Ram Dass talks about the promises and the pitfalls of the spiritual path. He discusses the shift of reality that happened in the sixties as well as the promises & pitfalls of psychedelics.

his shift blew apart the traditional religious systems that were in place at the time, and the psychedelics gave people a connection that they had never experienced before: a feeling that they were interconnected with the universe. When we see how much of our behavior is a defense mechanism to alleviate the pain of separateness, we begin to realize the importance of healthy intuitive and compassionate hearts.

“We took that whole concept of guru and we turned into our need for a good father, in a psycho-dynamic sense. We wanted the guru to do it to us. When in fact, what happens is that the guru just is, like a tree or a river. And depending on your karmic predisposition of readiness, you do it to yourself, in the presence. The guru is a presence that allows you to do it, the presence that doesn’t catch you anywhere. Only you catch yourself.” – Ram Dass

 

Click HERE to read the transcription of this podcast.

Photo via mim.girl