Ram Dass shares some of his Indian stories about his guru, Maharajji, that are meant to help us stretch our consciousness and investigate how the laws of the universe truly work.
Indian Stories
Raghu Markus introduces the talk from Ram Dass, and reflects on some of the themes Ram Dass brings up. Before starting his series of Indian stories, Ram Dass puts some of his life into context, especially around the use of psychedelics.
“I want to tell you a series of stories that stretched my consciousness quite a bit.” – Ram Dass
The Laws of the Universe (16:40)
The first two stories Ram Dass tells involve his guru, Maharajji, who was well known for the miracles he performed. He asks us to expand our minds enough to allow for the possibility that these miracles are more than just random coincidences. Ram Dass shares stories of other saints and swamis who performed miracles, including Ramana Maharshi.
“Now, you can say, ‘What an interesting coincidence,’ or, you can start to play with the edge of that as to whether or not the laws of the universe work the way you think they do.” – Ram Dass
Free Thought? (42:25)
Ram Dass tells more stories about Maharajji, and talks about the connection he maintains with his guru even after his death. He explores free will and free thought, and how awareness is the flashlight that helps us see the never-ending river of thoughts and sensations.
“What I’m saying is that your thought processes – which you think are free – are, in fact, not free; they are part of a lawful unfolding.” – Ram Dass
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