Ram Dass at 95

On this week of Ram Dass’s birthday (he would have been 95 this year), I’m thinking about all the precious gifts he gave us: the connection to our hearts, and to each other.

But I’m also reflecting on just how hard it is to be present. For every year that “be here now” has been with us, our minds becoming busier and more full of information, it’s getting harder to do. He told me to “transfer from a do’er to a be’er” like he had. Ten years later, it is still easier said than done.

I remember when we were kids, my brother and I used to like to go underwater and see how long we could hold our breath. Being here now isn’t much different. We can set the intention, but the very next moment find ourselves being torn away.

The Buddha himself predicted that his own teachings would fade from the Earth, not as they’d once been driven from their Indian homeland—by hordes of hostile invaders—but because of distraction! Our lives seem to be proving that point for him.

With everything going on in the world, it seems like our minds just won’t shut up. Ram Dass hilariously said that each thought shouts, “think me, think me!” and he was right. And each feeling seems to have equal importance, an equal claim on our attention.

Sitting on the cushion meditating I’m able to bring my attention into the here and now for periods of time. What a relief that is! Just being here now is quite enough, and in those moments of nowness there’s a sense of safe harbor. All of the goings on around the globe and right here at home have much less sway over my nervous system, so I’m able to open my heart to the suffering in the world without being overwhelmed by it. There’s an experience of sanity in every moment of being present, right here and now.

How to make that last beyond the time we spend meditating, chanting, and all the rest? That seems to be the challenge of the day.

But as I write, I’m noticing an interesting effect. When I put my attention on Ram Dass, I feel myself dipping into the space he called loving awareness. It’s a magical thing about him. Automatically, just by bringing our thoughts to him, he brings us into our hearts. So maybe that’s part of the way forward – just thinking about him more.

How are you being here now? Are you dipping into loving awareness? I’m curious to know. 

Drop me a line and share if you wish.

Ram Dass’s teachings are remarkably relevant to our time. Unlike my face with its new(ish) wrinkles, loving awareness and being here now don’t seem to age at all. Ram Dass’s presence also remains available, timeless. I’m deeply thankful for his precious teachings that are available to us all.

Happy Birthday Ram Dass!