Be Here Now Network Guest Podcast

Contemplating the nexus of suffering and compassion, Thanissara, Raghu, and Jackie offer suggestions for showing up with love for all that arises. This is the opening workshop from the Centered in the Storm Virtual Immersion with Ram Dass & Friends. This course features topics like: uncovering our shared connection, transforming relationships, personal healing & global impact, and more!Check out Ram Dass’ Inner Academy, where you can get the full Centered in the Storm Virtual Immersion along with dozens of other full-length, interactive, virtual courses and retreats. The Inner Academy offers lessons from Ram Dass, Krishna Das, Anne Lamott, Dr. Robert Svoboda, Sharon Salzberg, Roshi Joan Halifax, Dr. Robert Thurman, Nina Rao, Father Greg Boyle, David Nichtern, Thanissara and many more.Today’s podcast is also brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/beherenow and get on your way to being your best self.In this episode,Thanissara, Raghu Markus and Jackie Do

Explaining Virya, the effort factor of enlightenment, meditation teacher Trudy Goodman explores the courage it takes to trust in our practice and to mindfully face the five hindrances. Today’s podcast is also brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/beherenow and get on your way to being your best self.This time on the BHNN Guest Podcast, Trudy Goodman explains:Virya, the effort, energy, and enthusiasm factor of enlightenment The courage it takes to be fully present with every life experienceShowing up for our human experience with qualities of heart, courage, and balance An impactful Iraq War story that reveals the power of presence and awarenessHow to work wisely with challenges that block mindful presenceThe five classical hindrances: wanting, ill-will, restlessness, sloth & torpor, and doubtA reading from the Flower Ornament Sutra about freeing the heart and mind from hindrances  How living defensively against pain limits our full human experie

Gil Fronsdal explores why we suffer and how we can meet our suffering with a supportive presence for the benefit of ourselves and all beings. In this episode, Gil thoughtfully discusses:Becoming like a wise & peaceful snake, shedding our skin from time to timeHow mindfulness practice can contain the goal of cessation of greed, hatred, and delusionHow clinging creates emotional stress, mental pain, and spiritual sufferingNotice the “aah” of skillful action versus the “ouch” of unskillful action as we develop awarenessBeing present for the depth of suffering in the human heartBringing the qualities of the awakened mind in to meet our suffering and help us release itHelping our suffering feel safe and remembering that all suffering can be put to restThe ability to stay with our experiences without clinging and with a sense of wellbeing Meeting our suffering for ourselves and to show the way for othersPracticing mindfulness with sincerity, consistency, and heartfelt dedicationThis episode is sponsor

Recorded live at the 2022 Summer Mountain Retreat, Sharon Salzberg, Robert Thurman, and Raghu Markus explore the true essence of love through the lenses of service, social action, and selflessness.Today’s podcast is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/beherenow and get on your way to being your best self.Come join us this year at the 2025 Summer Mountain Retreat in Boone, North CarolinaIn this episode, Sharon, Robert, and Raghu hold a discussion on:Reframing love as an ability we can develop, rather than a fleeting emotion Taking responsibility for love—actively cultivating it instead of waiting for it to arriveRecognizing authentic love as a deep sense of connectionUnderstanding the etymology of metta, the Buddhist concept of loving-kindness and the sincere wish for another’s happinessConsidering if we can genuinely wish happiness for others if we are not happy ourselvesIdentifying the pitfalls of ego-driven self-love and how it disrupts true bliss and spiritual con

Mystical feminist Mirabai Starr shares the fruits of many years of investigating, excavating, and uplifting women’s voices within global spiritual traditions.This talk was recorded on Sept 22, 2020 as a part of the Virtual Ram Dass Fellowship.This week on the BHNN Guest Podcast, Mirabai Starr discusses:An invitation to unknowing and allowing our preconceived notions to fall awayThe patriarchal roots of spiritual traditions and religious institutions Highlighting women’s spiritual wisdom in the Ram Dass communityWomen's circles that are free of a masculine influence Honoring feelings as they arise and having the capacity to hold them Speaking spiritual truth to power while staying heart-centeredThe great mystery and ambiguity of the feminine heart space Connecting with our higher selves and true purpose Practicing contemplative meditation through creativityThe necessity of community for transformation to take place Trusting the journey to spiritual awakening and surrendering to th

Gil Fronsdal explores the heart of Buddhist tradition by blending mindfulness with the transformative power of compassion and loving kindness.This episode is sponsored by Betterhelp & Dharma Seed:Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/beherenow and get on your way to being your best self.Join Buddhist Teacher David Nichtern and Duncan Trussell for a conversation about finding our own voice, our own expression, and our own way of connecting with people. Learn more about this FREE online gathering - AUTHENTIC PRESENCE: FINDING YOUR OWN VOICEOn this episode of the BHNN Guest Podcast, Gil gives a dharma talk on:Discovering how love is foundational in Buddhist tradition and spiritual practiceExploring the two wings of Buddhism: balancing compassion and wisdomUnderstanding why compassion is essential in both practice and realizationLearning how mindfulness can become fixated on the goal of enlightenmentShifting focus from attaining enlightenment to embodying compassionGil’s jo

Returning to the refuge of breath that is present from birth to death, JoAnna Hardy guides listeners through a grounding and connective breath-based practice.  Today’s podcast is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/beherenow and get on your way to being your best self.In this practice-infused episode, JoAnna guides listeners through:The first foundation of mindfulness, according to the BuddhaWhole-body awareness and inviting our body fully into the practiceThe individuality of each breath and becoming familiar with our breathRemembering that the breath is always with us, from birth to deathFinding calm, peace, energy, rapture, and joy within the breath Becoming completely interested in each one of our inhales and exhales Our exhale as the connection between us and nature, us and all beings Landing in the rhythm of the breath and allowing it to rock youLetting the breath be our home base and refuge when our mind wanders during practiceBecoming awar

Psychedelic expert, Dr. Raymond Turpin, discusses how psychedelics shut down our ‘default-mode’ and expand our creativity in music, art, and more. Today’s podcast is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/beherenow and get on your way to being your best self.In this episode, Raymond and Jackie discuss:LSD and how it effects the creative processThe history of LSD, bicycle day, and morePainting under the influence of LSD for greater imaginationUsing LSD to tackle professional problems and crack emotional blocksLSD and increased concentration/focus for accelerated solutionsHow Psychedelics shut down our default-mode network of the brainSeeing wider possibilities for creativity for the use of psychedelics The Grateful Dead, musical telepathy, and their role in the culture of LSDSynergy of music, musician, and audience via flow states and psychedelicsThe power of psychedelic co-creationThe therapeutic potential of LSD for the treatment of anxiety, depression, and moreTh

Outlining the four resolves of wisdom, truth, relinquishment, and peace, Gil Fronsdal takes us down the path of freedom.Today’s podcast is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/beherenow and get on your way to being your best self.This time on the BHNN Guest Podcast, Gil Fronsdal explores:The four resolves of wisdom, truth, relinquishment, and peaceHow many people’s lives are founded on their attachments Finding the dharma path in our lives Arriving where we are rather than being in the future or past The many beautiful meanings of being committed to truth Connecting to our lived experience and finding truth in the present momentAdorning the mind through practicing generosity Relinquishment as a means to enhance ourselves and to let goGaining more from release than we do from holding Using daily meditation to slowly become more peaceful This recording was originally published on Dharmaseed.“When you’re engaged in a path of freedom, of mind

Learning from the networks of connection among trees and fungi, Trudy Goodman offers a dharma talk about nature, the breath, and oneness.This 2016 recording is from Spirit Rock’s Fall Insight Meditation Retreat and was originally published on Dharmaseed. In this episode, Trudy Goodman discusses:The fallacy of separate self and how we tend to forget our universal connectionThe matrix of identity that we create as we practice togetherNetworks of connection in the natural world Inter-breathing and the web of connection via breathThe breath as the bridge between our conscious and unconsciousTaking the backward step, a practice in subtle relaxation and receiving the momentAllowing things to appear and disappear as the path to awakening Noticing our patterns of reaction as our body and breath anchor us Seeing the changing way of life and how it can flow through us and in usFinding freedom in the present moment Feeling more sane, little by little, through practice Tools for remembering

Talking about everything, everybody, nothing and nobody, David shares stories about Trungpa Rinpoche and Ram Dass from the 1970s to now.This conversation was recorded as part of the Ram Dass Fellowship’s regular online gatherings. To learn more about the Ram Dass Fellowship and sign up to join a fellowship gathering near you, visit RamDass.org/Fellowship.Today’s podcast is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/beherenow and get on your way to being your best self.In this episode of the BHNN Guest Podcast, David and Jackie discuss:The first meeting of Ram Dass and Trungpa RinpocheSeeing the ordinary magic of this reality David’s work with Krishna Das and receiving dream-messagesConjoining love and bliss with emptinessRam Dass’ concept of ‘becoming nobody’Nihilism and negativity versus an empty openness David’s work with the Ram Dass Legacy treats in MauiTwo different types of meditation (focus and discovery)Showing up for practice rather than do

In a full episode dedicated to the Hanuman Chalisa, Krishna Das chants with retreat attendees and explains the power of this moving mantra.Today’s podcast is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/beherenow and get on your way to being your best self. In this 2019 recording from the Ram Dass Open Your Heart in Paradise Retreat, Krishna Das is joined onstage with his band for a Hanuman Chalisa workshop. Harkening the Hanuman Chalisa as “a long invocation to awaken our hearts and to move us deeper into ourselves, into that love,” Krishna Das describes this particular mantra as a practice that connects us to Hanuman’s flow of grace. Chanting the Chalisa helps to remove obstacles from our path while fulfilling our purest desires.With these intentions set, Krishna Das and friends lead a cascading waterfall of some of their most potent and recognizable Hanuman Chalisa melodies. Communing together as we listen to this episode, we’re able to sense our universal c

Dynamic duo Annie & Michael Mithoefer speak with Jackie Dobrinska about how we can reach our innate healing capacity via psychedelic-assisted therapy, breathwork, and more.Today’s podcast is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/beherenow and get on your way to being your best self.This week, Annie & Michael Mithoefer discuss:Ram Dass’ influence on Annie and Michael’s lifeA story of meditative guidance from Neem Karoli BabaOur capacity to self-heal via psychedelics or other non-ordinary statesThe power of breath work as a pathway to inner healingResearching MDMA-assisted therapySeparating the self from the medicineHow avoidance perpetuates traumaUtilizing psychedelics to re-open social reward learning networksThe importance of integration sessions after psychedelic-assisted therapyHow PTSD affects people, relationships, and moreAllowing the lows to become just as interesting as the highsAbout Michael and Annie MithoeferMichael and Annie Mith

Considering how we relate to the world, Gil Fronsdal offers insight into freedom from our mental constructs through stillness of mind.Today’s podcast is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/beherenow and get on your way to being your best self.In this episode, Gil Fronsdal offers wisdom on:The relationship between fundamental insight and fundamental happinessDividing the present moment into three parts (what's happening, our relationship to it, and the self)The Anicca Vata Sankhara chant, an important chant among Theravada BuddhistsSeeing happiness through stilling our mental constructionsObjective reality versus human-made conventionsUnderstanding the world of relatedness and settling it downBeing aware of the breath within the breathThe season of being in relationship and the season of letting things beThe ever-presence of awareness and the freedom it can bringBuddhist practice helps us see when something is a constructionSeeing the arising and passing of

Ram Dev joins the Ram Dass Fellowship to provide tools for spiritual healing to all listeners during this time of uncertainty.Today’s podcast is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/beherenow and get on your way to being your best self.Hosted by Jackie Dobrinska, Ram Dev discusses:The anxiety that arose during the pandemicNavigating uncertainty in life and deathReframing uncertainty as a positive and exciting phenomenaFinding inspiration in uncertainty for deepening our practiceHaving compassion for our anxiety and our fear when it does ariseCaregiving as spiritual practice & avoiding burnoutFear vs. faith and transmuting grief into compassionSeeing everyone as the guru, the mother, or GodHow to have a conscious dying processOpening our hearts and being with things the way they areThis conversation was recorded as part of the Ram Dass Fellowship’s regular online gatherings. To learn more about the Ram Dass Fellowship and sign up to join a fellowship

Renowned Buddhist teacher Gil Fronsdal outlines how a connection to the body is the gateway into the present moment.Today’s podcast is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/beherenow and get on your way to being your best self.This time on the BHNN Guest Podcast, Gil Fronsdal dives into:Reminding ourselves to be in the present momentFinding the dharma in the here and nowOur lived spaces of awakeningNot being in conflict with realityStaying aware and being able to trust ourselvesRelishing in our own uniqueness and allowing it to flowerThe importance of the body in Buddhist practiceWatching the rhythms in our bodyThe body as a royal road to the unconsciousThis episode is also brought to you by Dharma Moon. Join Buddhist teachers David Nichtern and Professor Robert Thurman for a free online event on Tuesday, March 4th at 6pm ET. Together, they'll explore the power of lineage, tradition, and the evolution of mindfulness practices.&nb

Beginning with the Buddha’s teaching of Anapanasati, Trudy Goodman explores the breath as our most reliable and loving life-long companion.Today’s podcast is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/beherenow and get on your way to being your best self.This week on the BHNN Guest Podcast, renowned Buddhist teacher Trudy Goodman explores:The breath as our life-long, trusted companionThe Buddhist teaching of breath-awareness (Anapanasati)Developing heartful awareness along with the breathComing back to the ‘teddy bear’ of our breathStaying with the breath while being aware of other things in our mindsA guided breath practice and deepening our sense of focusBreath practice as a method of relaxationThe tender caress of the breath in the bodyAbout Trudy Goodman:Trudy is a Vipassana teacher in the Theravada lineage and the Founding Teacher of InsightLA. For 25 years, in Cambridge, MA, Trudy practiced mindfulness-based psychotherapy with children, teenagers, couples an

Exploring Bhakti, Buddhism, and lessons from wise teachers, Krishna Das and Robert Thurman come together for a wide-ranging discussion.This recording is from the 2020 Cultivating Wise Hope Virtual Retreat. Find more heart-focused teachings like this, along with practices and digital courses from Ram Dass and friends with Ram Dass’ Inner Academy: Learn MoreToday’s podcast is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/beherenow and get on your way to being your best self.In this episode, Krishna Das and Robert Thurman discuss:The miracles of Maharaj-jiHow all people are wholly embraced by divine loveBhakti as devotional heart-to-heart mergingAn exploration of dreams and being happy to let goBeing brave enough to have a heart and experience wonderA breakdown of the three parts of ‘Om’Sovereignty and the tremendous power we all haveRecognizing that Nirvana is everywhereLessons from Jesus and ChristianityLooking to Kali and being fierce but always with loveAbout K

Visionary artist, Martina Hoffmann, describes her encounters with spirit through dreams, nature, psychedelics and more.Today’s podcast is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/beherenow and get on your way to being your best self.In this episode, Martina Hoffman offers a talk on:Encountering spirit through dreaming, nature, and moreThe interweaving of creativity and spiritAttempting to express the ineffableEntering into meditation through artMartina’s expansive spiritual evolutionLucid dreaming and transitioning from dream to awakeningOut of body experiences and feeling everything deeplyMartina’s experience with psychedelics and receiving graceThe many ways that one can heal (physically, spiritually, emotionally)Letting go and embracing new beginningsHow challenging moments prepare us for the final journeyAbout Martina Hoffmann:German-born, Martina Hoffmann partially grew up in Cameroon, West Africa. She studied art education with and sculpting at the Johann

Guiding us along the path, Gil Fronsdal shows how to develop spirituality into enduring inner strengths rather than solitary experiences.Today’s podcast is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/beherenow and get on your way to being your best self.In this episode, Gil Fronsdal teaches listeners about:Developing personal, inner strengthsThe tendency of meditators to over-value spiritual experiencesWisdom as one of our inner strengthsThe clarity of awakening and seeing the functions of our heart and mindHow something arises and how something ceasesWhat it means to be awake in the here and nowRecognizing all of the times we are in the past or the futureShedding, letting go, and simplifying our experienceFinding the path in the present momentRemaining composed and settling our entire beingHow the Buddhist path does not have a destinationAbout Gil Fronsdal:Gil Fronsdal is the co-teacher for the Insight Meditation Center in Redwood City, California; he has been tea