He
Walks in Love
“The
next message you need is always right where you are.”
Ram Dass
I was saddened by the
news of Ram Dass' death. His great soul will be missed here. While
Ram Dass was guru to many, what he taught me was to appreciate
everything life brings our way—the good and the bad--equally. It's
all grist for the soul-mill.
What Ram Dass taught most
of his days was love—just that. Love in all its forms; for oneself
as well as for the rest of humanity and the world. He didn't seek fame
and fortune; didn't want to be “relevant” or in the spotlight. He
simply wanted to be a source of love for the planet and its
inhabitants and to teach others how to find love in themselves. He
correctly identified our problem as not being able to let go of our
“unworthiness” long enough to feel loved by the great mystery.
Ram Dass was born into a
Jewish family in Boston in 1931. He adopted the Hindu faith when he
traveled to India in the 1960's and met the guru, Neem Karoli Baba,
who gave him the name, Ram Dass, meaning Child of God. After
returning to the US, he taught, led meditation groups and wrote
books, the most famous of which was Be Here Now. For all of that,
what he said about organized religion was this: “Every religion
is the product of the conceptual mind attempting to describe the
mystery.” And, that mystery
can only be experienced.
Ram Dass taught that love
is our reality, and all else is a facade. He wanted us to “awaken
from the illusion of separateness” and understand that all
things and all beings are connected and interdependent. It is a
teaching that feels true to me. Our ideas about separation and
competition have caused tremendous pain and suffering in this world,
and continue to do so today.
On this Christmas eve, I
pray for the soul of Ram Dass. I know he was a blessing in this life,
and will be in the next, but I miss simply knowing that he's
here on planet Earth sharing the love that was him.
In the Spirit,
Jane
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