Mindrolling with Raghu Markus

Ep. 639 – Psychedelics for Personal Development with Dr. Phil Wolfson & Gagan Levy

Dr. Phil Wolfson offers his seasoned perspective on psychedelics, ketamine assisted therapy, and more in this expansive talk with Raghu Markus and Gagan Levy. Check out these FREE personal & clinical guidelines for use from the Ketamine Research Foundation [https://ketamineresearchfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Ketamine-Guidelines-2nd-Edition-1.pdf] This week on Mindrolling, Raghu, Phil, and Gagan discuss: * How psychedelics shaped Phil’s worldview in the 1960s and inspired his commitment to social justice * Using psychedelics as tools for personal growth, healing, and transformation * The importance of set and setting when taking psychedelics recreationally, therapeutically, or ceremoniously  * Going beyond the ups and downs of psychedelics and finding steady peace through practice * The persistent anti-depressant effects of Ketamine and its therapeutic promise * Phil’s ongoing studies with the Ketamine Research Foundation for phantom limb pain, end-of-life care, and menstrual cycle disorders * Mind Manifesting: What exactly happens to the brain on psychedelics? * Phil’s ‘bottom line’: positive intentions and practical guidelines for Ketamine use About Dr. Phil Wolfson: Phil Wolfson MD was Principal Investigator for the MAPS sponsored Phase 2, FDA approved 18-person study of MDMA Assisted Psychotherapy for individuals with significant anxiety due to life threatening illnesses. His clinical practice with ketamine has informed his leadership role in the development of Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy. Phil’s book, The Ketamine Papers [https://www.amazon.com/Ketamine-Papers-Edited-Phil-Wolfson/dp/0998276502], has been published by MAPS and is the seminal work in the burgeoning ketamine arena.  Phil is a sixties activist, psychiatrist/psychotherapist, writer, practicing Buddhist and psychonaut who has lived in the Bay Area for 38 years. He is the author of Noe: A Father/Son Song of Love, Life, Illness and Death [https://www.amazon.com/Noe-Father-Son-Song-Illness-Death/dp/1556439717](2011, North Atlantic Books). He has been awarded five patents for unique herbal medicines. He is a journalist and author of numerous articles on politics, transformation, psychedelics, consciousness and spirit, and was a founding member of the Heffter Research Institute. Phil has taught in the graduate psychology programs at JFK University, CIIS and the UCSF School of Medicine Department of Psychiatry. Phil is the founder and CEO of the Ketamine Research Foundation [https://ketamineresearchfoundation.org] and is committed to making the organization a vibrant contributor to the betterment of human beings through psychedelic psychotherapy. "The work needs to be thought of not as a single episode, but as a therapy. Psychedelic psychotherapy is much quicker than conventional psychotherapy for many reasons, but it needs to have a follow-up, continuation, integration, and work with someone to be effective. That's not to say ketamine on its own doesn't have value, it does." – Dr. Phil Wolfson About Gagan Levy: Gagan Levy is the Founder/CEO of Guru [https://www.weareguru.com], an award-winning creative agency dedicated to serving purpose-driven movements, brands, and organizations. They work with impactful brands like Patagonia, Traditional Medicinals, Nalgene, Non-GMO, The Organic Alliance, Bring Change to Mind and many natural products brands, including EO / Everyone Products, OM Mushroom Superfoods, and REBBL. Gagan also serves as Chief Evangelist at MAHA Global, a platform focused on helping businesses adapt to stakeholder needs using data-driven reputation intelligence. As former Co-chair of Social Venture Circle, one of the country’s most prestigious impact investor and social business communities, Gagan leads the way to a next economy that is regenerative, just, and prosperous for all. Gagan Levy is also a current board member to his prolific teacher Ram Dass’ Love Serve Remember Foundation, he has been instrumental in strategizing how to connect the greatest wisdom keepers of our time to a new generation. 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. 638 – Zen Mind Jewish Mind with Rabbi Rami Shapiro

In this rich conversation bridging Zen and Jewish mysticism, Rabbi Rami Shapiro and Raghu Markus navigate nonduality, the shadow, and the living experience of the divine. Grab a copy of Rabbi Rami’s newest book, Zen Mind Jewish Mind, HERE  [https://www.amazon.com/Zen-Mind-Jewish-Midrash-Living/dp/1958972657] This time on Mindrolling, Raghu and Rabbi Rami discuss: * Veering off from traditional Judaism and into Jewish mysticism  * Nondual awareness as the realm of divine consciousness * Going beyond the dead word and into the living word * Inspiration from Shunryu Suzuki Roshi’s classic Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind [https://www.amazon.com/Zen-Mind-Beginners-Informal-Meditation/dp/1590308492] and Thich Nhat Hanh’s series on How to Live [https://www.amazon.com/How-Live-Boxed-Mindfulness-Essentials/dp/194152947X/ref=sr_1_1?crid=N7VB96QSOQCB&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.Lao6c2XYkNt8cK1OIiz6pHGcUr4HMZmhH10O0oawX2QJ63qmxS7IinRMmZMLZW1IEx5GjrZnxFyv8B2Jbx9ZWhrCfbFzLoSW_4N23MzMHzXiNu65pd8KxWboQooHYurPsabwiT0g_1yZgQEzVtMFgYv9VeaxKf_3HQmkNlVH6QeVVgtJukUn8IRrmYs7XUqHpz6sTHJn7OBA0mfN5XGEGWcR4z5n2QiP6b-VaZ5PRLM.x-cpBrg6rCXEg9vW9zSLgrxD0S3YvZcSqcj0H8yyRxs&dib_tag=se&keywords=thich+nhat+hanh+how+to+series&qid=1773926178&s=books&sprefix=thich+nhat+hanh+how+to+serie%2Cstripbooks%2C110&sr=1-1] * Koan: the Zen practice of exhausting the logical mind to provoke direct, intuitive insight into reality and one's own nature * Recognizing our own shadow rather than pretending it does not exist  * Holding multiple truths at once: there is no other, we are all part of a whole, and we do have differences * How the Kabbalah expresses the name of God in an embodied way * Seeing the divine in all humans and everything in front of us * Special moments with Ram Dass, accepting silence and accepting the moment for what it is About Rabbi Rami Shapiro: Rabbi Rami Shapiro is an award-winning author of over two dozen books on religion and spirituality. He received rabbinical ordination from the Hebrew Union College: Jewish Institute of Religion, and holds a PH.D. from Union Graduate School. A congregational rabbi for 20 years, Rabbi Rami currently co–directs One River Wisdom Schoo [https://new.oneriverfoundation.org/]l, blogs at r writes the foundation’s newsletter, Ask Rabbi Rami, and hosts the foundation’s podcast, Explore Spirituality with Rabbi Rami. Rami is also a contributing editor for Spirituality+Health magazine www.spiritualityhealth.com [http://www.spiritualityhealth.com/] where he writes the advice column Roadside Assistance for the Spiritual Traveler. Rami can be reached at https://www.threads.net/@rabbirami [https://www.threads.net/@rabbirami] "The Jewish meditation practices, the spirituality within Judaism, never or at least rarely gets beyond or slips into the nondual to the extent that you drop the labels, that you drop the tribal. You get Saint Paul saying there is no Jew or Greek, slave or free, male or female, in Christ. To me, that's Christ consciousness, that's Buddha mind. When you reach that level of consciousness, all the labels fall away, your sense of separate self is gone.” –Rabbi Rami Shapiro 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. 637 – Beyond the Veil of Normal Perception with Documentary Filmmaker Dakota Wint

Dakota Wint meets Raghu beyond the veil of normal perception to explore mysticism, altered states, and the fringe of spirituality. Subscribe to Dakota’s new series, The Flower Heads Show, on your favorite podcast app. This time on Mindrolling, Raghu and Dakota explore: * The Aghori people of India and the side of Hinduism a lot of people don't know about * Dr. Robert Svoboda’s trilogy on the Aghori people: At the Left Hand of God [https://www.amazon.com/Aghora-At-Left-Hand-God/dp/8171673422/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0] * Differentiating real prayer from performative rituals * Faith and seeing beyond the veil of our normal perception  * Considering the limits of spirituality and how it is expressed across cultures * Dissolving polarities and seeing the universality of all beings * Taking wisdom from Ram Dass through his posthumous book, There is No Other [https://shop.ramdass.org/products/there-is-no-other] * Realizing that wisdom and spirituality does not require travel or psychedelics * Dakota’s experience with plant medicine in the Amazonian jungle * Faith and remembering the mystery in day-to-day life * The eternal light of the Sadhu and reaching enlightened states without substances You can find Dakota’s documentary, Aghori: Holy Men Of The Dead, free on YouTube: Click Here To Watch [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JDyNvfBQ4Cs&list=PLQxHaGVLAzc45wODdC0jxue56o3U93kPI&index=4] About Dakota Wint: Dakota Wint is a documentary filmmaker, vlogger, podcast host, and spiritual teacher from Detroit, Michigan. His films and podcasts revolve around current events, strange spirituality, and taboo traditions. You can subscribe to his podcast, A Place for Humans, HERE [https://aplaceforhumans.podbean.com/]. Dakota grew to fame as an internet personality via his popular YouTube channel, Dakota of Earth [https://www.youtube.com/dakotawint]. Dakota hosts retreats around the world and runs a non-profit focused on cultural and language preservation. Learn more about current happenings on his website [https://www.dakotawint.com/] “I am just trying to figure out what spirituality is, what the limits of it are, how it expresses itself, are we all talking about the same thing, what can you show me? I go to these places that have these big practices. What do you have to offer? Especially in India, where all these gurus make these big claims, what can you show me? That's what I've been asking myself and anyone I meet.” –Dakota Wint 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. 636 – A Buddhist Guide to Navigating the Chaos of the Digital Age with Vincent Thibault

From Tibetan Buddhism to Bhakti Yoga, Raghu and author Vincent Thibault explore reshaping the mind in our chaotic world. Grab a copy of Vincent’s book: Overflow: A Buddhist Guide to Recovering Sanity in the Age of Information Overload | Vincent Thibault [https://www.vincentthibault.com/overflow] This time on Mindrolling, Raghu and Vincent journey through: * Vincent’s early exposure to literature and the roots of his interest in Eastern philosophy and contemplative traditions * Navigating digital overwhelm and content overload in the modern age * How busyness and productivity culture can numb us to collective suffering * Parkour: a physical, artistic, and spiritually metaphorical discipline  * Suffering as a path to transformation and a deeper connection with God * Drawing connections across many different wisdom traditions * Positive attachment versus attachment that traps us * Those who inspire the trust of our own pure minds * Tibetan Buddhist traditions and the value of learning from multiple teachers * Raghu’s lineage of Bhakti yoga, the yoga of devotion * The Tibetan translation of devotion: interested humility * Training the mind, training the heart, and learning to relate to both inner and outer phenomena  Learn more about Traleg Kyabgon Rinpoche HERE [https://www.tralegrinpoche.org/biography/] and check out his book on karma [https://www.amazon.com/Karma-What-Isnt-Why-Matters/dp/1590308883] About Vincent Thibault: A man of ideas and actions, an amazed traveller, and a defender of what could be called lucid optimism, Vincent Thibault is a Quebec writer and screenwriter. Vincent’s writing takes on many forms, including fantasy, psychological or adventure novels, comic or dramatic scenarios, travel stories, literary short stories, philosophical essays, and translations of Buddhist texts. While his work is incredibly diverse, it revolves around the same key themes: integrity, the quest for wisdom, the relationship to uncertainty, the reconciliation between tradition and modernity, and the power of benevolence in a noisy and busy world. Check out more of Vincent’s writing on his website [https://www.vincentthibault.com/books] which includes both a French and English section. You can also keep up with Vincent on Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/vincentthibaultdotcom]. “Be it just on the cushion for a few minutes a day, if you find a way to make that switch and see difficulties as opportunities, then you can slowly learn to turn everything into the path of enlightenment.” –Vincent Thibault 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. 635 – Inheriting the Lineage: Tulku Urgyen Family Part 2 with David Silver

Continuing their discussion on Tibetan Buddhism and Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche's lineage, David Silver and Raghu Markus chat about carrying forward the wisdom of great masters. Check out part 1 of this conversation on Ep. 627 of the Mindrolling Podcast and grab a copy of Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche’s memoirs, Blazing Splendor [https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Blazing-Splendor/Tulku-Urgyen-Rinpoche/9781614298434], for a deeper look into his magnificent life.  In this episode, Raghu and David chat about: * Being guided toward unconditional love, selflessness, and devotion to the Divine Mother * The role of lineage holders and treasure revealers in Tibetan Buddhism * Tulku Urgyen’s unique style of teaching * Deep humility as an essential spiritual practice * How ‘being here now’ becomes a gateway to embodied wisdom * Releasing skepticism and misunderstanding around the concept of a guru * Honoring great spiritual masters and transmitting their wisdom across generations * The powerful film, Tibet: Cry of the Snow Lion [https://www.amazon.com/Edward-Edwards-Shirley-Knight-Harris/dp/B00064MWJW] * Reaching a state of deathlessness and timeless awareness * Starting our day with compassion for ourselves and others “As soon as I wake up in the morning, I remind myself that nothing exists as it appears. Then I think about sentient beings who want happiness, but experience suffering. I generate compassion for them, determined to help them as much as I can to eliminate their negative emotions.” –The Dalai Lama About David Silver: David Silver is the former co-host of the Mindrolling podcast. He is a filmmaker and director, most recently coming out with Brilliant Disguise [https://www.ramdass.org/brilliantdisguise/]. Brilliant Disguise tells the unique story of a group of inspired Western spiritual seekers from the 60s, who in meeting the great American teacher, Ram Dass, followed him to India to meet his Guru, Neem Karoli Baba, familiarly known as Maharaj-ji. Two days before he left his body, Maharaj-ji instructed K.C. Tewari to take care of the Westerners, which he did resolutely until the day he died in 1997. Silver’s #1 charting MGM/UA/Warners film, “The Compleat Beatles” is the critically acclaimed biopic movie about history’s most famous band. The term ‘rockumentary’ was first applied to this two-hour movie. Rolling Stone recently described the film as a “masterwork.” Silver’s Warner Brothers’ feature film, “No Nukes” also started the whole trend of music/activism feature documentaries. “‘Be Here Now’ is not only Ram Dass’s precept of just be in the present, it’s saying, ‘Be here now, and you’re everywhere. Be here now, and you’re in wisdom.’ If you’re not here now, you’re veering away from wisdom.” — David Silver 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].