Considering how we relate to the world, Gil Fronsdal offers insight into freedom from our mental constructs through stillness of mind.Today’s podcast is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/beherenow and get on your way to being your best self.In this episode, Gil Fronsdal offers wisdom on:The relationship between fundamental insight and fundamental happinessDividing the present moment into three parts (what's happening, our relationship to it, and the self)The Anicca Vata Sankhara chant, an important chant among Theravada BuddhistsSeeing happiness through stilling our mental constructionsObjective reality versus human-made conventionsUnderstanding the world of relatedness and settling it downBeing aware of the breath within the breathThe season of being in relationship and the season of letting things beThe ever-presence of awareness and the freedom it can bringBuddhist practice helps us see when something is a constructionSeeing the arising and passing of all mental activity We have all these conventions and they’re useful, we play with them, they’re antidotes, they settle things. It’s also possible to relate to the breathing, to be present for the breath, without a convention, but present. The mind doesn’t go towards the breath, the breath doesn’t go to you, the breath arises in awareness. The awareness doesn’t go anywhere.” – Gil FronsdalThis 2008 recording was originally published on DharmaseedAbout Gil Fronsdal:Gil Fronsdal is the co-teacher for the Insight Meditation Center in Redwood City, California; he has been teaching since 1990. He has practiced Zen and Vipassana in the U.S. and Asia since 1975. He was a Theravada monk in Burma in 1985, and in 1989 began training with Jack Kornfield to be a Vipassana teacher. Gil teaches at Spirit Rock Meditation Center where he is part of its Teachers Council. Gil was ordained as a Soto Zen priest at the San Francisco Zen Center in 1982, and in 1995 received Dharma Transmission from Mel Weitsman, the abbot of the Berkeley Zen Center. He currently serves on the SF Zen Center Elders’ Council. In 2011 he founded IMC’s Insight Retreat Center. Gil has an undergraduate degree in agriculture from U.C. Davis where he was active in promoting the field of sustainable farming. In 1998 he received a PhD in Religious Studies from Stanford University studying the earliest developments of the bodhisattva ideal. He is the author of The Issue at Hand, essays on mindfulness practice; A Monastery Within; a book on the five hindrances called Unhindered; and the translator of The Dhammapada, published by Shambhala Publications. You may listen to Gil’s talks on Audio Dharma.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Ram Dev joins the Ram Dass Fellowship to provide tools for spiritual healing to all listeners during this time of uncertainty.Today’s podcast is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/beherenow and get on your way to being your best self.Hosted by Jackie Dobrinska, Ram Dev discusses:The anxiety that arose during the pandemicNavigating uncertainty in life and deathReframing uncertainty as a positive and exciting phenomenaFinding inspiration in uncertainty for deepening our practiceHaving compassion for our anxiety and our fear when it does ariseCaregiving as spiritual practice & avoiding burnoutFear vs. faith and transmuting grief into compassionSeeing everyone as the guru, the mother, or GodHow to have a conscious dying processOpening our hearts and being with things the way they areThis conversation was recorded as part of the Ram Dass Fellowship’s regular online gatherings. To learn more about the Ram Dass Fellowship and sign up to join a fellowship gathering near you, visit RamDass.org/Fellowship.About RamDev:RamDev Dale Borglum is the founder and Executive Director of The Living/Dying Project. He is a pioneer in the conscious dying movement and has worked directly with thousands of people with life-threatening illness and their families for over 30 years. In 1981, Dale founded the first residential facility for people who wished to die consciously in the United States, The Dying Center. He has taught and lectured extensively on the topics of spiritual support for those with life-threatening illness, on caregiving as a spiritual practice, and on healing at the edge, the edge of illness, of death, of loss, of crisis. Check out RamDev’s podcast, Healing at the Edge, on the Be Here Now Network.Learn more about The Living/Dying Project at livingdying.orgRamDev’s March Healing at the Edge workshops: https://livingdying.org/2025workshop/About Jackie Dobrinska:Jackie Dobrinska is the Director of Education, Community & Inclusion for Ram Dass’ Love, Serve, Remember Foundation and the current host of Ram Dass’ Here & Now podcast. She is also a teacher, coach, and spiritual director with the privilege of marrying two decades of mystical studies with 15 years of expertise in holistic wellness. As an interspiritual minister, Jackie was ordained in Creation Spirituality in 2016 and has also studied extensively in several other lineages – the plant-medicine-based Pachakuti Mesa Tradition, Sri Vidya Tantra, Western European Shamanism, Christian Mysticism, the Wise Woman Tradition, and others. Today, in addition to building courses and community for LSRF, she leads workshops and coaches individuals to discover, nourish and live from their most authentic selves. Learn more about Jackie’s work at asimplevibrantlife.com. “Is it possible to use uncertainty, not as something that’s a problem or something we are getting tight in relationship to, but it’s bringing juice to our life, it’s bringing excitement in a certain way.” – RamDevSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Renowned Buddhist teacher Gil Fronsdal outlines how a connection to the body is the gateway into the present moment.Today’s podcast is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/beherenow and get on your way to being your best self.This time on the BHNN Guest Podcast, Gil Fronsdal dives into:Reminding ourselves to be in the present momentFinding the dharma in the here and nowOur lived spaces of awakeningNot being in conflict with realityStaying aware and being able to trust ourselvesRelishing in our own uniqueness and allowing it to flowerThe importance of the body in Buddhist practiceWatching the rhythms in our bodyThe body as a royal road to the unconsciousThis episode is also brought to you by Dharma Moon. Join Buddhist teachers David Nichtern and Professor Robert Thurman for a free online event on Tuesday, March 4th at 6pm ET. Together, they'll explore the power of lineage, tradition, and the evolution of mindfulness practices. They’ll also discuss Dharma Moon’s renowned mindfulness meditation teacher training program. Visit dharmamoon.com/lineage for more info and to reserve your spot for the free online event with David Nichtern and Professor Robert Thurman!About Gil Fronsdal:Gil Fronsdal is the co-teacher for the Insight Meditation Center in Redwood City, California; he has been teaching since 1990. He has practiced Zen and Vipassana in the U.S. and Asia since 1975. He was a Theravada monk in Burma in 1985, and in 1989 began training with Jack Kornfield to be a Vipassana teacher. Gil teaches at Spirit Rock Meditation Center where he is part of its Teachers Council. Gil was ordained as a Soto Zen priest at the San Francisco Zen Center in 1982, and in 1995 received Dharma Transmission from Mel Weitsman, the abbot of the Berkeley Zen Center. He currently serves on the SF Zen Center Elders’ Council. In 2011 he founded IMC’s Insight Retreat Center. Gil has an undergraduate degree in agriculture from U.C. Davis where he was active in promoting the field of sustainable farming. In 1998 he received a PhD in Religious Studies from Stanford University studying the earliest developments of the bodhisattva ideal. He is the author of The Issue at Hand, essays on mindfulness practice; A Monastery Within; a book on the five hindrances called Unhindered; and the translator of The Dhammapada, published by Shambhala Publications. You may listen to Gil’s talks on Audio Dharma.This recording was originally published on Dharmaseed“The body is really like a meditation hall. So much unfolds. So much emphasis in Buddhism is made for practicing within the body, becoming embodied, where we feel like we are inhabiting our body rather than just pulling it around.” – Gil FronsdalSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Beginning with the Buddha’s teaching of Anapanasati, Trudy Goodman explores the breath as our most reliable and loving life-long companion.Today’s podcast is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/beherenow and get on your way to being your best self.This week on the BHNN Guest Podcast, renowned Buddhist teacher Trudy Goodman explores:The breath as our life-long, trusted companionThe Buddhist teaching of breath-awareness (Anapanasati)Developing heartful awareness along with the breathComing back to the ‘teddy bear’ of our breathStaying with the breath while being aware of other things in our mindsA guided breath practice and deepening our sense of focusBreath practice as a method of relaxationThe tender caress of the breath in the bodyAbout Trudy Goodman:Trudy is a Vipassana teacher in the Theravada lineage and the Founding Teacher of InsightLA. For 25 years, in Cambridge, MA, Trudy practiced mindfulness-based psychotherapy with children, teenagers, couples and individuals. Trudy conducts retreats and workshops worldwide.Learn more about Trudy’s offerings at trudygoodman.comThis talk was originally published on DharmaseedThe breath is our life-long companion, it’s our partner. It’s the partner that never deserts us, never goes away, never betrays us. It’s always with us, as long as we’re alive, in each moment of our existence. It’s such a trustworthy companion all the time.” – Trudy GoodmanSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Exploring Bhakti, Buddhism, and lessons from wise teachers, Krishna Das and Robert Thurman come together for a wide-ranging discussion.This recording is from the 2020 Cultivating Wise Hope Virtual Retreat. Find more heart-focused teachings like this, along with practices and digital courses from Ram Dass and friends with Ram Dass’ Inner Academy: Learn MoreToday’s podcast is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/beherenow and get on your way to being your best self.In this episode, Krishna Das and Robert Thurman discuss:The miracles of Maharaj-jiHow all people are wholly embraced by divine loveBhakti as devotional heart-to-heart mergingAn exploration of dreams and being happy to let goBeing brave enough to have a heart and experience wonderA breakdown of the three parts of ‘Om’Sovereignty and the tremendous power we all haveRecognizing that Nirvana is everywhereLessons from Jesus and ChristianityLooking to Kali and being fierce but always with loveAbout Krishna Das:Layering traditional Hindu kirtan with instantly accessible melodies and modern instrumentation, Grammy nominee Krishna Das has been called yoga’s “rock star.” With a remarkably soulful voice that touches the deepest chord in even the most casual listener, Krishna Das – known to friends, family, and fans as simply KD – has taken the call-and-response chanting out of yoga centers and into concert halls, becoming a worldwide icon and the best-selling chant artist of all time. His album ‘Live Ananda’ (released January 2012) was nominated for a Grammy in the Best New Age album category.KD spent the late ’60s traveling across the country as a student of Ram Dass, and in August 1970, he finally made the journey to India, which led him to Ram Dass’ own beloved guru, Neem Karoli Baba, known to most as Maharaj-ji. Krishna Das now travels the world sharing his kirtan practice and wonderful stories of his life, of Maharaji-ji, of his life on the Path and discusses bringing chanting into our lives through retreats and workshops. To date, KD has released 15 well-received albums, most recently Trust in the Heart released in October 2017.MORE INFORMATION and OFFERINGS VISIT: https://krishnadas.com/ KRISHNA DAS ON SOCIAL: FACEBOOK: facebook.com/KrishnaDasMusic INSTAGRAM: instagram.com/krishnadasmusic YOUTUBE: / krishnadasmusic X: @krishnadas #KrishnaDasAbout Robert Thurman:Robert Thurman is the Jey Tsong Khapa Professor of Indo-Tibetan Buddhist Studies in the Department of Religion at Columbia University and President of the Tibet House U.S., and is the President of the American Institute of Buddhist Studies. His new book, Wisdom Is Bliss: Four Friendly Fun Facts That Can Change Your Life, is now available.“To be fully alive in union, in heart-merger with love, it has to be beyond heartbreak. Yet, beyond heartbreak is not without coming back and being brave enough to have a heart and expressing. It has to be still wonder. You still have to be living in wonder.” – Robert ThurmanSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Visionary artist, Martina Hoffmann, describes her encounters with spirit through dreams, nature, psychedelics and more.Today’s podcast is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/beherenow and get on your way to being your best self.In this episode, Martina Hoffman offers a talk on:Encountering spirit through dreaming, nature, and moreThe interweaving of creativity and spiritAttempting to express the ineffableEntering into meditation through artMartina’s expansive spiritual evolutionLucid dreaming and transitioning from dream to awakeningOut of body experiences and feeling everything deeplyMartina’s experience with psychedelics and receiving graceThe many ways that one can heal (physically, spiritually, emotionally)Letting go and embracing new beginningsHow challenging moments prepare us for the final journeyAbout Martina Hoffmann:German-born, Martina Hoffmann partially grew up in Cameroon, West Africa. She studied art education with and sculpting at the Johann Wolfgang Goethe University in Frankfurt/Main, Germany. During this time she also met the Fantastic Realist, Robert Venosa, and greatly inspired by his work, began her work as a painter. During their 30 year relationship they closely worked together, taught workshops worldwide and shared studios, both in the US as well as in Europe. Today Martina Hoffmann works as a painter and sculptress and remains a central figure in contemporary Visionary Art. Her paintings offer the viewer a detailed glimpse into her inner landscapes – imagery that has been inspired by expanded states of consciousness. Her Visionary Realism is decidedly feminine and places the ‘Universal Woman’ in an intimate cosmos. She transcribes her ecstatic experiences but also her subtle reflections on the nature of women in a realistic style which marries the fantastic to the sacred. Check out Martina’s work on her website.“My eyes opened, this beautiful blue sphere appeared in front of me and was suspended by electric energy. I made a painting of it. It had a message that said don’t be afraid. They explained to me how I had to go through this process to help me become the person I was supposed to be.” – Martina HoffmannAbout The Host, Jackie Dobrinska:Jackie Dobrinska is the Director of Education, Community & Inclusion for Ram Dass’ Love, Serve, Remember Foundation and the current host of Ram Dass’ Here & Now podcast. She is also a teacher, coach, and spiritual director with the privilege of marrying two decades of mystical studies with 15 years of expertise in holistic wellness. As an inter-spiritual minister, Jackie was ordained in Creation Spirituality in 2016 and has also studied extensively in several other lineages – the plant-medicine-based Pachakuti Mesa Tradition, Sri Vidya Tantra, Western European Shamanism, Christian Mysticism, the Wise Woman Tradition, and others. Today, in addition to building courses and community for LSRF, she leads workshops and coaches individuals to discover, nourish and live from their most authentic selves. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Guiding us along the path, Gil Fronsdal shows how to develop spirituality into enduring inner strengths rather than solitary experiences.Today’s podcast is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/beherenow and get on your way to being your best self.In this episode, Gil Fronsdal teaches listeners about:Developing personal, inner strengthsThe tendency of meditators to over-value spiritual experiencesWisdom as one of our inner strengthsThe clarity of awakening and seeing the functions of our heart and mindHow something arises and how something ceasesWhat it means to be awake in the here and nowRecognizing all of the times we are in the past or the futureShedding, letting go, and simplifying our experienceFinding the path in the present momentRemaining composed and settling our entire beingHow the Buddhist path does not have a destinationAbout Gil Fronsdal:Gil Fronsdal is the co-teacher for the Insight Meditation Center in Redwood City, California; he has been teaching since 1990. He has practiced Zen and Vipassana in the U.S. and Asia since 1975. He was a Theravada monk in Burma in 1985, and in 1989 began training with Jack Kornfield to be a Vipassana teacher. Gil teaches at Spirit Rock Meditation Center where he is part of its Teachers Council. Gil was ordained as a Soto Zen priest at the San Francisco Zen Center in 1982, and in 1995 received Dharma Transmission from Mel Weitsman, the abbot of the Berkeley Zen Center. He currently serves on the SF Zen Center Elders’ Council. In 2011 he founded IMC’s Insight Retreat Center. Gil has an undergraduate degree in agriculture from U.C. Davis where he was active in promoting the field of sustainable farming. In 1998 he received a PhD in Religious Studies from Stanford University studying the earliest developments of the bodhisattva ideal. He is the author of The Issue at Hand, essays on mindfulness practice; A Monastery Within; a book on the five hindrances called Unhindered; and the translator of The Dhammapada, published by Shambhala Publications. You may listen to Gil’s talks on Audio Dharma.This recording was originally published on Dharmaseed“The right attitude, the right intention, is to begin finding that way of being that simplifies our experience. One of the right intentions is the intention of letting go, of renunciation. You can’t take a lot of baggage with you, even good baggage, if you want to walk the path.” – Gil FronsdalSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Exploring how to untangle the threads of intense desire, teacher Trudy Goodman offers direction on meeting the Dharma.Today’s podcast is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/beherenow and get on your way to being your best self.This time on the BHNN Guest Podcast, Buddhist teacher Trudy Goodman discusses:Being incarnated into this desire-bodyDiversity within desire and being tuned into different frequenciesThe pressure to conform to expectationsDifficulty in knowing our deepest desires and embodying themBeing determined to do what we wantComing home to the true self which is underneath everythingHeartbreak and obstacles to connection as a place of learningDeveloping our ability to be with intense sensation and maintaining awarenessLeaning into the call of the dharmaThis recording from the Big Bear Retreat Center was originally published on DharmaseedAbout Trudy Goodman:Trudy is a Vipassana teacher in the Theravada lineage and the Founding Teacher of InsightLA. For 25 years, in Cambridge, MA, Trudy practiced mindfulness-based psychotherapy with children, teenagers, couples and individuals. Trudy conducts retreats and workshops worldwide.Learn more about Trudy’s offerings at trudygoodman.com“This place of heartbreak, of the obstacles to love, connection, longing, relationship, this place is really the place that we learn how to hold this world of desire with a peaceful heart.” – Trudy GoodmanSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Lama Tsultrim Allione shares the practice of feeding our demons in order to dissolve that which prevents us from being free.In this episode from the 2023 Summer Mountain Retreat, Lama Tsultrim Allione shares:How she first discovered Buddhism and meditationThe beauty within silence and quiet attention to our surroundingsLama Tsultrim’s first trip to India and studying the mystic eastHer connection with Ram Dass and Maharaji’s early devoteesThe practice of feeding our demons (the parts of ourselves that drain us)Dissolving that which prevents us from being freeFighting our demons versus feeding our demonsThe demons of the fear of abandonment, depression, anxiety, and addictionParts of ourselves that are trying to get attentionThe difference between the wants and needs of our demonsA guided practice for listenersAbout Lama Tsultrim Allione:Lama Tsultrim Allione is the bestselling author of Women of Wisdom (1984), Feeding Your Demons (2008), and Wisdom Rising Journey into the Mandala of the Empowered Feminine (2018). Lama Tsultrim is the founder of Tara Mandala, a 700-acre retreat center with a three-story temple and library dedicated to the divine feminine in the Buddhist tradition near Pagosa Springs, in southwest Colorado. She leads a vibrant international community with over forty groups around the world. Learn more about Lama Tsultrim Allione’s work at Tara Mandala“I know that demons means a lot of different things in this country, in different cultural contexts. What I mean by it is the different parts of ourselves that drain us, that cause us to be not free. In fact, the word mara, which is the word for demon in Sanskrit, means that which blocks freedom.” – Lama Tsultrim AllioneSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Discover the mystical connection between music and spirituality as experts explore how songs can bridge to the ethereal. They discuss the powerful roles intention and creativity play in psychedelic experiences. Hear about the transformative effects of music on emotional healing and altered states of consciousness. Personal stories reveal how familiar soundscapes can deepen connections within. It's a heartfelt conversation about the importance of community and supported exploration on the journey to self-awareness.