Mindrolling with Raghu Markus

What is a guru? What is a teacher?  Raghu and David offer gentle though and definitions of an “accomplished being” a “siddha” and of a teacher, some of whom are great and some actually harmful...they speak about the saga of Joya Santanya, her Shakti, and her ego... See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

More spectacular experiences with sacred musicians: Bob Marley, Krishna Das, Jai Uttal and Bhagavan Das. Both frightening and enlightening times with world, trance and the beginnings of chant and kirtan music is explored. David and Raghu discuss the practice of opening the heart by chanting, where no thinking is necessary.  See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This podcast with our dear friend Shyam Das which was scheduled for broadcast today January 22, 2013 tragically coincided with his passing in a motorcycle accident in India three days ago. There are simply no adequate words to describe this loss to all of us. Master chanter, brilliant Krishna scholar, Shyamdas was globally revered, but much more importantly, he was loved for his delightful and friendly ways, his sparkling humorand his seamless, astonishing devotion to the ancient tradition of the ways of love for the Hindu facsimile of the Manifest Divine, Krishna and Radha. Synchronistically, this podcast features a conversation we did with him just before he left for India for the last, fateful time. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

David and Raghu talk about David's interview with Frank Zappa, and 60’s music from Detroit soul to California drug music. Raghu has an embarrassing Led Zeppelin experience. R & D discuss high beings coming into their lives...India...“dolphins in the Ganges”...Raghu’s father’s transformation...meeting Muktananda...Burmese Insight Meditation practice – Goldstein, Salzberg, Kornfield...Buddhism and Bhakti in the West...Ram Dass and Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche.  See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

American Lama Surya Das talks with us about his sixties influences such as folk music, John Lennon, and his early questioning of the meaning of life. He carefully compares these times for the current youth generation to our own, where crises often happen along with optimistic youth outreach.  He tells us more about the Dzogchen Buddhist Mindrolling tradition. He remembers being with Neem Karoli Baba and how he absorbed the Buddhist wisdom.  Surya Das gets into the path to authentic life balance and letting be.  He discusses his “WOW” suggestion – Wishing Others Well and the loving kindness practice.  He mentions how H.H. The Dalai Lama encouraged him to practice “compassionate action.” See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This podcast explores the positive and negative aspects of media, including social media. Raghu recalls playing Ram Dass tapes on the radio back in the day and meeting Maharaji. David compares 1960’s media to 1980’s cable explosion to the 2012 vastly expanded current global Internet. The potential abuse of social media is weighed along with its progressive and humanitarian communication quantum leaps. Spirituality via media is analyzed. Does instant information actually make us happier, more relaxed, and more truly connected? See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Our friend Danny Goldberg is a music industry legend, former Chairman of Warner Brothers Records and President of Atlantic Records, Danny discovered and managed Kurt Cobain and Nirvana and was the head of Led Zeppelin’s record company, "Swansong" amongst other things. The conversation revolves around Danny’s experience in combining great worldly success and a spiritual path. We get into the sixties and the origins of expanded consciousness via Ram Dass and the teacher Hilda Charlton. Remembering Martin Luther King’s words “Although we live in the colony of time, we owe our allegiance to the empire of eternity.” See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

How do we achieve balance in our life in a practical way? Dave and Raghu talk about the Tibetan leader of the Mindrolling lineage, Jetsun Khandro Rinpoche and her wise words...loving the present...combatting stressors...talking about everyone wanting happiness...practicality and practice...transcending the “monkey mind”...adventures with Chogyam Trungpa. And “how to be in this world?” See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Raghu and David chat with Duncan Trussell, Los Angeles based conscious stand up comedian and podcaster about humor, awareness and the parallels between the late sixties and the Millennial generation, comparing boomer and echo-boomer predicaments and solutions. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Music can actually transform our consciousness, thereby changing our life, song by song, chant by chant. We discuss the sixties and the momentum created during that time. David tells us about his extensive work with Bob Marley. We hear a couple of tracks from the unique Triloka world music label and examine trance as experienced through being open to and listening to music of all kinds from John Coltrane to Ali Akbar Khan. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.