In a discussion on fearlessness, RamDev offers insight into faith and awareness, meditation and letting go, and separation and oneness.
Find out more about Dale’s work at the Living/Dying Project: livingdying.org
Two-Breath Meditation // Fearlessness & Enlightenment
To set the tone for the podcast, RamDev begins with his “Two-Breath Meditation” aimed at mindful embodiment and boundless spaciousness. From here, he dives into the main topic of this discussion: fearlessness. Through the lens of awakening, RamDev explores fear’s connection to ego, doubt, anxiety, grief, and boredom; and fearlessness’ roots in a strong connection to God, emptiness, and our own True Nature.
“In general, it seems to me, dealing directly with fear is one of the most immediate and potent ways of awakening.” – RamDev
RamDev shares on the importance of the grounding breath, on Ep. 49 of Healing at the Edge
Two Paths of Working With Fear // Faith & Awareness (9:00)
RamDev treads the two paths of working with fear. First, he shares the more bhakti-style way—inspired by his guru Maharajji—of having deep faith in God, rather than trying to figure anything out. Path-two, he describes as more Buddhist, and involves a recognition, awareness, and Tantric relationship with the fear. Going further, he talks about the problem of self-identifying with emotions, and how fear is simply a lost connection with Mother Earth, with the Divine Mother. From here, he explores death, pain, and resistance.
“Maharajji said, ‘The only thing that’s important is how much you love God. Trust in God, don’t try to figure it out.’ We’re participating in this conversation about trying to figure out how to go beyond fear, but could it be as simple as completely trusting God? That whenever we feel that lack of faith, we surrender beyond doubt into what it is we truly have faith in.” – RamDev
Anne Lamott, Duncan Trussell, & Raghu Markus explore faith, fear, & death, on Ep. 241 of Mindrolling
Letting Go of Control // Separation & Oneness (27:00)
Diving further into working with fear, RamDev opens the floor to audience questions exploring topics like dealing with the loss of control; fear’s connection with thinking, emotion, and death; and how to hold the paradox of separation, loss, grief, with oneness and perfection.
“Practice letting go of control. Initially, in meditation it is about controlling, ‘Can I develop some concentration?’ But after you’ve developed enough concentration you can begin to let go of controlling and let there be a more free-flowing mindfulness. And even beyond cultivating mindfulness—resting in presence, resting in the way things are.” – RamDev
Krishna Das discusses letting go and the lineage of Hanuman, on Ep. 97 of Pilgrim Heart
