Quotations from One of the World’s Foremost Spiritual Teachers Words of Wisdom, by Ram Dass, Mandala Publishing INTRODUCTION So when we are confronted with such a sight like that, even a total stranger who has no connection with us, we are able to feel it. But otherwise, it's more difficult to extend to someone that you don't know. And that's why, in the Buddhist tradition, as you expand the circle of concern through your compassion meditation, one of the main emphasis is really placed on, in the Stanford program we call it "Cultivating Appreciation of Common Humanity" - so the idea that just like me, this person doesn't want to suffer, just like me, this person wishes to be happy.

The spiritual journey in India features an array of famous names. It is clear that there were a group of like minded searchers converging on India. These people then radiated the teachings out across the world. Ram Dass’ mantra giftWhen my guru wanted to put me down, he called me clever. When he was praising me, he would call me simple. The intellect is a beautiful servant, but a terrible master. Intellect is the power tool of our separateness. The intuitive, compassionate heart is the doorway to our unity. Being wise is when you get out of the time-space locus that says, I am the one who knows. When you merge with everything around you, you become wisdom. When you become wise, you don’t know you know. You give that up. When you are wise, whatever response comes out of you is the optimum response. And at the same time, nothing is happening inside you at all. For close to ten years now, I’ve been in a near-constant state of immersion in Ram Dass’s deep archive of teachings. I’ve been collecting the shiniest gems within hundreds of lectures and many hours of audio and video recordings from the last five decades—his core essential teachings—and putting them online as Words of Wisdom.

As a yoga teacher this is also a useful book. Ram Dass has a wonderful way of relating yoga practices and techniques to the challenges of daily life. He also draws from a vast array of sources from across different traditions. The stroke left him paralysed on his right side and affected his ability to talk. His speech became more broken and paused. He would ask people to ‘surf the silences’ with him. Interestingly as a listener you feel that you absorb his words more and have time to ponder and digest. Ram Dass’ legacy Words of Wisdom is a distillation of hundreds of lectures and many hours of audio and video recordings from the last five decades—his core essential teachings.

Ram Dass Inspirational Quotes

Inspirations are everywhere and they are here to lift our spirit in times of darkness and tribulation.

Richard Alpert ultimately reached the pinnacle of this career, despite crippling exam nerves, becoming a professor at Harvard. He was an embodiment of the American Dream. Richard had achieved professional respect, wealth, a sports car, a motorbike, a home full of valuable antiques and his own aeroplane. The kind of position he achieved is demonstrated in the story he tells of wanting to go to Mexico and buying a plane to travel there. The book is full of beautiful insightful quotes. I wanted to share in this ‘Being Ram Dass book’ review the mantra that he gives the reader. When we’re dancing, we’re not aiming to arrive at a particular place on the floor as we would be if we were taking a journey. When we dance, the journey itself is the point. When we play music, the playing itself is the point. Exactly the same thing is true in meditation. Meditation is the discovery that the point of life is always arrived at in the immediate moment.” – Alan Watts Faith (1:09:20 ) In India, there’s a way of seeing life as a cosmic play. It’s called Lila. I can watch my life, and I can see my guru playing with me.”

Let’s trade in all our judging for appreciating. Let’s lay down our righteousness and just be together.” An important aspect of his later life was his openness around his sexuality. He started to talk about this and embrace this aspect of his life. It is comforting to the reader to note that he had a 19 year loving relationship with his partner Peter. I am glad that Ram Dass lived to see the world’s attitude around LGBTQ+ rights take some big steps forward. He details that he struggled with this so much but thankfully made peace with it and this was a real release for him. Final Words from Ram Dass Wu Wei is not a matter of cultivated passivity, even of cultivated spontaneity. You have to be able to realize that you don’t know what you really want to do, until you are very quiet and it tells you. So, to quote Jesus, ‘Unless you become again as a child, you cannot enter the Kingdom of Heaven.’” – Alan Watts Embracing Our Humanity (52:13) Ram Dass was / is a famous spiritual teacher. He left his body on 22nd December 2019 on the Island of Maui, Hawaii. During his lifetime he undertook extensive lecture tours, ran retreats and authored over a dozen books. ‘Be Here Now’, his first book, sold over 2 million copies. It is through this book that I started to dig deeper into the teachings of Ram Dass. He is also known for popularising interest in psychedelic drugs in the 1960’s alongside his colleague and friend Timothy Leary. I hang out with my guru in my heart. And I love every thing in the universe. That’s all I do all day.”