r/ramdass

hey
wanted to share some thoughts and experience I got recently.

I was kinda taught, that while meditating on mantra you gotta repeat it constantly, over and over. That works! No argue with that.

But what about timelessness of here and now? When repeating smth over and over you still get dragged into somewhat time measurement, like metronome ticking.

In that precise moment I managed to (I have no better explanation, than what’s coming, sry) “stick mantra in front of my inner sight”. Inner sight — for me is literal conscious eye-intention, mind focus and pretty much my whole Being. So this way, mantra quits being ticker, but becomes something more like state, which you observe. For inner awareness there is no actual need for repetition, there is no breath, no time, you can’t forget, but you may get distracted. Once realised distraction — draw your attention back to mantra-state(ment), thus “repeating” it, but still just observing.

Feels like eternal Ram.

ps: i just felt the urge to share. Which I did. Namaste?

Hello Folks!

This morning in meditation, I had an experience I can trace back to Ram Dass’s teachings. 

Before I go on, I want to make clear this was an experience, and I’m not pretending to be hip to any secret knowledge. After I got up from my cushion, I still had to do the dishes and answer emails. I’m no saint or realized person by even a half. I just thought this was something special and worth sharing with the rest of this satsang to compare notes

It started with a sense of my awareness shifting to Awareness. It was paradoxical, both focused and broad. The way the sun breaks over a clear horizon – a brilliant single point of light and rays of light that act as film over the horizon, illuminating its expanse. This was Awareness – able to rest on a particular point and able to light up the whole plane of being. 

This landscape turned into an ocean with waves cresting and breaking peacefully. The “I” that was perceiving this felt itself rise then disperse into the sea with neither pain nor fear. Again, there was Awareness of all this, but no locus of that awareness. 

Then friends and family rose out of this sea. I saw my wife, my parents, my in-laws, my daughters, and friends come together like waves, then return to the source of the sea without fear or suffering. 

It’s hard to put into words, but whatever was perceiving this knew they weren’t going anywhere because they’d never left. Like this Awareness, they’d always already been here. 

I’ve been sitting with this all morning. It’s been beautiful. 

Ram Ram,

RC

It’s so frustrating to be deep into one of his talks and it cut off. Any explanation why it is edited like that?

I try to just apply teachings personally unless someone really wants to be introduced but every so often I'm asked simply "what is he". To me personally I don't want to say spiritual guide as I'm not really in it for the spiritual parts and I consider it more like therapy, I know he was a therapist but I've never had any of that sort of interaction, it just is similarly helpful to listen to and apply whats in the tapes as it is to go to therapists.

I usally just fall back on "to the western eye he would be a guru, but he's not" then they look at me confused.

Idk if that makes any sense, just wanted to ask.

EDIT, I guess thats perfect, ram dass is ram dass, who he is is ram dass.

I like Ram Dass’s teaching on respecting elders and cultivating more connection and respect between the generations, but I also find myself struggling to find wisdom from the elders in my family. They vote for politicians who fear monger against the most vulnerable members of our society and allow corporations to destroy our environment. They also often refuse to recognize how hard it is for people in our generation to make a living compared to theirs. This fills me with resentment. I know they are my karma but I have trouble respecting them and recognizing them as the age group that is supposed to hold the wisdom of our society. Does anybody have advice on thinking about this in a more constructive way?

If I had an Indian friend, I would go to India and visit Kainchi, Vrindavan, and all of Maharajji’s other temples.
But what can I do… there’s no one to accompany me on this trip.

I truly feel in a state of constant anger, I have separated myself from everybody and I have no desire to interact with the world or others. I have hatred even towards my own children and their actions. Everything makes me angry.

I think what amplifies it is that I have lived this same life as Nicholas Bailey for hundreds of lifetimes now.... And now I can see all the variations of myself that have lived each moment and the choices that they made. It's like I'm some kind of computer program even my thoughts and actions are all the same since the last time I was in this moment. I thought that was supposed to be liberating. I remember the space in between life and death , the void in the moments of self-reflection that I have spent within its experience. I feel like I'm trapped in an infinite cyclical cycle that I cannot change even my dreams are the same. Each day is like living in a state of constant deja Vu and that doesn't even really describe it.

What is wrong with me... And I say that knowing that there is no me ... Why does everything reoccur the same way why am I trapped this way..

My 5yo just said "mommy maybe a in a long time next next time maybe we can be sisters".

Kids say the darndest things and idk if she understands reincarnation but that's basically what she alluded to, I thought it was cute and just wanted to share.

Thanks for listening

There’s a specific podcast episode where Ramada’s shares a metaphor that’s something like “a tree must be fenced in from the cattle until it grows tall and strong enough to provide them shade” listened to it about 3 years ago and it absolutely blew my mind and haven’t been able to stop thinking about that metaphor since. Does anyone happen to remember the episode?
He doesn’t seem to share the story in any other episodes from what I’m aware of