Mindrolling with Raghu Markus

Philosopher-artist and psychotherapist Todd Fink joins Raghu to trace the threads that connect art, science, and mysticism.
Grab a copy of Todd’s first book, Losslessness: reflections on impermanence, glimpses of forever, HERE!
This time on Mindrolling, Todd and Raghu chat about:
Diving into mysticism and how every part contains the whole
Quantum physics and the observer effect
Impermanence and seeing the eternal in all things
Sacred friction and ‘irritating the status quo’
Abhaya: shedding the illusion and revealing fearlessness
How Maharaj-ji led people to both Bhakti Yoga and Buddhism
The inseparability of love and discriminating wisdom
Trust, sincerity, and courage in practice
About Todd Fink:
Along with his brother E. Fink, Todd co-founded the acclaimed music group The Giving Tree Band. He’s had an album reach the Top 40 on the Americana Radio Charts, and the Kind Mind podcast has been a top show globally in the categories of philosophy and self-help. An Ivy League-trained licensed psychotherapist, he also holds certifications in addiction counseling and mindfulness meditation teaching. He earned a BA in psychology from Georgetown University and MS in Advanced Clinical Social Work from Columbia University. In addition to 25+ years of professional mental health work with diverse populations, his academic expertise and research include international welfare, psychedelic practice, advocacy, psychopathology, and more. A lifelong student of meditation, Todd works fervently to help guide individuals, organizations, and communities toward ecological balance, well-being, and peace.
“Love isn’t what we get or what we lost, but really that’s what we are. Same with meditation—meditation isn’t something we do. Meditation is what we are. When we sit, when we chant, or when we pray, it gives us a chance to strip away the pretenses.” –Todd Fink
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Psychotherapist and author David Richo shares how to move past the destructive urge to retaliate through principles of psychology, Buddhism, and more.
Grab a copy of David’s newest book, Sweeter than Revenge: Overcoming Your Payback Mind and Achieving Real Connection in all Your Relationships
This time on Mindrolling, David and Raghu discuss:
Retaliation and separateness as the ego’s favorite sports
Rolling with the punches and not expecting full acknowledgment from everyone
Expanding our ability to handle whatever happens in life
Saying ‘yes’ to the opportunity of grace
Righteousness versus healthy communication
Forbearance: how long-term mindfulness practice can help us be less reactive
Opening the path to enlightenment through forgiveness
About David Richo:
David Richo, PhD, MFT, is a psychotherapist, teacher, workshop leader, and writer who works in Santa Barbara and San Francisco, California. He combines Jungian, poetic, and mythic perspectives in his work with the intention of integrating the psychological and the spiritual. His books and workshops include attention to Buddhist and Christian spiritual practices. Check out David’s website to learn more.
“What is ego? The insertion of our entitlement to be treated with honor, respect, and full acknowledgment by everyone. Some people like us and some people don’t. You gotta roll with those kinda punches rather than take revenge on anyone that doesn’t come through positively for you.” –David Richo
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Gagan Levy, founder/CEO of Guru, explores how to integrate the eight limbs of yoga into business and leadership practices.
Grab a copy of Gagan’s book, Start Your Own Damn Cult, A Founder's Field Guide, for a practical and actionable framework for building from coherence, holding power without unraveling, and winning without wrecking yourself, your team, or the planet.
This week on Mindrolling, Gagan and Raghu discuss:
Bhakti Yoga and sitting in moments of joy
Incorporating spirituality into business
Gagan’s first meeting with Ram Dass
Integrating the eight limbs of yoga into leadership
How authenticity beats perfection every single time
Gagan’s explanation of the ‘integrity inventory’
Hanuman as a helpful reminder of the aspirational self
About Gagan Levy:
Gagan Levy is the Founder/CEO of Guru, an award-winning creative agency dedicated to serving purpose-driven movements, brands, and organizations. They work with impactful brands like Patagonia, Traditional Medicinals, Nalgene, Non-GMO, The Organic Alliance, Bring Change to Mind and many natural products brands, including EO / Everyone Products, OM Mushroom Superfoods, and REBBL. Gagan also serves as Chief Evangelist at MAHA Global, a platform focused on helping businesses adapt to stakeholder needs using data-driven reputation intelligence. As former Co-chair of Social Venture Circle, one of the country’s most prestigious impact investor and social business communities, Gagan leads the way to a next economy that is regenerative, just, and prosperous for all. Gagan Levy is also a current board member to his prolific teacher Ram Dass’ Love Serve Remember Foundation, he has been instrumental in strategizing how to connect the greatest wisdom keepers of our time to a new generation.
“I am so committed on my individual level to my practice to be a better father, a better partner, better human, but I haven’t integrated the eight limbs into my leadership. What could that mean? What could that look like?” –Gagan Levy
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Duncan Trussell joins Raghu Markus and Kelly Rego for a heartfelt conversation on Ram Dass’s enduring legacy and the auspicious experiences that brought the Be Here Now Network team together.
In this episode, Duncan, Raghu, & Kelly discuss:
Duncan’s introduction to Ram Dass: swimming, playing, and seeing the light again
How Ram Dass helped Duncan process the loss of his mother
Spreading Ram Dass’s love and legacy through the Be Here Now Network
How the universe guides us right to where we need to be
Moving through a dark night of the soul
The lasting love we have for those we have lost
The profound generosity of giving our full attention to another
About Kelly Rego:
Kelly Rego is an Integrated Marketing & Media Specialist. An Emerson College alumni, Kelly has over 15 years experience of facilitating projects into reality. She has worked as a Peace Corps Volunteer with women’s groups and dairy cooperatives in Costa Rica, a media strategist and buyer in New York City, and has produced a full-length documentary.
Kelly is the Marketing Director for Ram Dass’s Love Serve Remember Foundation, as well as the project manager of Be Here Now Network, a podcast network dedicated to spirituality, mindfulness, and personal growth.
About Duncan Trussell:
Duncan Trussell is a stand-up comedian, podcaster, and actor. His popular podcast, The Duncan Trussell Family Hour, has been downloaded over 25 million times and is known for its blend of humor, fringe ideas, eclectic guests, and great interviews. The DTFH is the foundation for Duncan’s Netflix animated series, The Midnight Gospel, which he co-created with Pendleton Ward in 2020. To learn more about Duncan’s work, visit his website at duncantrussell.com.
“At the time, I was living in a roach motel. Literally roaches everywhere, sleeping on a mattress on the floor, super depressed. I would just lie on this mattress listening to Ram Dass; it was really helping a lot. LA can be so lonely and weird. On the website, it said you can arrange these phone calls with Ram Das—I signed up. All of a sudden, Ram Dass is on the screen...beaming out from Hawaii into this garbage apartment” –Duncan Trussell
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Meditation master and teacher Orgyen Chowang Rinpoche explores tools for success from Tibetan wisdom on mindfulness, gratitude, and more.
Get your own copy of The Tibetan Book of Success HERE.
This week on Mindrolling, Orgyen and Raghu discuss:
What life was like for Orgyen growing up in a remote village in Tibet
The Tibetan Buddhist leader Khenpo Jigme Phuntsok
Reframing the construct of ‘success’
The 10 powers that lead us to success: wisdom, integrity, decency, mindfulness, fairness, reliability, gratitude, hopefulness, faith, generosity
Lessons from Mipham Rinpoche
The necessity of respect for good communication
Navigating conflict through mindfulness and decency
Self-awareness as the number one tool for good communication
How inner emptiness shapes how we see the world
Discriminating awareness, deciding what to accept vs. what to reject
About Orgyen Chowang Rinpoche:
Orgyen Chowang Rinpoche is a meditation teacher and master in the Nyingma lineage of the Buddhist tradition residing in the San Francisco Bay Area. He is the author of Our Pristine Mind: A Practical Guide to Unconditional Happiness, and is known for his accessible, passionate, and joyful approach to personal transformation. Rinpoche teaches regularly in the Bay Area, and travels throughout the world speaking to a broad range of audiences about how to improve their lives through meditation. He received his education and training for nine years starting at the age of fourteen at Larung Gar in Serta, eastern Tibet, with his teacher, the great Jigmed Phuntsok Rinpoche, who is widely acknowledged as one of the greatest Dzogchen masters of the twentieth century. Learn more about Orgyen Chowang Rinpoche’s work and his non-profit, The Pristine Mind Foundation.
“Even if someone is in conflict, you need to be mindful, reliable, you need to be a decent person at the same time. Then, it works. If your mind is in conflict, if there’s anger, resentment, that totally destroys communication.” –Orgyen Chowang Rinpoche
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