Mindrolling – Raghu Markus – Ep. 274 – Mirabai Bush

mirabai

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.

Links from this episode:  10 Powerful Women of the Mindfulness Movement

Show Notes

Why Do We Think This Way? (Opening) – Mirabai talks about receiving her spiritual name from Maharaj-ji and the meaning behind it. The story leads to a conversation around the way that our thoughts mislead us into believing false narratives about the way things really are.

“So many times I have chosen the low road or the kind of grim possibility or the dumb way of thinking about things and then I say to myself, ‘Why do you think that way?” – Mirabai Bush

Reconditioning Our Thoughts (11:30) – How do we work with the conditioning that leads us to hold wrong views about the world? Mirabai looks at the science behind our brain’s conditioning and talks about how that has influenced the spread of contemplative practice in the West. She and Raghu explore the most effective methods and modalities for deconditioning our wrongly held beliefs.

 “There are many practices and it is important to find one that works for you. Kirtan really opens the heart, so that you stop thinking about other things because you are not in your thinking mind – you are in your heart.” – Mirabai Bush

Bringing Clarity to the Moment (24:00) – Raghu and Mirabai turn their attention to the social and political discord that America is experiencing, the two discuss ways that contemplative practice can bring clarity to how we respond to difficult times.

“Reflecting on dying is really reflecting on life. We really don’t know what happens on the other side. It turns out that the preparation to die peacefully and without regrets is the same instruction for how to lead your life right now, fully and lovingly and well.” – Mirabai Bush  

Mirabai Bush and Ram Dass discuss the journey of writing Walking Each Other Home together on Ep.133 of the Here and Now Podcast

Being Close to the Mystery (38:00) – We look at the spiritual practice of being with someone in their process of dying. Mirabai and Raghu share stories from their own lives about how transformative it can be to be with someone in their final moments. They look at wisdom from Ram Dass around the lessons that we learn from being present for the death of another.

 

     

Images via Perry Julien and snapgalleria