Ep. 313 – Touching the Sun

Ep. 313 – Touching the Sun

Author: Ram Dass / Love Serve Remember September 21, 2026 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 episode is featured in Love Serve Remember’s free fall immersion, Gather Around the Fire: Stories of Ram Dass, Maharaj-ji, and a Legacy of Love. Please join us beginning Monday, September 28, for four weeks of storytelling, gathering in community, and basking in the spirit of loving awareness.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 talk Ram Dass gave at the Esalen Institute on June 12, 1969. We pick up Ram Dass’s story in 1967, just as he’s realizing that the method of psychedelics will only take him so far on his journey. What does one do at that point? Well, one heads to the East. Ram Dass shares tales of his first trip around India, including a visit to a sacred cave and meeting as many “holy men” as possible. But he didn’t find anyone who “really knew” what was going on. Just as a sense of despair truly began to kick in, Ram Dass meets a young Westerner at a restaurant who might have a clue to the way forward.Tempting fate, Ram Dass decides to go on a pilgrimage with his new friend. This path leads to him meeting Neem Karoli Baba, a great Indian saint who blows away Ram Dass’s rational mind. With that, Ram Dass had found his guru, a being so full of love that touching his feet was just like touching the sun.   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.Listen to Ram Dass Here and Now ad-free on our Patreon. Anyone can sign up for a free 7-day trial, but the first 500 people to click this link can get a 3-month free trial membership: 3 Months of Ad-Free Ram Dass Podcast“So we get into the Land Rover and we go to see Maharajji. And I’m just approaching him, I’m about five yards away. And he yells at me, ‘Got a question?’ Well, I take one look at him, and I don’t have any questions. I just wanna fall out and touch his feet. You dig that? I mean, the thought of touching his feet is too much. It’s like touching the sun. And I just feel all warm and loving. And who has questions? I mean, what a drag to have questions.” – 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. 282 – Of Miracles and Maharaj-ji [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 46:21
In this recording from 1978, Ram Dass reads stories about his guru, Maharaj-ji, and his many miracles. We invite you to set aside your analytical mind and simply enjoy these miracles of love. You can support this podcast…
Ep. 280 – Evolution and Revolution [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 39:54
Speaking at a MAPS conference in the early 1990s, Ram Dass looks back at some of the benefits and mistakes of the work he and Timothy Leary did with psychedelics in the 1960s. You can support this podcast, listen to epis…
Ep. 279 – Across the Decades: Ram Dass on Community and Satsang [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:11:41
Speaking through the decades, from the 1960s to the 2010s, Ram Dass shares his thoughts on Satsang, the community of seekers who come together in the pursuit of truth. You can support this podcast, listen to episodes AD-…
Ep. 278 – Innocence of Consciousness [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 43:48
In this interview from 1977, Ram Dass shares his views on psychedelics and how they can provide a free slate to experience the innocence of consciousness once again. Join the most important psychedelic gathering of the y…
Ep. 277 – Across the Decades: Ram Dass on Service and Social Action [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:06:11
Speaking across the decades, from the 1960s to the 2010s, Ram Dass shares his insights into responding to suffering, the meaning of service, and the confluence of social action and spiritual work.The Ram Dass community g…
Ep. 276 – Approaching the Mystery [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 45:01
In this exploration of the fear of suffering as we get older, Ram Dass talks about approaching the mystery of aging and death in the same adventurous manner as his friend Timothy Leary.For more on the relationship betwee…
Dancing in the Ocean of Change - Bonus Episode [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 28:11
In this special bonus episode, Ram Dass offers his viewpoint on how we can dance in the ocean of change as the structure of our culture shapeshifts before our very eyes.This episode of Here and Now is from a talk Ram Das…
Ep. 275 – Working With Truth in Relationships [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 41:00
In this classic Q&A session from the 1980s, Ram Dass talks about soul mates, marriage and open relationships, working with truth in relationships, and much more.In this episode of Here and Now:Ram Dass begins with questi…
Ep. 274 – The Creative Force of the Universe [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:00:02
In this Q&A session from 1993, Ram Dass talks about his passions, the balance of separateness and unity, dealing with turmoil, the creative force of the universe, and more. The Ram Dass community gathers regularly to eng…