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Ananda
3115 Posts |
 Posted - Mar 25 2010 : 08:37:42 AM
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A very touching movie:
http://www.amazon.com/Ram-Dass-Fier...p/B00008DDV1
quote:
Harvard professors Richard Alpert and Timothy Leary made countercultural history in 1963 when they were fired from that institution for conducting controversial psychedelic drug research. In the purple haze aftermath, Alpert journeyed to India and found his guru Maharaj ji, who renamed him Ram Dass ("Servant of God"). Best known for his 1971 bestseller BE HERE NOW, which was a spiritual touchstone of the era, Ram Dass became an inspiration to people across the globe. Filmmaker Mickey Lemle--who has known his subject for more than twenty-five years--intersperses vivid archival footage from hippiedom's glory days with intimate glimpses of Ram Dass today, as he continues to remake his life since being--in his words--"stroked" in 1997. Named by NEWSWEEK as one of the Top Five Non-Fiction Films of 2002, RAM DASS FIERCE GRACE is an engrossing, poignant meditation on spirituality, consciousness, healing and the unexpected grace of aging.
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Amdor
Netherlands
43 Posts |
Posted - Mar 26 2010 : 3:47:30 PM
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Thank you so much, I have seen it, its indeed a very touching movie |
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pahool
4 Posts |
Posted - Mar 26 2010 : 7:13:19 PM
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| He is a wonderful man. If you get a chance to listen to any of his recorded lectures, they are beautiful. |
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Kirtanman
USA
1651 Posts |
Posted - Mar 26 2010 : 8:04:02 PM
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Hi Ananda & All,
Yes, Fierce Grace is indeed a wonderful movie!
Here are some YouTube clips of a few of my favorite scenes:
(& BTW, for anyone who may not know this: the reason Ram Dass has a bit of an unusual speaking style at certain points ... he had a fairly major stroke, a few years prior to the filming of the movie. <- How he dealt with this is basically the theme of Fierce Grace, and the reasons for the title of the movie.)
Scene 1
Ram Dass discusses his guru (Maharaj-ji, aka Neem Karoli Baba) taking a large .. a very large .. dose of LSD .. with no effect whatsoever.
The second part of the video shows what-all happened when Ram Dass returned to the United States ... including the appearance of zillions of blissed out hippies on the front lawn of Ram Dass's father's (aka Coolest Dad in the Universe, pretty much) estate.
There's also a vignette w/Huston Smith, discussion how Be Here Now (Ram Dass's first and best-known book) hits "pay dirt" ... followed by scenes highlighting how Be Here Now brought quite a few people back to their faith ..... whether it was orthodox Judaism, or monastic Buddhism.
And, per my comment (currently the third comment down, on that YouTube Page, by Living Unbound .... Dr. Larry Brilliant {as shown in the video} has had a fairly interesting life, in connection with Ram Dass & Neem Karoli Baba, as well).
Scene 2
Ram Dass & his gurubhai (follower of the same guru) Krishna Das enjoy some overflowingly beautiful kirtan together.
BTW, the "he" Krishna Das is referring to in the beginning of this clip is Neem Karoli Baba, the guru in question.
Why is Ram Dass crying (beginning @ 1:11 in the video)?
Because when we *know*, when we've been blessed with the utter Grace of Reality ....... the gratitude is *that* exquisite.
Wholeheartedly,
Kirtanman
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Ananda
3115 Posts |
Posted - Mar 27 2010 : 4:09:28 PM
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hi Amdol, Pahool, and Kirtanman and much thanks for the beautiful comments.
and dear kirtanman since you brought up Krishna Das, believe it or not it's because of you that i am now enjoying the beauty of kirtan you kind of opened my eyes to it starting from Live and now to Krishna Das and for this i am forever grateful.
btw i was with my cousins yesterday driving toward our village which is located at South Lebanon and on the way we passed through the capital of well let's just say a very strict community here in Leb and while driving we were singing Krishna Das's Namah Shivayah and then the thought just hit me "Ananda" look where you guys are at and what you are singing hehehe. Kirtanman has got me into deep trouble graceful trouble and beautiful bhakti practice between sessions and during daily activity.
L&L,
Ananda |
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Kirtanman
USA
1651 Posts |
Posted - Mar 27 2010 : 6:39:57 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by Ananda
hi Amdol, Pahool, and Kirtanman and much thanks for the beautiful comments.
and dear kirtanman since you brought up Krishna Das, believe it or not it's because of you that i am now enjoying the beauty of kirtan you kind of opened my eyes to it starting from Live and now to Krishna Das and for this i am forever grateful.
btw i was with my cousins yesterday driving toward our village which is located at South Lebanon and on the way we passed through the capital of well let's just say a very strict community here in Leb and while driving we were singing Krishna Das's Namah Shivayah and then the thought just hit me "Ananda" look where you guys are at and what you are singing hehehe. Kirtanman has got me into deep trouble graceful trouble and beautiful bhakti practice between sessions and during daily activity.
L&L,
Ananda
*Awesome*, Ananda!!
I'm VERY Happy to hear that ...... and ..... I honestly can't help but feeling that the good, loving vibes of Namah Shivaya can't help but make a .. strict community ... a little less strict ... and maybe a little more ........ community .... .. whether or not surface-consciousness (in that community) is aware of this, or not!
Aaaand ...... let's just say I have a ..... lifelong history ... of .... helping people ........ do things they might not normally do  .. and am glad (now that something bigger than "the yogi formerly known as Kirtanman", or however that goes, is driving ....) .... and that I have finally (even if inadvertently ... ) learned to "use that power for good"!
Seriously though: not much is more awesome, or even *as* awesome as awesome music .... and especially when that music is conscious and uplifting as well, it's all good ... quite literally!
It's funny - I just got back from a walk, and while on that walk, a spontaneous reflection came up concerning closed-minded people ... and I realized (even though I know this on some level, already) ... the vast majority of closed-minded people are just doing what they think, and what they've been taught, will keep them *safe*.
For instance, the people in the "strict community" you mentioned.
All differences are just on the very, very outer edges of the surface of consciousness, and everything which comes from a less-constricted place (i.e. your awareness, Krishna Das' music) can only help to thaw out the constriction on some level .... because, ultimately, consciousness/awareness is One; not metaphysically, necessarily - just energetically-actually.
And, bit by bit, too .... we're all doing our bit .... to help others see, in whatever ways we can ... that safety doesn't ever reside in constriction and separation ..... but only in loving wholeness; in unre-strict-ed comm-Unity.
Wholeheartedly,
Kirtanman
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Edited by - Kirtanman on Mar 27 2010 6:44:30 PM |
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Ananda
3115 Posts |
Posted - Apr 01 2010 : 08:32:15 AM
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quote:
Originally posted by Kirtanman
It's funny - I just got back from a walk, and while on that walk, a spontaneous reflection came up concerning closed-minded people ... and I realized (even though I know this on some level, already) ... the vast majority of closed-minded people are just doing what they think, and what they've been taught, will keep them *safe*.
hi Kirtanman,
the funny thing, is that the same thing hit me when i encountered another incident related to the same community.
i can't really speak a lot of bad about these people because in the end they are really protecting themselves and being here in Lebanon gives them a big excuse for doing so... seeing the history we have.
but i should also mention, that Lebanon is a very open minded country where Muslims and Christians are united and we visit each others holy places and the holy days are celebrated by both.
as with Lebanon, radicals and close minded people are everywhere... and all we can do for such people is pray and pray and pray...
namaste brother(f) |
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Ram Dass: Fierce Grace
