Mindrolling With Raghu Markus

An old friend of the show, Dr. Judith Orloff, returns to have a conversation with Raghu about empathy and sensitivity. We are given a compelling look at the life of an empath and how one might stay spiritually open while protecting themselves from being overwhelmed by what they let in. Judith is an Assistant Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at UCLA, practicing Psychiatrist, and best-selling New York Times author. Her unique approach marries traditional psychiatric practices, intuition, spirituality, and energy medicine, unlike any other practitioner. "People who are sensitive in life may suffer much more than those who are insensitive. But, if they understand and go beyond their suffering, they will discover extraordinary things." - Jiddu Krishnamurti

Our podcast guru, Duncan Trussell, introduces Raghu to writer and producer Dan Harmon. Dan is known for his cutting humor and honest introspection. Our trio sits down in Dan’s studio for a conversation about work, introspection, and finding happiness.Coming from a background of not making enough money and working undesirable jobs, Dan tries to find balance with his life and workload now that everyone wants to hire him for something.  Dan shares his recent struggle of being aware of, and respecting, the feelings and experience of his employees. The group discusses mindfulness and being aware of the destructive patterns that play out in our lives. Tune in for all this and more on this week’s unique episode of the Mindrolling Podcast with Dan Harmon!Show Notes07:30 – Dan talks a bit about his relationship with work and his “workaholism”. It can be hard to turn away any creative work away when you remember what it’s like not having any. 12:30 – The group discusses the idea of mindfulness and finding satisfaction

South African shaman John Lockley returns! In this episode, John brings us stories from the bush and tales of the inner landscape. “Radical mindfulness is radical listening. Without judgment, without ego, just listen.” – John Lockley Raghu and John talk about the self, the spirit world, and the interconnectedness of mystical traditions. What is in a name? How does a shaman practice mindfulness? Find out on this episode of the Mindrolling Podcast. “We must dream the impossible. Seek the beauty of sharing wisdom through the cracks of our longing. Usher into reality the possibility of a world village glued together by a concert of wisdom.” – Malidoma Somé   John Lockley is a fully initiated sangoma (healer and shaman) in the Xhosa lineage of South Africa, having spent 10 years in an apprenticeship with the tribe that gave us Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu. His remarkable journey through the constraints of Apartheid is a testament to the human spirit, and to the power of forgiveness and reconciliation. For more

Raghu talks with Be Here Now Network staffers, JR Morton and Corey Leonard, about being mindful in the era of smartphones. They discuss the pros and cons of a device that gives us access to so much but is changing how we interact and how our brains function. Smartphones are pulling us away from ourselves at an alarming rate. What can we do to mitigate their downsides and use them for the tools they are meant to be?

While in L.A., Raghu drops by for a chat with a newly made friend, comedian Natasha Leggero. They talk about what led Natasha on a path of self-inquiry. How Ram Dass has played an important role in her life and career. Natasha talks about how inspirational relationships and self-work have brought her a life she couldn’t have imagined as a struggling comedian. Raghu touches on the topics of shakti, mantra, and “drugs”. 

Raghu gets the opportunity to chat with new found friend Vincent Horn, host of the Buddhist Geeks podcast. They discuss the interplay of technology and spiritual experience. In what ways do the internet, smartphones, and emerging technologies affect our spiritual practice and how can we utilize them to their greatest potential?   Vincent founded his podcast "Buddhist Geeks" and website "Meditate.IO" with the philosophy of taking a fresh approach to old practices. He and Raghu talk about this philosophy and what role they think technology and the internet have in the practice of spirituality. What are the potentials of our newfound interconnectivity via the internet and smartphones? How can they be used to foster a network of awakened individuals as opposed to separating and polarizing us? Listen as Vincent tells his vision of our "technodelic" future. Using technology as a teaching tool to bring us into altered states of consciousness and awareness.

Mindfulness and approaching it from as many practical approaches as possible. In this latest episode, Raghu and Ramesh look at: What does mindfulness really mean? What kind of perspective you can have about it that can change your life, the different practices of it that people can do on a day to day basis without joining anything, you can sit there and work with your breath, so you can bring awareness and the witness into your life so you can see your motivations and have a curiosity on who you really are. Bringing mindfulness into your life so you can just relax into a moment where you’re not judging yourself and can just be. In a world that asks us to be constantly multi-tasking, how do we curb the monkey mind? Ramesh and Raghu explore a variety of practices and perspectives that help to cultivate a less discursive mind. Such as the breath, which brings all your life systems to one place and is critical to focusing. Or Vipassana, also known as Insight Meditation, is a meditation that helps develop concentr

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 concep

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

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!

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 recomm

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.

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 t

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.

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!

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 foun

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.  

Raghu is joined by Rick Doblin, head of (take a deep breath for this one) Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies, otherwise known as MAPS! Rick describes some of the things that helped him to see into a new reality, including his faith-puncturing Bar Mitzvah, which forced him out of what would have been a “manufactured” mystical connection. Rick then goes on to describe his introduction to LSD in college, and how he discovered a new way of processing information and consciousness from those experiences; it opened him up to the emotional world. Other topics discussed include: - The emotional stability of our culture -  Using psychedelics for healing and therapy - Using psychedelics to rail against the “us” and “them” rhetoric present between countries, religions, races and creeds. -  Doblin’s discovery of the underground psychedelic community - How LSD opened the “Westerners” up to to a visceral understanding of their time with Neem Karoli Baba (Maharaji) when they traveled to India - How do the

Saraswati Markus finally makes her debut on Mindrolling! Who else could so exquisitely describe all of the incredible facets of the ancient technology of Yoga (she is Raghu's beloved you know!)   At the same time Saraswati shows the synthesis she has created with The Dao, Yoga and Chinese medicine and the potential healing modalities they contain. Not just physical but a true path to untangle the knots that form our habitual patterns. She expands on that idea by showing how we can all access the innate wisdom of our bodies for healing.    Also there is the concept of healing when you change what you like - Not easy and of course Raghu rebels cause he won't give up his toast and Chai with a lot of sugar!   Go to daoflowyoga.com to learn more about her work. 

Mindrolling and Raghu have a new best friend! Jake Sasseville of the Jake Sasseville podcast is a unique human who has been in show biz from a very early age. Jake shares a very traumatic family story which eventually tripped him onto the spiritual path in a very substantial way. Raghu shares Ram Dass' words in respect to Jake's reflections on suffering - "Every moment of your life is your vehicle for awakening". R&J chat about the tension between taking actions in your life and the reality that everything is already written and we just need to relax and let Grace happen. Also on the table is a discussion around the seven ways spiritual people bullshit themselves. #1 being the power of positive thinking - Raghu admits to his disdain for the new age model and his subsequent reaction to his own judgmental mind. We always have to remember though that there is more than one motivation for every action we take - why not focus on the positive?