Ep. 285 – Across the Decades: Resting in Awareness

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Sep 2, 2025

Delve into a rich tapestry of awareness and love, guided by insights spanning decades. Explore how resting in awareness can lead to harmony with the universe. Visualize thoughts as clouds drifting in the vast sky of consciousness. Discover the transformative power of community and mentorship in enhancing spiritual growth. Uncover the balance between attachment and true love, and embrace the idea that pure awareness transcends societal labels. Engage in a meditative journey that connects you deeply with yourself and the world around you.

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INSIGHT

Act From Timeless Awareness

Resting non-clinging awareness lets actions arise in harmony with the deeper law (Tao) rather than the intellect.
In that state acts flow without a personal doer and tend to relieve suffering rather than perpetuate illusion.

ANECDOTE

King's Butcher And The Music Stand

Ram Dass shares the king's butcher and music-stand maker stories to show skillful, non-self-centered action.
These tales illustrate how tuning into awareness lets work arise naturally and beautifully without egoic doership.

ADVICE

Practice Open Awareness Regularly

Practice noticing breath, sounds, sensations, and thoughts without grabbing or pushing them away.
Allow awareness to expand and recognize spaciousness, equanimity, and love present behind every mind-state.

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Speaking across the decades from the 1970s to the 2010s, Ram Dass shares his wisdom on the importance of resting in awareness.

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This episode of Here and Now is a compilation of Ram Dass discussing the concept of resting in awareness throughout the decades.

We begin in Washington, D.C., in 1976, with Ram Dass exploring being in harmony with the Tao, the Way of things, and how awareness and love are really the same thing. “When you are aware without clinging,” he says, ‘And in harmony with all of the forces, you are no longer in time.”
We move on to 1985, with Ram Dass meditating on the qualities of awareness. These are qualities such as spaciousness, equanimity, and love. He encourages us to become instruments of light, love, and presence. “Just allow your awareness to expand, to embrace everything you hear or feel or think.”
The next stop is the Virgin Islands in 1995, with Ram Dass comparing awareness to the sky. The clouds in the sky are simply the passing phenomena of life. “Your whole concept of who you think you are,” he says, “All the stuff of ‘me’ is all the cloud. And the cloud is being appreciated or embraced or carried by the sky. The sky is just awareness.”
Finally, we end in Maui in 2016, when Ram Dass had learned how to completely rest in his loving awareness. He guides a meditation to connect us to the space of loving awareness, where we can all go for a swim in the ocean of love.

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About Ram Dass:

Ram Dass’s spirit has been a guiding light for generations, carrying millions along on the journey. Ram Dass teaches that through the Bhakti practice of unconditional love, we can all connect with our true nature. Through these teachings, Ram Dass has shared a little piece of his guru, Maharaj-ji, with all who have listened to him. Learn more about Ram Dass, his teachings, and more at ramdass.org.

“I would say my life is about awareness. And becoming or being aware. Because becoming’s already a trip in the cloud. ‘I’m getting aware.’ It’s another one. ‘I’m washing dishes, now I’m getting aware.’ It’s just another trip, it’s another thing you’re doing. So, I’d say my life is resting in awareness. And into the awareness come phenomena.” – Ram Dass

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