Dr. Larry Brilliant joins Mirabai Bush to share wisdom about public and spiritual health, eradicating smallpox in India, the miracle of Maharajji, and the centripetal force of love.
Dr. Larry Brilliant has engaged with some of the most prominent thought leaders, spiritual masters, heroes, and icons in the world, including Neem Karoli Baba, Martin Luther King, Jr., Steve Jobs, Mikhail Gorbachev, Wavy Gravy, the Grateful Dead, the Dalai Lama, and Barack Obama. His life’s journey across continents has resulted in the direct involvement of some of the most significant medical, spiritual, and social achievements of the past century: the eradication of smallpox in India, curing blindness in over 4 million people, introducing Maharajji’s teachings to the Woodstock Generation, and launching Google’s philanthropic enterprises, and more, outlined in his book, Sometimes Brilliant: The Impossible Adventure of a Spiritual Seeker and Visionary Physician Who Helped Conquer the Worst Disease in History. For more info, please visit LarryBrilliant.com
Brilliant Connections: Public & Spiritual Health
Introducing Dr. Larry Brilliant, Mirabai shares their deep and rich connections over the years—from sitting with Maharajji in India, to serving at the Seva Foundation, to working at Google together, to mentoring each other’s children, and providing homes for their ‘wandering sadhu’ friend, Baba Ram Dass—Mirabai and Dr. Brilliant share very close squares on Maharajji’s red plaid blanket. Before telling a Maharajji miracle story, Dr. Brilliant discusses our interconnection in regards to vaccinations and both public and spiritual health.
“We will undoubtedly have millions of people who will not get vaccinated. As a consequence, there will be millions of homes for novel variants to ping-pong back into our communities. This is a moment that is rare because the absolute most selfish decision to protect yourself and your family, and the absolute most altruistic decision to help people far away who are a different color—those two things are the same right now, the good and the greedy are the same. That’s a moment we should think about, because it kind of opens up the whole thing.” – Dr. Larry Brilliant
Join Dr. Larry Brilliant with Ram Dass, for a conversation on the miracle of Maharajji’s love, on Ep. 126 of Here & Now
God’s Gift to Humanity: Maharajji & Eradicating Smallpox in India (9:30)
Sourcing his India story, Mirabai invites Dr. Brilliant to share his connection with their mutual Guru, Maharajji, and how through this great being, Dr. Larry would play a major role in eradicating smallpox in India. Comparing that pandemic to the one we are dealing with now, Mirabai and Dr. Brilliant discuss what we learn about ourselves and others by living through these difficult, yet thought-provoking times.
“It doesn’t have to be 1960s or 70s Kumbaya, or sitting with Maharajji in a Himalayan ashram to motivate us. In this case, we can’t be safe until all of us are safe. It’s not corny or silly to say: We’re all in it together. Wherever this disease exists, it exists here.” – Dr. Larry Brilliant
For more Mirabai Bush at the cross-section of ecology, India, and spiritual love, tune into Ep. 2 of Walking Each Other Home
The Centripetal Force of Love: Healing & Hope (22:22)
Weaving together Maharajji’s directed wisdom of sab ek (all one) and love everyone, with the hard truths about the growing environmental, social, political, and economic problems in the world, Mirabai and Dr. Brilliant share how we can begin to heal the planet from the inside out, imbibing the centripetal force of love and hope.
“Love is a centripetal force—it brings us back together. It’s very hard to deal with climate change, nuclear weapons, water, hunger, famine, pandemics; unless we are brought together. That’s where the inner-world and the outer-world come together. You have to work on yourself so you never hate, you don’t get angry, you more often than not are able to have love for everyone.” – Dr. Larry Brilliant
Raghu invites us into the expansive realm of Full Ecology, exploring how to heal the planet from the inside out, on Ep. 382 of Mindrolling
Image via Larry Brilliant and Balaram Das