Ram Dass is back with another session of Talk Radio From the Heart to sing us the Heart Song, plus answer questions about abortion, attachment to a group identity, and the struggle of death.
The Heart Song (9:00)
Ram Dass begins with a caller who requests he sings the Heart Song, which has helped the caller deal with his father’s passing. Next up, Ram Dass counsels a young man who’s dealing with heavy feelings of guilt after his partner had an abortion. He advises the caller to honor the legacy of this being by increasing compassion in the way he leads his life.
“Listen, listen, listen, to my heart song. Listen, listen, listen to my heart song. I will never forget you, I will never forsake you. I will never forget you, I will never forsake you. Listen, listen, listen to my heart song.” – Ram Dass
Heart-to-Heart Resuscitation (18:00)
Ram Dass takes a call from a woman who wants to discover a legacy to leave behind before her time runs out; he talks about how her powerful faith is already her legacy. The next caller asks Ram Dass about dealing with conflict over different views of right and wrong. Ram Dass explores attachment to a group identity and moving beyond the world of “us” and “them.”
“So if you keep your heart open with love towards all people, even though you might say to somebody, ‘That’s wrong and I’m going to stop you from doing it,’ do it without closing your heart. At least you are offering to all human beings at all times a heart-to-heart resuscitation; you’re offering something of your own being. You’re being with other people in love. And that to me is a gift that you then bring that is the best you can do to heal the situation.” – Ram Dass
Suffering and Compassion (28:50)
Ram Dass talks with a woman whose mother just passed away and who is dealing with the suffering and struggle of death that she witnessed. But the suffering and struggle around death can actually lead to grace. Ram Dass answers one last call from a man who’s dealing with anxiety around dying before his children grow up. All we can do is live each moment as fully as possible, without it being colored by the fear of the future.
“My heart wants to take away the suffering of people around me, and yet, my deeper wisdom understands when I look at my own life, my suffering has been part of the grace that has helped me develop the compassion that I have.” – Ram Dass
