Mindrolling with Raghu Markus

David and Raghu investigate the unusual "Shambala Sun" cover story by Norman Fischer. Our Mindrollers present their own version of how to deal with life - stop blaming people, the world is upside down -turn it over, everything is the path including your step-mother, overcome self-interest as in Dave’s fixation with a certain European sport and confusion is the Buddha - not to be confused by our guys’ continuing lifetime journey to awareness. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Mickey Lemle’s documentary “Fierce Grace” passionately covers Ram Dass’s life post-stroke and also gives us a  transcendent look at aging when life suddenly involves intense hardship.  We talk with Mickey about this and also his seminal film "Compassion in Exile: The Life of The 14th Dalai Lama"...tons of great anecdotes... See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Mirabai Bush, who co-founded The Center for Contemplative Mind in Society, has worked with everyone from Google to troubled youth to the army, teaching the practice of mindfulness. If anyone needs more mindfulness, it’s the two Mindrollers, whose aspirations far over-reach their achievements... See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Sharon Salzberg joins Mindrolling on location on Maui and shares her incredible clarity and huge heart. She lends a hand to our intrepid Mindrollers on how to navigate the vicissitudes of our complex lives thru awareness, compassion and meditation. As she says, "May the Minds Roll."  See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Raghu and David sit with Krishna Das, who the New York times has called the Chant Master of American Yoga. They discuss chanting as a practice and people taking on "uncooked Gurus".  See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Activism without anger, resistance without rancor: it's hard to reach detachment when the political world is making you crazy.  What to do? Vajravarahi is a spiritual energy deity perceived to transmute the Five Negative Afflictions which represent five obstructions that obscure the true nature of life.  These Five Afflictions are greed, hatred, delusion, jealousy and pride. Like all fearsome figures in Tantric Buddhism, she is protective & simply wrathful for beneficial reasons.  She fits the bill for helping change the negative emotions that prevent us from balancing ourselves or society.   Original Text by: Tristan Rigby - Rishigallery.com See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

What is a guru? What is a teacher?  Raghu and David offer gentle though and definitions of an “accomplished being” a “siddha” and of a teacher, some of whom are great and some actually harmful...they speak about the saga of Joya Santanya, her Shakti, and her ego... See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

More spectacular experiences with sacred musicians: Bob Marley, Krishna Das, Jai Uttal and Bhagavan Das. Both frightening and enlightening times with world, trance and the beginnings of chant and kirtan music is explored. David and Raghu discuss the practice of opening the heart by chanting, where no thinking is necessary.  See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This podcast with our dear friend Shyam Das which was scheduled for broadcast today January 22, 2013 tragically coincided with his passing in a motorcycle accident in India three days ago. There are simply no adequate words to describe this loss to all of us. Master chanter, brilliant Krishna scholar, Shyamdas was globally revered, but much more importantly, he was loved for his delightful and friendly ways, his sparkling humorand his seamless, astonishing devotion to the ancient tradition of the ways of love for the Hindu facsimile of the Manifest Divine, Krishna and Radha. Synchronistically, this podcast features a conversation we did with him just before he left for India for the last, fateful time. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

David and Raghu talk about David's interview with Frank Zappa, and 60’s music from Detroit soul to California drug music. Raghu has an embarrassing Led Zeppelin experience. R & D discuss high beings coming into their lives...India...“dolphins in the Ganges”...Raghu’s father’s transformation...meeting Muktananda...Burmese Insight Meditation practice – Goldstein, Salzberg, Kornfield...Buddhism and Bhakti in the West...Ram Dass and Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche.  See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.