In this intimate dharma talk, Mirabai Starr and Rameshwar Das explore the healing power of spiritual community and soul-level friendships.
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This week on the BHNN Guest Podcast, Mirabai Starr and Rameshwar Das explore:
- The concept of beloved community and why it matters so much in today’s world
- Satsang, soul pods, and other forms of spiritual support
- Ram Dass’s book of self-discovery, You are the Universe
- The universal soul consciousness which links all people together
- Accessing the depth of our being that Ram Dass called “the loving witness”
- Releasing the lone wolf mentality and cultivating conscious community
- The Three Jewels of Buddhism and becoming a refuge for each other
- Healing through shared grief, trauma, and deep spiritual friendship
- Navigating introversion and finding community in unexpected places
This talk was recorded at the 2024 annual Ram Dass Legacy retreat in Maui, Hawaii. Join us for another retreat this summer in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains! Click HERE to register and get more information.
“We invite you to connect with your heart, yes, but that part of your heart that is burning with yearning for union. Union with God, union with the beloved, and especially, yearning for the divine within each other.” –Mirabai Starr
About Mirabai Starr:
Mirabai Starr is an award-winning author of creative non-fiction and contemporary translations of sacred literature. She taught Philosophy and World Religions at the University of New Mexico-Taos for 20 years and now teaches and speaks internationally on contemplative practice and inter-spiritual dialogue. A certified bereavement counselor, Mirabai helps mourners harness the transformational power of loss. Check out her many books and learn more at MirabaiStarr.com.
About Rameshwar Das Lytton:
Rameshwar Das is an author and longtime collaborator with Ram Dass, known for capturing and conveying the essence of spiritual teachings through storytelling and photography. Rameshwar Das met Ram Dass in 1968 soon after his return from India, and learned yoga and meditation from him. He traveled to India and spent time with Neem Karoli Baba from 1970-1972. His working life has been primarily as a photographer, including freelance work for the New York Times and other publications. He taught photography and photo-journalism, and also worked as an environmentalist and writer. Ramesh collaborated on several projects with Ram Dass including the original collection of manuscripts that became Be Here Now and the Love Serve Remember box set of recordings. He is the co-author of Ram Dass’s newer books, Be Love Now and Polishing the Mirror, and most recently Ram Dass’s memoir, Being Ram Dass.
More Be Here Now Network Podcasts:
Lama Rod Owens covers the dharma of freedom, loving ourselves, ancestral work, and the power of meditation: Dedication to Liberation
JoAnna Hardy shares a guided meditation all around the first foundation of mindfulness – mindfulness of the body: First Foundation Guided Meditation
Through bearing witness, love & service, Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee shares how we can collectively heal the crisis of disconnection & ecological devastation: Love & Service
Buddhist Master Thich Nhat Hanh explores how we can joyfully bring mindfulness into everyday activities like phone calls, driving, and walking: The Ojai Foundation Presents: Under the Teaching Tree with Thich Nhat Hanh