Ram Dass discusses the motivations for spiritual practices, such as overcoming unconscious ignorance and fear. He emphasizes the importance of honesty on the spiritual path and the need for consciousness that does not respond to change with fear. The podcast explores the root source of error and the antidote for fear, which involves developing compassion and love. The speaker also delves into the art of escaping reactivity and embracing change in order to promote awakening and growth.
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Ignorance Fuels Samsaric Error
Not realizing the uncreated foundation of mind leads beings to wander in samsara.
Unconscious ignorance spawns error, fear, and the five poisons, motivating practice to awaken.
volunteer_activism ADVICE
Practice Responding To Change Without Fear
Train consciousness to meet change without fear to prevent contraction and violence.
Use spiritual practice to develop compassion, love, and unselfishness as antidotes to polarization.
volunteer_activism ADVICE
Don't Meditate From Obligation
Wait until you genuinely want to meditate rather than forcing "I ought to" practice.
Forced practice breeds resentment, cheating, and guilt, so cultivate real hunger first.
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When it comes to Spiritual Practices, Ram Dass poses the question, “why do we practice?” Raghu reads a passage from The Wisdom Teachings and Good Wishes of the Adi-Buddha Samanta-Bhadra which poses that the reality which is “the foundation of all is uncreated, uncompounded, independent beyond mental concept and verbal definition.” Not knowing this we humans get overwhelmed by the darkness of unconsciousness, from which comes ignorance and error, of course what arises is us and them, together, or I and others. Which spawns an unbroken current of samsaric (illusion) evolution, so the root source of error among sentient beings is thus unconscious ignorance Raghu suggests this is pretty good motivation for spiritual practice. Ram Dass gives another motivation, which is, change generates fear. Fear generates contraction, contraction then generates prejudice and bigotry, and ultimately violence. What’s the antidote for this? It’s consciousness that does not respond to change with fear. So how do we get that consciousness? It takes spiritual practice. Once you start to practice, the journey to awakening starts to dominate the terrain. “Everything in your life becomes grist for the mill of awakening. You learn to trust the deepest inner message you can hear.” Ram Dass also says: “if you’re thinking you should meditate, don’t bother, go out and lust some more. You need an honest approach to the path, you can’t be phony holy.” Raghu talks about his own experience on sitting on a regular basis, even if he’s tired or cranky. The beauty of a true spiritual journey is that it keeps unfolding from inside yourself.
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Ram Dass Here And Now