I believe we have come into this world to live out our role in the divine drama that is called “Our Life.”  You know that feeling like you’re a character in a movie or play, and you see it changing between drama, comedy, mystery, and, at the worst times, downright horror. All in all, I feel life is about recognizing the characters and scenes we play, yet remembering, just like a movie, all of this is playing out on a screen. If I step back from the scenes with enough distance to watch the movie, I can typically see the nuggets of learning I am meant to receive. It might take time, but the plot does come around full-circle.

If we believe that our primary purpose in life is to learn, grow, and ultimately express our true nature, the role of a master teacher is often helpful. When we are small children, we learn by trial and error, slowly learning how to balance on two feet by falling and getting back up again, pulling ourselves up from a table and feeling the sensation of balancing on two feet and trying again and again until the synapses in the brain fire together and create a new learning – the skill of walking. This is how the machine of the body-brain works. Therefore, wouldn’t it make sense that, just like a guardian or parent who helps encourage a child while they are walking or learning to walk or ride a bike, a spiritual teacher might also help to guide and support us along our spiritual journey?

Defined on Vedic Knowledge Online, the term guru is defined as follows: guru combines ‘gu’ (darkness) and ’ru’ (light). Guru is also translated as “heavy,” as in heavy with spiritual wisdom or knowledge. A guru is a person who is regarded as having great knowledge, wisdom, and authority in a certain area, and uses it to guide others; literally a preceptor who shows others knowledge (light) and destroys ignorance (darkness).

Based on my experience in studying with different teachers over the years, the guru-disciple relationship is one of connection, sincerity, seeking, and finding. I do find the saying “when the student is ready, the teacher will come” is true – it’s like a fundamental cosmic law. A true guru who has found his/her way to the Divine, Supreme Reality, Self, God Realization, or Enlightenment can help show the way, but they can’t do the work for you – only with you, as a guide. They are like the mile markers on a long-distance road trip that simply point you in the right direction and let you know, in general, if you keep going; this is when you know you’re at your destination.

One “New Age” guru, beloved by many, is Ram Dass, who died peacefully in his home in Maui just last month. His life is treasured by many people worldwide, and his strong, physical presence is already missed. Ram Dass (born Richard Alpert) was a major influence on spiritual life for many, as a guru and teacher, and has been for over fifty years. (To read his obituary, click here.) I never had the privilege of meeting Ram Dass, but he mentored Breathe Together Yoga Owner Jennifer Prugh, as well as many of the teachers and students in our studio’s community. It’s almost as if Ram Dass is the wise grandfather mentor to the BTY tribe. 

I have ingested many of his books (see a comprehensive list, below). One of my personal favorites is called Walking Each Other Home, a collection of conversations on loving and dying. In 1997, at the 66-years-old, Ram Dass experienced a hemorrhagic stroke that left him with paralysis and expressive aphasia. I picked it up when I was struggling with the passing of my father, who died at the young age of 64 and was also a trusted guru in my life. I was also drawn to the book because it was a joint project between Ram Dass and one of his students and friends, Mirabai Bush. (A view of Ram Dass’s journey through acceptance and love when this occurred, and as he says he was “stroked,” is captured in the short documentary “Fierce Grace.” I highly recommend watching it.) I’ve included my favorite meditation from the book:

“Just Like Me” Compassion Meditation

First, begin by becoming aware of another human being, either a friend, colleague, neutral person, or someone who presents you with challenge. Imagine seeing him or her in your mind’s eye, and silently repeating these phrases:

• “This person has a body and a mind, just like me.”
• “This person has feelings, emotions, and thoughts, just like me.”
• “This person has experienced physical and emotional pain and suffering, just like me.”
• “This person has, at some time, been sad, disappointed, angry, or hurt, just like me.”
• “This person has felt unworthy or inadequate, just like me.”
• “This person worries and is frightened sometimes, just like me.”
• “This person will die, just like me.”
• “This person has longed for friendship, just like me.”
• “This person is learning about life, just like me.”
• “This person wants to be caring and kind to others, just like me.”
• “This person wants to be content with what life has given them, just like me.”
• “This person wishes to be free from pain and suffering, just like me.”
• “This person wishes to be safe and healthy, just like me.”
• “This person wishes to be happy, just like me.”
• “This person wishes to be loved, just like me.”
• “I wish this person to have the strength, resources, and social support they need to navigate the difficulties in life with ease.”
• “I wish this person to be free from pain and suffering.”
• “I wish this person to be peaceful and happy.”
• “I wish this person to be loved… because this person is a fellow human being, just like me.”

Thank you, Ram Dass/Richard Alpert for all your love, courage, and contributions during your visit on Mother Earth. Sending love as you are free from pain and suffering. May you be peaceful and happy and know how much you have fiercely graced the lives of many.

Check out these popular books by Ram Dass:
• The Psychedelic Experience: A Manual Based on the Tibetan Book of the Dead by Timothy Leary, Richard Alpert and Ralph Metzner (1964, Citadel Press)
• BE HERE NOW (1971, Lama Foundation, distributed by Crown Publishers)
• The Only Dance There Is (1974, Anchor/Doubleday)
• Grist for the Mill, with Stephen Levine (1977, Celestial Arts, 2nd ed. HarperOne)
• Journey of Awakening: A Meditator’s Guidebook, with Dwarka Bonner, Daniel Goleman (1978, Bantam)
• Miracle of Love (1979, E.P. Dutton)
• How Can I Help?, with Paul Gorman (1985, Knopf)
• Compassion in Action: Setting Out on the Path of Service, with Mirabai Bush (1992, Bell Tower)
• Still Here: Embracing Aging, Changing and Dying (2000, Riverhead Books)
• Paths to God: Living the Bhagavad Gita (2004, Harmony Books)
• One-Liners: A Mini-Manual for a Spiritual Life, (2002, Bell Tower)
• Be Love Now: The Path of the Heart, with Rameshwar Das (2010, HarperOne)
• Polishing the Mirror: How to Live from Your Spiritual Heart, with Rameshwar Das (2013, Sounds True)
• Walking Each Other Home, with Mirabai Bush (2018, Sounds True)
• Being Ram Dass, with Rameshwar Das (2021, Sounds True)