Raghu Markus returns to Here and Now to present this bonus excerpt from a talk titled “Behind the Clinging,” which features Ram Dass discussing how to deal with neuroses, fear, and family.
“Is there a way of extricating the awareness? Not by trying to be happy where you were sad, which is feeding the whole reality of that polarity, but just pulling the awareness back. So I would say if you came to me and said, ‘I’m feeling this deep, deep feeling of unworthiness and loneliness and sadness and I’ve always felt it. What should I do?’ I would say, ‘Go back and sit down and follow your breath.’” – Ram Dass
In this portion of his talk about going “Behind the Clinging,” Ram Dass explores:
- Dealing with depression and sadness, and making friends with all of your neuroses instead of trying to get rid of them
- Coming to the edge of fear and embracing it in a soft way without pushing against it
- Dealing with family members who really know how to push your buttons and using those experiences as a way to grow
“And you begin to see how exquisitely the ego is articulated in such subtle ways, it’s such a beautiful painting, it is an incredible painting. The question is can you find a frame that allows you to see that it’s a painting because you see an edge of the sky at the corner? Go for the sky, don’t try to change the painting. Be a stylistic, happy, neurotic mess. Like me.” – Ram Dass
