Hi there,
This week, amidst an ever-widening divide in our social and cultural consciousness, I'd like to share some resources from Ram Dass that seek to encourage heart-based social responsibility and allyship, so that we can navigate this moment with more self-awareness and support for our fellow humans.
Below is a link to a timely article from Ram Dass on Polarization, Awareness and Social Responsibility, as well as a conversation with Ram Dass and his dear friend and social advocate, Roshi Joan Halifax, on rethinking our approach to social action and developing practices that allow us to approach conflict with love and equanimity.
On a lighter note, you'll also find an invitation to join us in community for our first Ram Dass Movie Night next Friday, and as a reminder, this is the last weekend to stream the Compassion and Practice in Action virtual retreat for free (however, it will still be available as a digital download in perpetuity).
You can find the links and information for all of these offerings just below.
I will be in touch next week with more resources.
May you be safe and well,
Rachael
LSRF / Development Director |
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Weekly Resources from RamDass.org |
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 | [New Article] Ram Dass on Polarization, Awareness and Social Responsibility
I recently met with a police chief who had been going around to colleges getting college students to become policemen for New York City. I complimented him on what he’s doing, on trying to create another kind of psychic space in the police department, and so on.
At the same time, I said, “The program will be as successful as you are conscious because as long as you are stuck in a polarity you’re just going to enroll more people into that polarity. If you aren’t stuck in the polarity, you may be able to free people by the model that new policemen will adopt about what it is that they think they’re doing every day when they go out and be policemen...”
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 | [Podcast] Roshi Joan Halifax on Rethinking Social Action with Ram Dass
Can someone be a serious social activist as well as a committed meditation practitioner? Ram Dass and Roshi Joan Halifax discuss the intersection of politics and mindfulness practice. They explore the state of equanimity from which a person can enter a realm of conflict without creating more conflict in the process...
“I think a lot of times people think it is kind of an either/or thing, but I see it from the point of view where the individual has cultivated love and tenderness towards the world and does not polarize. Where the mind and heart are trained and open. Where they can move into contexts of conflict and not create more conflict.” – Roshi Joan Halifax
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 | [Live Event] Join us for a virtual movie night featuring the iconic ‘Thinking Allowed’ interview with Ram Dass and Dr. Jeffrey Mishlove, with a special LIVE Q&A intermission with Dr. Mishlove and Raghu Markus.
When: Friday, June 5th at 4:30 pm PDT / 7:30 pm EDT
In this interview from the Thinking Allowed series, Ram Dass probes deeply into the nature of helping relationships. He suggests that when we see deeply into each human being, no matter how desperate the situation, we are able to honor and learn from them. If we view ourselves as the “helper,” we become trapped in the prison of our own self-image — and this interferes with genuine compassion.
Ram Dass’s own path has led him to look for God in every person and situation. Following this path, his life of service has included working with refugees, with the blind, and with the dying. In this moving, two-part program, he examines the delicate state of awareness in which one acts compassionately for social change while also accepting the world exactly as it is.
(Beginning on Friday, June 5th at 4:30 pm PT / 7:30 pm ET) |
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 | [Last Call] to stream our virtual retreat: "Compassion and Practice in Action: Building the Groundwork for a Life of Service, Freedom, and Love"
Led by an incredible lineup of wisdom luminaries, meditation teachers, and sacred musicians, combined with archival teachings from Ram Dass, you’ll begin to find a deeper balance and resonance between your thinking mind and your heart.
From meditation and mantra practice to Kirtan (chant practice) and Pranayama (breathwork), you’ll have the opportunity to try new methods for re-centering your heart in fragmented moments.
As a reminder, we offered all 8-hours of the audio and video teachings on these topics for free over the last month, available until June 1st, which is this Monday.
If you’d like to watch the retreat after Monday, you can purchase a digital download on our webstore in audio or video format - so you can take the teachings with you offline.
Through Monday, June 1st |
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