Ep. 296 – The Delight of Simplicity feat. Daniel Goleman

Ep. 296 – The Delight of Simplicity feat. Daniel Goleman

Author: Ram Dass / Love Serve Remember January 26, 2026 Duration: 38:36
In this 1970s interview, Ram Dass sits down with psychologist Daniel Goleman to discuss why people aren’t happier, the power of meditation, and the delight of simplicity.   Ram Dass Here & Now is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/ramdass and get on your way to being your best self.This podcast is also sponsored by Magic Mind. Visit https://www.magicmind.com/ramdasshere to get 20% off of your order!This episode of Here and Now is a conversation between Ram Dass and Daniel Goleman.  Daniel begins by asking Ram Dass to help us understand why people aren’t happier. Ram Dass discusses the suffering that arises from clinging to sense experiences, our strong attachment to our identities, and awakening to the realization that there is no absolute reality.Daniel asks, practically speaking, how a person can begin to change. Ram Dass explores how real change comes from within, not from external circumstances. We can embrace the delight of simplicity and learn how to quiet our minds.Ram Dass provides an example of the power of meditation. He and Daniel discuss entering the space behind thought and how the intellect is a terrific servant but a terrible master. Ultimately, it’s better to be identified with our being, rather than our knowing or doing. The Ram Dass community gathers regularly to engage in meaningful discussions about the podcast. We invite you to join us and share your curiosities, insights, and wisdom. Sign up for the General Fellowship to receive event invitations directly in your inbox.About Daniel Goleman:Daniel is an internationally known psychologist and author. His New York Times bestselling book, Emotional Intelligence, was named one of the 25 “Most Influential Business Management Books” by TIME Magazine. Daniel is also a board member of the Mind & Life Institute, an organization that fosters dialogues and research collaborations among contemplative practitioners and scientists. Daniel has organized a series of intensive conversations between the Dalai Lama and scientists, and further merged Dharma and science, coauthoring Altered Traits: Science Reveals How Meditation Changes Your Mind, Brain, and Body. Learn more about Daniel’s work at danielgoleman.infoAbout Ram Dass:Ram Dass’s spirit has been a guiding light for generations, carrying millions along on the journey. Ram Dass teaches that through the Bhakti practice of unconditional love, we can all connect with our true nature. Through these teachings, Ram Dass has shared a little piece of his guru, Maharaj-ji, with all who have listened to him. Learn more at ramdass.org.“But we don’t yet appreciate the delight that comes from simplicity. Some of our poets, people like Whitman and all, have described it, but we’ve never really bought it yet. We really don’t understand that in that simplicity lies a space in which one can plumb one’s own depths of being and appreciate that who you are is an entity that has taken birth, that is passing through a series of experiences, all of which are useful in order to awaken to one’s deeper self.” – 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: 50

Ram Dass Here And Now
Podcast Episodes
Ep. 313 – Touching the Sun [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 46:20
Gather around for some storytime with Ram Dass as he recounts his first journey to India, the long road that led to finding his guru, and how touching his guru’s feet was almost like touching the sun. Part of this episod…
Ep. 312 – Soul Perception [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 52:03
In this unique talk given in New York just weeks after the events of 9/11, Ram Dass speaks about his stroke, the fierce grace of suffering, and getting in touch with our soul perception. The Ram Dass community gathers re…
Ep. 311 – Allowing Space for Individual Differences [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 43:59
Ram Dass talks about consciousness, allowing space for individual differences, and letting go of identification with the body and personality, and then taps into the heart of devotional yoga with some chanting to Krishna…
Ep. 310 – The Mainline Reality Trip [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 46:44
Take a trip up and down the subway stairs with Ram Dass as he explores the seven chakras, why this moment in history is ripe for fourth chakra work, and how he escaped the mainline reality trip.Ram Dass Here & Now is bro…
Ep. 309 – Playing Your Part [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 51:15
Ram Dass explores playing your part on all of the stages that life presents, then answers questions about the significance of dreams, preventing detachment from turning into laziness, dealing with burnout in institutiona…
Ep. 308 – You Are Love [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 37:06
In this exploration of relationships and awakening from the illusion of separateness, Ram Dass talks about looking behind the veil of individual differences and coming to a place where you are love itself.Ram Dass Here &…
Ep. 307 – Being in Other Planes of Reality [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 42:35
You can help us celebrate 10 years of Be Here Now Network and support the next chapter of Ram Dass Here and Now by donating to our 10th anniversary fundraiser. Exciting news! Dollar-for-dollar gift matching has been exte…
Ep. 306 – Our Place in the Dance [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 56:14
Listen to the original Here and Now radio show! Ram Dass takes to the airwaves in 1996 to try his hand at a medium he hopes will bring us together and help us hear our place in the dance.Help us celebrate 10 years of Be…
Ep. 305 – Using A Relationship to Awaken [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 57:10
In the conclusion of this classic talk, Ram Dass explores giving up our rushes, working with death, not judging the trip, using a relationship to awaken, and much more.Help us celebrate 10 years of Be Here Now Network an…
Ep. 304 – The Wisdom of the Universe [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 49:02
In this 1980 talk, Ram Dass explores how we aren’t who we think we are and leads a meditative experience to help us quiet down enough to become statements of the universe's wisdom. The Ram Dass community gathers regularl…