In this Q&A session from 1987, Ram Dass answers questions about meditation, service, and his relationship with his guru, plus he talks about the way we help each other get free.
The Way We Help Each Other Get Free (8:32)
Ram Dass begins by answering questions on exactly how he got to be so brilliant, the value of formal meditation practice, his relationship with his guru, and the value of psychedelic experiences. Ram Dass talks about his concept of service, and how the highest service is where the difference between self and other disappears.
“As you can taste this evening that a lot of what we have to cultivate is really beyond questions and answers. And yet, we also have to get our act together on every plane, and a lot of it involves just keep asking the questions and answering them to ourselves until we’ve run out. So, this part is where we do that and we just keep reaching for the truth together because that’s really the highest thing we can offer each other, that’s the way we help each other get free.” – Ram Dass
Speaking Truth Without Attachment (17:10)
Ram Dass takes a question about his guru, Neem Karoli Baba, and shares some stories about his unique teaching style and how he played with Ram Dass’ heart. He moves on to a question about service and interconnectedness, talking about the different experiences he’s had at various protests and how each of us hears daily which way we manifest.
“It feels to me when somebody is able to speak the truth without attachment, it resonates at the deepest places in people’s hearts; they know it’s the truth and they will act in response to it. And it feels to me that we are not yet able to hear the clearest truth about all this. And that we have to keep working on ourselves to keep hearing deeper and deeper truths.” – Ram Dass
Clearer and Lighter (29:22)
Ram Dass answers questions about gurus and teachers, Eastern versus Western spiritual traditions, not looking to have a model of achievement on the spiritual path, and trying to impart spiritual wisdom to family members. He closes the evening with an observation about the incredible grace we all share.
“As we get clearer and lighter, then we are more of an environment for each other where other people can get clear or light through us. I don’t in any way aspire to be a model. I don’t have a model of achievement in this game. That would be one I’d leave behind along the way.” – Ram Dass
