On this episode of Here and Now, Ram Dass explores how our spiritual practice affects our sense of change and how we respond to an impermanent reality.
Show Notes
A Sense of Change (Opening) – We take a close look at the concept of change. Ram Dass explores how our perspective determines how we experience change.
“If somebody in a small village in China dies, would you notice? If the Earth disappeared completely, would you notice? You might, but would those other five billion planets notice? Would it jar the cosmic play? Maybe the change we are feeling is pretty trivial, are we going to build a big case about it?”
Hear what Ram Dass has to say about making friends with change on this episode of Here and Now.
An Altered Perspective (24:30) – Ram Dass looks at what happens to our perspective on change when we alter our consciousness.
“So you should view this fleeting world — A star at dawn, a bubble in a stream, A flash of lightning in a summer cloud, A flickering lamp, a phantom, and a dream.” – The Prajñāpāramitā
Mystery of the Moment (32:40) We never know how the mysteries of life are unfolding. Ram Dass looks at the ways in which our pain and suffering force the greatest change in our lives.
“Death is the one situation that reminds you that change is possible.”
The Universe is Change (40:00) – Ram Dass talks about how spiritual practice and consciousness exploration ground us amidst change.
“In his basic tenants, the Buddha says that everything is changing; all phenomena are changing all the time. Isn’t it interesting how our minds attempt to hold it, to stop change? It is as if we see change as an enemy because it frightens us. We just feel we are barely in control and change is going to come and take it all away.”
Awakening to Change (48:50) – Information is a major factor in change. Ram Dass looks the ways in which the rapid exchange of information is changing the world in unprecedented ways. He examines the potential for trauma to awaken us to change.
“How much trauma is enough to bring about real change?”
