On this episode of the Here and Now Podcast, Ram Dass teaches the Buddha’s Four Noble Truths and shares the lessons he was taught about overcoming desire while in India.
Click here to read the transcription of this podcast.
Becoming Lost in Love (Opening)
At Raghu’s request, Maharaji teaches him a very unusual meditation before he travels into the mountains to learn about Buddhism with Ram Dass and the other westerners.
“Do as Jesus did and see God in everyone. Take pity on all and love all as God. When Jesus was crucified he only felt love.” – Raghu Markus
The Four Noble Truths (3:35)
Ram Dass explores the Four Noble Truths, the Buddhist teaching around desire and suffering which acts as a guide to people of all faiths on their journey of awakening.
Desire and Sādhanā (5:10)
In the Hindu tradition, making progress on the spiritual path is called Sādhanā. In doing Sādhanā, every act you perform becomes a method of taking you to this other state of consciousness. Ram Dass discusses his diet while studying at the temples in India. He explains how our diet can become Sādhanā when we look at eating from a place of practice.
“The way you work, in doing Sādhanā, is that every act you perform becomes a method of taking you to this other state of consciousness. You are trying to change your perceptual vantage point and everything you do has to be a device to take you to that place. From a Western point of view, you are doing a complete cognitive re-organization. You are changing your reference point, changing the core concept around which the whole constellation is built.“ – Ram Dass
Dive deep into the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path with this multi-part series from Joseph Goldstein on the Insight Hour Podcast. Start the journey with Ep. 30 – The Four Noble Truths: Dukkha
Getting Real (13:45)
In our spiritual practice, no one is looking over our shoulders to make sure we are being honest with ourselves in our progress and we are sticking to the program. Ram Dass shares his experiences with fasting and the lessons he learned about desire and commitment.
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