Ep. 255 - Fierce Grace and the Many Faces of God, Satsang with Ram Dass and Friends Pt. 2

Ep. 257 - Knowing, Sensing, Relaxing: Guided Meditation with Gil Fronsdal

While offering a guided meditation, Gil Fronsdal traces the movement between knowing, feeling, and relaxing in our practice.  Today’s podcast is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/beherenow [http://betterhelp.com/beherenow] and get on your way to being your best self. This week on the BHNN Guest Podcast, Gil Fronsdal dives into: * The 3 levels of mindfulness practice (knowing, sensing, relaxing) * Considering what it feels like to be thinking  * Knowing the changing phenomena of the moment * Allowing yourself to be both alert and relaxed * Feeling the activation of our thinking minds * Calming the brain and body  "You’re just kind of flowing along with the changing phenomena of the moment. And the changing phenomena of the moment might just be the changing sensations of breathing. You’re just knowing them in a very, very simple way, maybe even a non-cognitive way. You’re not necessarily thinking about them, having words, but you’re really letting it register, this is the changing sensation of breathing." –Gil Fronsdal This episode was originally published on Dharmaseed [https://dharmaseed.org/talks/76257/] 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. 256 - The Ever-Changing Nature of Identity with Coral Short & Vincent Moore

Embracing the ever-changing nature of identity, queer somatic experiencing practitioner Coral Short discusses Buddhism’s place in polyamory, trans-embodiment, and more. Today’s podcast is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/beherenow [http://betterhelp.com/beherenow] and get on your way to being your best self. In this episode, Coral Short and Vincent explore: * Bringing Buddhist insights into polyamory  * Encouraging others to share their truth * Anattā (non-self) and accepting the fluidity of identity and body * Performance art and celebrating community through joint creativity * Digital dharma offerings and eco-somatic hikes * The importance of sangha and exploring what forms of Buddhism resonate with you * The book Transcending: Trans Buddhist Voices [https://www.amazon.com/Transcending-Buddhist-Voices-Kevin-Manders/dp/1623174155] * Taking the practice off the mat and into the world * Coral’s performance art and the somatic element to many of their creative avenues  * The radical act of taking up the full space of your body  This conversation was originally recorded on the Paths of Practice Podcast. Listen to more episodes HERE [https://open.spotify.com/show/1RfF8iAhAQIIm75obrZTN7?si=-cy7UjUERsiqCBJu5WcdqQ&nd=1&dlsi=e550637652124cb9]. “I think I am just at home in my body. I’ve been on testosterone, I’m off testosterone. I'm aging, I had a menopause party with my friends. I am constantly changing, hormones, aging, whether you like it or not everything is changing. This idea when I was younger of an attachment to gender, I remember teachers telling me this gender will shift, and watching gender shift as people age across genders and sexualities is fascinating.” –Coral Short About Coral Short: Coral Short is a queer, non-binary, white settler born in 1973. They completed their Somatic Experiencing Practitioner (SEP) training in March 2023 with Dea Parsanishi. They specialize in working with LGBTQIA+ folks, recovery, activism, creativity, and all forms of radical sexuality. They are a graduated active Community Dharma Teacher at True North Insight in Tiohtià:ke/Montreal and co-lead a weekly Queer Sangha. Coral has been working with the Stretch Festival in Berlin for several years at the Somatische Akademie/ Village Berlin and at the Montreal Somatics Festival. They offer anti-racist courses, somatic workshops, and eco-somatic walks to international communities. They have been an organizer, activist, and artist for the last two decades.For more information about Coral, please visit the following website: https://www.coralshort.com/ [https://www.coralshort.com/] “Knowing that there is that freedom inside my body and that there’s sangha members who also know, people coming together and being like ‘this is possible’. We can be super gay and also in a state of bliss. It is possible to get these glimmers of joy in the body.” –Coral Short About Vincent Moore: Vincent Moore is a creative and creative consultant living in San Francisco, California, with over a decade of experience in the entertainment industry and holds a graduate degree in Buddhist Studies. For years, he performed regularly at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre, an improv and sketch comedy theatre based in New York and Los Angeles. As an actor, Vincent performed on Comedy Central, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, The Late Show with Seth Meyers, Above Average, and The UCB Show on Seeso. As a writer, he developed for television as well as stage, including work with the Blue Man Group, and his own written projects have been featured on websites such as Funny or Die. Additionally, he received a Masters of Buddhist Studies from the Institute of Buddhist Studies with a Certificate in Soto Zen Studies and engages in a personal Buddhist practice within the Soto Zen tradition. Vincent is also the creator and host of the podcast, Paths of Practice, which features interviews with Buddhists from all over the world. Learn more on Vincent’s website HERE [https://www.goodfornothingideas.com/]. 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. 255 - Fierce Grace and the Many Faces of God, Satsang with Ram Dass and Friends Pt. 2

Ram Dass and Uma Reed lovingly explore bhakti yoga, fierce grace, and the spiritual practice of seeing beyond incarnation to the soul in everyone. “I love you. We are in love. We ARE love.” –Ram Dass Recorded in 2008 at Studio Maui, this mini-series features Ram Dass and guests from his satsang. To start at Part 1, click HERE [https://beherenownetwork.com/bhnn-guest-podcast-ep-245-the-wonder-of-aging-satsang-with-ram-dass-and-friends-pt-1/]. In this episode, Uma Reed and Ram Dass share insights on: * The yoga of your life and all roads leading to God * Fierce Grace and reinterpreting ‘negative’ life events  * How Uma met Maharaj-ji in blue light * Hinduism and the many faces of God * Working with the suffering that the mind introduces into our lives * Not mistaking ourselves with our incarnation * Singing, chanting, and being brought closer to God * Bhakti yoga and merging together with the beloved  “Don’t mistake your self with your incarnation. I’m a nurse, I’m a doctor, I'm a student, I’m a yogi. You’re something in this incarnation, but, you really are a soul. You’re a spiritual being. If you are a soul, then you will see souls. If you be one, you will see one and just like that, officer of the law I saw a soul. Your children, souls. Your parents, souls. Your partners, souls. Your enemies, souls. Then, you live in paradise.” –Ram Dass Today’s podcast is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/beherenow [http://betterhelp.com/beherenow] and get on your way to being your best self. About Uma Reed: Uma was first exposed to Hindu devotional chanting in the early 1970s, while studying meditation and spiritual practices with Ram Dass and various other teachers. Kirtan was a practice that touched her deeply, and as a devotee of Neem Karoli Baba, she often participated in kirtan gatherings with fellow devotees, as well as in other ashrams and spiritual communities. For years she held kirtan in her home, and for the past dozen years or so, she has led kirtan formally in yoga studios, spiritual centers, and retreat settings. She has taught workshops and led kirtan on numerous retreats and in satsang with Ram Dass and other spiritual teachers in the U.S. and abroad. “Finally I screamed out loud, 'I’ll do anything for God', and everything stopped and got very clear. There was this, almost like a rain, a very light sprinkle, and everything was completely peaceful. My mind was completely quiet. I opened my eyes and sitting in the room was Neem Karoli Baba. This was not a dream, not a vision, he was sitting there, bathed in blue light. I was looking at him and I noticed that he wasn't speaking out loud, but he was mouthing some words. I understood I was to repeat it with him. I realized he was saying Om Namah Shivaya.” –Uma Reed 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. 254 - CALM with Trudy Goodman

Teaching listeners to incline the mind towards peacefulness, Trudy Goodman offers practical ways to be calm and experience the blessings of tranquility. Today’s podcast is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/beherenow [http://betterhelp.com/beherenow] and get on your way to being your best self. In this episode, Trudy Goodman holds a talk on: * Calm as a factor of enlightenment  * Having an intimate connection with our own experience * Practical ways to calm down  * Making our lives a living vigil of silence  * Being in the holding presence of another * The mothering nature of mindfulness * How metta brings us self-compassion and calm  * Inclining the mind towards practice and peacefulness * Witnessing the blessings of tranquility This was recorded at Spirit Rock [https://www.spiritrock.org] and was originally published on Dharmaseed [https://dharmaseed.org/talks/12107/] About Trudy Goodman: Trudy is a Vipassana teacher in the Theravada lineage and the Founding Teacher of InsightLA [https://insightla.org/]. For 25 years, in Cambridge, MA, Trudy practiced mindfulness-based psychotherapy with children, teenagers, couples and individuals. Trudy conducts retreats, engages in activism work, and teaches workshops worldwide and online. She is also the voice of Trudy the Love Barbarian in the Netflix series, The Midnight Gospel. You can learn more about Trudy’s flourishing array of wonderful offerings at TrudyGoodman.com [https://www.trudygoodman.com/] “One person happily reported in our meeting, I asked, ‘What is happening in your practice? How are you doing?’ This person said, ‘Nothing, nothing is happening. It took 30 days, but finally nothing is happening.’ This is calm. It’s really very neutral.” –Trudy Goodman 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. 253 - Metta for Self and Others with Gil Fronsdal

Resting in the field of love that ‘just is’, Gil Fronsdal explores how to live for the benefit of both self and others. Today’s podcast is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/beherenow [http://betterhelp.com/beherenow] and get on your way to being your best self. This week on the BHNN Guest Podcast, Gil Fronsdal explores: * Resting in the field of love without expectations  * Love that does not require anything of others * Appreciating the simplicity of love through the simplicity of awareness  * What the Buddha said about becoming a wise person * Living for the benefit of both self and others * The selfless nature of parenting  * Understanding the circle of ‘we’ and the dynamics of family, society, and being a part of a whole * Taking time to be with reality rather than immediately responding and reacting  This episode was originally recorded at a family retreat and published on Dharmaseed [https://dharmaseed.org/talks/28900/] About Gil Fronsdal: Gil Fronsdal is the co-teacher for the Insight Meditation Center in Redwood City, California; he has been teaching since 1990. He has practiced Zen and Vipassana in the U.S. and Asia since 1975. He was a Theravada monk in Burma in 1985, and in 1989 began training with Jack Kornfield to be a Vipassana teacher. Gil teaches at Spirit Rock Meditation Center [http://www.spiritrock.org/] where he is part of its Teachers Council. Gil was ordained as a Soto Zen priest at the San Francisco Zen Center [http://www.sfzc.org/] in 1982, and in 1995 received Dharma Transmission from Mel Weitsman, the abbot of the Berkeley Zen Center. He currently serves on the SF Zen Center Elders’ Council. In 2011, he founded IMC’s Insight Retreat Center [http://www.insightretreatcenter.org/]. He is the author of The Issue at Hand [http://www.insightmeditationcenter.org/books-articles/the-issue-at-hand/], essays on mindfulness practice; A Monastery Within [http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0984509216]; a book on the five hindrances called Unhindered [http://www.amazon.com/Unhindered-Mindful-Path-Through-Hindrances/dp/0989833402/]; and the translator of The Dhammapada [http://www.insightmeditationcenter.org/books-articles/dhammapada/], published by Shambhala Publications. You may listen to Gil’s talks on Audio Dharma [http://www.audiodharma.org/teacher/1/]. “Love that just is, it’s not something that requires something of others. It doesn’t require them to be any particular way, to perform, to reciprocate, love is just there.” –Gil Fronsdal 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].