Be Here Now Network Guest Podcast

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Ep. 189 - Ram Dass Explorer's Club: Music as a Bridge to the Ethereal with East Forest, Marisa Radha Weppner & Jackie Dobrinska
On this episode of the BHNN Guest Podcast, East Forest and Marisa Radha Weppner discuss the role of song in psychedelics and explore how the ethereal can be accessed through music.In this episode, East Forest and Marisa Radha Weppner discuss:The many ways we can arrive at non-ordinary statesThe power of intention when making musicHow music can act as a bridge to the etherealHow music can influence emotional states and brain statesMusic as a birthright and how anyone can be and is a musicianThe exponential growth rate of societyReclaiming creativity as a necessary technologyPsychedelics and music as propellers into a trance stateTruly giving ourselves over to the musicHaving a guide or therapist to work withThe impact of intention and set and settingAbout East Forest:East Forest is a multidisciplinary artist, producer, and ceremony guide. Since 2008, East Forest’s “lush” (Rolling Stone) and “blissful” (NPR) music has blended ambient, neoclassical, electronic, and avant-pop to explore sound as a tool for inner journeys and consciousness expansion. Known for being the first musician to collaborate with Ram Dass, his latest endeavor is the feature-length film Music for Mushrooms, a narrative documentary showcasing the transformative power of psychedelics, music, and community.“If you think about psychedelic ceremonies across human history, almost all of them were guided by songs and music. The same thing is used in the background of stores, birthday parties, weddings, working out, music is everywhere. But, it is the one thing that guides a ceremony typically. It could be been dancing, it could’ve been you always walk, no, it’s music. It’s showing us the power and potential of how it’s deeply connected to non-dual, to the mystery itself, it’s a kind of bridge.” – East ForestAbout Marisa Radha Weppner:Marisa Radha Weppner is a mom, author, Somatic Experiencing Practitioner, DJ, teacher, minister, psychedelic therapist, community organizer, life coach, podcaster, and entrepreneur. She has taught yoga since 2002. Known for her authentic self-expression, she empowers others to embody their soul’s wisdom, bringing a real-world mix of eastern spirituality and western psychology to her students. Her online yoga classes and book “Vinyasa Yoga Made Simple: 27 days of Self Discovery” are available through udaya.com. You can listen to her meditation album “Guidance” on all streaming platforms, or tune into her podcast Love, Service, Wisdom.“I bet if we go back in human history there wasn’t even a word for musician it was just what we all did as humans together. Now, it’s become something different that we are or aren’t, that we relegate to a certain subset of the population. But I would say we all are musicians and part of our awakening takes us back to that.” – Marisa Radha WeppnerAbout Jackie Dobrinska:Jackie Dobrinska is the Director of Education, Community & Inclusion for Ram Dass’ Love, Serve, Remember Foundation and the current host of Ram Dass’ Here & Now podcast. She is also a teacher, coach, and spiritual director with the privilege of marrying two decades of mystical studies with 15 years of expertise in holistic wellness. As an inter-spiritual minister, Jackie was ordained in Creation Spirituality in 2016 and has also studied extensively in several other lineages – the plant-medicine-based Pachakuti Mesa Tradition, Sri Vidya Tantra, Western European Shamanism, Christian Mysticism, the Wise Woman Tradition, and others. Today, in addition to building courses and community for LSRF, she leads workshops and coaches individuals to discover, nourish and live from their most authentic selves. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
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Ep. 188 - Buddhist Training as Parents with Gil Fronsdal
In this retreat recording, Gil Fronsdal applies Buddhism to parenting and explains family life as one of the best forms of practice.Today’s podcast is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/beherenow and get on your way to being your best self.This time on the BHNN Guest Podcast, Gil Fronsdal explains:Buddhism as a training for all aspects of our livesFinding balance, freedom, and compassion in the day-to-dayFamily and children as one of the greatest forms of practiceEquanimity as the crown jewel of BuddhismHow children are more influenced by how we are rather than what we sayOur emotional presence as an integral part of our children’s developmentHow anger and anxiety can pass onto our childrenStepping back and looking at our prioritiesTaking responsibility to show up for practiceControlling ourselves and staying presentBeing accepting and allowing our children to be themselvesMaking space when our children say hurtful thingsGil’s own stories and examples as a fatherModeling equanimity and acceptance towards ourselvesAbout 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 where he is part of its Teachers Council. Gil was ordained as a Soto Zen priest at the San Francisco Zen Center 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. Gil has an undergraduate degree in agriculture from U.C. Davis where he was active in promoting the field of sustainable farming. In 1998 he received a PhD in Religious Studies from Stanford University studying the earliest developments of the bodhisattva ideal. He is the author of The Issue at Hand, essays on mindfulness practice; A Monastery Within; a book on the five hindrances called Unhindered; and the translator of The Dhammapada, published by Shambhala Publications. You may listen to Gil’s talks on Audio Dharma.“We can’t really control the world and there are enough times we can’t control our children. But, we can control ourselves, or part of ourselves. When we can’t control the situation around us, can we at least monitor ourselves enough so that we can stay balanced, not caught, not lost, not distracted, but really stay present in an effective way?” – Gil FronsdalSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
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Ep. 187 - Relationship as Spiritual Healing with Stephen & Ondrea Levine
Defining relationships as a triangle between God, Self, and Other, Stephen and Ondrea Levine discuss opening and softening our hearts.Today’s podcast is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/beherenow and get on your way to being your best self.In this archival episode, Stephen and Ondrea Levine explore:How relationships open our hearts in hellThe difficulty in relationships as a path to purificationHow easy it is to be in a relationship, how hard it is to relateRelationships as a triangle between God, Other, and SelfHow fear and cruelty dissolves in a willingness to approach the truthTrying to let go of what keeps hearts separateDying into life, letting the heart burst, and going onPractices that help us connect to ourselves and to forgiveThe tremendous work we can do at homeHealing parental relationshipsHow grief keeps us separateEach moment of love as complete and preciousLearning how to love by watching how unloving we often areAbout Stephen & Ondrea Levine:Stephen Levine was an American poet, author and Buddhist teacher best known for his work on death and dying. He was a friend and colleague to many Be Here Now Network Teachers. Along with Jack Kornfield, Joseph Goldstein and Sharon Salzberg, Stephen is responsible for making the teachings of Theravada Buddhism more widely available to students in the West. He also helped establish the Living/Dying Project with RamDev and Ram Dass.For over thirty-two years, Stephen and his wife Ondrea Levine provided emotional and spiritual support for those who are life-threatened, and for caregivers. Through their healing and forgiveness workshops, many writings, and endless compassion, Stephen and Ondrea have touched the lives of thousands of people all over the world. They are the authors of numerous books, including Who Dies, Embracing the Beloved, and A Year to Live, among others. Find more talks and writings from Stephen and Ondrea at levinetalks.com.“Relationship offers us an opportunity to open our heart in hell. The difficulty of relationship is one of its most exquisite opportunities for purification, for healing.” – Stephen LevineSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
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Ep. 186 - Metta with Breath and Body with Trudy Goodman
Trudy Goodman introduces listeners to the Brahmavihārās through an affectionate breath practice and a loving-kindness body scan.Today’s podcast is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/beherenow and get on your way to being your best self.This week on the BHNN Guest Podcast, Buddhist teacher Trudy Goodman explores:The Brahmavihārās: love, compassion, joy and equanimityRe-parenting ourselves through practiceThe feeling of being soothed, comforted, and safetyOffering loving kindness to our bodyGratitude for the breath and all it does to support usThe breath as a river of blessings that is always here for usHow the Brahmavihārās infuse and suffuse our beingA loving-kindness body scanAbout Trudy Goodman:Trudy is a Vipassana teacher in the Theravada lineage and the Founding Teacher of InsightLA. For 25 years, in Cambridge, MA, Trudy practiced mindfulness-based psychotherapy with children, teenagers, couples and individuals. Trudy conducts retreats and workshops worldwide.Learn more about Trudy’s offerings at trudygoodman.comThis recording was originally published on DharmaseedYou will notice that the breath is so exquisitely attuned. When we’re upset we tend to breath rapidly. When we’re at peace the breath slows down. We don’t have to do anything. This is one of the ways we are loved and supported by the breath. You don’t have to make it happen, you don’t have to create it.” – Trudy GoodmanSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
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Ep. 185 - Ram Dass Explorer's Club: Integrating Psychedelic Wisdom with Spring Washam & Jackie Dobrinska
In this episode of the Ram Dass Explorer’s Club, Buddhist teacher Spring Washam delves into the real work that comes before and after a journey with plant medicine.Today’s podcast is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/beherenow and get on your way to being your best self.This conversation was recorded as part of the Ram Dass Explorer’s club. To learn more and sign up to join a Ram Dass fellowship gathering near you, visit RamDass.org/Fellowship.In this episode, Spring Washam and Jackie Dobrinska explore:Medicine as the gateway, practice as the real workAwakening to the truth of interconnectednessMetta, the loving-kindness practice / four qualities of heart and mindThe liberation that can be found within communityMoving away from hyper-independence and giving more value to loveThinking about our ‘why’ when it comes to using psychedelicsLearning how to love ourselves, each other, and this broken worldThe future of psychedelic legalization and the destruction of systemsComing back to meditation, devotion, and chantingA Q&A session with listeners on trauma, patterns, set & setting, and moreAbout Spring Washam:Spring Washam is a well-known teacher, author, and visionary leader based in Oakland, California. She is the author of A Fierce Heart: Finding Strength, Courage and Wisdom in Any Moment and her newest book, The Spirit of Harriet Tubman: Awakening from the Underground. Spring is considered a pioneer in bringing mindfulness-based meditation practices to diverse communities. She is one of the founding teachers at the East Bay Meditation Center, located in downtown Oakland, CA. She has practiced and studied Buddhist philosophy in both the Theravada and Tibetan schools of Buddhism since 1999. She is a member of the teacher’s council at Spirit Rock Meditation Center in northern California where she was trained for over a decade.In addition to being a teacher, she is also a shamanic practitioner and has studied indigenous healing practices since 2008. She is the founder of Lotus Vine Journeys, a one-of-a-kind organization that blends indigenous healing practices with Buddhist wisdom in South America. Her writings and dharma teachings have appeared in many online journals and publications. She currently teaches meditation retreats and leads workshops, and classes worldwide.Spring currently teaches meditation retreats and leads workshops, and classes worldwide: springwasham.com and is cohost of her own podcast on Be Here Now Network, The Spirit Underground.About Jackie Dobrinska:Jackie Dobrinska is the Director of Education, Community & Inclusion for Ram Dass’ Love, Serve, Remember Foundation and the current host of Ram Dass’ Here & Now podcast. She is also a teacher, coach, and spiritual director with the privilege of marrying two decades of mystical studies with 15 years of expertise in holistic wellness. As an inter-spiritual minister, Jackie was ordained in Creation Spirituality in 2016 and has also studied extensively in several other lineages – the plant-medicine-based Pachakuti Mesa Tradition, Sri Vidya Tantra, Western European Shamanism, Christian Mysticism, the Wise Woman Tradition, and others. Today, in addition to building courses and community for LSRF, she leads workshops and coaches individuals to discover, nourish and live from their most authentic selves. “The medicine is the gateway but the practice is the real work. Nothing is real until it’s lived.” – Spring WashamSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
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The Be Here Now Network Guest Podcast features dharma talks from a rotating lineup of contributors like: Roshi Joan Halifax, Mirabai Starr, Gil Fronsdal, Mirabai Bush, and so many more!

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