Ep. 217 – Celebrate Spirit Through Service

Ep. 217 – Celebrate Spirit Through Service

Author: Ram Dass / Love Serve Remember January 16, 2023 Duration: 48:09

In this moving and humorous talk about using the stuff of life to get free, Ram Dass shares how we can celebrate spirit through service by merging our divinity with our humanity.

This episode of Here and Now is a continuation of the talk started in Episode 216 – From Psychedelics to Service

Today's podcast is sponsored by BetterHelp. Click to receive 10% off your first month with your own licensed professional therapist: betterhelp.com/ramdass

In this episode, Ram Dass talks about:

  • Moving home to care for his elderly father and how that became a method for him
  • Getting called away from a meditation retreat to help out his cancer-stricken stepmother
  • Larry Brilliant and the founding of the Seva Foundation
  • How the Seva Foundation put service into action on a very large scale
  • The difference between the Sanskrit words Dharma and Seva
  • The paradox of suffering


NEW Meditation Series: Pause, Breathe, Be Here Now with Ram Dass, Sharon Salzberg, Jack Kornfield, Tara Brach, Joseph Goldstein, John Lockley, Ram Dev, Trudy Goodman, Lama Tsultrim Allione—FREE January 16 to 25. Sit in true peace, love, and tranquility. Join thousands of people around the world for this collective meditation experience: onecommune.com/ramdass

Want to be part of the discussion about this episode of Here and Now? Join the Ram Dass Fellowship virtual meetup, sign up for the General Fellowship group here to receive more information.

“So you end up understanding that you serve in order to work on yourself, and you work on yourself in order to be a better instrument of service. And you can feel the circle work, you can just feel that circle work.” – Ram Dass



See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.


The voice of Ram Dass carries a unique and enduring warmth, a blend of profound spiritual insight and grounded, often humorous, humanity. Ram Dass Here And Now is a curated archive of this wisdom, drawing from a rich tapestry of lectures recorded over four decades. Each episode is a focused journey into themes of consciousness, love, service, and the intricate paths of awakening, all filtered through Ram Dass's distinctive heart-centered perspective. The podcast is presented by the Love Serve Remember Foundation, with longtime friend and director Raghu Markus providing contextual introductions that connect these timeless talks to our contemporary moment. Listeners will find themselves immersed in conversations that weave together Eastern philosophy, particularly from the Hindu and Bhakti traditions, with practical Western psychology, exploring how spiritual principles manifest in everyday life, relationships, and societal challenges. It’s less a formal lecture and more an intimate, meandering dialogue with a wise elder, offering reflections that feel both ancient and immediately relevant. This isn't about dogma, but about the shared, often messy, human experience of seeking meaning and connection. To spend time with this podcast is to encounter a gentle guide, one who points persistently toward the present moment, toward compassion, and toward the recognition of our shared essence.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 307

Ram Dass Here And Now
Podcast Episodes
Ep. 262 – Between Chaos and Cosmos [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 50:08
Ram Dass shares stories of miracles and talks about truth, relationships, and how some dualistic methods can help us straddle the thin line between chaos and cosmos.Ram Dass Here & Now is brought to you by BetterHelp. Gi…
Ep. 261 – Honoring Lineage [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 44:53
In this Q&A session from 1994, Ram Dass talks about the importance of honoring lineage, the potential of the rave scene, how to bring a heart quality to academia, and much more.Ram Dass Here & Now is brought to you by Be…
Ep. 258 – River Bank Guided Meditation [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 32:18
In this half-hour guided meditation, Ram Dass uses concentration and mindfulness techniques to help us sit on the river bank of the mind and watch the thoughts, sensations, and feelings flow by.Ram Dass Here & Now is bro…
Ep. 257 – Perspectives on Death [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 39:05
How can we learn to live by changing our relationship to death? Ram Dass addresses the staff at a hospital and shares his vast perspectives on death, not getting caught in the drama of dying, and dealing with burnout.Ram…
Ep. 256 – The Feeling of Coming Home [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 40:01
In this Q&A session from 1990, Ram Dass talks about service, karma, alcoholism, the concept of eternity, cultivating the intuitive heart, experiencing the feeling of coming home, and more.This episode is brought to you b…
Ep. 255 – Touched By Grace [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 49:28
Ram Dass explores the paradox of suffering a spiritual person lives with, the perfection of it all, better living through chemistry, how we’re touched by grace, and the path of service and love.This episode is brought to…
Ep. 254 – The Up-Level [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 50:32
In a talk from 1978, Ram Dass explores stepping onto the spiritual path, different planes of consciousness, the process of awakening, and the spiritual up-level game we can get caught in.This episode is brought to you by…
Ep. 253 – Dharmic Anger [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 36:40
In this 1981 Q&A session, Ram Dass addresses surrender, astrology, dharmic anger, the illusion of separateness, relative reality, love, hallucinogens, and more.Participate in the discussion about this episode of Here and…