Professor and Investigator Dr. Quevedo is hosted by Jackie Dobrinska for a philosophical talk on interrelation and psychedelic therapies.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, Dr. Sylvestre Quevedo and Jackie Dobrinska explore:The qualities of love within the heartHow the chemical components of MDMA aid in social bonding and heart-openingTouching into transcendent realms and the divineThe importance of our worldviewsNavigating difficult experiences when using plant medicineTurning to sacred texts to glean understandingRam Dass’ perspectives on psychedelicsHow the Bhagavad Gita can help usThe Indigenous 7 generation teachingThe efficacy of MDMA in PTSD treatmentAwareness and appreciation for natureThe importance of community and being in connectionThe uses of psychedelics beyond the medical modelThis conversation was recorded as part of the Ram Dass Explorer’s club. To learn more and sign up to join a Ram Dass fellowship gathering near you, visit RamDass.org/Fellowship.About Dr. Sylvestre Quevedo:Sylvestre Quevedo is currently Associate Professor of Medicine at UCSF and a Principal Investigator in an FDA trial of MDMA-assisted therapy for PTSD with the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies and UCSF. He earned his medical degree at the Harvard Medical School and a Master of Public Health degree at Harvard School of Public Health. After postdoctoral training in family and community medicine at the University of Arizona, he spent four years developing community health center programs in underserved communities in Colorado, Washington and California. He returned to postdoctoral education with studies in law and public policy at the Stanford Law School, followed by internal medicine at Stanford and a fellowship in nephrology and medicine at Stanford University Medical Center, where he was a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Clinical Scholar.Learn more about Dr. Quevedo HERE.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 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. “The defining characteristic of a medicine carrier is his/her relationship with the medicine. These are not just chemicals or herbs, these are sentient beings that you’re in communication with.” – Dr. Sylvestre QuevedoSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In a stimulating talk on reincarnation, ego-death, and other dimensions, renowned Sufi teacher Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee bridges this world and the next.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, teacher Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee returns to explore:The unknowable essence of deathLessons and instructions from the UpanishadsDying to the ego before we die to this physical worldThe transcendent dimension of our own beingHaving choice in the afterlife if one transcends their ego in their lifeHow relationships with spiritual teachers can last lifetime after lifetimeReincarnation and unfinished spiritual lessonsJourneying through other dimensionsDeath as a friend and destinationHow easy it is to be caught in the distortions of the worldLearning the lessons of our individual soulsBeing surrounded by an all-embracing lightAbout Llewellyn:Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee, Ph.D. is a Sufi teacher in the Naqshbandiyya-Mujaddidiyya Sufi Order. He is the author of Sufism, the Transformation of the Heart, and the founder of The Golden Sufi Center. Check out his new podcast Working With Oneness.“The further one travels along the spiritual path, the more life and death are intertwined. The mystery for me has always been how life covers over so much of our true nature, whichdeath reveals.” – Llewellyn Vaughan-LeeSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Describing writing as an act of faith, author Anne Lamott offers a workshop on connecting to our inner longing for creativity.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, Anne Lamott joins the BHNN Guest podcast to teach: Following our creative lives and childhood callingsMeeting our creativity half-wayHow all of us start at the beginningMaking time for writing in our livesFiguring out what it is we want to write and making a listOwning everything that was done to us and everything we have seenAccepting that our first drafts will not be wonderfulWhy we should not worship perfectionismFinding a writing partner or local writing groupTaking everything sentence by sentencePaying attention to ourselves and all that dwells within usTo read the poem Anne recites, Monet Refuses the Operation, click HERE.About Anne Lamott:Anne Lamott is the New York Times best-selling author of many books, including collections of essays, novels, and long-form non-fiction, including the classic writing manual Bird by Bird and child-rearing memoir Operating Instructions. In addition to being a novelist and nonfiction writer, Lamott is also a progressive political activist, public speaker, and writing teacher. Keep up with Anne on Instagram.“Isn’t that amazing what is inside you that wants you to midwife it? It needs a doula. It needs you. It has no pens. It has no paper. It needs you to birth it. So here is what you do, you stop not writing.” – Anne LamottSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Live from Spirit Rock Meditation Center, Trudy Goodman offers insight on skillfully working with the breath by infusing mindfulness with lovingkindness.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:Keeping the breath company with our attention from start to finishThe breath as a rudder to navigate our inner experienceStaying attuned and connected to the movement of the breathFinding safety and relaxation in our breathAlternative practices for those with asthma or other breathing concernsStudying the birth and death of experienceHow the Buddha practiced mindfulness of breath during his great awakeningFeeling the breath within the breathReturning to the breath when our attention straysThis recording 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“We’re really looking at and studying the birth and death of experience, how a breath arises, moves, and passes away.” – Trudy GoodmanSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This week, Buddhist Teacher Gil Fronsdal explores our quality of well-being and how we can cultivate ease, happiness, and contentment on the path to inner liberation.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 talk on cultivating well-being through Buddhist practice, Gil touches on:Happiness as something we do not pursue, but cultivate by creating and recognizing conditions for itThe “three breath journey” meditation practice, which helps to shift perception and be presentDeveloping clarity and ease through mindfulness practiceTransforming challenging emotions and experiences by befriending them non-judgmentallyPhysical presence and awareness in the body as a part of cultivating well-beingExperimenting with different mindfulness techniques to find what brings you joy and ease“We create the conditions for happiness, and we learn to recognize the conditions that bring it forth. But we try not to be the cause of happiness, but we are cultivating happiness and well-being.” – Gil FronsdalSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Describing the man-made wall between humans and divinity, Llewellyn reminds us of our own divine nature and how to access the light.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, returning guest teacher Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee discusses:“The Wall” between ourselves and the DivineThe spiritual merging of the lover with the belovedSeparation as a consequence of human consciousnessLlewellyn’s book, Darkening of the LightThe slow process of spiritual life and lifting the veilThe wall that has been built between humans and divineHow Christianity eradicated pagan beliefs and strengthened the wall between worldsCommunism and capitalism as the twin demons of the worldAccessing the light through our higher spiritual centersGoing beyond the world rather than dismantling itRe-learning how to be sincere, responsible, and openOur shared evolution and a better, possible futureAbout Llewellyn:Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee, Ph.D. is a Sufi teacher in the Naqshbandiyya-Mujaddidiyya Sufi Order. He is the author of Sufism, the Transformation of the Heart, and the founder of The Golden Sufi Center. Check out his new podcast Working With Oneness.“The Sufis describe how we need a separation between the worlds, 70 veils of light and darkness or the glories of his face would burn away everything. As I know from my own experience, the light of the divine is too dazzling to perceive it directly. Its energy is too strong. This is one of the reasons why spiritual life is a slow process, a gradual lifting of the veils as one develops spiritual strength, becomes more and more able to bear the light.” – Llewellyn Vaughan-LeeSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Reflecting on the inevitable truth of suffering, JoAnna Hardy explains what we do have jurisdiction over: our action, speech and 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.This time on the BHNN Guest Podcast, JoAnna Hardy explains:Recognizing the first noble truth of suffering all around usBreaking down what we cannot control in lifeHow resistance toward the inevitable causes sufferingReflecting on our ability to control our internal world (priorities, attitudes, etc.)How our speech and actions are in our jurisdictionCultivating a wise, steady, and skillful heart and mindThe mind as our sixth senseThe way we latch on to the stories we tell ourselvesHow one mind-state can feed into anotherRetraining the phenomena of our habitsThe relief we can feel when we let go of what we cannot controlAbout JoAnna Hardy: JoAnna Hardy is an insight meditation (Vipassanā) practitioner and teacher; she is on faculty at the University of Southern California, a meditation trainer at Apple Fitness+, a founding member of the Meditation Coalition, a teacher’s council member at Spirit Rock Meditation Center, a visiting retreat teacher at Insight Meditation Society, and a collaborator on many online meditation Apps and programs. Her greatest passion is to teach meditation in communities that are dedicated to seeing the truth of how racism, gender inequality and oppression go hand in hand with the compassionate action teachings in Buddhism and related perspectives to social and racial justice. This recording was originally published on Dharmaseed.org“When we sit here and deeply pay attention to this process of the mind, it’s so fascinating. What is under my control, what can I control? Pay attention every time you have a mind moment to what you do with it and to it, and how you hold it, and what you decide your next mind moment is going to be.” – JoAnna HardySee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Ram Dass taught that every moment is the perfect teacher. How is this possible when things are groundless – i.e. uncertain and constantly changing? How is this possible when we find ourselves anxious, angry, too tender, or even working with big traumas?In this episode, psychotherapist Ralph De La Rosa sits down with Jackie Dobrinska, Ram Dass Fellowship Director, to discuss these questions. Together they look at how we can combine the inner technologies of East and West in a way that allows us to heal and thrive and even find joy in the most challenging of times – by uncovering the boundless qualities of the heart. This 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.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.About Ralph De La RosaRalph De La Rosa (he/they) is a teacher of human spirituality, internationally published author, and trauma-focused psychotherapist. is the author of two internationally published books. He is a psychotherapist in private practice and seasoned meditation teacher known for his radically open and humorous teaching style. He is personally mentored by Richard Schwartz, founder and developer of Internal Family Systems.Learn more about Internal Family Systems therapy: IFS InstituteRalph began practicing meditation in 1996 when he first stumbled upon Ram Dass’s “Cookbook for a Sacred Life” in the back pages of Be Here Now. He was a student of Amma’s for 16 years, has studied Buddhism since 2005, and began teaching meditation in 2008.Learn more about Ralph and check out his latest book, Don’t Tell Me to Relax: Ralphdelarosa.comAbout 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."If we were to escape, if we were to find that way, to just make the switch and go to the joyful end of the spectrum and never, ever, ever or walk on the shady side of the street ever again, we would be missing the biggest opportunity." - Ralph De La RosaSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Trudy Goodman, a respected Buddhist teacher and the Founding Teacher of InsightLA, shares her wisdom on the Eightfold Path. She discusses the foundational pillars of Sila, Samadhi, and Prajna, emphasizing their importance in achieving awakened living. Trudy highlights how wise intention and mindfulness can transform our experiences and foster blamelessness. With heartwarming anecdotes, she illustrates mindfulness as the timeless love that connects us to ourselves and others, guiding us toward acceptance and joy in each present moment.

Gil Fronsdal discusses having confidence in what the Buddha represents within ourselves and being a refuge for all beings.This episode 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 explains:How the Buddha defined confidence and fateInstructions from the Buddha on making oneself a refugeBeing a refuge and support for all beingsPersonal worth and finding yourself in communityThe benefit of having confidence in ourselves and in our practiceThe imperfections that stain the mindHaving confidence in that which the Buddha represents within ourselvesReflecting on the times when our minds are not caughtHow the dharma is visible here and now, not there and thenThe balance between responsibility and allowing natural unfoldingAbout 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 2014 talk was originally published by Dharmaseed.“The reference point for having confidence or faith or trust in the Buddha is not in the great power and wisdom of the Buddha, but rather something that we can know for ourselves, that we realize is reflected in the Buddha.” – Gil FronsdalSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.