Ram Dass, author of Be Here Now
Dear Friends,
I hope this finds you as well as you can be. We are going through terrifying times, and everything we do to comfort one another, while taking the highest precautions in social distancing and otherwise, is good. I woke up this morning thinking about my teacher Ram Dass, which in itself I always find comforting. There was something about his presence that always made me relax, and that is still true. Just thinking of him and feeling him sets all my cells at ease.
Ram Dass taught that when we we are in our souls, we experience the most profound relaxation of all.
When we enter that space through a meditation like RD's guided VIDEO here, we reunite with our own soul. We go from our thinking mind down into our heartspace and reach our own innate peace. Taking some time everyday to practice Loving Awareness can keep us grounded. It releases some stress from our situation and gives us a more relaxed perspective on everything that’s happening. This, and other forms of meditation and contemplation, show us a deeper reality.
In the midst of the present moment, so fraught with fear and suffering, one of Ram Dass’ favorite teaching stories came to mind, and I’ve been reflecting on it anew, so beautiful and real. This is not to minimize the gravity of what's happening or take a pollyanna attitude, but simply to open our minds to what may be possible.
It’s this one:
“There is a story of a farmer who had a horse that ran away.
His neighbor came by and said, “Oh, that’s terrible.”
The farmer said, “You never know.”
The next day the horse came back, and it was leading two other wild horses. The neighbor said, “That’s wonderful.”
And
the farmer said, “You never know.”
Later, his son was training one of the wild horses, and while riding the wild horse, he fell off and broke his leg.
The neighbor came by and said, “That’s terrible.”
The farmer said, “You never know.”
The Cossack army came through recruiting everybody, taking away all the able young men. They didn’t take the farmer’s son because he had a broken leg.
The neighbor came by and said, “That’s wonderful.”
And
the farmer said, “You never know.”
And so it goes.”
I love this story because it reminds me that from something “bad,” “good” things can happen, and if we can, its good to withhold judgement of any situation, acknowledging the tragedy, while leaving room for what good may still come.
For example, right now the human race is suffering terribly and we naturally feel compassion for everyone. We recognize that all humans are basically the same, as the Dalai Lama so often points out, we all just want to be happy. We have similar wishes and are equally vulnerable. Perhaps this awareness can penetrate the world on some deeper level. That could be a silver lining, and provide a new understanding in the future, a basis for better cooperation and communication. Right now, we can recognize that all human beings are fundamentally the same, not divided by race or national borders. From outer space looking at the Earth, one can’t even see any such thing as borders. They’re completely made up! And, speaking of outer space, while humans are enduring this difficult time, our Mother Earth is enjoying a much needed rest from our usual activity. Have a look at these images of how worldwide pollution is being temporarily reduced. That’s good. https://tinyurl.com/ss537ov
So please love each other up while observing all social distancing, taking the utmost precautions, and be well everyone. Love....