' words in respect to Jake's reflections on suffering - "Every moment of your life is your vehicle for awakening". R&J chat about the tension between taking actions in your life and the reality that everything is already written and we just need to relax and let Grace happen. Also on the table is a discussion around the seven ways spiritual people bullshit themselves. #1 being the power of positive thinking - Raghu admits to his disdain for the new age model and his subsequent reaction to his own judgmental mind. We always have to remember though that there is more than one motivation for every action we take - why not focus on the positive?

Raghu hosts Jim Doty, a brain surgeon with a highly unusual story that makes up his page burner of a book, Into the Magic Shop: A Neurosurgeon's Quest to Discover the Mysteries of the Brain and the Secrets of the Heart. Jim takes us back to his impoverished early years and his unplanned meeting with an unlikely teacher who's profound wisdom altered the path of the rest of his life - a true glimpse into the reality of karma and grace turning a life around. When the student is ready the teacher appears!   Jim relates amazing facts about the brain and the heart: "Research shows the heart to be an organ of intelligence, with it's own profound influence not only from our brain but on our brain..."

Duncan joins Raghu and introduces the concept of Ecstasy Talk- an MDMA allusion to the experience of the Ram Dass retreats. Raghu introduces new End Of The World news which send Duncan into a right wing deep south spiral! The duo also talks about the statistics that this world is far less violent that at any time in history. Can it be true? Then there is the idea that our current technology is a new organism that is forming a parasitic relationship with the life form called a human being…. Raghu introduces a story of unconditional love through Pete the dog- and how that introduces humans to love without conditions. Duncan scares Raghu with his concept of the Jihad- of course we settle on the meaning as inner sacred battle with ego and how that’s reflected in the Bhagavad Gita. Then there is the concept of gratitude - it can change our world!

Raghu and Thanissara explore her amazing book Time To Stand Up: The Buddha's Life and Message Through Feminine Eyes - it serves as a call to action for the engagement of the feminine Shakti principal to transform our planet in every way. For instance, our current traditional patriarchal zeitgeist is so slow to speak out in defense of our planet. Patriarchal religions that denigrate women, the body and sexuality tend to not challenge the denigration of the earth. The feminine is of great importance for our awakening and Thanisarra eloquently presents the case that we must make the feminine central in all of our lives, not solely as gender but as a living dimension within each one of us. Feminine energy is essential, because of it's natural receptivity, inclusivity and empathy. Fundamental intelligence is the Mother!

Raghu and George “Balaram” Pitagorsky discuss his recent blog on Shedding Light to Combat ignorance: confrontation is necessary when hate mongers spread their message and embellish it with misinformation. Confrontation, in this context, means speaking up and inserting facts and alternative views. It means shedding light to expose and combat ignorance. George and Raghu also share the facts about how we worry and when it’s beneficial and when it is certainly not! In a recent NY Times article, worry was reported to be beneficial. Those who worried about an outcome tended to have a less stressful reaction when the worrisome outcome occurred and a greater positive response when things worked out well. Those who did not worry, tended to be devastated when their optimism was proven to be unfounded and just mildly satisfied when things worked out as expected. Raghu disputes both of these premises and confesses to his longstanding ungodly worrywart reality! On the other side of the issue is the attitude expressed by the Rudolf Abel character in "Bridge of Spies" who when asked "Aren't you worried?" in reference to being convicted and sentenced to death for being a Soviet spy, responds coolly "Would it help?"  And there is Meher Baba - “Do your best. Then, don't worry, be happy."

Kiley Jon Clark joins Mindrolling and introduces us to his amazing work with the homeless - not only offering them food and love but also teaching meditation practice on the streets and in the shelters. Kiley tell his transformational story from an addictive cowboy lifestyle to the Buddhist path. He tells the a magical story of meeting his Tibetan teacher Lama Tulku Tsori Dechen Rinpoche who literally went home with him right after they first met and turned his life around.   The conversations turns around the cultivation of fearlessness and relating with the veil of illusion - "There is a  force which is called by many names - the veil tricks us into seeing the world as a multitude of separate individual selves - but in fact we are all One."   Kiley also shares the concept of meditation as "becoming familiar with ourselves" - Kiley is a true original no BS soul walking the path - and his poetry seems like it was written by the ancients!  

Raghu has a deep chat with Reggie Ray, one of Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche’s first American students. Reggie shares some very personal moments with Trungpa Rinpoche that illuminate some of the unique qualities of this amazing being: “In the beginning, naive me would go down to the picnic tables and see Rinpoche sitting alone and I’d sit down next to him and it was like I had just sat down next to the noon-day sun, and I was terrified of what he might do because in his space somehow whatever your little trip was it was going to be exposed.” Reggie talks about one of his most basic teachings on Somatic Meditation (interrelatedness of mind, body and spirit) and then leads a meditation.

Raghu is joined by Pete Holmes, Duncan Trussell and Sharon Salzberg in Maui for a  wonderfully entertaining, humorous and enlightening podcast. Duncan talks about a euphemism for God and how we are constantly barraged by the word “God” - which triggers something negative inside us that’s been cultivated throughout our lives. How do we deal with the skepticism and doubt that accompanies a lot of spiritual subjects? Is a good dose of skepticism healthy? Sharon Salzberg elucidates on some Buddhist teachings around experimenting with skepticism and doubt - in order to truly face the power of the truth that comes from within. In order to find freedom you have to be able to ask questions and explore the world around you for yourself. What should we do when we can’t remember what love feels like? What is real love anyway? And how do we find the courage to cross past our obstacles and suffering?

David chats with Dr. Linda Bender, an advocate, author and educator in the sacred connection shared by humans, animals and nature. Dr. Linda talks about the reality of our connection to all animals - the root word of animal is "animus" which means soul. Dr. Linda says, “When we name and have a relationship with that being - be it a dog or a cat - we recognize that being as an individual - we get to know that individual and that individual becomes special. We are all here together as one and we have a sacred connection to all life.” David quotes from her book, Animal Wisdom: ”We get to know who we are as human beings when we see the reflection of ourself in the eyes of a being that is not human." Animals have psychic abilities - things happen that cannot be explained logically.How do fish instantly move and never bump into each other - how does homing in birds work? Gandhi said, "The greatness of a nation can be judged by the way it's animals are treated." How are we doing in that department?

Rabbi Rami Shapiro joins Raghu and David and gives us a little roadside assistance for our spiritual journey. Rabbi Rami certainly reflects the Mindroller’s central theme which is Neem Karoli Baba’s edict of “All One” - there is only One emanation of the Divine. Rabbi Rami says, “To me, religions are like languages - no language is true or false: all languages are of human origin - each language reflects and shapes the civilization that speaks it. Judaism is my mother tongue, yet in matters of the spirit I strive to be multilingual.” He talks about his realizations sitting Zazen and awakening to grace. The Mindrollers have a lively back-and-forth with the Rabbi around the idea of the Jewish uniqueness of being at home with paradox. Argument and doubt are central themes of the Jewish mystical tradition.  

Lama Tsultrim Allione joins the Mindrollers for a deep chat about our current disturbing world events - how do we as world citizens see how we can help to heal, and how do we get right perspective within ourselves? Part of the path of a Bodhisattva (Sanskrit term for anyone who, motivated by great compassion, has a spontaneous wish to attain Buddhahood for the benefit of all sentient beings) is not to turn away - to stay present even if it’s painful - to bear witness. Lama teaches a breath meditation to offer the cool breeze of compassion. Compassion and Bodhicitta (Awakened Heart) rise easily in extreme situations as in some of the heroic moments in Paris - and we can train to develop that part of ourselves. Lama also explains the value and concept of Emptiness - It is freeing when we let go of the solidity of ourselves and the world - it can be magical. And in the Holiday season do we have more pleasure giving or receiving?

Roshi expounds on the transformation of doubt, rootlessness, suffering and meaninglessness into a true “refuge of truth.” At this time of the horrific terror events in Paris, Beirut and Mali, how do we come to terms with severe crisis, either individual or societal? How does the Romantic poet John Keats’s “negative capability” fit into this unavoidable, desperately difficult dynamic of living? Roshi explores the moment of the shock of recognition and how it can change us from the depths. Even the Dalai Lama spoke of those moments of extreme doubt and pain, or as Mr. Dylan sang “Even the President of the United States sometimes must have to stand naked…” Roshi’s upcoming book “Standing At the Edge” is about just this – it’s not all light and love, and yet somehow things can open up after adversity, “the lucky dark” as Roshi wrote.

Early 70’s adventures in the East, leading Michael Daner overland through Europe to Afghanistan and eventually India. What was going on here? This mindboggling journey could never happen now, given the state of the world, but back then, it was a scenario starring many so-called hippies and genuine smugglers, some yearning for the exotic, some desiring money, money, money, and some - Michael, in particular - who eventually graduated from smuggling to seeking…and finding. Included in this tale is an example of Neem Karoli Baba’s wondrous bi-locational capability…plus, as an added extra, a 1980 conversation between David and Bruce Springsteen about his CD “The River”…so please enjoy this picaresque podcast…

Mindrollers and friends in Manhattan, with a far-ranging conversation about the incredible scrolls of St. Issa in Tibet and India; Maharaji telling the Westerners to meditate like Christ; the dismissal of mysticism by modern organized religion; David being accused of black magic by Evangelicals, Raghu being dragged into a “men’s group”; tales of sixties Rajneesh followers copulating in the kitchen…and finally, a Shambala Sun inspired rap on the task of making friends with yourself.  Somehow, we end with an anecdote around the amazing Kalu Rinpoche.  It’s all in there and quite a bit more…

What is real love?  What isn’t?  The Mindrollers turn for inspiration to HH The Dalai Lama and the super intense poet, Rainer Maria Rilke, who said “For one human being to love another, that is perhaps the most difficult of all our tasks”…talk of cultivating inner spaciousness as the ultimate antidote. Jumping off from a Tricycle article, David confesses Johnny Depp envy while Raghu remembers the perverse joy in jealousy…the answer to these neurotic pulls seems always around finding the freeing route to the heart, your own heart.  Sometimes, instead of fervently reaching for another soul, a spell of serious solitude might help that journey.  Speaking to youth, Rilke says: “They have to learn it.  With their whole being, with all their forces, gathered close about their lonely, timid, upward-beating heart, they must learn to love.”

The Mindrollers challenge a Zen sentiment that teachers are expendable, passionately citing life-transforming personal teaching guidance encountered by both of them. They move on like madmen to the bizarre concept of stool replacement banks for micro biome worries – will Amazon ever offer “good” stool on sale? Once again, we analyze the entropic dangers of too much social media creeping into everything. Do we only know “bits and pieces” of people now? David quotes the the prescient words of Seneca (the Roman humanist saint in Christ’s time) about fecklessly squandering your life away on nonsense, thereby ending life shocked and downed by suffering and mortality. From the horrors of the Coliseum to YouTube addiction, R & D investigate Western civilization’s entertainment obsession. There’s actually even more…check it out for yourself, your Self…

Embrace everything - bad and good, pleasurable and horrible. Chris’s new book, Everything Mind, comes out today. R & D talk with him about its prescient premise that everything – the whole kit and caboodle – from Trump to Ramana Maharshi to the suffering migrant millions to the iPhone 6S Plus - is a legitimate part of the spiritual reality: G-d, The One, whatever, and that this is a necessary and healing component of the spiritual/philosophical inclusion clause – everything is grist to the mill. Even a harsh and hurtful text insult message, even true pain and adversity, even hideous stuff - within you and without you - even Kimye! Chris’s own words on his book: “What I've Learned About Hard Knocks, Spiritual Awakening, and the Mind-Blowing Truth of It All.” Plus David recalls his amazingly counter-intuitive 9/11 kindness experience.

Ecstatic kirtan singer/violinist Jahnavi Harrison is with us on the podcast. She tells her unique life story - as a child raised at the 700 year old Bhaktivedanta Manor home in the Hertfordshire countryside. Beatle George Harrison (no relation) had donated the estate to ISKCON, the Krishna movement, in 1973.  Jahnavi talks of her devotional trajectory from being a child brought up in idyllic rural England to singing to Krishna all over the world.  We talk about the cleansing power of the Maha Mantra, her whole life singing kirtan, and finding that back-and-forth love therein and the universal magnetism of Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Hare Rama Hare Rama.  You will hear her sing live and from her new CD, “Like A River To the Sea."

Ram Dev (Dale Borglum) of the Living Dying Project explores surfing the edge of the heart approaching consciousness transformation, in life…and death. Who dies anyway? How do we change annihilation fear to being right here, still confidently in the heart chakra? “All fear is fear of death” he maintains, “being trapped in separateness” and how the deeper fright is resistance to death rather than death itself. We talk through wholeness and healing for the living as well as those passing and those immediately affected. This seems like heavy stuff, but the end product in this hour is light and insight…into living.

Experience John Lockley’s journey into authentic shamanism after intense and intensive training and initiation.  How did a South African Irishman become a real  Xhosa sangoma - “dreamer”?  What is a shaman anyway?  John talks with R & D about using your dreams to heal your deepest psyche’s wounds and traces his path from soldier/medic to Zen to yoga to Nature-master medicine man.  He tells us in depth about his healing via dreaming, dancing, chanting and plant-ing…

“My yellow in this case is not so mellow” Jimi Hendrix sang. Is it ever cool to be angry? R & D’s wary warnings about the seductively enjoyable taste of anger. Maharaji’s words about anger’s reality, with the crucial caveat to never throw anyone out of your heart. Raghu’s anger is analyzed by… Raghu. David recalls learning to love right wing friends, especially conservative William F. Buckley Jr. Then we talk about Mark Epstein’s take on anger and his very do-able way of dealing with it. David reads a Tom Waits poem about Keith Richards. Finally we dive deep into Trungpa’s Gap - "the space between out breaths” (Pema Chodron) the spaciousness between internal chatter and the sudden glimpse of awareness, openness and absence of self - which scares the shit out of us.

Uber useful conversation with wisdom writer Sylvia Boorstein: her clear and helpful grasp of present-ness… her words on true mindfulness cut with goodwill…her thoughts on thoughts, seeing them as always potentially co-operative and not so bad after all.  Making friends with the present is just that, even if it startles you, “relax, take a rest, calm down” – R & D listen, interrupt, and have a fine time with Sylvia…

Gelek Rimpoche is our honored guest.  A reincarnated tulku, a lucid and unpretentious disperser of essential knowledge, Gelek is a treasured being we are so lucky to have in the U.S.  Because of the ruthless Chinese invasion, Gelek was forced to leave his beloved homeland in 1959.  Tibet’s tragedy became our great fortune.  Hear what he has to say about wiping out negative emotions and achieving equanimity.  His honest-to-the-bone words about his own basic humanity is a balm for all of us.  Rimpoche shares his own Allen Ginsberg stories with David, who was also a friend of the legendary poet/kind soul.  The Mindrollers are so pleased to present this famed and revered Rimpoche, a sacred yet approachable transformative being, there for all of us.  

The Mindrollers with Duncan Trussell and Noah Lampert host our panel guests from our Indiegogo event. Brian, Brian and George. We get an idea of their awakening triggers, pretty heavy ones at that- and they shine a light on the importance of intention. We all talk about practice and how difficult it is to motivate daily unless you are really up against the wall! Duncan admits to his fall down on learning the Hanuman Chaleesa when he can’t even remember his phone number. David regales us with sacred chants - Raghu relates his story of doubt - And finally Duncan pulls out his trusty Bible and leads us in a Bible study group.

Forgiveness wisdom from George Pitagorsky (Balaram) who demonstrates the huge upside of being able to authentically forgive, and how forgiving often benefits the forgiver maybe even more than the forgiven. Is it weakness for a Holocaust victim to embrace one of her tormentors? Wasn’t it incredible for the afflicted Charleston families to espouse forgiveness immediately? George, via both Dzogchen (Great Perfection) and common sense, helps to heal the hating …David apologizes for getting ridiculously irate about a lost bottle top, along with Raghu lamenting his legendary impatience…

R&D travel down diverse roads to happiness, encountering on the way 50 years since Dylan’s Newport electric war cries; Aristotle’s eudaimonia; Jefferson’s iconic requisite declaration; the crazy off-ramp into consumerism and “the cycle of escalating desire”; Andy Puddicombe’s mega mindfulness app; Google’s Chade-Meng Tan…and the rewards of real seva. Check this out, Pharrell…

Raghu and David bring up a very timely topic - prison reform. BJ Wasserman and Jared “Gagan” Levy discuss Inside Circle, a nonprofit organization that helps prisoners and parolees heal from the inside. We talk about “operational transformation” of men in Folsom prison as a model for the entire prison system. Robert Allbee, founder of Inside Circle, created a concept for the word “spirit” or “God” which the Dagara tribe in Africa call “Yielbongura” - “The thing that Knowledge can’t eat.” This phrase sums up the spiritual core from which Inside Circle operates. Where are you imprisoned in your life? The process that the prisoners go through in revealing their deep authentic truths create an atmosphere of trust that is dramatically changing the static model of prison reform.

Can we learn to become a Bodhisattava, and what is a Bodhisattva, for G-d’s sake? Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche’s simple yet brilliant instructions on this path of treating everyone as your “guest”…plus chat about meditating away the neurotic “escape routes” polluting our inner calm, and reactions from both Raghu M. and Ramana M. about being attacked by angry hornets. Finally, David’s thoughts on an irate Facebook comment putting down the ancient sentiment “Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a great battle”…

Mindrolling through the toll of role playing; the dark art of Trumpism; the Rolling Stones revisited; the Karmapa chanting; spiritual practice as heart/mind rehearsal; the dis-ease of the wandering mind; the magic of Biocentrism & intelligence preceding matter; the amazing Swiffer...plus thoughts on suicide’s sides, Jimmy Carter’s lust in the heart, and the generosity of our listeners…listen…

Thupten Jinpa, HH The Dalai Lama’s English translator, is our truly honored guest. Anyone who has been present at any one of His Holiness’s live events knows how vibrant and deep Jinpa’s translations always are. Jinpa’s new book, “A Fearless Heart: How The Courage To Be Compassionate Can Transform Our Lives” totally knocked out the Mindrollers, and we are so very pleased to visit with him on the podcast. Just check out Jinpa’s markedly unpretentious yet potent teachings on the real nature of compassion.

Raghu and Duncan Trussell have a relaxed hang out with Roshi Joan Halifax, Abbot of Upaya Zen Center. They discuss Roshi’s involvement and history with Nepal, and the recent work she’s done there related to the earthquake. Then they have a lively back and forth around the dualistic Bhakti tradition vs. the sublime Zen tradition. Roshi gives credit to what she calls “the juicy love”…

Mindrollers’ Miscellany: 5 sagacious slogans to straighten you out at work and play …fetishization of mindfulness…Evan Thompson’s rap about “the mind is not the brain”…”making up people” (ergo reducing people)…”are we kinder, better, more compassionate after decades of teachings?”…walking in the woods along with the witness…and Pico Iyer’s “The Art of Stillness" – right, a jam-packed podcast!

Teal Swan – young psychic intuitive and spiritual mentor - graces us with her vibrant awareness and startling insights. Teal is the real deal, an authentic wisdom channel, motivated by altruism, sharing her preternatural yet totally penetrating - and ultimately useful - knowledge. Coming out of youthful severe suffering, her ways of looking at the world truly move the Mindrollers and explicate what she calls the current global “emotional epidemic” – don’t miss Teal’s world view and her thoughts on neglect, marijuana, love – she is as clear as a bell…

Mindful comedian Pete Holmes is our effervescent guest and he talks about...everything, including diametrically opposing views on G-d from two of his podcast guests, Deepak Chopra and Oasis’s Noel Gallagher. His rap about the dangers of Google is funny and profound, his love for Ram Dass and Joseph Campbell tells us where his head is at, and his statement “Leave the transcendent where it belongs – the transcendent” left us laughing and thoughtful…

The Mindrollers examine the Upper East Side Rich Wives Tribe and its rituals…banishing boredom via the cultivation of the awesome…puzzlement at the rise of the selfish…David Brooks's words on spiritual capital…and swooning over the 16th and 17th Karmapas.

Raghu misses Dave - Raghu and Duncan discuss the reality of the physical Guru vs the non - Duncan tells his sighting of Maharaji down by the river- Jared talks Gyan (intellect) yoga and Saraswati counters with Bhakti (heart) yoga- and can we measure the inner world through imagination? Duncan has the last word on the energy behind the thing we call Maharaji.

The shock of recognition is a phenomenon that can manifest in a teacher’s spoken wise words or a written mindblower or a magical musical moment. We talk through a great Anais Nin paragraph and a Krishna Das sound bite that illuminate this. Plus, what is the difference between reality and pretense in a vision, an icon, or the apparent sudden 3D appearance of a deity? Does so-called objective, provable truth matter if you are inarguably elevated or awakened?

Duncan & The Mindrollers evict pollution-people from the brain, searching for authentic cadences and benign radiations. Plus Duncan rants rationally about self-reliance and the illusions of governance. David recalls almost becoming a right-wing speechwriter and Raghu delights in meeting not one, but two Karmapas, #’s 16 & 17, who seemed to be the same soul. The intense reality of intimate connections, within the oneness of being, begin and end the podcast.

David and Raghu introduce a third generation military man- a marine who had a major transformation from PTSD - and re-integrated his trauma through the psychedelic experience. What followed was overwhelming compassion and a direct line to Eastern Mysticism, Ram Dass and the great Buddhist masters. As Ryan says about his healing- “ It sure feels good, on this journey, to stop on the road, drop our packs and break bread with our brothers and sisters”.

R&D introduce Bernadine - the newest member of the Mindrolling team… new End of the World situation with Indiana and the Chem trails conspiracy… Karmapa the 17th - at 29 years old yet 1800 years old really - talks to Harvard about LGBT rights, race relations and the environment. And is meditation an obsession of the middle class? As a special treat, Raghu and David read from the sublime poetry of Steven Levine.

Raghu and David hang with longtime friend John Bush as he discusses the making of his upcoming documentary, Journey Om - a pilgrimage to the spiritual heart of India. John tells the tale of getting his Hindu name Krishna from Maharaji and his curious case of mistaken identity.

From Chatanooga and London to the forest monasteries of Thailand, this couple articulates their clear-as-a-bell vision of credible liberation. Can the grit of suffering become a pearl of consciousness? K & T delight R & D with some R & R from ordinary mind and light up the podcast. They also display pragmatic activist consciousness in their wise words about nurturing Mother Earth.

Alchemizing rebel anger into Buddhist altruism with Noah Levine, writer of Dharma Punx, plus R & D’s personal experiences with Van Morrison and Joey Ramone… Newfoundland somehow is in there too as a Canadian Pure Land on a very auspicious day.

David loses a Tibetan precious jewel. Suddenly, miraculously, it re-appears a year later and sparks a rare blog spoken out loud. And Raghu drills deep into the epidemic of facelessness, with social media as the head of the dragon. Plus news about a very false guru and great riffing from Stevie Ray Vaughan…

Mary O’Malley takes us through her concept of the spells that we had imposed on us as we grew into our “ego” bodies- R&D discuss with Mary the anti-dote to the spells and the self talking storytelling that crowds our minds all the day long! Real practical how to info for the stretched and compressed lives we live. And Mindrolling celebrates our 100th Podcast!

Massive transformation, noetic feeling, absolute healing – Bhava Ram (aka Brad Willis) tells his life story from his harrowing NBC war correspondent days through huge suffering and addiction finally to emergence as a full blown yogi and exemplar of optimism, grit and perennial practice. Podcast 99 tells a miraculous tale.

Psychedelic therapy and its mystical grasp in the 21st Century – R & D explore the newer, fresher science of psilocybin and LSD studies along with David’s fish eyes acid empathy and Raghu’s not quite mindful crashing his car into a ditch. Plus Maharaji memories of pure wisdom trumping the deepest trip imaginable…

• Exploring Death (It’s all the rage) - The truth is that we have no idea what happens when we drop our body, so it’s hard to say whether any particular reaction is appropriate or not. The sooner we face the reality of our mortality, the more time we have to approach it • Heart to Heart - Buddha was one heart, and turned on many. As we go deeper into ourselves we radiate that frequency to the world around us. We find balance and share what we learn. • Finding Balance (Change your conscious) - Even systems like capitalism can function, but only if there is balance. All we can bring to the present situation is greater consciousness • Sharon Salzberg (Official Badass) - Sharon did the work, and it shows. We all have different approaches to experiment with, but they all involve doing what is necessary to get free. Where we are is just an accumulation of our innate experiential wisdom • Protective Fashion - Styles of dress can be an attempt to associate oneself with a certain mode of thinking, but can also serve as a simple reminder to stay true to what you value • Modern Kindness -¬ Raghu and Dave remark on the encouraging level of consideration among the current youth. The greater exposure to the true connectedness of our lives seems to be generating a greater concern for and appreciation of our collective future • Family Ties (The ties that bind) - Michael points to the influence of tradition and spoon-fed comfort that can perpetuate nefarious actions within powerful families or corporations. What to do? Angry protests, or perhaps more mindfulness oriented actions? • The Reality of Love (The only reality) - Kindness, compassion - these are the only religions. It doesn’t eliminate suffering, but it allows us to se through it, and to move toward relieving it • Ganesh (The gateway drug) - We often need to use something to focus our attention on. The deeper we move into the practice, the more we understand that it’s what these objects represent that we are seeking. The best methods seem to self destruct

• Bums United - Ian explains how he was introduced to the mindrollers, and discusses some of his early transformers, including the discovery of transcendental meditation, and subsequently Buddhism • Don’t be a Buddhist (Be a Buddha) - There are no rules in Buddhism, just suggestions, which point in the direction of awakening. We can all have unique methods that move us closer to that state of awareness. Ian makes it a point to include Metta as part of his practice, citing it as a major shift on his path. Raghu highlights the synergistic effects of Vipassana in combination with the practice of Metta - Quiet the mind, invoke the heart • The Last Irish Monk - Ian talks about his initial discovery of U Dhammaloka, and the subsequent inspiration that led to his current film project, through which he hopes to rescue the great sage from obscurity • ‘Warning to Buddhists’ (Choice words from U Dhammaloka) Ian reads from some of the more controversial work of the late Irish monk, and expresses his deep admiration for the courage displayed throughout his mysterious existence - Engaged Buddhism is underated • Down with Dogma - U Dhammaloka was well known for his proactive and outspoken nature. His disappearance from history is not so surprising, given his proclivity for exposing untruths that undermine the established order • Cultural Considerations - Dave inquires about potential parallels between the struggles of Theos Bernard and those of U Dhammaloka in being accepted into these cultures. Raghu explains the greater acceptance in places like Burma, as opposed to the stricter standards of Tibet • Bum Support - Help Ian share this lost wisdom by donating to his current crowd funding campaign • Timeless Message - The actions taken by this little known Irish monk are as applicable today as they were in his time - Make your life your message

• Phobias Formed (Blame our ancestors) - Science points to direct experiences in forming phobias that can be found further down the genetic line. Raghu rattles off some of the more interesting fears in the modern age - does ignorance play a role in many of these irrational fears? • Mindfulness vs. Therapy (Head to Head) - Spiritual circles sometimes frown upon psychoanalysis, citing its potential to perpetuate thought patterns. We have to keep in mind that meditation alone can’t always provide the healing one might need. Some of the deeper wounds and unconscious fears can linger beyond meditations reach. Raghu agrees, and offers some of his own personal experience with therapy, advising to find someone who isn’t attached to any one school of thought. Dave highlights the unique brand of modern neuroses, which may require a multifaceted approach • Wounds (Deep Cuts) - Dave highlights the unique brand of modern neuroses, which may require a multifaceted approach. Can meditation and therapy adapt to the ever-evolving market of suffering? • Embrace, Explore and Understand - Working with your shadow is a difficult task, regardless of how you approach it. It requires a deep commitment to be honest and loving with yourself • Prolonging Mourning Meditation - At times, your practice may be preventing you from fully addressing your suffering. Try to avoid the spiritual bypass of pushing these issues away • Emancipatory Meditation (Choiceless Awareness?) - “Involves intimacy with oneself as an extraordinary and vital activity in which one attends to whatever one is experiencing without any preconceived conclusions, and without trying to get rid if it” - Don’t encourage, but be aware, without judgment • Ogre as Guru - Dave comments on one of the ‘Eight Verses of Thought Transformation’ by Kadampa Geshe Langri Tangpa. Through practice we learn to transform what we detest - The teachings are everywhere and everyone. But, how do we actually apply this to real life horror, and when is it appropriate to act? Dave points to the current terror of ISIS, and draws on the teachings of the Dalai Lama in sorting this mess out • Taking Up Arms (With Brothers in Arms) - How can we remain mindful when using force, and play out our roles without attachment.

Recorded live at the 2014 ‘Open Your Heart in Paradise’ retreat in Maui, Raghu is joined by fellow Mindpod patron, Jack Kornfield, as well as the podcast guru himself, Duncan Trussell. The power trio chats about Duncan’s initiation into the Satsang, the sustainability of Dharma power, and the technology-fueled future of spirituality.

Can even Buddhist teachings become commercialized, homogenized and…lost? Or is it a quasi-tantric situation where desire is the fuel? A look at the delightful idea of “If you can’t eat it or fuck it, piss on it.” David & Raghu circle around concepts and contradictions within modern absorption of ancient teachings. And it always seems to end in the simplicity and depth of “kindness.”

Sam Harris (In the self-help section) - The gang weighs in on Mr. Harris, and his attempt to make an ‘intellectual case for those skeptical of the whole enterprise’. How should we approach his demand for validation regarding spiritual experiences The Media’s Role - Dave comments on the media’s false claim that the current youth is rejecting all religion, despite all the evidence that points to an increased interest in yoga, meditation, mysticism and psychedelics. Religion can’t be limited to specific guidelines Jack discusses his fluctuating stance regarding religion and it’s practices. In the end, a direct personal experience is difficult to disqualify. Can we definitively answer these questions? The Debate Rolls On - There appears to be an endless, ‘Us versus them’, quality to these discussions. The heated debates aren’t even limited to those in opposing fields of study. The good news is that more and more individuals seem to be open to all sides of the argument ‘Self’-Help - Who is really benefiting, and how? These books can sometimes be a distraction from dealing with our true sources of distress Adaptive Spirituality – Previous civilizations, with far less knowledge of the working universe, espoused certain religious views in an attempt to understand their role. Many of these belief systems are still at work, though clearly limited in scope. An open and contemplative approach toward the truth is crucial in avoiding dogmatic doctrine. If certain facets are proven to be flawed or unsound then we have to accept, and even embrace, the need for change The Real Initiation (Break your head) – Raghu recounts the story of a Maharaji devotee, and his personal encounter with the profound presence of direct experience. It’s a change in vantage point, not a lobotomy Judging Faith (Spiritual discrimination) – What about the folks who haven’t experienced the mind melting effects of these mystical encounters? Are they to simply trust those that make these claims? When we calm our mind, through meditation or other practices, our awareness deepens and we are better able to identify with the true Self. From this place, we seem less likely to be fooled or manipulated, in forming beliefs. Where Are You Coming From? – Rachael describes her recent experience in India, pointing to the heart-centered nature of the culture, as a whole. To them, family is everything, and this shows in their attitudes and traditions. Unfortunately, this sentiment has somewhat dissipated in the cities, and is beginning to resemble the more fractured relationships that are so predominant in the West People Are the Problem – These age-old arguments have been commonplace for as long as civilization has existed. How can we bridge the seemingly endless gap? Practice, practice, practice!

Mr. Skeptiko (Skeptical, even of skeptics) - Alex encourages an assiduous examination of consciousness and those who deny it's all-pervasive nature Debunking the Debunker - How do we know when we are dealing with the Truth? Bias seems to be more common than not in many forms of journalism. When 'the facts' are actually put to light, they don't often shine so bright NDE (Not limited to the hospital) - Alex explains his takeaway from Eden Alexander's book, 'Proof of Heaven'. These experiences are ubiquitous, across many cultures, through many lifetimes. To truly study them requires a broad examination of the many ways in which they manifest Imprinting - Many faces, many forms - All of which are manifestations of the One. Maharaji, a Hindu Guru, said to 'meditate like Christ' Science vs. Consciousness (Epiphenomenon of the Brain?) Science treats consciousness as a byproduct of the brain, in the same way that insulin is a byproduct of the pancreas. But when asked about the necessary precursors to consciousness, they aren't able to pin it down. Science tends to resist the expansion of its current paradigm to encompass the mystery that is human consciousness Psychedelics (Where do they fit in?) - Alex discusses some of the research being regarding the role of psychedelics in understanding consciousness. These compounds seem to be revealing more of what is already there, rather than simply skewing 'normal' reality High-Minded Mysticism - Dave points out the prevalence of decidedly intelligent individuals among the outspoken proponents of many mystical and spiritual traditions. Unfortunately, much of Western culture is reluctant to let go of the 'out of sight, out of mind' mantra Wrong Narrative (Have we all been duped?) - Who do we trust, and how do we trust them? Science (Weak Samadhi) - The candle held by science seems to only reveal more darkness Trust - (Being home, and knowing it) - The felt presence of direct experience is crucial, but science is unable to dissect it, and therefore diminishes its relevance The Maharaji Connection - People, of all ages, all over the world, have been affected by Maharaji and his devotees. How could all of these individual experiences be mere coincidence? Skeptical Mindrolling - There is a wonderful community unfolding online, with forward-thinking at its foundation. The access is unprecedented and will only continue to expand Consumerism (A 'natural' byproduct of materialism) - Control seems to be at the center of this issue. "What better way to control your consciousness than to say it doesn't exist?' Much of what we take for granted in our culture is dependent upon this operating system The Mindrolling Mission - Try not to espouse opinions or beliefs about occurrences you haven't directly experienced

• Frozen Baba - Ashutosh Maharaj and his sub-zero Samadhi. Does the quality of one’s practice reveal itself in the often-remarkable deaths of great beings? • Genuine Insights (From a questionable politician) - Do seemingly nefarious actions preclude individuals from benevolent intuitions? Highlights the ongoing, ‘Us vs. Them’, conundrum. We are all complex beings, and we have to remain open to allow space for acceptance • Dave Finds Love (For an unlikely candidate) • Abundance Without Attachment (The holiday hustle) Prosperity and materialism are a common theme during the often-excessive holiday season. It’s attachment to money, not money itself that is the problem. How to get free? 1. Collect experience, not things. 2. Steer clear of excessive ‘usefulness’. 3. Get to the center of the wheel - What is the transcendental truth at the center of your wheel? Find it and focus. For Raghu and David this comes through the understanding and experience of God, Guru, and Self as One. Their material world revolves around this fundamental truth • Just Do It (For the sake of doing) - Mindfulness and joy result when our actions are motivated by the process rather than the result • ‘Sticky Desire’ - Our ‘desperate grasping’ fueled by fear of separation from our objects of desire (relationships, social status etc.) • Welfare (Farewell?) - The distribution of wealth in modern times is staggering and unprecedented. How do we approach this issue without bias? • The Mindrolling Mission - All these issues come back to the central question of finding balance, and cultivating an all-inclusive attitude toward our lives

The gang hangs with Duncan Trussell for the first of many live podcast taking place on Mindpodnetwork.com. 

Quantum entanglement leads us to parallel mysticism, synchronicity and selflessness. A strange brew, yes, but interconnectedness is happening whether we know it or not, and seems ultimately is a conscious doorway to freedom. Raghu praises David for not getting enraged at noisy drunkards in a restaurant. We toss around the business of not killing bugs, and Dave’s pet, Boris the Spider. And what it is to see yourself as the lowest person as opposed to pride of selfhood. Tons of chewable subject matter here, no kidding…

Ram Dass talks with the Mindrollers about NDE, the safety of death, light beings, the Soul Pod, the Tibetan Book of the Dead…and G-d’s extensive wardrobe. He ends with describing his joy at witnessing the awakenings of so many people he has influenced. Episode Outline: • Ram Dass’ Impression of the NDE - We are ushered into the perspective of the Soul, and encounter other ‘light beings’ that seek to understand our connection to our previous incarnation. These beings are our ‘Soul Land Companions’ • From Ego to Soul - When we operate at the Soul level, our perception shifts into a heightened state of compassionate awareness • The Soul comes directly from God - The Atman (the One) is in everything. We move from Ego, to Soul, to the One - from that place of awareness, we are all indistinguishable • The Soulpod Satsang • The Unifying Bond of the ‘Soul Complex’ (The Undying Soul) • Drop, Become, Merge - Moving out of the perceptual mind and into the ocean of Love • ‘Death is Safe’ - Approaching death, without being overcome by fear • Parallels Between Psychedelics, NDE, and The Tibetan Book of the Dead • Cultural/Religious Imprinting (God’s Extensive Wardrobe) - There are many forms, but the message is consistent • Approaching the Transition - Ram Dass describes his experience and preparation in moving closer to death. Everything he can say and do is under the control of Maharaji. He witnesses all that comes to him with joy, rather than attachment • Unending Awakening - Ram Dass continues to awaken through everything and everyone that he encounters. We can always trust in the eternal presence of Love, in whatever form it comes • Dropping the Body - In death, the Soul drops the body, and moves on, in an intimate relationship with God, with the One

Our guest is teacher David Wagner, and we talk with him about cultivating versatile wisdom, the role of psychedelics in finding a path, trauma as gateway, and, once again, Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche. This podcast fuses practical living and spiritual aspiration, with an unpretentious dude, always looking for ways to help, leaving his pride at the door, traveling on the inner plane both on and off his Harley...

Is positive thinking always positive? Conversely, do we repeatedly talk ourselves into a nasty, negative self-image? R & D drill deep into some new - and scientific - views on all this mental manipulation. And how does mindfulness affect our ability to ameliorate how we think and behave? Along with this, Raghu waxes all medical and recommends a book to improve our gut feeling about…our gut.

Jack Carroll is a 16 year old comedian/seeker who has had outstanding media success in Britain. He happens to have cerebral palsy, but you would be hard put to find a young dude who is more cerebrally on top of things than Jack. We talk about comedy, Hare Krishna, Russell Brand, Bob Marley, kindness and madness - and personal inner peace.

Imbibe seven intoxicating tracks from the Triloka Trance Planet series. This should result in a rapid rebooting of your consciousness, where the magic music takes over and the blues fade away. With commentary by R & D, this episode should take you to the heights of your head and the depths of your heart. These potent sounds go from pure folkloric to totally out there fusion…travel with the trancers and enjoy!

It’s all about the present of the present. Alan Watts on the “constantly retreating phantom” of the future... Ram Dass banishing methods/techniques if they are a trap to “end up free” - loving and living our exact present - one of the big big clues to happiness. Oh, and Raghu introduces the medical miracle of poop transplants.

Do G-d and science have a problem with each other, seriously? What are “non overlapping magisteria”? What is the true power of friendship? R & D ramble through very different realms of reality, ending in the great vibe of merely mentioning Nirvikalpa Samadhi…

Mining the inner vigilance to stop your world and reset…meditation on ugliness…harming the self-cherishing mind…the transparent karma, the mysterious karma…all this as the second part of our take on the Dalai’s Lama’s thought transformation commentary plus a little Leonard Cohen music.

His Holiness’s ”Commentary On The Verses Of Thought Transformation” is our podcast 79 stimulus, where we explore the dangers of self-cherishing, the wisdom of the witness, the cunning of the ego-mind, the temptation of anger addiction, the glory of loving awareness, ending in a sublime George Harrison song. We - Raghu & David & Rachael & Noah & Nathan (the team) - love this podcast, possibly at the risk of subtle self-cherishing!

How do we neutralize the annoying and damaging inner judge? Relentlessly parsing other people’s words and worth is, simply put, really unhealthy and besides hurting other people, it upsets profoundly your own balancing act of living life. Within this mix, R&D also chat about India, William F. Buckley Jr. and the hidden treasures of Padmasambhava...

Roshi Joan honors us with her wisdom and illuminated presence. She gets into the need for authentic daily practice and avoidance of the quick fix...dealing with moral distress...actualized compassion and retaining buoyancy in a difficult world...Thich Nhat Hanh and Alan Watts's influence...working with the great folklorist, Alan Lomax...bodhicitta and the awakened heart - a lot to chew upon

Bruce Margolin, America's leading lawyer fighting unjust pot laws, talks about the whole spectrum of marijuana legal insanity, plus the racist, xenophobic origins of the "reefer madness" myth making. Plus we talk about a miraculous cannabis oil toddler's recovery. Laws are easing, but Bruce lets us know how the prejudice and ignorance continues, despite the overwhelmingly benign results of sensible pot usage, sensorium pot smoking.

We tackle how to be happy, how to find equanimity within suffering...tough stuff...the mega ironies of the pleasure/desire chase..."love people, use things"...the strange fact that happiness and unhappiness are not actually opposites...death the leveler and finally "Dying" stores in strip malls - "Be Dead Now"...still, this is a happy podcast from two "cheerful melancholics."

When someone says “I’m spiritual not religious” what does that mean? How important is mysticism in spirituality? R & D roll this around, along with cheaper solar, no hating, Jesus as yogi, and the angel on 5th and 42nd…

Stream of consciousness about…consciousness. Its abiding continuity behind and throughout “ordinary trauma"…its persistent existence beyond karma...its ultimately redemptive resonance. And what does it mean to see our body as merely a “rented house”? Also, R&D insist on knowing nothing once again.

R & D with Jamie Catto, film-maker best known for his iconic “One Giant Leap” global consciousness film. We enter into exploration of JC’s transformative films, workshops and lifestyle, which we trust will move listeners to check out his movies, so they too can create for themselves a quantum leap of awareness. Compelling conversation, definite food for thought...

Tami Simon’s amazing company, Sounds True, has gathered and published for all of us a treasure trove of teachings – spoken word, music, more…so we just had to talk to her. Her mission, without pretension, was always to “disseminate spiritual wisdom.” Tami’s teachers and catalysts affected her as if she were “being held by an unlimited field of awe and wonder.” We hear her wisdom regarding ambiguity, so-called broken-ness and the constant conversation on the inner plane. Tami is a rare example of mindful private enterprise, passionate about relaying knowledge and inward grasp to everyone.

Potent, beautiful perspectives brought about by shattering epiphanies out of the blue - R & D get into this with chat ranging from the edge of awakening caused by everything from a heart attack to a post-concussion Jersey cow. And what is the real difference between acquisitive quid pro quo “love” and pure, unconditional love?

Mirabai Starr speaks truth from profound personal experience, her dark night of the soul – as well as kindly communicating to us the curative possibilities of transformation via grief. It’s just so special to hear her visions and interpretations of amazing mystics as well as her lucid articulation of the Oneness of all authentic spiritual paths. Mirabai’s transcendent work and perspective is a healing in itself. Meeting Mirabai’s heart and soul is like drinking cool, clear water in the flame of the hot desert.

Should Hedge Funders find their edge through meditation? Is it OK for killers to practice mindfulness? R & D get into that plus Mr. Rogers, the Quaker Oats man, the fine art of eye contact, Maria Shriver, martial arts and the Gita. Good luck.

Rewire your thoughts/emotions and Eureka – neuroplasticity! Plus we gab about mindfulness techniques allowing us to observe and lessen the hyped up reactions and transcend the tedious triggers - then, relief and release - huge and tiny setbacks may lose their nasty grip on our day…this and a killer William Burroughs track and you have a rockin’ Podcast 67.

Does consciousness exist outside the constraints of time and space? Does new science substantiate Tibetan vision, vindicate the lysergic realization? Rolling with life and afterlife cradled by the non-local, meanwhile, as usual, R & D exuding anecdotes, antidotes, a rant and a minimum of cant…

Joseph Goldstein, Insight Meditation Society sage, with us in conversation about his new book “Mindfulness: A Practical Guide To Awakening” – washing the mind of neurosis; combating I, Me, Mine; what you’re looking for is what is looking…

KD in a far-ranging conversation with R & D, plus tracks from his brand new “Kirtan Wallah” CD. We talk about the realities of having or not having a guru… KD on non-emotional longing, loving the inner self, re-awakening after our obsession with who we think we are…how chanting keeps bringing you back…

The Indie Spiritualist, Chris Grosso, is our refreshing guest, and he takes us out of the deep darkness of addiction into the high light shining from the transmission of heart, via his own epiphanies with everyone from Eddie van Halen through to Trungpa Rinpoche. “Life is beautiful and disgusting both” Chris says and urges us to love all of it…

Dr. Judith Orloff guides us through the natural, human and humane ecstasy of true surrender on the road to health and healing…going-with-the-flow style acceptance - whatever - being the true engine for freedom ...the fulfilling courage of working with what we’ve got – David and Raghu take heed…

Raghu and Dave gab with Jai Uttal, world music and kirtan pioneer. They introduce Jai's excellent new album "Return to Shiva Station" - also on the table, Ali Akbar Khan, Jai's musical Guru, and his exploits with the Bauls of Bengal deep in the forests near Calcutta, India. Order Jai's new album here: http://goo.gl/ThxOtA

Carl Jung brilliantly interpreted by Alan Watts, wow…the value of recognizing your inner rascal and redemption “in the arms of your own kindness”…David’s personal memories of an incisive comedian and Raghu’s recollections of the 16th Karmapa...

“How unconscious thought and perception affect our waking state.” Our podcast exposes the undertow of snap judgements, fast anger, and the plague of default expectations based on minimal information. David explains the “witness” concept and we quote Pema Chodron on eradication of the fixed mind. A ton of talking punctuated by Beck’s new music…

Duncan T returns, full of tales of his happy service day...a Dalai Lama anecdote/antidote - his answer to the big big key question as to why we are here…baby poop in the supermarket...Duncan on the magic of generosity… and Raghu’s embarrassing moment with Maharaji…

What are Qualia? Consciousness components. From the outer: animals, buildings, supermodels. From the inner: ideas, desires, sensibilities, art, aspirations. They are about seeing and imagining being the same thing. Qualia are the building blocks of creation. Qualia are rooted in consciousness.

R&D on reaching for the inner universe…eradicating the “paranoid ghost puppet performers”…smoking with Bob…loving Anais Nin…love, love, love – the eternal urge. 

Banishing blame is the aim, admonishing anger is the game. The amazing Pali Katannu Sutta…Costco…and, last but never least, “no longer laying trips on anyone.”

Lonely is never good, alone is cool. Sexy oldsters. Loneliness creating sickness, even arthritis. R&D tell their dreams...Jimi sings the blues and we explore craving and behaving...

The Mindrollers chat with the Lama: Is there really a chasm between us and them? Seems we need to cultivate empathy with our distant neighbors. We need to slow down and increase our attention and intention. 

Mr. Shiva Baum and the intrepid Mindrollers commune at the church of Springsteen...compare the crazed sixties and the weird now...talk about cutting through the illusion and the kirtan phenomenon...

Meet Dennis McKenna and take in reflections upon his early life, his brilliant brother Terence, and their pioneer explorations of all manner of psychedelic substances. No question, the McKennas together changed the way we looked at altered, expanded consciousness.

Jack Kornfield, one of the seminal messengers of Buddhism to the West, in conversation with us...in his own inimitable, honest and uber-lucid way, Jack delivers amazingly helpful insights into useful Buddhist/universal ways of being. "The task is not to perfect yourself, it's to perfect your love." - Jack Kornfield To learn more about Jack visit his website: http://www.jackkornfield.com/

Talking holistic radical radio with airwaves innovator Alan Hutner - conspiracy chemtrail entertainment, bhakti broadcasting, Arlo Guthrie...

Danny's eloquence and wisdom about Dr. King as well as his rich personal anecdotes about activism, politics and music giants Nirvana and Zeppelin in his life...

Duncan and the Mindrollers dealing with their inner "alien" intruder and not getting crazy...

"The most important kind of freedom is to be what you really are. You trade in your reality for a role. You trade in your sense for an act. You give up your ability to feel, and in exchange, put on a mask. There can't be any large-scale revolution until there's a personal revolution, on an individual level. It's got to happen inside first." - Jim Morrison

 R & D discuss "Reaching" as a practice in itself -  the deft movement in consciousness  to be more present, to be attending, to be tender...

Sharon Salzberg, world renowned author and Buddhist meditation teacher joins us for a discussion on Lovingkindness in the face of adversity.

Do the rich care about the poor? The invisible people as seen by the very visible...the empathy gap and how to close it...

Spontaneous orgasms...“homo economicus”...compassion & neural networks...sex on the beach out of the blue, and a Chrissie Hynde song thrown in...

We're going after the afterlife. Is it consciousness or is it simply legacy? What?

Suffering is grace. Suffering is a nightmare. Can both be true? How in the name of real life do we deal with pure pain? And how do we handle other people’s suffering? Finding the balance...

High Himalayan India R&D: Raghu’s latest yatra.

Lama Tsultrim Allione is our honored guest – she’s great. We concentrate on her truly transformative book “Feeding Your Demons.” The book's core concept/vision: “One does not become enlightened by imagining figures of light but by making the darkness conscious.” Yeah, can't argue with that - facing and transforming your shadow self is pretty essential in the liberation process... Check out the Wikipedia entry Here for brief yet solid biographical info about our guest.

Music is a beatific balm to our psyche, suggesting our soul...

Leaning into trauma and loss. Loving impermanence. Well, OK...but easier said than done. The comfort zone of normality-seeking “untrauma” always beckoning enticingly. We talk about the “opportunity” of the willingness to face distress...

The "movie of me"...selfishness out of selflessness?..."irregular thinking"...spiritual practice as success mode?...OK, let's stay positive for a moment...

An R & D on the uses and abuses of meditation...Doing yoga just to look cool...Finally cutting through the thoughts and finding your heart through proper practice.

Following guitarist extraordinaire/dharma communicator David Nichtern’s quick turn from the music studio to the Buddhist pure land  – prajna, rigpa and recording...

R & D opine about the commercial business of so-called enlightenment plus they offer some words about how to not go nuts if your work is oppressing and depressing you. How do you stay positive when your job kinda sucks?

Dr. Judith Orloff, Assistant Clinical Professor of Psychiatry UCLA, defines “Emotional Freedom” as the capacity to give and receive love, what it is to be a true empath and what mirror neurons are all about...R&D listen...

“Attention is the rarest and purest form of generosity” (Simone Weil) “By this definition, our relationship to the world, and to one another, and to ourselves are becoming increasingly miserly.” (Jonathan Safran Foer) Do we communicate more and love less? Are we hard wired for connection or isolation? R & D do their due diligence on all of this...

Magical, mystical, mysterious, mellifluous music from the legendary Triloka World Music catalog. Enjoy the music and banter from Raghu and David.

Can right wingers be Buddhists?  What is the military-industrial-media complex? Can we resist without rage? How can we avoid harming another heart? 

Bob Dylan - born half a year before Pearl Harbor with his word fugues of our future always old/forever young – he rocked a rotten society...what rocks youth now...our 2013 parallel universe...getting the charge, the message, without needing a drug or a guru...a 9/11 first responder’s love tale...

A little music, a Mad Man, slight madness and some sanity ranging from Pema Chodron to Richard Nixon with entertainment by Malian angel Rokia Traoré.  Podcast gets into music as transportation; sixties/now parallels; “shmoos”; stealing chocolate; “learning to stay”; not chasing thoughts; and service/social activism. Plus “what have we really got out of years of practice?”  

The Mindrolling twins dig into the world of free form radio with Tom Lopez aka Meatball Fulton - a pioneer of the genre from back in the 60’s. Tom talks about his relationship with Don Van Vliet aka Captain Beefheart who was a compadre of Frank Zappa and wrote and performed incredibly bizarre yet transcendent music. In fact the New York Times called it “the strange uncle of post-punk”. Also featured are a few vignettes of highly evocative radio plays Tom has produced.

Ram Dass talks about his relationship with the great Tibetan Lama, Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche. Includes detailed moments with Trungpa and Ram Dass at different events and venues in the early 70’s where Trungpa was teaching - the methods he used with his students and the dismay of many who were offended by his unusual behavior and teachings that were enigmatic to say the least. Ram Dass delves into a substantial issue around teachers in the West that are unconventional and sometimes divisive yet can provide students with a path that allows for real growth.

Navigating the conventional world and its roles – and escaping them: our chat with TV producer/teacher/friend Peter Goldsmith: How to roll your mind away from obsessive identification with the “work you”... How to see all true paths as exactly the same... How to say hello to the inner self...

DUNCAN TRUSSELL, conscious humorist pal and podcast guru, is back with us, and we expand upon mind expansion, conquering cancer, mortality, Allen Ginsberg, the edges of time and space, downloading divine info, “disciplic succession,” and love underlying everything. It’s an intense yet hilarious trip into Duncan’s mind and heart.

“American Veda” author Philip Goldberg traces how Eastern philosophy and practice developed in the U.S., making it clear that yoga, meditation and kirtan didn’t just spring up here out of nowhere. We learn about the progression from people like Ralph Waldo Emerson, Swami Vivekananda, George Harrison and Ram Dass.

Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche said, “The quality of a really good teacher is “rascalness." Why do we need the outright unpredictable sometimes in order to progress spiritually? This week our Mindrollers delve into true intuitive wisdom, cults, humor as teaching, and the connection between art and consciousness. Catch their drift and open your mind or maybe lose it...

Raghu and David welcome Ram Dass and his co-author Rameshwar Das, who just finished their new book, Polishing the Mirror. Ram Dass talks about the moment that his life changed when he met his Guru and how that “moment” became viral with so many people. Also revealing discussion around honesty and being at the edge of awakening with dying people.

The Mindrollers traverse from the implant of knowledge via a teacher (or not) through to the real meaning of Pink Floyd’s “The Wall” as explained to David by Roger Waters himself. Also ruminations about “rascal” teachers, the true nature of surrender, the dark presence of fear in our lives, and love as a disease.

David and Raghu investigate the unusual "Shambala Sun" cover story by Norman Fischer. Our Mindrollers present their own version of how to deal with life - stop blaming people, the world is upside down -turn it over, everything is the path including your step-mother, overcome self-interest as in Dave’s fixation with a certain European sport and confusion is the Buddha - not to be confused by our guys’ continuing lifetime journey to awareness.

Mickey Lemle’s documentary “Fierce Grace” passionately covers Ram Dass’s life post-stroke and also gives us a  transcendent look at aging when life suddenly involves intense hardship.  We talk with Mickey about this and also his seminal film "Compassion in Exile: The Life of The 14th Dalai Lama"...tons of great anecdotes...

Mirabai Bush, who co-founded The Center for Contemplative Mind in Society, has worked with everyone from Google to troubled youth to the army, teaching the practice of mindfulness. If anyone needs more mindfulness, it’s the two Mindrollers, whose aspirations far over-reach their achievements...

Sharon Salzberg joins Mindrolling on location on Maui and shares her incredible clarity and huge heart. She lends a hand to our intrepid Mindrollers on how to navigate the vicissitudes of our complex lives thru awareness, compassion and meditation. As she says, "May the Minds Roll." 

Raghu and David sit with Krishna Das, who the New York times has called the Chant Master of American Yoga. They discuss chanting as a practice and people taking on "uncooked Gurus". 

Activism without anger, resistance without rancor: it's hard to reach detachment when the political world is making you crazy.  What to do? Vajravarahi is a spiritual energy deity perceived to transmute the Five Negative Afflictions which represent five obstructions that obscure the true nature of life.  These Five Afflictions are greed, hatred, delusion, jealousy and pride. Like all fearsome figures in Tantric Buddhism, she is protective & simply wrathful for beneficial reasons.  She fits the bill for helping change the negative emotions that prevent us from balancing ourselves or society.   Original Text by: Tristan Rigby - Rishigallery.com

What is a guru? What is a teacher?  Raghu and David offer gentle though and definitions of an “accomplished being” a “siddha” and of a teacher, some of whom are great and some actually harmful...they speak about the saga of Joya Santanya, her Shakti, and her ego...

More spectacular experiences with sacred musicians: Bob Marley, Krishna Das, Jai Uttal and Bhagavan Das. Both frightening and enlightening times with world, trance and the beginnings of chant and kirtan music is explored. David and Raghu discuss the practice of opening the heart by chanting, where no thinking is necessary. 

This podcast with our dear friend Shyam Das which was scheduled for broadcast today January 22, 2013 tragically coincided with his passing in a motorcycle accident in India three days ago. There are simply no adequate words to describe this loss to all of us. Master chanter, brilliant Krishna scholar, Shyamdas was globally revered, but much more importantly, he was loved for his delightful and friendly ways, his sparkling humorand his seamless, astonishing devotion to the ancient tradition of the ways of love for the Hindu facsimile of the Manifest Divine, Krishna and Radha. Synchronistically, this podcast features a conversation we did with him just before he left for India for the last, fateful time.

David and Raghu talk about David's interview with Frank Zappa, and 60’s music from Detroit soul to California drug music. Raghu has an embarrassing Led Zeppelin experience. R & D discuss high beings coming into their lives...India...“dolphins in the Ganges”...Raghu’s father’s transformation...meeting Muktananda...Burmese Insight Meditation practice – Goldstein, Salzberg, Kornfield...Buddhism and Bhakti in the West...Ram Dass and Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche. 

American Lama Surya Das talks with us about his sixties influences such as folk music, John Lennon, and his early questioning of the meaning of life. He carefully compares these times for the current youth generation to our own, where crises often happen along with optimistic youth outreach.  He tells us more about the Dzogchen Buddhist Mindrolling tradition. He remembers being with Neem Karoli Baba and how he absorbed the Buddhist wisdom.  Surya Das gets into the path to authentic life balance and letting be.  He discusses his “WOW” suggestion – Wishing Others Well and the loving kindness practice.  He mentions how H.H. The Dalai Lama encouraged him to practice “compassionate action.”

This podcast explores the positive and negative aspects of media, including social media. Raghu recalls playing Ram Dass tapes on the radio back in the day and meeting Maharaji. David compares 1960’s media to 1980’s cable explosion to the 2012 vastly expanded current global Internet. The potential abuse of social media is weighed along with its progressive and humanitarian communication quantum leaps. Spirituality via media is analyzed. Does instant information actually make us happier, more relaxed, and more truly connected?

Our friend Danny Goldberg is a music industry legend, former Chairman of Warner Brothers Records and President of Atlantic Records, Danny discovered and managed Kurt Cobain and Nirvana and was the head of Led Zeppelin’s record company, "Swansong" amongst other things. The conversation revolves around Danny’s experience in combining great worldly success and a spiritual path. We get into the sixties and the origins of expanded consciousness via Ram Dass and the teacher Hilda Charlton. Remembering Martin Luther King’s words “Although we live in the colony of time, we owe our allegiance to the empire of eternity.”

How do we achieve balance in our life in a practical way? Dave and Raghu talk about the Tibetan leader of the Mindrolling lineage, Jetsun Khandro Rinpoche and her wise words...loving the present...combatting stressors...talking about everyone wanting happiness...practicality and practice...transcending the “monkey mind”...adventures with Chogyam Trungpa. And “how to be in this world?”

Raghu and David chat with Duncan Trussell, Los Angeles based conscious stand up comedian and podcaster about humor, awareness and the parallels between the late sixties and the Millennial generation, comparing boomer and echo-boomer predicaments and solutions.

Music can actually transform our consciousness, thereby changing our life, song by song, chant by chant. We discuss the sixties and the momentum created during that time. David tells us about his extensive work with Bob Marley. We hear a couple of tracks from the unique Triloka world music label and examine trance as experienced through being open to and listening to music of all kinds from John Coltrane to Ali Akbar Khan.

A dual biographical podcast.  “From our past and your future,” David’s many experiences with Timothy Leary...his film biopic with Tim and his feelings about death and dying.  Ram Dass and Leary.  David’s amazing altered consciousness experience in Tim’s house, a few weeks after Tim died.  Raghu’s magnetization to Ram Dass while a FM program director in Montreal and his progression to India and the guru.  David in Morocco with the Jajouka Master Musicians.  The experiencing of Neem Karoli Baba.  

The first podcast traces the history of the awakening process for the two hosts via culture and intensified awareness - the sixties were the engine of the movement towards consciousness, via the Vietnam War, psychedelics, music, and community.  David and Raghu look back on “going through the changes” and emerging from the repressive atmosphere of the early sixties into the radical, healing effects of the Beat Generation, The Beatles and Bob Dylan.  Early inner and outer encounters with Transcendental Meditation, the Hare Krishna movement and Meher Baba are explored, plus willing aping of the behavior of icons John Lennon, George Harrison and Pete Townshend. This podcast draws parallels between experiences and learning curves of the sixties and seventies and those of the present.