on 22 december last year ram dass died at 88. many of us know him as a remarkable spiritual teacher who had witnessed, and fostered, seismic changes in the landscape of western spirituality. today’s blog post is devoted to some of his teachings. he gave us much to guide us on the journey from olders to elders.
"Old age is rife with change. Old age is training you in change: change in your body, of relationships, change of your energy, change in your role. The last part of your life is sensational; yum, yum, yum. Ego things calm down and wisdom comes forth. And compassion comes forth—compassion for yourself, compassion for others, compassion for the world."“In yoga, one of the methods is called 'contentment'. That’s not a goal, that’s a method.I can be content this moment, and the next moment I’m moving toward something else. When I am here I am content, when I am here I am content, when I am here I am content. So even though you are going to change something the next minute, that doesn’t mean you change it out of discontent. It changes because it changes.That is the basis that you do everything in yoga.”“You go from using the spiritual journey in the service of your psychodynamics to using your psychodynamics in the service of your spiritual journey.”“The stroke has given me another way to serve people. It lets me feel more deeply the pain of others; to help them know by example that ultimately, whatever happens, no harm can come. 'Death is perfectly safe,' I like to say.”
ram dass with rabbi zalman schachter-shalomi with ram dass. they were close friends for many years and together created a new paradigm for eldering.