Mindrolling with Raghu Markus

Raghu welcomes Mirabai Starr- famous for her Christian Mystic books and now her memoir- Caravan of No Despair. Raghu asked what in the world she asked for while still in the Bardos between lives - her first few decades in this incarnation being so full of intense suffering! As if she knew what she needed to transform her being but she really asked for the full monty and managed to come through with flying colors! At one point Mirabai talks about how she "fired" God- "...all the teachings I had once embraced I now dismissed as artifacts of magical thinking." Of course this led to our discussion of the dark night of the soul and St John of the Cross whose book she then translated. And in the midst of that work she had a realization. "Tragedy and trauma are not guarantees for a transformational spiritual experience, true, but they are opportunities." Mirabai also explains two key concepts- Radical Unknowingness and Sacred Unraveling. These two form the backbone of a spiritual path that is not pre-digested concepts but more visceral reality. For more from Mirabai Starr, visit her website or Facebook page. Mirabai's Book: Caravan of No Despair See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Raghu and his Guru pal Duncan Trussell, get together for an illuminating conversation with Trevor Hall at the most recent Ram Dass retreat on Maui. Trevor shares his amazing transformation through discovering the guru, Neem Karoli Baba, by meeting Raghu’s younger brother at the age of 17, and eventually winding up living in a Kali temple in Laguna Beach, CA. Duncan’s infectious curiosity anchors this podcast as Trevor describes the many layers of symbolism found in the image of the fierce goddess Kali. Most people don’t see the significance behind the many layers of this Goddess, usually getting distracted by the gore depicted and not seeing the undertones of motherly unconditional love represented. Trevor draws from his years living at the Kali temple to explain the iconography and the unconditional love behind the Divine Mother Goddess Kali. Duncan’s questions serve as a guide as Trevor elaborates on all facets of the portrayals of Kali: from the reason Kali is seen biting her tongue, to the implications of her holding the sword of discernment in one hand, and a severed head in the other. In the case of Kali’s bloody garland of 50 skulls, Trevor helps to break down the symbolism: “the 50 heads represent the 50 letters of the sanskrit alphabet, which includes all sound. All sounds come from the mother, everything we hear: good, bad, the sound of the ocean, this language, everything is filled with the mother’s presence. So what happens if we have that mindset, everything I hear is just ma, ma, ma…” Or as Duncan summarizes it: “So everything I hear is a severed head on the neck of Kali.” Raghu recounts his experiences with different embodiments of the Divine Mother: with reading the “Gospel of Ramakrishna”; a meeting with Sri Aurobindo’s spiritual partner, “Mother” in Pondicherry; and his interactions with his Indian mother, the saint, Siddhi Ma. Together, they continue to explore their own personal experiences with Divine Mother, their mothers, and the spectrum of both positive and negative attachments Western culture has with the word “Mother.” To wrap up, Trevor chants a prayer to the Divine Mother, or Ma.  See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Raghu is joined by his roommate from back in the day in India, Rameshwar Das Lytton or just plain Ramesh! Ramesh has been Ram Dass co-author on his two latest books- Be Love Now and Polishing The Mirror. Raghu quotes from Ram Dass about those who saw the physical Guru- “None of us knew Maharaji- we just knew our own projections” More fodder for the reality of not needing to meet the Guru in the flesh. Also on the table is; what is a Guru vs a Saint vs a Siddha or perfectly enlightened one. Raghu and Ramesh also delve into the reality of our overactive, busy minds and the effect on our lives. Referring from a NY Times article that corroborated scientifically that “the capacity for original thinking is markedly stymied by stray thoughts, obsessive ruminations and other forms of mental load” and “your internal exploration is too often diminished by an overly occupied mind”. So our only conclusion is Meditate Now! See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Raghu with his co-host, true blue soul mate wife, Saraswati Markus hang with Gil Fronsdal- newly named Baba Gil. Gil hails from the Insight Meditation family and was discovered by Saraswati during her long nite festivals of Dharama talks. When we talk about the difficulties people have with meditative practice Gil calls out to people to remember that it is a "failure free zone". We talk about the Be Here Now concept and Gil renames it "unconditional acceptance of the present moment". And of course the hosts inevitably have to ask about mindfulness and it's very worldly application in these times- Gil suggests that we use mindfulness to check out our thoughts and motivations and follow and be aware of where our focus wanders. Saraswati engages Baba Gil about the Buddhist No Self teaching which he comments on as " the self is like wind drag- when you eliminate that drag you can become free- no self".   Gil Fronsdal- The Issue At Hand- Essays on Mindfulness http://www.insightmeditationcenter.org   Amazon recommendations; Radiohead- A Moon Shaped Pool When Anger Hurts Matthew Mckay See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Raghu is joined by Duncan Trussell and Lama Surya Das at the Ram Dass Maui spring retreat  live podcast session. Unfortunately, just before the session Raghu cut someone off in the bathroom line and then was reprimanded by the aggrieved party. Of course there ensued guilt and recrimination which Duncan, in his wisdom, reassured Raghu that we all can't live up to impossible standards all the time- he then drifted into some comparison to the crucifixion.... Lama Surya Das on the other hand came to the table with exemplary explanations of the very difficult Buddhist concept of emptiness in his inimitable practical teaching style. In the end a sense of humor and a sense of our human predicament mashed in with a sense of the possibilities of a human incarnation. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Raghu chats with Danny Goldberg- a man well versed in culture and politics to discuss the intense polarization in this country in this election year. The discussion circles around an article by Arthur C Brooks entitled Bipartisanship isn’t for Wimps, After All. Even friends are polarized by loyalties to Hillary or Bernie not to mention between Democrats and Republicans. As Mr Brooks mentions in his article- “we don’t like each other very much” and bigotry reigns all the way to contempt. How do we deal with this in our lives and stop the individual tendencies towards this polarization in our society. The Dalai Lama suggests the anti-dotes. Of course looking to ourselves and our behavior and not to governments and institutions to make the necessary changes. The Dalai Lama goes further to suggest a cultivation of warm heartedness towards those with whom we disagree. Sound squishy? No it’s actually tough but practical advice. As Danny says though- I don’t think it’s a contradiction of warm heartedness to say to those you disagree with- I respect your pain, I can love your soul but there are some moral issues that you advocate that I cannot agree with and I will counter in every way that I can. And Danny tells of ride sharing with a Trump supporter that featured two warm hearts! See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Raghu is joined by Frank Osteseski, a Buddhist teacher andguiding light for people who are facing the death and dyingprocess.Raghu talks about his recent experience with the transition ofhis close friend Jyoti and it how it was like being at the veryprecipice of awakening when he sat with her as she was slippingthrough the Bardos.Frank describes being with someone who is dying as anopportunity to let go of our of all preconceived notions and to usethe transparency and rawness of that experience to bring ourselvesinto the moment.Frank encourages everyone not to wait to tell our near and dearthat we love them, and practicing for the eventual transition issomething to consider sooner than later. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Raghu introduces Lisa Wimberger, who got hit by lightening, blacked out and lost her pulse at 15 years old! Her traumatic event let Lisa to a new path, developing Neurosculpting - a fusion of brain science and mindfulness. As she says, even the most insidious mental beliefs can be re-written- and boy could we all use a little brain re-wiring! Lisa and Raghu talk about the flight-fright-freeze survival response and how it takes over our lives and how to protect ourselves from “contagious” emotions. Also Raghu delights in an article Lisa wrote on the New Age Scourge - she says, “ First stop saying Namaste and bless you when what you really mean is screw you.” This leads us to a conversation about clearing out toxic beliefs and behavior patterns. This podcast will change our tune with its mind-altering insights! See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Raghu and guest host Michael "Jadu" Daner chats with dream yoga teacher Michael Katz, co-author of an excellent book, "Dream Yoga and the Practice of Natural Light".   Jadu tells his earliest fearful dream experiences that turned into euphoric flying dreams - and how flying in dreams presages lucid dreaming. Michael talks about how the mastering of lucidity in the dream state eventually will help master our final transition through the bardos or states of consciousness we enter into when we die.In dream yoga the emphasis is on the possibility of some level of enlightenment experience at the time of final transition. Michael Katz introduces his teacher, Lama Namkai Norbu (co-author of Dream Yoga) who said once, "I never claimed to be enlightened but I am a really good dream yogi." He is said to be able to return to specific dreams every night! "Rather than seeing dreams as messages from the psyche the Dzogchen tradition (Liberating Awareness) views them as an opportunity to recognize and interact with the foundations of your life." See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Raghu speaks with Koshin Paley Ellison, the founder and partner of the New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care, an organization that works closely with people who are passing or ill. Koshin Paley describes his origins and how he was introduced to Zen Buddhism. He talks about the teachers, influences and triggers which geared the direction of his life and practice.  Including; the Aids Epidemic of the 1980’s, Alan Ginsberg, and his first Zen teacher John Daido Loori as well as being exposed to Ram Dass as a very young person. Koshin Paley tells the moving story of the passing away of his grandmother and the tremendous impact that experience had on his life. (hint: The New York Center for Contemplative Care wouldn’t be here otherwise!) Raghu and Koshin discuss the blending of Jungian depth techniques with Buddhist psychology and what exactly a Spiritual Bypass is. Other topics covered are relationships, bearing witness, loving action and what is being brought to light by working with dying people.   See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.