Chris Britt returns to Healing at the Edge to ask RamDev about some of the remarkable teachers he has received wisdom from, including Suzuki Roshi, Anandamayi Ma, and the Dalai Lama.
Chris Britt combines stories, humor, magic, mindfulness and embodiment techniques to help us navigate through these difficult times. Learn more about him at chrisbritt.com.
Remarkable Teachers
Chris begins this investigation of RamDev’s series of remarkable teachers by asking about his guru, Neem Karoli Baba. The conversation moves to RamDev’s first meditation teacher, Suzuki Roshi, and the sweetness born from the intensity of the Soto Zen practice.
“[Neem Karoli Baba] is the being at the center of my heart. And all these other teachers I’m going to mention were instrumental in the wisdom that I have.” – RamDev (RamDev
Ram Dass shares stories about Neem Karoli Baba on Here and Now Ep. 18
Devour the Universe (19:50)
RamDev talks about his time with another great saint, Anandamayi Ma, who was a wife and mother that became one of the best known gurus in all of India. He recalls the time that Anandamayi Ma and Neem Karoli Baba were both teaching in the same town, and the great love they had for one another.
“When (Anandamayi Ma) is saying, ‘I can devour the universe,’ that’s her in her large form, if you will. So even though she’s got this old lady’s body, there’s still this pure consciousness, one consciousness, that is not fixated on this body. And when the body dies it’s not Anandamayi Ma dying, it’s just that the body ends.” – RamDev
The Manifestation of Compassion (36:30)
The conversation shifts to another of RamDev’s teachers, the Dalai Lama, who is the manifestation of compassion in this world. He and Chris talk about what compassion truly means in this day and age, and why we really can’t afford to close our hearts to anyone, even some truly unpopular political figures.
“In a way, that’s the point of being with Maharajji, that’s the point of being with Suzuki Roshi, with Anandamayi, with the Dalai Lama; that there are beings who have made that leap, who are living examples that even though there’s suffering in the world, there’s a joyfulness, there’s a love that’s so much vaster than that.” – RamDev
Check out RamDev’s free educational resources from the Living/Dying Project
Images via John Haim and Youtube