Ep. 302 – The Sweetness of Service

Ep. 302 – The Sweetness of Service

Author: Ram Dass / Love Serve Remember April 20, 2026 Duration: 34:14
In this exploration of the practice of karma yoga, Ram Dass talks about the sweetness of service and how the mystery of the universe is in the precise action of the moment.   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 episode of Here and Now is from a retreat at the Lama Foundation in July of 1986. After priming us with a quote from the poet Kabir, Ram Dass explores the bhakti component of the yoga of service. It is the practice of seeing the Beloved everywhere. He talks about allowing time in our lives to process what’s going on and come back to center. Ram Dass continues to speak about the nature of karma yoga, saying the mystery of the universe is in the precise action of the moment. He talks about burnout and knowing our limits, and advises us to read about Hanuman.Using the example of caring for his aging father, Ram Dass shows us the sweetness of service. Service can be a vehicle for us to lighten, loosen, let go, open, allow, and appreciate.Love Serve Remember Foundation’s new course, Many Paths, One Mountain: Practices for Living with Awareness and Heart, is running now. Join us to explore a variety of spiritual practices, including karma yoga and service. About 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. 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. “It gets to be so sweet to meet people through service that finally all you can express is your appreciation to them for allowing you to serve them.” – 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: 100

Ram Dass Here And Now
Podcast Episodes
Ep. 232 – The Dance of Forms [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 41:45
In this radio interview from 1985, Ram Dass discusses the journey of awakening, how reincarnation is within the dance of forms, dysfunctional societal myths, and much more. Today's podcast is sponsored by BetterHelp. Cli…
Ep. 231 – The Universe of Compassion [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 47:12
Ram Dass answers a wide range of questions on topics such as free will, working with fear, and falling in love – plus, he leads a Metta meditation to help us tap into the universe of compassion. Today's podcast is sponso…
Ep. 230 – The Truth of Your Deepest Being [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 55:08
Ram Dass explores how to find the balance between emptiness and compassion in the face of immense suffering and tap into the truth of your deepest being to hear your unique dharma. This episode is a continuation of the t…
Ep. 229 – The Sword of Discrimination [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 45:40
Ram Dass explores how his work with death and dying keeps him at his own leading edge of consciousness and talks about why compassion is truly the sword of discrimination. Today's podcast is sponsored by BetterHelp. Clic…
Behind The Clinging - Bonus Podcast [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 34:48
Raghu Markus returns to Here and Now to present this bonus excerpt from a talk titled “Behind the Clinging,” which features Ram Dass discussing how to deal with neuroses, fear, and family. Today's podcast is sponsored by…
Ep. 228 – You Can’t Have An Us and Them [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 42:49
In this episode of the Here and Now Podcast, Ram Dass talks about practice in daily life and answers questions about polarization and fundamentalism, integrating psychodynamic and spiritual techniques, dealing with addic…
Ep. 227 – Awareness Without Identification [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 45:18
In this Q&A session from 1993, Ram Dass explores an array of topics, including psychedelics as a method, assisted suicide, dealing with suffering, and awareness without identification. Today's podcast is sponsored by Bet…
Ep. 226 – Escaping the Prison of Separateness [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 54:04
In this potent recording from 1994, Ram Dass talks about the nature of suffering and how we can escape the prison of separateness created by our cultural infatuation with individualism. Today's podcast is sponsored by Be…
Ep. 225 – The Story of Hanuman and the Ramayana, Part 2 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 50:09
In this epic conclusion to the story of the Ramayana, Ram Dass recounts the heroic actions of Hanuman as he helps Ram rescue Sita and defeat the demon king, Ravana. Before you begin this episode, be sure to listen to Her…
Soul View - Bonus Episode [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 25:02
In this bonus episode, Ram Dass explores methods available for seeing through our conditioning and navigating life on more than one plane of awareness. Raghu Markus returns to share a special excerpt from Ram Dass around…