Connecting to the timelessness of the present moment, Gil Fronsdal offers practical steps towards the only source of true happiness: contentment.

Uncovering the deep connection between Buddhism and Martial Arts, Damiano Seiryū Finizio joins Vincent Moore to explore what it truly means to face our most powerful opponent: the mind. This conversation was originally recorded on Paths of Practice Podcast. Listen to more episodes HERE. Today’s podcast is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/beherenow and get on your way to being your best self. This time on the BHNN Guest Podcast, Damiano and Vincent discuss:What initially brought Damiano to Buddhism after growing up in Italy, a predominantly Catholic countryHow Buddhism can be harmonious with martial arts Working on self-development and mutual growth rather than sparring Maintaining perfect mental presence during times of physical discomfort Following the Buddhist precepts and adopting a vegan diet for the principal of no-harmMountains as natural energy centersDamiano’s global work and exposure to unique cultures in Vietnam, Cambodia, The Canary Islands, and moreBringing the message of peace, awareness, and compassion into the westDamiano’s advice for beginners walking the Buddhist pathAbout Damiano Seiryū Finizio: Damiano Finizio was born in Italy in 1992. He began practicing traditional Japanese martial arts in 2012, where he met the Buddhist monk Seiun, who transformed his curiosity for Eastern disciplines and philosophies into dedicated practice. In 2014, he officially took refuge in the Dharma at Tenryuzanji Temple, receiving the name Seiryu, symbolizing his deep bond with his teacher and the temple. Since 2020, he has been living and working in Spain as a hostel owner, while also working seasonally in Italy and Croatia as a trip leader during the warmer months. Despite his commitments, he remains an active member of the Tenryuzanji community and continues to participate in its activities whenever possible.For more information about Tenryuzanji Temple, please click HERE. To keep up with Damiano, visit his Instagram. “The advice is don’t do it yourself. It’s very likely to happen that you’re trying to tame your mind, but if you don’t know how to do it, most likely your mind will tame you and make you feel like you’re moving forward, but you’re just looking for comfort. This is why a teacher is important.“ –Damiano Seiryū Finizio About Vincent Moore: Vincent Moore is a creative and creative consultant living in San Francisco, California, with over a decade of experience in the entertainment industry and holds a graduate degree in Buddhist Studies. For years, he performed regularly at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre, an improv and sketch comedy theatre based in New York and Los Angeles. As an actor, Vincent performed on Comedy Central, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, The Late Show with Seth Meyers, Above Average, and The UCB Show on Seeso. As a writer, he developed for television as well as stage, including work with the Blue Man Group, and his own written projects have been featured on websites such as Funny or Die. Additionally, he received a Masters of Buddhist Studies from the Institute of Buddhist Studies with a Certificate in Soto Zen Studies and engages in a personal Buddhist practice within the Soto Zen tradition. Vincent is also the creator and host of the podcast, Paths of Practice, which features interviews with Buddhists from all over the world. Learn more on Vincent’s website HERE. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Founder of Fireside Project, Joshua White, reflects on becoming a ‘loving rock’ and how Ram Dass’s teachings sparked his creation of a psychedelic peer support line. Today’s podcast is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/beherenow and get on your way to being your best self. This time on the BHNN Guest Podcast, Joshua White outlines:How Joshua grew up feeling alienated from his Jewish rootsThe realization that we truly can just be observers of our own thoughtsThe inner knowing that there is more to this world Service as the highest form of psychedelic integrationBeing a ‘loving-rock’ for people in a psychedelic experienceBecoming an environment in which someone can come up for airConnecting with our sense of ‘enoughness’ rather than brokennessActive listening and simply showing up for another person as a loving witnessWelcoming all emotions and not referring to any as ‘wrong’About Joshua White: Joshua (he/him) is Fireside Project’s founder, the world's first psychedelic peer support line. He is a lawyer, peer support advocate, and psychedelic researcher who believes in the power of peer support and the role of support lines as foundational components of an equitable mental-health ecosystem. Prior to founding Fireside Project, Joshua volunteered for many years as a counselor on Safe & Sound’s TALK Line and a psychedelic peer support provider for the Zendo Project. Before devoting his life to the psychedelic field, Joshua spent more than a decade as a Deputy City Attorney at the San Francisco City Attorney’s Office, where he focused on suing businesses exploiting vulnerable communities, serving as general counsel to City departments, and co-teaching a nationally renowned clinic at Yale Law School. He also clerked on the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals and practiced civil litigation at Conrad | Metlitzky | Kane. “Ram Dass’s experience encountering Maharaj-ji and having these magical experiences with him and all of the impact LSD and other psychedelics had on him, really showed me that these substances could be responsible tools for profound inner work.” –Joshua White About The Host, Jackie Dobrinska: Jackie Dobrinska is the Director of Education, Community & Inclusion for Ram Dass’ Love, Serve, Remember Foundation and the current host of Ram Dass’ Here & Now podcast. She is also a teacher, coach, and spiritual director with the privilege of marrying two decades of mystical studies with 15 years of expertise in holistic wellness. As an inter-spiritual minister, Jackie was ordained in Creation Spirituality in 2016 and has also studied extensively in several other lineages – the plant-medicine-based Pachakuti Mesa Tradition, Sri Vidya Tantra, Western European Shamanism, Christian Mysticism, the Wise Woman Tradition, and others. Today, in addition to building courses and community for LSRF, she leads workshops and coaches individuals to discover, nourish and live from their most authentic selves. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Buddhist teacher David Nichtern explains that making friends with the mind and internal world is the first step to relating better with the people around us.

Vipassana teacher Trudy Goodman explores how trusting in the dharma and in ourselves leads to a more peaceful, present life.

Exploring the Soto Zen path, Rev. Chimyo Atkinson and Vincent Moore reflect on inclusivity, feminine wisdom, and the beauty of simplicity. This episode is from the series Paths of Practice. Click here to subscribe on YouTube, Spotify, or Apple Podcasts!  Today’s podcast is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/beherenow and get on your way to being your best self. In this episode, Rev. Chimyo and Vincent Moore chat about:Building a Zen Buddhist community in the Southern United States Rev Chimyo’s profound experience volunteering at a prison as a Zen priest How Rev Chimyo was first introduced to meditation and BuddhismThe beautiful serenity within taking pause, being still, and doing a Zen practiceFinding reality in the present moment and realizing that everything else is made up in our mindsWalking the Soto Zen path and finding depth within simple practicesGreat Tree Zen Women’s Temple and holding space specifically for women in the Buddhist worldPaying attention to what feminine energy can bring to Buddhist practice and templesInclusive spiritual practice and focusing on the shared elements of life The calm and connection that can be discovered through Zen labor Loving others and loving the dharma, wishing peace for all people Doing all daily tasks with the dharma in our hearts and mindsAbout Rev. Chimyo Atkinson: Rev. Chimyo Atkinson is a Soto Zen priest that serves the Great Tree Zen Women’s Temple in Alexander, NC, as well as sanghas and centers throughout the United States and internationally. Rev. Chimyo was ordained by Rev. Teijo Munnich in 2007 and received Dharma Transmission in 2015. She received monastic training at Great Tree Temple and completed two Sotoshu International training periods (angos) in Japan in 2010 and 2011, two additional angos at Aichi Senmon Nisodo in Nagoya in 2012 and one ango at Ryumonji Monastery in Iowa in 2014. Chimyo served as Head of Practice at Great Tree Zen Women’s Temple and volunteered with the sangha at Avery-Mitchell Correctional Institute until 2020. For more information, please visit: https://chimyoatkinson.org/ About Vincent Moore: Vincent Moore is a media specialist and creative consultant at Good for Nothing Ideas based in San Francisco, California. Vincent has over a decade of experience in the entertainment industry as a producer, performer, and writer in stage, film, and television and wrote a children's book titled, You're a Rubber Duck. He also has a master's degree in Buddhist Studies from the Institute of Buddhist Studies with a Certificate in Soto Zen Studies. Vincent is also the creator and host of the podcast, Paths of Practice, which features interviews with Buddhists from all over the world. For more information about his work, please visit: www.goodfornothingideas.com “Just stop, and give not just the breath but the whole being to that stillness, that stop. Be in reality for a minute, for 40 minutes, if you can handle it, 60 minutes. Be in that stop. Experience it. Know there’s reality. Everything else you’re making it up as you go along.” –Rev. Chimyo Atkinson See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Buddhist teacher Gil Fronsdal explores the concept of the deathless and examines ways to experience life without clinging to impermanent things. Today’s podcast is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/beherenow and get on your way to being your best self. In this episode of the BHNN Guest Podcast, Gil discusses:What the Buddha said about attaining the deathlessSeeking after things that are eternal rather than prone to aging and impermanence Three forms of clinging/craving that lead us to suffering: beliefs, becoming, and sensual pleasureConsidering if there is a ‘you’ beyond thoughtLetting go of our attachments to conceptsHow a fixation on ‘becoming somebody’ prevents us from being Avoidance of the reality of suffering due to personal discomfort  Developing mindfulness over time and having compassion for ourselves when we notice graspingThe timeless present and the end of separationAttentiveness as the path to the deathless The American notion of freedom versus the Eastern notion of liberationThe ultimate goal of Buddhism: to be open-handed, to have a mind without graspingAbout Gil Fronsdal: Gil Fronsdal is the co-teacher for the Insight Meditation Center in Redwood City, California; he has been teaching since 1990. He has practiced Zen and Vipassana in the U.S. and Asia since 1975. He was a Theravada monk in Burma in 1985, and in 1989 began training with Jack Kornfield to be a Vipassana teacher. Gil teaches at Spirit Rock Meditation Center where he is part of its Teachers Council. Gil was ordained as a Soto Zen priest at the San Francisco Zen Center in 1982, and in 1995 received Dharma Transmission from Mel Weitsman, the abbot of the Berkeley Zen Center. He currently serves on the SF Zen Center Elders’ Council. In 2011 he founded IMC’s Insight Retreat Center. He is the author of The Issue at Hand, essays on mindfulness practice; A Monastery Within; a book on the five hindrances called Unhindered; and the translator of The Dhammapada, published by Shambhala Publications. You may listen to Gil’s talks on Audio Dharma. This recording was originally published on Dharmaseed.org “The deathless is a synonym for Nirvana, for enlightenment, the great peace, the great happiness, for that which is unconditioned, the unborn, the ultimate security, the ultimate safety.” – Gil Fronsdal  See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Highlighting the fact that we can define our own reality, Amy Buetens & Julie Weinstein pull from the wisdom of Ram Dass to discuss navigating turbulent times. Today’s podcast is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/beherenow and get on your way to being your best self. In this episode, hosted by Jackie Dobrinska, Amy Buetens & Julie Weinstein discuss:Utilizing beginner's mind as a tool for approaching the chaos of our worldKeeping our hearts open in hell and holding multiple truths at once.Embracing change and uncertainty rather than seeing it as a threatIncreasing our equanimity in order to support ourselves and others Being in the presence of suffering without creating more sufferingLooking at what is as a heartfelt service to ourselves and humanityMeditation as an opportunity to explore our identity Teen mental health struggles and overwhelm from the weight of the worldCompassionate action and working towards the end of sufferingRam Dass’s recurring examples of self-love and self-acceptanceLeaving room for all of life’s unknown possibilities, the full spectrum of joy and sufferingGrab a copy of You are the Universe, an impactful graphic novel arranged and illustrated by Amy & Julie. This vibrant hand-drawn book chronicles the unconventional journey and self-discovery of Ram Dass.  About Amy Buetens: Amy Buetens is an artist, illustrator, and art educator. She is a certified integrative thanatologist and death educator. Her work includes performing final rites of passage, and she serves as a leader in her Jewish burial society. She has been a dedicated student of Ram Dass for over 20 years, and is a co-leader for the Love Serve Remember Foundation’s International Women’s Satsang and leads her local Ram Dass Fellowship. "At the same time as there is this negative news, let's also keep in mind this is an incredible time of blessings. We can hold multiple truths at once. This is a time of great joy, there are advances in science and technology, public and global health. There are so many things we could count our blessings for, and I think Ram Dass would encourage us all to spend time to think about balancing both with a neutral perspective, seeing it just the way it is.” – Amy Buetens About Julie Weinstein: Julie Weinstein’s professional career is devoted to advancing environmental and social justice. She also serves as both a Jewish and Buddhist chaplain in the jails, within the justice movement and for people experiencing loss, grief and trauma. She is a death educator, burial society leader, and artist, and is pursuing ordination as a rabbi. She’s been practicing Ram Dass’s teachings for over two decades, and co-leads community initiatives for the Love Serve Remember Foundation. “Watching Ram Dass as this wise sage in complete bliss, saying over and over again, ‘I am loving awareness’. To know that it is possible to go from such self-loathing or self-hatred to complete bliss and believing that he is pure loving awareness, and also wanting that for us too. It gives a lot of us hope when we’re struggling with our own identity, sexuality, shortcomings.” - Julie Weinstein About The Host, Jackie Dobrinska: Jackie Dobrinska is the Director of Education, Community & Inclusion for Ram Dass’ Love, Serve, Remember Foundation and the current host of Ram Dass’ Here & Now podcast. She is also a teacher, coach, and spiritual director with the privilege of marrying two decades of mystical studies with 15 years of expertise in holistic wellness. As an inter-spiritual minister, Jackie was ordained in Creation Spirituality in 2016 and has also studied extensively in several other lineages – the plant-medicine-based Pachakuti Mesa Tradition, Sri Vidya Tantra, Western European Shamanism, Christian Mysticism, the Wise Woman Tradition, and others. Today, in addition to building courses and community for LSRF, she leads workshops and coaches individuals to discover, nourish and live from their most authentic selves. “You and I are the force for the transformation in the world. We are the consciousness that will define the nature of the reality we are moving into. Shifting our consciousness has the power to change our inner and outer universe. That’s why you work on yourself. That’s what help you offer. You work on yourself through everything in your life.”– Ram Dass See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

East Forest recounts his powerful experience meeting and recording with Ram Dass, and offers a live set of transcendent music seamlessly interwoven with Ram Dass’s timeless teachings. Check out more music from this spiritual collaboration: East Forest x Ram Dass Today’s podcast is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/beherenow and get on your way to being your best self. In this episode, hear East Forest perform and learn more about:East Forest’s profound and intimate collaboration with Ram Dass How the peace of nature can be a spiritual tool for us The integral role of psilocybin and psychedelics in Ram Dass’s awakening and teachingsThe synergistic relationship between the audience and the performer during live musicRelating to the wilderness within our own hearts through musicThe technology of our breath and how it calms us down into the present momentThe human connection to nature and nature as a manifestation of GodLoving all beings and all elements of the world around usLetting go of everything within ourselves that we do not needThis episode was recorded at the 2022 Summer Mountain Retreat. Join us for the Open Your Heart in Paradise retreat this December in Maui!  About East Forest: East Forest is a multidisciplinary artist, producer, and ceremony guide. Since 2008, East Forest’s “lush” (Rolling Stone) and “blissful” (NPR) music has blended ambient, neoclassical, electronic, and avant-pop to explore sound as a tool for inner journeys and consciousness expansion. Known for being the first musician to collaborate with Ram Dass, his latest endeavor is the feature-length film Music for Mushrooms, a narrative documentary showcasing the transformative power of psychedelics, music, and community. "I'm not up here generating something and presenting something for you to passively receive. It’s more that your attention into this space, the Bhakti space, the love space, the emptiness, it feeds the emptiness itself for me to hopefully channel that back out. It’s like surfing: we go in, we go out. In that, we can have a real experience together that can be whatever it needs to be right now.” –East Forest See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Familiarizing listeners with the five Buddhist hindrances, Trudy Goodman suggests a compassionate return to mindfulness of the senses. Today’s podcast is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/beherenow and get on your way to being your best self. In this episode, Trudy Goodman outlines:The 5 Buddhist hindrances: desire, aversion, sloth and torpor, restlessness/worry, and doubtRemembering that being affected by the hindrances is not a mistake or our fault, but instead is an opportunity to practice mindfulnessHow craving pulls us out of the present moment and how our senses can ground us back into awarenessReflecting on the feeling of wanting something, and whether our desires truly align with our core valuesThe four kinds of suffering, most of which we have all experiencedUnderstanding that aversion is not inherently ‘bad’ and how it can be a kindness to turn away from something that causes us painShifting our attention away from hostility and turning towards curiosity about our emotionsPracticing walking meditation as a remedy to sloth and torpor Getting to the root of our restlessness and discovering what we are trying to change about the present moment How, beneath the paralysis of doubt and inner cynicism, there is often a lack of inner confidence Living our lives fully, not wasting a moment, and being completely present as often as we can “We each have our favorites of the hindrances, but again, these are not mistakes, these are not your fault, they’re part of the practice. When the mind gets lost in them, the doorway back to being present is through coming to our senses. What we see here, taste, feel, in this particular moment of our life. We know this is actually the only real moment of our life.” – Trudy Goodman About Trudy Goodman: Trudy is a Vipassana teacher in the Theravada lineage and the Founding Teacher of InsightLA. For 25 years, in Cambridge, MA, Trudy practiced mindfulness-based psychotherapy with children, teenagers, couples and individuals. Trudy conducts retreats, engages in activism work, and teaches workshops worldwide and online. She is also the voice of Trudy the Love Barbarian in the Netflix series, The Midnight Gospel. You can learn more about Trudy’s flourishing array of wonderful offerings at TrudyGoodman.com Aversion is also here to protect us from things that are painful in this life, the problem is that aversion doesn’t understand what true protection is. True protection comes from understanding that we can meet our suffering, that we have strong enough mindfulness and strong enough ability to be present, that we can hold it, that we can meet it, that it isn't going to flood us, overwhelm us, and destroy us, which is often the fear.” – Trudy Goodman This recording was originally published on Dharmaseed.org See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Reminding listeners that they can be fully supported and guided by the Dharma, Gil Fronsdal discusses the Buddhist concept of taking refuge.

Framed by the Sufi wisdom of Rumi, a 13th century mystical poet, Omid Safi brings our awareness to the profound ways that we are interconnected with the divine.

Immersing listeners in hope and optimism, author Anne Lamott helps listeners cultivate resilience through stories of honesty and service. Today’s podcast is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/beherenow and get on your way to being your best self. In this episode, Anne Lamott holds a talk on:Service to others and selflessness as a clear path to hopeListening to the one-man band of our inner selves The Three A’s in the 12-step program: Awareness, Acceptance, ActionAllowing ourselves to feel the pain all around us, in the world, in our families, etc.Remembering that there is a solution to everything and that it is always spiritual Reframing death as a step to new life and regeneration Generosity as a natural human tendency that can be tapped into Talking to ourselves as if we are our most cherished friend Paying attention to the beauty in life and within ourselves Check out the book recommended by Anne, A Distant Mirror.  "Service is always a path to hope. When we can get out of ourselves and be there for others, it's what heaven will be like—what heaven on earth is like." – Anne Lamott About Anne Lamott:  Anne Lamott is the New York Times best-selling author of many books, including collections of essays, novels, and long-form non-fiction, including the classic writing manual Bird by Bird and child-rearing memoir Operating Instructions. In addition to being a novelist and nonfiction writer, Lamott is also a progressive political activist, public speaker, and writing teacher. Keep up with Anne on Instagram. This episode is also brought to you by Dharma Moon. Join Senior Buddhist Teacher David Nichtern for a provocative and playful online discussion exploring the profound practices of mindfulness and the journey of becoming a meditation teacher. Learn more and sign up for a free online talk about becoming a meditation teacher with David at dharmamoon.com/deepening. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Opening our hearts in practice, Trudy Goodman takes us through her Jellyroll meditation to encourage the expansion of metta from the self to others. Today’s podcast is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/beherenow and get on your way to being your best self. In this episode, Trudy Goodman illuminates:The heart’s natural capacity to love and heal—reclaiming our birthright to compassionBeginning metta (lovingkindness) practice with those we deeply love and who love us in returnFeeling into the warmth, care, and well-wishes from those we visualize in our meditationSoftening the mental walls that block us from receiving love and emotional supportPowerful metta phrases to offer ourselves and othersEmbracing radical self-love—accepting ourselves just as we areExpanding lovingkindness to those we feel neutral about, widening our circle of careExtending compassion and goodwill even toward those we struggle withUsing the power of imagination to radiate boundless love to all beings everywhereThis recording was made at Big Bear Retreat Center and was originally published on Dharmaseed.org. Nestled in the San Bernardino Mountains, Big Bear Retreat Center is a restorative space dedicated to healing and creativity, and has welcomed many Be Here Now Network teachers and guests over the years. Learn more about the upcoming October 5–12 retreat  with Spring Washam (host of BHNN’s Spirit Underground Podcast), Erin Selover, and Monica Magtoto: In Wisdom We Walk, In Liberation We Rise About Trudy Goodman: Trudy is a Vipassana teacher in the Theravada lineage and the Founding Teacher of InsightLA. For 25 years, in Cambridge, MA, Trudy practiced mindfulness-based psychotherapy with children, teenagers, couples and individuals. Trudy conducts retreats, engages in activism work, and teaches workshops worldwide and online. She is also the voice of Trudy the Love Barbarian in the Netflix series, The Midnight Gospel. You can learn more about Trudy’s flourishing array of wonderful offerings at TrudyGoodman.com “It's also a great practice to offer some loving kindness to the difficult parts of yourself. The parts you wish you could just have an 'ectomy' and get rid of them. A shame-ectomy or a blame-ectomy, whatever parts of yourself you find difficult to love, just hold them in some tenderness and care." – Trudy Goodman See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Gil Fronsdal reflects on Anicca, the Buddhist teaching often translated as impermanence, and offers a more precise lens for Western minds to understand its meaning. Today’s podcast is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/beherenow and get on your way to being your best self. In this episode, Gil offers wisdom on:How to create inner conditions that support the natural arising of wisdomUnderstanding inconstancy as a flow of coming and going, not a fixed state of changeA powerful fable: The Emperor of China’s quest for a painting that embodies peace and wisdomCalming the agitated, restless mind through meditation and mindful awarenessDiscovering true peace and safety within ourselves, rather than chasing it in the external worldThe value of noticing the flow of change and where our minds are caughtKnowing that it is not just the world that constantly changes, but also our perception of the worldFloating in the river of change rather than trying to swim against itSeeing Anicca through the lens of insight meditation About Gil Fronsdal: Gil Fronsdal is the co-teacher for the Insight Meditation Center in Redwood City, California; he has been teaching since 1990. He has practiced Zen and Vipassana in the U.S. and Asia since 1975. He was a Theravada monk in Burma in 1985, and in 1989 began training with Jack Kornfield to be a Vipassana teacher. Gil teaches at Spirit Rock Meditation Center where he is part of its Teachers Council. Gil was ordained as a Soto Zen priest at the San Francisco Zen Center in 1982, and in 1995 received Dharma Transmission from Mel Weitsman, the abbot of the Berkeley Zen Center. He currently serves on the SF Zen Center Elders’ Council. In 2011 he founded IMC’s Insight Retreat Center. He is the author of The Issue at Hand, essays on mindfulness practice; A Monastery Within; a book on the five hindrances called Unhindered; and the translator of The Dhammapada, published by Shambhala Publications. You may listen to Gil’s talks on Audio Dharma. This recording was originally published on Dharmaseed.org "The mind is like a waterfall, furious and violent. There's not much peace in it. In that state, there's not much wisdom, not much clarity. This is one of the functions of meditation: to help us quiet the mind, settle it, and show the mind that there is an alternative to being restless and agitated. Teach the mind that the safety that it's looking for is found within.” – Gil Fronsdal See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Synthesizing the divine love found in Sufism with the primal emptiness found in Zen practice, Llewellyn reveals how each path has impacted his spiritual life.  This episode is a companion to BHNN Guest Podcast Episode 213, Angels & Devas with Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee. If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to check it out! In this week’s episode, Llewellyn goes over:Understanding the essence of Ch’an (Zen) as a harmonious fusion of Taoism and BuddhismInterweaving the mystical threads of Sufism and Zen practiceHow both divine love and pure awareness dissolve the thinking mindAwakening to the inner light and Buddha nature within every beingBecoming veiled by the play of illusions that we call lifeLlewellyn’s return to love after a childhood without itThe mystery of divine love as a selfless force that seeks nothing in returnWisdom from Llewellyn’s Indian guru: “There is nothing but nothingness.”The vast, primal emptiness found at love’s distant shoreIntegrating pure consciousness into everyday life—not just on the meditation cushionMoving on from the drama of awakening into the calm silence of emptinessAbout Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee: Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee, Ph.D. is a Sufi teacher in the Naqshbandiyya-Mujaddidiyya Sufi Order. He is the author of Sufism, the Transformation of the Heart, and the founder of The Golden Sufi Center. Check out his new podcast Working With Oneness. "Love gradually became part of my life. Like an invisible scent, a perfume from a hidden garden, it began to permeate me, and in one of the greatest mysteries that can happen to a human being, my heart woke up—that spiritual organ of divine perception that is the direct connection with the source of love, what the Sufis call the beloved." – Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Deepak Chopra explores the inner universe and explains how turning inward connects us to God, higher consciousness, and the boundless intelligence of the cosmos.

Vipassana teacher Trudy Goodman shares how we can alleviate suffering by holding both universal and personal truths in our awareness. Today’s podcast is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/beherenow and get on your way to being your best self. In this episode, Trudy Goodman provides wisdom on:The interwovenness of the sacred spiritual world and the conventional world The liberation found in not clinging to the personal or the universalHow the ‘Big Mind’ of awareness can make our ‘small self’ vanishUsing the fine details of daily life as doorways into vast awarenessReclaiming the sacred in the mundane: renewing presence in everyday momentsSeeing ourselves in the world and the world in ourselves Accepting reality and finding the goodness in all situations Heart-opening stories of resilience and optimism amidst personal tragedyLessons from Qigong: discovering depth and mindfulness in every movementHaving room for personal heartbreak, but also knowing that everything is alrightAbout Trudy Goodman: Trudy is a Vipassana teacher in the Theravada lineage and the Founding Teacher of InsightLA. For 25 years, in Cambridge, MA, Trudy practiced mindfulness-based psychotherapy with children, teenagers, couples and individuals. Trudy conducts retreats, engages in activism work, and teaches workshops worldwide and online. She is also the voice of Trudy the Love Barbarian in the Netflix series, The Midnight Gospel. You can learn more about Trudy’s flourishing array of wonderful offerings at TrudyGoodman.com This episode was originally published on Dharmaseed “The personal, the particular expression of life in the form of you, of me, of every single sentient being, is a dharma door opening into the vastness.” – Trudy Goodman See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Mirabai Starr joins Amy Buetens, Jackie Dobrinska, and the LSRF virtual Satsang to explore how we can deepen our sacred connection with our ancestors and embrace the divine mystery of mortality. Today’s podcast is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/beherenow and get on your way to being your best self. This week, Jackie, Mirabai, and Amy explore:Taking a moment to share in gratitude after a brief breath meditationExpanding the heart in the wake of grief, death, and profound loss Being with the reality of a broken heart while remembering that death is a part of lifeDía de los Muertos and the Latin cultural approach to honoring deathHonoring the intimate connection we have with our loved ones who have diedSensing the connection we have to our ancestors and bringing the qualities/quirks of our deceased loved ones into our livesCreating home altars and ancestral shrines as a form of ongoing reverenceDedicating projects, practices, and creative pursuits to our ancestorsEach month, women are invited to a monthly virtual Satsang that uses a shared leadership model, featuring rotating facilitators, cooperative programming, active participation, and inclusive decision-making. This Women’s Satsang has been formed to help build allyship and agency among people who identify as women, whether cis, trans, or non-binary women, by providing a space to come together to foster greater connection, involvement, and representation around the teachings of Ram Dass and Neem Karoli Baba. Click HERE to join. About Mirabai Starr: Mirabai Starr is an award-winning author of creative non-fiction and contemporary translations of sacred literature. She taught Philosophy and World Religions at the University of New Mexico-Taos for 20 years and now teaches and speaks internationally on contemplative practice and inter-spiritual dialogue. A certified bereavement counselor, Mirabai helps mourners harness the transformational power of loss. Check out her many books and learn more at MirabaiStarr.com. About Amy Buetens: Amy Buetens is an artist, illustrator and art educator. She is a certified integrative thanatologist and death educator. Her work includes performing final rites of passage, and she serves as a leader in her Jewish burial society. She has been a dedicated student of Ram Dass for over 20 years, and is a co-leader for the Love Serve Remember Foundation’s International Women’s Satsang and leads her local Ram Dass Fellowship. Check out her co-created book, You are the Universe, HERE About The Host, Jackie Dobrinska: Jackie Dobrinska is the Director of Education, Community & Inclusion for Ram Dass’ Love, Serve, Remember Foundation and the current host of Ram Dass’ Here & Now podcast. She is also a teacher, coach, and spiritual director with the privilege of marrying two decades of mystical studies with 15 years of expertise in holistic wellness. As an inter-spiritual minister, Jackie was ordained in Creation Spirituality in 2016 and has also studied extensively in several other lineages – the plant-medicine-based Pachakuti Mesa Tradition, Sri Vidya Tantra, Western European Shamanism, Christian Mysticism, the Wise Woman Tradition, and others. Today, in addition to building courses and community for LSRF, she leads workshops and coaches individuals to discover, nourish and live from their most authentic selves. “By really forging these intimate bonds with our ancestors, we are also making friends with our own death and becoming more at ease with that vast, beautiful, invitational mystery to merge back into the beloved. The Sufi's call our death our wedding night with the beloved.” – Mirabai Starr See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this expansive overview of spirit beings and how they operate in our world, Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee explains his personal encounters with Angels, Devas, and more. Today’s podcast is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/beherenow and get on your way to being your best self. This week on the BHNN Guest Podcast, Llewellyn illuminates:Awakening to our divine nature through spiritual practice and accessing higher dimensions of consciousnessThe sacred worldview of our ancestors vs. the spiritual emptiness of modern cultureLessons from Lakota Medicine Man, Black Elk, on restoring awareness of the sacred nature of all thingsHow Angels and Devas have effected Llewellyn’s life and brought him messages about humanityThe disconnection from unseen realms and its impact on human consciousnessLlewellyn’s detailed description of different types of AngelsJinns, spirits made of fire in the islamic tradition which have free will to do good or evilDevas, aka, the spiritual intelligence within natureHow reconnecting with nature’s spirit can help heal ecological destructionEncounters with elemental tricksters and darker beings from other dimensionsHow violence and darkness obscure the radiant light of our true consciousnessThe sustaining power of light and love on both the soul and cellular levels of beingAbout Llewellyn: Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee, Ph.D. is a Sufi teacher in the Naqshbandiyya-Mujaddidiyya Sufi Order. He is the author of Sufism, the Transformation of the Heart, and the founder of The Golden Sufi Center. Check out his new podcast Working With Oneness. “I live surrounded by these other worlds, not fully understanding why our culture had to cut off all the inner worlds from our consciousness, why we have to live in such a bleak environment in which even our dreams are censored. And what does it mean to this present liminal time when we no longer have angels to guide us, nature spirits to help bring us back into balance with the natural world and its patterns of biodiversity? ” – Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.