Ep. 290 – The Balance Between Emptiness and Compassion

Ram Dass Here And Now

Ram Dass / Love Serve Remember

Ram Dass, Religion & Spirituality, Newage, Wisdom, Society & Culture, Ram, Ramdass, Hinduism, Spirituality

4.8 • 2.7K Ratings

🗓️ 3 November 2025

⏱️ 55 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Ram Dass talks about finding a balance between emptiness and compassion, then answers questions from the audience, including on how to deal with fear around current events.

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This episode of Here and Now comes from a weekend workshop Ram Dass held in San Jose, CA, in May of 1992, not long after the LA riots took place:

Ram Dass begins by discussing how it can be difficult to find a balance between the plane of emptiness and the plane of compassion. He talks about the paradox of seeing suffering as grace and still working to ease the suffering of those around us.
Ram Dass takes questions from the audience, including about seeing synchronicities, practicing compassion with people who are hard to love, whether consciousness survives death, and how to best honor the guru.
The final question is about dealing with fear related to current events, particularly the LA riots that had just happened in 1992. Ram Dass gives an abbreviated version of his lecture on “Riding the Waves of Change,” talking about how the art form is to be part of that in the universe which can handle change without being reactive to the fear by cultivating the parts in yourself that are not afraid.

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Ram Dass’s spirit has been a guiding light for generations, carrying millions along on the journey. Ram Dass teaches that through the Bhakti practice of unconditional love, we can all connect with our true nature. Through these teachings, Ram Dass has shared a little piece of his guru, Maharaj-ji, with all who have listened to him. Learn more at ramdass.org.

“So we’re talking about the balance between emptiness and compassion. We’re talking about the balance between control with the mind and boundless love with the heart. I’m just giving you the balances or tensions that you and I, as human species, play with. We’re dealing with the tensions between ourselves as separate entities, with ego structures and bodies and so on, and ourselves as part of one thing that has no separateness at all.” – Ram Dass

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Transcript

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0:00.0	This show is brought to you by Better Help.
0:04.0	The changing of the seasons bring shorter days and longer nights and sometimes heavier feelings.
0:11.0	A small act of connection or even beginning therapy can make a world of difference.
0:17.0	Better Help makes starting therapy simple by matching users with licensed therapists based on individual needs with the option to switch therapists anytime.
0:28.3	This month, don't wait to reach out.
0:30.5	Whether you're checking in on a friend or reaching out to a therapist yourself, BetterHelp makes it easier to take that first step.
0:37.8	And our listeners get 10% off their first month at BetterHelp.com slash ramdus.
0:44.1	That's betterh-elp.com slash ramdus.
0:48.5	Thank you. If I think I know the way, forget it.
1:01.0	The beginner's mind has many possibilities.
1:06.0	And the game is to keep the beginner's mind, the emptiness, the beginner's mind.
1:19.6	Welcome to another episode of Ram Dass is emptiness and compassion.
1:28.9	And it was recorded during a weekend workshop that Ram Dass led in San Jose, California, back
1:36.1	in May of 1992.
1:39.0	Yes, that was 23 years ago.
1:41.1	And it was just after the L.A. riots.
1:49.0	And so you can hear him here sort of addressing the unrest of that moment, and it is almost as if he is speaking to us today. It feels like
1:58.4	the same uncertainty, the same fear, the same anger, the same yearning for harmony
2:07.4	that feels alive in the world today.
2:12.1	So if you want more support for this, really encourage you to also check out the new book, There Is No Other.
2:20.3	It's a collection of teachings from Rondas and Friends, and it has this same current.
2:26.3	How do we dissolve the boundaries of othering? How do we get out of the hierarchy of helper and helped?
	...

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