Ep. 651 – Karmic Relief: Understanding Karma with Phil Goldberg

Ep. 651 – Karmic Relief: Understanding Karma with Phil Goldberg

Author Phil Goldberg explores the laws of karma as an educational tool for awakening rather than as a system of spiritual judgment.  Help us celebrate 10 years of Be Here Now Network and support the next chapter of Ram Dass Here and Now. Gifts are matched dollar for dollar through June 30. Learn more and give here: BHNN 10th Birthday Fundraiser [https://beherenownetwork.com/10years] This week on Mindrolling, Phil and Raghu discuss:  * The rise of karma in American pop culture  * The Law of Karma [https://www.amazon.com/Aghora-III-Dr-Robert-Svoboda/dp/0914732374]by Dr. Robert Svoboda  * Looking to science to understand the laws of karma  * Exploring consciousness through The Secret of Secrets [https://www.amazon.com/Secret-Secrets-Novel-Robert-Langdon/dp/0385546890] by Dan Brown * How the same action can produce different karmas depending on our states of mind * Every moment as the result of karma Grab a copy of Phil's book, Karmic Relief [https://www.philipgoldberg.com/karmic-relief-back-up/], and explore more about karma and how it can be used. About Phil Goldberg: Philip Goldberg is the author or co-author of numerous books, [https://www.philipgoldberg.com/books/] including the award-winning American Veda: From Emerson and the Beatles to Yoga and Meditation, How Indian Spirituality Changed the World (2010); the definitive biography of Paramahansa Yogananda, The Life of Yogananda: The Story of the Yogi Who Became the First Modern Guru (2018); the timeless Spiritual Practice for Crazy Times: Powerful Tools to Cultivate Calm, Clarity, and Courage (2020); and his latest, Karmic Relief: Harnessing the Laws of Cause and Effect for a Joyful, Meaningful Life (2025). His numerous articles have appeared in publications ranging from the Los Angeles Times to Huffington Post to Spirituality & Health. As a public speaker and workshop leader, he has presented at leading venues online and in person. A spiritual counselor, meditation teacher, and ordained Interfaith Minister as well, he hosts the Spirit Matters podcast [https://mindbodyspirit.fm/shows/spirit-matters-with-philip-goldberg/]and writes substantive essays on his Substack, Practical Spirituality with Philip Goldberg [https://philipgoldberg.substack.com/]. He is also an active board member of the Association for Spiritual Integrity [https://www.spiritual-integrity.org/]. “The same action can produce different karma depending on the state of the mind of the person doing it and their intention. Someone can write a big check, but if they’re doing it to get their name on a plaque, it doesn’t have the same karmic impact as a humble person giving what they can without any hope of recognition or any ego.” –Phil Goldberg See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy [https://art19.com/privacy] and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info [https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info].

Ep. 650 – How to Live (and Die) Without Fear with RamDev

Old friends RamDev and Raghu revisit memories of Maharaj-ji as they explore the wisdom of holding both joy and sorrow in the awakened heart. Help us celebrate 10 years of Be Here Now Network and support the next chapter of Ram Dass Here and Now. Gifts are matched dollar for dollar through June 30. Learn more and give here: BHNN 10th Birthday Fundraiser [https://beherenownetwork.com/10years] In this episode, Raghu and RamDev have a conversation on:  * Memories with Maharaj-ji from Allahabad (now Prayagraj), India * The Tibetan Buddhist concept of Rigpa (the awakened mind) * K.C. Tewari’s constant mindfulness and advanced yogic state * Honoring the religion of our roots as we explore spirituality  * Compassion: keeping your heart open when there is suffering  * Tantric Buddhism and empowerment  * Holding both joy and sadness at the same time  * Shifting from the cerebral to embodied mindfulness practice  * ‘Minding the gap’ between thoughts and the breath  Coming out on June 16th, preorder RamDev’s newest book: How to Live So You Can Die Without Fear [https://www.amazon.com/How-Live-You-Without-Fear/dp/1955831084] About RamDev: RamDev Dale Borglum is the founder and Executive Director of The Living/Dying Project. He is a pioneer in the conscious dying movement and has worked directly with thousands of people with life-threatening illness and their families for over 30 years. In 1981, Dale founded the first residential facility for people who wished to die consciously in the United States, The Dying Center. He has taught and lectured extensively on the topics of spiritual support for those with life-threatening illness, on caregiving as a spiritual practice, and on healing at the edge, the edge of illness, of death, of loss, of crisis. Check out RamDev’s podcast, Healing at the Edge [https://beherenownetwork.com/category/ramdev/], on the Be Here Now Network. “He’s looking at this picture, and the feeling started getting so thick. Some tears started coming down Maharaj-ji’s cheeks. The feeling was that he was remembering the moment when Ram embraced Hanuman. All the people in the front began weeping; there was so much love.”–RamDev See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy [https://art19.com/privacy] and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info [https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info].

Ep. 649 – The Alchemy of Compassion & Equanimity with Joseph Goldstein & Noah Markus

Help us celebrate 10 years of Be Here Now Network and support the next chapter of Ram Dass Here and Now. Gifts are matched dollar for dollar through June 30. Learn more and give at: BHNN 10th Birthday Fundraiser [https://beherenownetwork.com/10years] Joseph Goldstein, along with Noah & Raghu Markus, discuss how to maintain a balance of compassion and equanimity for a more peaceful life.  This time on Mindrolling, Joseph, Noah, and Raghu explore:  * Buddhist philosophy on relative truth vs. ultimate truth  * Feeling the body as an energy field of changing sensations rather than something solid * How one can tend the heart in troubled times * The manifestations of reactivity that make the heart retract  * Seeing our reality as a blip in cosmic time  * Inspiring awe through nature as a way to open and soften the heart * The book Fall of Civilizations [https://www.amazon.com/Fall-Civilizations-Stories-Greatness-Decline/dp/1335013415] by Paul Cooper  * Balancing the qualities of compassion and equanimity  * Investigating the phenomena of thinking rather than the content of a thought  * Lessons on direct experience from the Bāhiya Sutta [https://suttacentral.net/ud1.10/en/anandajoti?lang=en&reference=none&highlight=false] About Joseph Goldstein: Joseph Goldstein has been leading insight and loving-kindness meditation retreats worldwide since 1974. He is a co-founder of the Insight Meditation Society [http://www.dharma.org/] in Barre, Massachusetts, where he is one of the organization’s guiding teachers. In 1989, together with several other teachers and students of insight meditation, he helped establish the Barre Center for Buddhist Studies. “At those times, you’re stronger on the compassion side and less strong on the equanimity side. When you see that, that can be a good reminder: ‘Oh yeah, this is what’s happening; I need to go out and look at the stars’. We need both. Either one by itself can tend to states that may not be that helpful.” –Joseph Goldstein About Noah Markus: Noah Markus is a content curator & archivist for Love Serve Remember Foundation. He spends his time curating Ram Dass content for podcasts, courses, and much more.  See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy [https://art19.com/privacy] and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info [https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info].

Ep. 648 –Small Changes for a More Meaningful Life with Eric Zimmer

Author and speaker Eric Zimmer shares how committing to small, sustainable habits transformed his life—moving him from addiction and homelessness to integrity and meaning. Grab Eric’s book, How a Little Becomes a Lot: The Art of Small Changes for a More Meaningful Life. [https://www.oneyoufeed.net/book/] This week on Mindrolling, Eric and Raghu chat about:  * Burning the house to the ground: Eric’s experience with kleptomania, addiction, and homelessness  * Embarking on a life-long spiritual quest and journey of self-transformation * How meditation creates more space between stimulus and response * The opportunity to make better choices when we slow down through mindfulness * Why lasting change is so difficult  * Cultivating new habits of both thought and behavior * Treating yourself as if you are a friend or child * Becoming a positive force in the world  “Things that feel insurmountable now often can become almost second nature down the line." –Eric Zimmer About Eric Zimmer: Eric Zimmer is an author, teacher, speaker, and the creator of The One You Feed podcast [https://www.oneyoufeed.net/category/featured/]—an award-winning show with over 50 million downloads across 800+ conversations exploring meaningful living. At 24, Eric was homeless, addicted to heroin, and facing prison. His journey from those depths sparked his lifelong inquiry into human transformation and resilience. Through his behavior coaching, workshops, and mentorship, he has guided thousands worldwide in creating sustainable habits that last—not through willpower or epiphany, but through steady change. His approach combines cutting-edge science with timeless wisdom, providing practical pathways to greater integrity and deeper meaning. His story and his work have been featured in the media, including TedX, [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=93_S0vEGE5A&t=2s] Mind Body Green, Elephant Journal, the BBC and Brain Pickings. Check out his new book, How a Little Becomes a Lot: The Art of Small Changes for a More Meaningful Life. [https://www.oneyoufeed.net/book/] “One of the critiques of the modern mindfulness movement is that it divorces the practice from the ethical structures from which it evolved, which leads to ‘I’m just focused on me getting better and feeling better.’ While that’s an important and useful aim, it’s only half the game. The other half of the game is that it is in service of other people and being able to be a positive force in the world. We all have the ability to be a positive force in the world.” –Eric Zimmer See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy [https://art19.com/privacy] and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info [https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info].

Ep. 647 – Women in Love with the Divine with Erica Bassani

From her research into female spiritual role models, Writer Erica Bassani joins Raghu to discuss her new book which offers an exploration of faith, practice, and feminine power. Grab your copy of Women in Love with the Divine [https://www.shambhala.com/women-in-love-with-the-divine.html] or join Erica in Awakening Softness, [https://www.womenawakeningproject.com/services-1] transformational 1 on 1 sessions for rediscovering the sacredness of daily life.  This week on Mindrolling, Erica and Raghu have a conversation on:  * Honoring femininity and presence  through the wisdom of modern female spiritual teachers * Erica’s inspiration from her father’s spirituality and her year-long monastery stay at 19 years old. * Gratitude practice towards the divine mother and our own mothers  * Considering how the wisdom of women may differ from the wisdom of men * The extraordinary warmth and compassion of Garchen Rinpoche [https://garchen.net/our-spiritual-director/] * Moving away from one-dimensional ways of overcoming conflict * Entering into feminine gentleness and finding our power within ourselves * How transcending the ego can actually become spiritual bypassing * Becoming present when we start to doubt the existence of God * Cultivating inner peace as our individual contribution to the chaos of the world “I started writing it 3 years ago from a need of meeting living women who dedicate their life to the divine. I really needed in that time of my life, I was going through personal crisis and spiritual crisis, I realized all my teachers had been men. Which, I am very grateful to them, but at that point I started really needing female role models, the examples of women who are today in this world doing the spiritual life." –Erica Bassani About Erica Bassani: Erica Bassani is a writer based in Italy. A graduate of the Academy of Storytelling in Turin, she spent a year living in a Theravadan Buddhist monastery at the age of 23. Since then, she has turned to female spiritual teachers from diverse traditions to help her navigate her inner journey. She created the Women Awakening Project [https://www.womenawakeningproject.com/about-3]—an initiative that highlights the wisdom of female spiritual role models and explores spiritual practice through the lens of women’s experiences—to share their wisdom and create a bridge between generations of seekers. Bassani is author of Donne che Esplorano il Divino, co-author (with Massimo Bonomelli) of Va Bene Così, and the Italian translator of The Four Noble Truths of Love by Susan Piver. “Women didn’t follow their own way of coming to power. They followed more the masculine way, the patriarchal way of getting to power. This, of course, creates a very weird shift inside. It creates suffering ultimately because of a disconnection with where actually is the source of power in us, especially as women, and possibly for men as well. The source of power can be in the heart, can be more embodied and exclusive, more aware of the different parts of the situation instead of this focused way which cuts out many other things, it's a more gentler way.” –Erica Bassani See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy [https://art19.com/privacy] and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info [https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info].