My favorite quote from Ram Dass is the following, “Just because you are seeing divine light, experiencing waves of bliss, or conversing with Gods and Goddesses is no reason to not know your zip code.” This quote is a representation of how I aim to live my life.
The spiritual experiences Ram Dass speaks about are only conceptions I’ve gotten exposed to in the last couple of years and I only have a toe in the water. There is much more to learn. I feel like asking those types of questions can be a slippery slope where people go too “far out” there.
We all know the type that have gone over the ledge asking these types of questions. Going back to the quote, he says “conversing with Gods and Goddesses.” If someone genuinely thinks they are communicating with Gods and Goddesses, what good does having a 9-5 job have?
This is why I love the quote so much because Ram Dass gives a nod to the reality we are living in on a daily basis. We can’t forget about the life we have on the ground and it’s a valuable experience to have. It is important to be present in the physical world and there is real meaning to living a proper life.
The question that I’ve semi-seriously asked myself is why don’t I dedicate my life to trying to achieve these spiritual states? If I think that these would be ideal states, why wouldn’t I pursue my life to achieve through being a monk? We all have the choice to live that way of life. I couldn’t see anything getting in the way of me except my own choices.
The thing I love about Ram Dass is that he doesn’t think you need to be a monk to have those experiences. We can do it in our everyday lives. We have the choice to live a loving and caring life and be the most full versions of ourselves. It differs from person to person which makes it even more beautiful.
Peace and Love.
Nick,
What about what Einstein is credited with saying, ‘Never memorize something you can look up.’ The idea as I understand it is that it is more important to know where to find information than memorize information.
Dad