Re: From Ram Dass to Christ

[Guest guest]

Missed you tonight….. goodnight……bless you dear one and thank

you…Jacqui

:

[mailto: ] On

Behalf Of

Sent: Wednesday, May 28, 2008 1:39 AM

Subject: [] From Ram Dass to Christ

From Ram Dass

to Christ

or What a 1960s Guru Can Teach Us About Real Christianity

by Nick

Portrait

of Ram Dass by

Starks

Who

is Ram Dass?

Being a Christian is not easy. It is a lot like going through school. The more

progress you make, the more you realize how far you have to go†" and how

unbelievably desperate you were before you started. Only the most immature

Christians think they are righteous. Really being a Christian means that you

are striving to do no less than become one with the Holy. Not an easy goal to

achieve, to say the least.

Despite my numerous shortcomings I am a recipient of God’s grace, and I am

blessedly aware of this grace most of the time. I try to express my gratitude

by attempting to do what Christ has commanded me to do: Truly love God and seek

Him first in everything that I do, truly love my neighbor no matter how many

times they injure me, truly forgive as I have been forgiven. These things are

very difficult to do…which brings me to Ram Dass.

Ram Dass personifies what I strive to become as a Christian. He

does not just talk the talk, he truly walks the walk. More than anyone

else I can name (and I have been blessed with many saints in my life) he has

taught me how

to be a Christian.

Several years ago my spiritual life was at a crossroads. I was praised for

service to my community and knowledge of the bible; some people even regarded

me as wise. At the same time, my interior life was drying up. Nonetheless my

ego was so enjoying the accolades that I was blinded to my inner failings.

There was no spark, no joy, no

connection to the holy. I compensated by doing more, earning

more praise, and becoming increasingly frantic. I was talking the talk and

appearing to walk the walk, but God knew better.

I was trapped. I knew all the right answers; I knew all the things I should be

doing, but I did not know how to do them. How can I put God first? I am worried about me!

How do I love my neighbor as myself? I

could barely stand my neighbor. My neighbor was driving me crazy!

The harder “Iâ€Â

tried, the more I failed.

Just before I completely lost it (or was it after I had lost it?) my wife

introduced me to Ram Dass. We saw a flyer and realized we were going to miss

hearing him speak at Grace Cathedral (a beautiful church in the heart of San

Francisco) by one week. We were vaguely familiar with this guy†" wasn’t

he some sort of Sixties guru, some sort of icon? My wife responded by reading

his classic Be Here Now.

Barely into it, she told me I had to read it too. She quoted a few passages. We

both read the book. It changed our lives.

That book led to others. Since that time, I have also listened to numerous Ram

Dass tapes, heard him speak live, and even managed a personal meeting. From him

I have learned how to be a real Christian. In God’s cosmic sense of humor, I

learned from a man who does not label himself a Christian. Ram Dass refuses to

label himself at all. I once told him that while his language was different

from what I was used to hearing, his message seemed to be very Christian. I

asked him if I was onto something or if I was crazy. He laughed heartily and

said, “You are onto something.â€Â

It is literally impossible to convey in words what must be learned beyond

words. What follows are some hints of something wonderful:

How do I love God with every fiber

of my being? Know Him.

How do I know God?

Spend

time with Him.

How do I spend time with God? Observe the

Sabbath. Not literally but realize that one of the Ten Commandments is to

set aside one seventh of our time to be with God. It is good to talk to

God, to tell Him of my needs, desires, hopes, and needs. It is even better

to listen to Him.

How do I listen to God? “BE STILL

and KNOW that I am God.†Learn to be still by meditation. As I became

more aware of God’s creation, I began to know the Creator.

How do I deal with the paradox of

seeking God? All I want to do is be with God. How do I go back

into the world? Let go. Let God. Ram Dass helped me understand what Christ

was saying in Mark 8: 34-37 and 15: 1-17: Surrender all things to God.

Give up what you think your life is (it’s not about the mortgage, paying

taxes, winning a game, getting a promotion, or what your neighbor thinks

of you), and then you shall truly live. You cannot do a thing apart from

Me (CHRIST). Through Me (Christ) you can do all things so let Me (Christ)

help you.

How do I understand what it is all

about? “The

way is the way is the way.†God calls out to us to be one with

Him. Christ and God are one. We can be one with God through Christ. Our

very lives are

a path to this end. That is what it is all about. We must be still to

truly understand and experience this divine blessing.

How do I love my neighbor as myself? Realize (by

being still and knowing God) that we are created in His image. We are egos

(fathers, sons, mothers, daughters, teachers, students, whatever labels we

wear at any point in time), but we are also souls. When we dislike our

neighbor, what we’re really doing is disliking our neighbor’s actions,

our neighbor’s ego. The same is true when we dislike ourselves. What we

have to realize is that we and our neighbor are souls. Our souls are

eternal, just as God’s Kingdom is eternal. When we realize that the

person who is so upsetting us is a soul and we relate to them on the soul

level instead of the ego level, then we discover compassion, we can love

them, we can love ourselves.

How do I truly forgive, especially

when the offense is repeated without remorse? Forgiveness is

a holy act. To do so sincerely means that we have to be connected to the

Holy. By being still, by being alone with God, we begin to realize we are

all children of God. We are all souls. It becomes much easier to forgive

someone when we identify them primarily as a soul instead of as an ego

that has hurt us. We begin to have compassion for them because we realize

that they are prisoners to their ego. We begin to see them as God sees

them. We begin to see ourselves as God sees us. We begin to be able to

forgive ourselves as well as others.

Ram Dass

has shown me how to be a Christian both through the example of his life and the

insights he has shared in his writings and lectures. Fortunately, he is quite

prolific, so there is much rich material. I would recommend starting with Be

Here Now. He lectures frequently but he is not a young man. If he is speaking

near you, go see him.

Who is Ram

Dass?

ABOUT

THE ARTIST:

Starks is an artist living and working in Memphis, Tennessee.

copyright

©2005 explorefaith.org

[Guest guest]

That is fine, Jacqui , I will try again tomorrow..:-) hope my voice will be even better tomorrow. No, Thank you for being patient with me.LianeNight my friend!On Tue, May 27, 2008 at 10:43 PM, Jacqui <DIVAOFDIVINITY@...> wrote:

Missed you tonight….. goodnight……bless you dear one and thank

you…Jacqui

:

[mailto: ] On

Behalf Of

Sent: Wednesday, May 28, 2008 1:39 AM

Subject: [] From Ram Dass to Christ

From Ram Dass

to Christ

or What a 1960s Guru Can Teach Us About Real Christianity

by Nick

Portrait

of Ram Dass by

Starks

Who

is Ram Dass?

Being a Christian is not easy. It is a lot like going through school. The more

progress you make, the more you realize how far you have to go†" and how

unbelievably desperate you were before you started. Only the most immature

Christians think they are righteous. Really being a Christian means that you

are striving to do no less than become one with the Holy. Not an easy goal to

achieve, to say the least.

Despite my numerous shortcomings I am a recipient of God’s grace, and I am

blessedly aware of this grace most of the time. I try to express my gratitude

by attempting to do what Christ has commanded me to do: Truly love God and seek

Him first in everything that I do, truly love my neighbor no matter how many

times they injure me, truly forgive as I have been forgiven. These things are

very difficult to do…which brings me to Ram Dass.

Ram Dass personifies what I strive to become as a Christian. He

does not just talk the talk, he truly walks the walk. More than anyone

else I can name (and I have been blessed with many saints in my life) he has

taught me how

to be a Christian.

Several years ago my spiritual life was at a crossroads. I was praised for

service to my community and knowledge of the bible; some people even regarded

me as wise. At the same time, my interior life was drying up. Nonetheless my

ego was so enjoying the accolades that I was blinded to my inner failings.

There was no spark, no joy, no

connection to the holy. I compensated by doing more, earning

more praise, and becoming increasingly frantic. I was talking the talk and

appearing to walk the walk, but God knew better.

I was trapped. I knew all the right answers; I knew all the things I should be

doing, but I did not know how to do them. How can I put God first? I am worried about me!

How do I love my neighbor as myself? I

could barely stand my neighbor. My neighbor was driving me crazy!

The harder “I†tried, the more I failed.

Just before I completely lost it (or was it after I had lost it?) my wife

introduced me to Ram Dass. We saw a flyer and realized we were going to miss

hearing him speak at Grace Cathedral (a beautiful church in the heart of San

Francisco) by one week. We were vaguely familiar with this guy†" wasn’t

he some sort of Sixties guru, some sort of icon? My wife responded by reading

his classic Be Here Now.

Barely into it, she told me I had to read it too. She quoted a few passages. We

both read the book. It changed our lives.

That book led to others. Since that time, I have also listened to numerous Ram

Dass tapes, heard him speak live, and even managed a personal meeting. From him

I have learned how to be a real Christian. In God’s cosmic sense of humor, I

learned from a man who does not label himself a Christian. Ram Dass refuses to

label himself at all. I once told him that while his language was different

from what I was used to hearing, his message seemed to be very Christian. I

asked him if I was onto something or if I was crazy. He laughed heartily and

said, “You are onto something.â€

It is literally impossible to convey in words what must be learned beyond

words. What follows are some hints of something wonderful:

How do I love God with every fiber

of my being? Know Him.

How do I know God?

Spend

time with Him.

How do I spend time with God? Observe the

Sabbath. Not literally but realize that one of the Ten Commandments is to

set aside one seventh of our time to be with God. It is good to talk to

God, to tell Him of my needs, desires, hopes, and needs. It is even better

to listen to Him.

How do I listen to God? “BE STILL

and KNOW that I am God.†Learn to be still by meditation. As I became

more aware of God’s creation, I began to know the Creator.

How do I deal with the paradox of

seeking God? All I want to do is be with God. How do I go back

into the world? Let go. Let God. Ram Dass helped me understand what Christ

was saying in Mark 8: 34-37 and 15: 1-17: Surrender all things to God.

Give up what you think your life is (it’s not about the mortgage, paying

taxes, winning a game, getting a promotion, or what your neighbor thinks

of you), and then you shall truly live. You cannot do a thing apart from

Me (CHRIST). Through Me (Christ) you can do all things so let Me (Christ)

help you.

How do I understand what it is all

about? “The

way is the way is the way.†God calls out to us to be one with

Him. Christ and God are one. We can be one with God through Christ. Our

very lives are

a path to this end. That is what it is all about. We must be still to

truly understand and experience this divine blessing.

How do I love my neighbor as myself? Realize (by

being still and knowing God) that we are created in His image. We are egos

(fathers, sons, mothers, daughters, teachers, students, whatever labels we

wear at any point in time), but we are also souls. When we dislike our

neighbor, what we’re really doing is disliking our neighbor’s actions,

our neighbor’s ego. The same is true when we dislike ourselves. What we

have to realize is that we and our neighbor are souls. Our souls are

eternal, just as God’s Kingdom is eternal. When we realize that the

person who is so upsetting us is a soul and we relate to them on the soul

level instead of the ego level, then we discover compassion, we can love

them, we can love ourselves.

How do I truly forgive, especially

when the offense is repeated without remorse? Forgiveness is

a holy act. To do so sincerely means that we have to be connected to the

Holy. By being still, by being alone with God, we begin to realize we are

all children of God. We are all souls. It becomes much easier to forgive

someone when we identify them primarily as a soul instead of as an ego

that has hurt us. We begin to have compassion for them because we realize

that they are prisoners to their ego. We begin to see them as God sees

them. We begin to see ourselves as God sees us. We begin to be able to

forgive ourselves as well as others.

Ram Dass

has shown me how to be a Christian both through the example of his life and the

insights he has shared in his writings and lectures. Fortunately, he is quite

prolific, so there is much rich material. I would recommend starting with Be

Here Now. He lectures frequently but he is not a young man. If he is speaking

near you, go see him.

Who is Ram

Dass?

ABOUT

THE ARTIST:

Starks is an artist living and working in Memphis, Tennessee.

copyright

©2005 explorefaith.org

-- " Faith is the bird that feels the light when the dawn is still dark. " Rabindranath Tagore

[Guest guest]

Excellent Post! BE HERE NOW! Much Love Mark <liane@...> wrote: From Ram Dass to Christor What a 1960s Guru Can Teach Us About Real

Christianityby Nick Portrait of Ram Dass by Starks Who is Ram Dass? Being a Christian is not easy. It is a lot like going through school. The more progress you make, the more you realize how far you have to goâ€"and how unbelievably desperate you were before you started. Only the most immature Christians think they are righteous. Really being a Christian means that you are striving to do no less than become one with the Holy. Not an easy goal to achieve, to say the least.Despite my numerous shortcomings I am a recipient of God’s grace, and I am blessedly aware of this grace most of the time. I try to express my gratitude by attempting to do what Christ has commanded me to do: Truly love God and seek Him first in everything that I do, truly love my neighbor no matter how many times they injure me, truly forgive as I have been forgiven. These things are very difficult to do…which brings me to Ram Dass.Ram Dass personifies what I strive to become as a Christian. He does not just talk the talk, he truly walks the walk. More than anyone else I can name (and I have been blessed with many saints in my life) he has taught me how to be a Christian.Several years ago my spiritual life was at a

crossroads. I was praised for service to my community and knowledge of the bible; some people even regarded me as wise. At the same time, my interior life was drying up. Nonetheless my ego was so enjoying the accolades that I was blinded to my inner failings. There was no spark, no joy, no connection to the holy. I compensated by doing more, earning more praise, and becoming increasingly frantic. I was talking the talk and appearing to walk the walk, but God knew better.I was trapped. I knew all the right answers; I knew all the things I should be doing, but I did not know how to do them. How can I put God first? I am worried about me! How do I love my neighbor as myself? I could barely stand my neighbor. My neighbor was driving me crazy! The harder “I†tried, the more I failed. Just before I completely lost it (or was it after I had lost it?) my wife introduced me to Ram Dass. We saw a flyer and realized we were going

to miss hearing him speak at Grace Cathedral (a beautiful church in the heart of San Francisco) by one week. We were vaguely familiar with this guyâ€"wasn’t he some sort of Sixties guru, some sort of icon? My wife responded by reading his classic Be Here Now. Barely into it, she told me I had to read it too. She quoted a few passages. We both read the book. It changed our lives.That book led to others. Since that time, I have also listened to numerous Ram Dass tapes, heard him speak live, and even managed a personal meeting. From him I have learned how to be a real Christian. In God’s cosmic sense of humor, I learned from a man who does not label himself a Christian. Ram Dass refuses to label himself at all. I once told him that while his language was different from what I was used to hearing, his message seemed to be very Christian. I asked him if I was onto something or if I was crazy. He laughed heartily and said, “You are onto

something.â€It is literally impossible to convey in words what must be learned beyond words. What follows are some hints of something wonderful: How do I love God with every fiber of my being? Know Him. How do I know God? Spend time with Him. How do I spend time with God? Observe the Sabbath. Not literally but realize that one of the Ten Commandments is to set aside one seventh of our time to be with God. It is good to talk to God, to tell Him of my needs, desires, hopes, and needs. It is even better to listen to Him. How do I listen to God? “BE STILL and KNOW that I am God.†Learn to be still by meditation. As I became more aware of God’s creation, I began to know the Creator. How do I deal with the paradox of seeking God? All I want to do is be with God. How do I go back into the world? Let go. Let God. Ram Dass helped me understand what Christ was saying in Mark 8: 34-37 and 15: 1-17: Surrender all things to God. Give up what you think your life is (it’s not about the mortgage, paying taxes, winning a game, getting a promotion, or what your neighbor thinks of you), and then you shall truly live. You cannot do a thing apart from Me (CHRIST). Through Me (Christ) you can do all things so let Me (Christ) help you. How do I understand what it is all about? “The way is the way is the way.†God calls out to us to be one with Him. Christ and God are one. We can be one with God through Christ. Our very lives are a path to this end. That is what it is all about. We must be still to truly understand and experience this divine blessing. How do I love my neighbor as myself? Realize (by being still and knowing God) that we are created in His image. We are egos (fathers, sons, mothers, daughters, teachers, students, whatever labels we wear at any point in time), but we are also souls. When we dislike our neighbor, what we’re really doing is disliking our neighbor’s actions, our

neighbor’s ego. The same is true when we dislike ourselves. What we have to realize is that we and our neighbor are souls. Our souls are eternal, just as God’s Kingdom is eternal. When we realize that the person who is so upsetting us is a soul and we relate to them on the soul level instead of the ego level, then we discover compassion, we can love them, we can love ourselves. How do I truly forgive, especially when the offense is repeated without remorse? Forgiveness is a holy act. To do so sincerely means that we have to be connected to the Holy. By being still, by being alone with God, we begin to realize we are all children of God. We are all souls. It becomes much easier to forgive someone when we identify them primarily as a soul instead of as an ego that has hurt us. We begin to have compassion for them because we realize that they are

prisoners to their ego. We begin to see them as God sees them. We begin to see ourselves as God sees us. We begin to be able to forgive ourselves as well as others. Ram Dass has shown me how to be a Christian both through the example of his life and the insights he has shared in his writings and lectures. Fortunately, he is quite prolific, so there is much rich material. I would recommend starting with Be Here Now. He lectures frequently but he is not a young man. If he is speaking near you, go see him. Who is Ram Dass? ABOUT THE ARTIST: Starks is an artist living and working in Memphis, Tennessee. copyright ©2005

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