Mindrolling with Raghu Markus

Latest Episodes:

Ep. 585 – Down to Earth Dharma with Rebecca Bradshaw Mar 14, 2025

Show notes

Getting down to earth and into the heart, Rebecca Bradshaw joins Raghu to discuss balancing masculine and feminine energy in the dharma.

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This time on Mindrolling, Raghu and Rebecca chat about:

Rebecca’s journey of waking up and finding her path
Earth-based religions and getting down to earth
Rebecca’s 5-month stint in silent meditation
Approaching practice from the heart rather than the mind
Discovering the feminine archetype within the dharma
The masculine energy often found within Buddhist communities and early scriptures
Going deep down within the receptive heart space
Cultivating intimacy with all things and focusing on relationship
Dissolving the three roots of suffering (greed hatred and delusion)
The practice of useless gazing and surrendering to the moment without an agenda
Acclimating to the truth of impermanence and letting go of the need to control
The acquired taste of being open and working at it over time

Snag a copy of Rebecca’s book, Down to Earth Dharma: Insight Meditation to Awaken the Hear, HERE

About Rebecca Bradshaw:

Rebecca is Guiding Teacher Emeritus of the Insight Meditation Society and the Insight Meditation Center of Pioneer Valley in Easthampton, Massachusetts. She has been practicing Buddhist Vipassana meditation since 1983 in the United States and Myanmar (Burma) and teaching since 1993. She completed her dharma teacher training at Insight Meditation Society in Barre, Massachusetts, where she is part of the three-month retreat teacher team and leads retreats for young adults. Rebecca has a master’s degree in Counseling Psychology and has worked as a bi-lingual (Spanish/English) psychotherapist. Her upcoming book, Down to Earth Dharma, was published by Shambhala Publications in November 2024. Check out Rebecca’s website, HERE.

“There’s this emphasis on transcendence, energetic striving, independence, and all these things that are in the masculine archetype. They felt like some balance was missing, that’s how it felt to me, and that a lot of it had to do with dropping into the heart, dropping into the body, feeling.” – Rebecca Bradshaw

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Ep. 584 – A Secret History of LSD in the Third Reich with Norman Ohler Mar 07, 2025

Show notes

Raghu Markus and Norman Ohler explore the history of drugs in the Third Reich and how this ultimately lead to the psychedelic age in America.

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In this riveting and historical episode, Raghu and Norman talk about:

Norman’s research into the history of psychedelics in Germany
‘Truth drugs’ and using psychedelics for interrogation tactics
Albert Hoffman, a Swiss chemist known for his work with LSD
America’s early interest in psychedelics for military use
MK-Ultra, mind control, and how the CIA took over the quest for truth drugs.
Norman Ohler’s meeting with Leonard Pickard, a major player in the LSD underground
How the CIA saw psychedelics as a potential weapon to manipulate people
Truth that can be discovered on psychedelic journeys
How psychedelics can help heal relationships with ourselves and others

Get a copy of Norman’s 2024 book, Tripped: Nazi Germany, the CIA, and the Dawn of the Psychedelic Age

About Norman Ohler:

Norman Ohler is a German journalist and New York Times bestselling author, novelist and screenwriter, best known for his book Blitzed: Drugs in Nazi Germany, which has been published in over 30 languages. Most recently, Norman furthered his research into drug use in the Third Reich and it’s connection to the CIA and the age of psychedelics in the United States. This produced his 2024 book, Tripped.

Learn more about Tripped and Norman’s other works on his website, HERE.

“Basically what happened in the US was a continuation of the unethical human experiments that the Nazi’s did, obviously not in a concentration camp, but at American universities, at American and Canadian clinics.” – Norman Ohler

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Ep. 583 – The Joyful Endeavor of the Buddhist Path with Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche Feb 28, 2025

Show notes

Raghu welcomes Tibetan Buddhist teacher Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche for a conversation on being diligent and consistent in our practice.

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In this episode of Mindrolling, Raghu and Dzigar have a discourse on:

Dzigar’s upbringing in a Tibetan refugee camp in India
The magic of the great Buddhist masters
Using discriminating wisdom and blending Bhakti & Buddhism
Practical ways to have a balanced life
Being a non-judgmental witness to ourselves, others, and the world
Meeting our intention with action rather than getting lost in the mundane
Remedying the three forms of laziness through consistent effort
The fruits of being diligent in our practice
Shantideva, an 8th-century Indian philosopher, monk, and scholar
Motivation and understanding how our actions serve us
Knowing when to take a break in order to reenergize ourselves for full engagement
The joy in seeing through our intentions to the end

About Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche:

Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche was born in the Northern Indian province of Himachal Pradesh to Tibetan refugee parents. Rinpoche grew up in a monastic environment. He was trained in the Longchen Nyingtik lineage of the Nyingma school as well as the Khyen-Kong Chok-Sum lineages. He moved to the United States in 1989 with his family and began a five-year tenure as a professor of Buddhist philosophy at Naropa University (then Institute) in 1990. Not long after arriving in the United States, Rinpoche founded Mangala Shri Bhuti, an organization established to further the practice of the Longchen Nyingtik and Khyen-Kong Chok-sum lineages. He established a mountain retreat center, Longchen Jigme Samten Ling, in southern Colorado, where he spends much of his time in retreat and guides students in long-term retreat practice. When not in retreat, Rinpoche travels widely throughout the world teaching and furthering his own education. Keep up with Rinpoche’s happenings HERE.

Pick up your own copy of Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche’s book, Diligence: The Joyful Endeavor of the Buddhist Path.

“We need to succeed in our field to be able to meet our intention with action, to have concrete outcomes. Whether that is in the spiritual path, sports, business, or creating a balanced life with health and well-being for oneself and one’s family, in all of this, the effort is essential. Effort in a way that is not sporadic, but consistent effort.“ – Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche

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Ep. 582 – Meeting Suffering with an Open Heart with RamDev Feb 21, 2025

Show notes

Ramdev joins Raghu to talk about deepening our compassion through devotion and a willingness to meet suffering with an open heart.

This time on Mindrolling, RamDev and Raghu discuss:

Coping within the current climate of our country
Considering if it must get worse before it gets better
Concerns with ICE and deportation
Seeing suffering in the context of wholeness
The problem with over-identification with negative emotions
Requesting our needs and desires from Maharaj-ji
A devotee's story from the book By His Grace
Using our grief and longing as a spiritual path
The loss that is going on worldwide
Perspectives on depression and spirituality within the book The Awakened Brain
Meeting suffering with a wide open heart

Book recommendation from this episode: Tantric Quest by Daniel Odier

This episode is also brought to you by Dharma Moon. Join Buddhist teachers David Nichtern and Professor Robert Thurman for a free online event on Tuesday, March 4th at 6pm ET. Together, they'll explore the power of lineage, tradition, and the evolution of mindfulness practices. They’ll also discuss Dharma Moon’s renowned mindfulness meditation teacher training program. Visit dharmamoon.com/lineage for more info and to reserve your spot for the free online event with David Nichtern and Professor Robert Thurman!

About RamDev:

Dale Borglum is the founder and Executive Director of The Living/Dying Project. He is a pioneer in the conscious dying movement and has worked directly with thousands of people with life-threatening illness and their families for over 30 years. In 1981, Dale founded the first residential facility for people who wished to die consciously in the United States, The Dying Center. He has taught and lectured extensively on the topics of spiritual support for those with life-threatening illness, on caregiving as a spiritual practice, and on healing at the edge, the edge of illness, of death, of loss, of crisis. Learn more about The Living/Dying Project at livingdying.org.

Be sure to also check out RamDev’s podcast, Healing at the Edge, on the Be Here Now Network.

“Compassion is the open heart meeting suffering. Tibetans say this remarkable thing, that compassion is the mixture of sadness and joy. You’re sad because you’re touching human suffering, but there’s a joyfulness that transcends happiness and sadness because your heart is open.” – RamDev

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Ep. 581 – Befriending our Shadows with John Lockley Feb 14, 2025

Show notes

John Lockley joins Raghu to discuss befriending our shadows and finding freedom and joy in a world of upheaval.

In this episode, Raghu and John explore:

Relinquishing hatred and growing our compassion bit by bit
The unifying force that connects all people
Working on self-kindness and not feeding into self-deprecation
Being respectful to our enemies rather than perpetuating evil
Allowing our spirits to relax and engage in play
Discovering our dream gifts and harnessing them within reality
Finding our purpose and listening to our ancestors
Ether and spaciousness as food for our dreams
Not letting technology control and distract us

This episode is also brought to you by Dharma Moon. Join Buddhist teachers David Nichtern and Professor Robert Thurman for a free online event on Tuesday, March 4th at 6pm ET. Together, they'll explore the power of lineage, tradition, and the evolution of mindfulness practices. They’ll also discuss Dharma Moon’s renowned mindfulness meditation teacher training program. Visit dharmamoon.com/lineage for more info and to reserve your spot for the free online event with David Nichtern and Professor Robert Thurman!

About John Lockley:

John Lockley began his journey as a young medic drafted into the South African military. He then trained under Zen master Su Bong from South Korea, and returned to post-Apartheid South Africa to spend 10 years in apprenticeship with MaMngwevu, a medicine woman from the Xhosa tribe. John now splits his time teaching in South Africa, Ireland, Europe, and the US. Find out more about John’s work and learn more about his numerous upcoming events, retreats, and other offerings at JohnLockley.com.

“The political system at the moment is tough, but sometimes it’s actually not as tough as you think it is. You need to find freedom where you are free. You’re not in jail; feel the freedom of walking, of going into the sea, of going into the wilderness, and let your spirit feel free. That’s very important.” – John Lockley

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Ep. 580 – Tools for Dealing with Hatred & Prejudice with Anu Gupta Feb 07, 2025

Show notes

Bringing together mindfulness and science, Anu Gupta offers transformative tools for dealing with hatred and prejudice.

This week on Mindrolling, Raghu and Anu explore:

How Anu was brought up around meditation and yoga
Receiving the gift of spirituality
Anu’s early connection to the Gayatri Mantra
The distinction between caste and class in India
Adjusting to Western life and dealing with bias in the U.S.
Researching the nature of hatred and prejudice
Holding our egos with loving awareness and compassion
Transforming ourselves through practice
Making our unconscious biases conscious

Check out Anu Gupta’s 2024 book, Breaking Bias, to learn more science-backed methods for unraveling stereotypes and prejudices.

About Anu Gupta:

Anu Gupta is a human rights lawyer, scientist, scholar of bias, meditation teacher, and the founder and CEO of BE MORE with Anu, a professional development company that trains corporate, nonprofit, and government leaders to advance inclusion and wellness by breaking bias. He is also the author of Breaking Bias: Where Stereotypes and Prejudices Come From and the Science-Backed Method to Unravel Them(2024), with a foreword from His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Check out Anu Gupta on Substack.

“The tools that we need are the ones I’ve been teaching people; mindfulness, stereotype replacement, compassion. Not just talking about them, but actually practicing them and feeling them.” – Anu Gupta

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Ep. 579 – Argy Bargy of the Mind with David Silver Jan 31, 2025

Show notes

Mindrolling alumnus David Silver re-joins Raghu to help us transform our relationship with thought and lead us to growth and inner peace.

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This journey on Mindrolling, Raghu and David weave through:

Opposing the idea of ‘I think, therefore I am’
The disease of overthinking and why we think
Letting thoughts come through and letting it go
How our relationship to thought is what makes us suffer
Focused, creative, compassionate thinking as the center of our growth
The necessity of compassion for oneself along with mindfulness
Coming back into mantra when our mind wanders
Passing through thoughts that are negative rather than getting hooked
Right thinking and right action

About David Silver:

David Silver is the former co-host of the Mindrolling podcast. He is a filmmaker and director, most recently coming out with Brilliant Disguise. Brilliant Disguise tells the unique story of a group of inspired Western spiritual seekers from the 60s, who in meeting the great American teacher, Ram Dass, followed him to India to meet his Guru, Neem Karoli Baba, familiarly known as Maharaj-ji. Two days before he left his body, Maharaj-ji instructed K.C. Tewari to take care of the Westerners, which he did resolutely until the day he died in 1997. Silver’s #1 charting MGM/UA/Warners film, “The Compleat Beatles” is the critically acclaimed biopic movie about history’s most famous band. The term ‘rockumentary’ was first applied to this two-hour movie. Rolling Stone recently described the film as a “masterwork.” Silver’s Warner Brothers’ feature film, “No Nukes” also started the whole trend of music/activism feature documentaries.

”This is workable conditions. We can absolutely transform so that we are not hooked and glued to these thoughts and the belief and story from which they come from.” – Raghu Markus

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Ep. 578 – The Power and Strength of Love with David Nichtern and Sharon Salzberg Jan 24, 2025

Show notes

Cultivating both inner and outer harmony, the Be Here Now Network trifecta of Raghu, David, and Sharon offers lessons in metta and letting go.

This episode was recorded live at the annual Ram Dass Legacy “Open Your Heart in Paradise” retreat in Maui. Learn more about these Maui retreats, our annual Mountain retreat in Boone, North Carolina, and our regular digital retreats at ramdass.org/event.

This week on Mindrolling, Raghu, David, and Sharon discuss:

Ram Dass’ teaching of loving awareness and being at home in the universe
Putting practice and compassionate mindfulness into our daily lives
The power and strength of love
A guided metta practice from Sharon
Both inner and outer harmonizing and turning metta towards ourselves
The Bodhisattva tradition and taking on the suffering of others
Loving motivation and using wise discernment
The continual process of letting go
Forgiveness and not allowing pain to overtake our lives

About David Nichtern:

David Nichtern, founder of Dharma Moon, is a senior Buddhist teacher who has been practicing and teaching meditation for over 40 years. He was one of the initial American students of renowned meditation master Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche and studied closely with him soon after his arrival in the United States in 1970. He is also a business consultant with companies creating a variety of offerings integrating meditation in a larger health and well-being context. David is also a multiple Grammy-nominated and Emmy award-winning musician.

About Sharon Salzberg:

Sharon Salzberg is a meditation pioneer, world-renowned teacher, and New York Times bestselling author. She is one of the first to bring mindfulness and lovingkindness meditation to mainstream American culture over 45 years ago, inspiring generations of meditation teachers and wellness influencers. Sharon is co-founder of The Insight Meditation Society in Barre, MA, and the author of twelve books, including the New York Times bestseller, Real Happiness, now in its second edition, and her seminal work, Lovingkindness. Her podcast, The Metta Hour, has amassed five million downloads and features interviews with thought leaders from the mindfulness movement and beyond.

Learn more about Sharon and pre-order her new book at www.sharonsalzberg.com

“You can ask yourself the question, what do I really want to see? What do I care about most right now? Is it winning or is it being kind? It brings us to wisdom we already have, that we can then bring forth and have it inform our action as best we can.” – Sharon Salzberg

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Ep. 577 – Finding God Everywhere with Dakota Wint Jan 17, 2025

Show notes

Sharing spiritual mementos from his world travels, Dakota Wint sits with Raghu to explore finding God everywhere and at any time.

This time on Mindrolling, Raghu and Dakota converse about:

Dakota’s travels throughout Ethiopia
Rastafarian tradition and its origin in Ethiopia
Reminiscing about their time shared in India
Confronting the weirdness of our collective state
Finding spirit in all cultures across the world
How travel and curiosity have affected Dakota’s growth
The central Buddhist value of impermanence
Turning within and connecting to God
Stories of the Aghori people in India
The tribes of Papua New Guinea

About Dakota Wint:

Dakota Wint is a documentary filmmaker, vlogger, podcast host, and spiritual teacher from Detroit, Michigan. His films and podcasts revolve around current events, strange spirituality, and taboo traditions. You can subscribe to his podcast, A Place for Humans, HERE. Dakota grew to fame as an internet personality via his popular YouTube channel, Dakota of Earth. Dakota hosts retreats around the world and runs a non-profit focused on cultural and language preservation. Learn more about current happenings on his website.

“The same spiritual lessons I’m finding all over the world. There’s a similar feeling, a shared feeling, to what I find when I’m in India, or Japan, or in Mexico. I can find the spirit or God hidden in the symbols.” – Dakota Wint

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Ep. 576 – Redefining Sainthood with Lama Rod Owens Jan 10, 2025

Show notes

Redefining sainthood as a deep care for ourselves and others, Lama Rod Owens and Raghu discuss reclaiming our sacredness and our identity.

Check out Lama Rod’s book, The New Saints, to learn more about becoming a spiritual warrior.

Within this episode, Raghu and Lama Rod discuss:

Healing through music and other mystical experiences
Lama Rod Owens’ college experience and getting into activism
Re-framing our relationship to religion
The freedom to be our most authentic selves
Owning our own identity and sacredness
Community and collective as the hero we all need
The apocalypse as an unveiling of the truth
Creating a culture of care and prioritizing well-being
Disrupting habitual reactivity and transforming our responsiveness
Loneliness on the spiritual path

About Lama Rod Owens:

Lama Rod Owens is a Black Buddhist Southern Queen. An international influencer with a Master of Divinity degree in Buddhist Studies from Harvard Divinity School with a focus on the intersection of social change, identity, and spiritual practice. Author of Love and Rage: The Path of Liberation through Anger and co-author of Radical Dharma: Talking Race, Love and Liberation, his teachings center on freedom, self-expression, and radical self-care. Highly sought after for talks, retreats, and workshops, his mission is showing you how to heal and free yourself. A leading voice in a new generation of Buddhist teachers with over 11 years of experience, Lama Rod is highly respected among his peers and the communities that he serves. From these intersections, he creates a platform that’s very natural, engaging, and inclusive. Check out Lama Rod’s most recent publication, The New Saints and his podcast on the Be Here Now Network, The Spirit Underground.

For current offerings and programs, click here.

“I think that the most important spiritual practice is care, compassion love; I think that’s the common expression across many paths. A saint is defined by the depth of their care for others.” – Lama Rod Owens

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