“My guru told me ‘Be like Gandhi,’” Ram Dass told me once during an interview. “Gandhi said, ‘My life is my message.’” The words came haltingly, short phrases followed by long pauses. The former Dr. Richard Alpert, the once eloquent spiritual seeker and psychedelic rebel, sat in a wheelchair, hunting for words, often coming upContinue reading “A Day With Ram Dass”
Tag Archives: Presence
The Beauty of Being All There
One day in downtown Manhattan, I walked behind a man who laughed, block after block. There would be little lulls when the laughter would glide into happy sighs but then a fresh gale of laughter would kick in, sometimes coupled with jogging and even skipping. At first, this public display of wild happiness delighted theContinue reading “The Beauty of Being All There”
On Being Lost
“In the middle of the journey of our life I found myself in a dark wood where the straight way was lost.” I for one know how this feels. Once in the vast Yosemite National Forest in the Sierra Nevada Mountains in California, I lost my way. And I was not alone but supposedly takingContinue reading “On Being Lost”
Letting it Be and Being Kind
When I find myself in times of trouble, Mother Mary comes to me. Speaking words of wisdom, let it be. And in my hour of darkness she is standing right in front of me. Speaking words of wisdom, let it be. Paul McCartney wrote this famous song about his own mother Mary, who died whenContinue reading “Letting it Be and Being Kind”
Easter 2019
A group of us are going to sit down and meditate together this coming Easter Sunday. It feels like an especially auspicious time to be still together, awaiting a miracle. This week will also include Passover, celebrating liberation from bondage. Both of these great stories offer a dramatic resolution to the strange tension that hauntsContinue reading “Easter 2019”
Share the Light
The Buddha had no plans to teach after he became enlightened. Isn’t that interesting? He planned to abide peacefully and at ease. Undoubtedly he beyond pleasant when someone happened to cross paths with him. But he had no plans to try to convey the great shift that had taken place inside him. And who couldContinue reading “Share the Light”
Tracy Cochran 