Mindrolling with Raghu Markus

From Bob Marley to Chogyam Trungpa and Ram Dass, David and Raghu explore the many paths that lead us back to one love.

This time on Mindrolling, David and Raghu discuss:

• David’s work filming Bob Marley 
• The attempted assassination of Bob Marley in Jamaica, 1976 
• David’s encounter with Bob after his cancer diagnosis 
• The profound impact of Bob Marley on David Silver’s life
• The many forms that transformation comes in
• An explanation of Mahayana Buddhism 
• How Chogyam Trungpa made complicated concepts more practical
• Trungpa’s teachings in Training the Mind and Cultivating Loving Kindness
• Ram Dass’s book There is No Other

Check out the book recommended by David in this episode: A Brief History of Seven Killings by Marlon James

“Bob’s friendship had metamorphosed my whole life. His magnitude as a divine messenger was enough to change me. That coupled with the most potent music I’d ever heard was enough to seep Bob’s special essence into my own heart and recover me so often from despair, doubt, or depression.” –David Silver

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. Be on the lookout for David’s upcoming book!

“The idea that we are alone and striving alone is corrosive. As soon as we can overcome that, we find an even deeper pleasure but it has nothing to do with acquisition, competition, and matters of repeated forms of hatred and animosity.” –David Silver

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Drawing on mythology and ancient storytelling, author Michael Meade shares how we can renew the earth through personal and cultural transformation. 

You can now pre-order Michael’s book, The Heart of Transformation!

In this thought-provoking episode, Michael and Raghu discuss:

• Bringing mythology into the modern world
• Creation and recreation: how the end times lead to the next times 
• Our responsibility to aid in the healing of the world 
• Returning to the etymology of apocalypse: collapse and renewal 
• Transformation on a cultural and collective level 
• Michael’s life-changing experience of solitary confinement in military prison 
• How unity is revealed through unique expressions of the deep self 
• The imagination that exists in the void 
• Recognizing our own genius qualities 
• The relationship between fate and karma 

About Michael Meade:

Michael Meade is a renowned storyteller and author who combines hypnotic storytelling, street-savvy perceptiveness, and spellbinding interpretations of ancient myths. He has a unique ability to tap ancestral sources of wisdom and connect them in illuminating and healing ways to the dilemmas we face and the stories we are living today.

Michael is the creator of the Living Myth Podcast, a highly regarded weekly podcast that goes out to a diverse and growing audience spanning over 150 countries. He is the author of a number of timeless and timely books including: Awakening the Soul, The Genius Myth, Fate and Destiny and Why the World Doesn't End. Michael is the founder of Mosaic Multicultural Foundation, a nonprofit organization whose projects bring the medicine of myth and story to the issues that trouble both culture and nature in ways that inspire creative imagination and genuine hope. Keep up with Michael on Substack, or check out his website for events and more. 

“In the old imagining of myth, creation is recurring all the time. We are in the end times, but the end times lead to the next times. The word ‘end’ itself actually means loose end or remnant. From the remnants of the previous world, the next world is rewoven.” –Michael Meade

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Duncan Trussell and Raghu Markus examine cynicism, bewilderment, and spiritual materialism, considering what can happen if we drop our defenses and experience the present moment fully.

Check out Duncan Trussell and Kurt Metzger’s new podcast, The Mystery Boys, where ancient mysteries, modern misinformation, and aggressively positive curiosity collide.

In this episode, Duncan and Raghu chat about:

• Being cynical versus being rational 
• Chogyum Trungpa Rinpoche’s perspective on spiritual materialism 
• Letting go and swimming through the moment 
• Meditation as the remedy for bewilderment
• Larry David, Ram Dass, and working with cynicism 
• Navigating fear, anxiety, and troublesome global news 
• How religious fundamentalism steers people away from practice

Check out Chögyum Trungpa’s books Cynicism and Magic and Cutting Through Spiritual Materialism

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.

“Just like with Buddhism or any of these things, you can’t just eat the pie plate and expect to feel like you ate pie. You can’t just read the books and not do the practice—you have to go deeper at some point.” –Duncan Trussell

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David, Raghu, and Sharon consider how devotion, meditation, truth, and compassion can tend the love already within us, bringing it into the way we meet ourselves, others, and the world.

This episode was recorded live from the 2026 Ram Dass Legacy Summer Mountain Retreat. Watch the full event on the Ram Dass’ Inner Academy, a curated collection of deep wisdom from Ram Dass, practice, and community: Learn More

In this episode, David, Raghu, and Sharon discuss: 

• The compassion to let people be as they are (so long as they aren’t harming others)
• Love as an ability rather than just a feeling
• Tending to the love that already exists within us 
• Approaching situations from wisdom and balance rather than reactive emotions
• Devotion and objects of refuge in meditation practice
• A straightforward instruction from Maharaj-ji: love everyone and tell the truth
• Remembering that having boundaries does not mean a lack of love

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, working with companies to create a variety of offerings that integrate meditation into a broader health and well-being context. David is also a multiple Grammy-nominated and Emmy Award-winning musician. David’s journey has crisscrossed with the Maharaji/Ram Dass sangha for decades. He has produced multiple Krishna Das albums and frequently joins the Bhaktettes live on guitar. He considers himself to be a first cousin and honorary member of the Bhakti community.

“You’re lucky enough to have objects of refuge that are somebody you admire or respect, who has accomplished a great deal. You invite that energy into your ecosystem and when your mind wanders, your heart reconnects you to the object of the refuge. That brings you back together with the awareness and sense of connection.” –David Nichtern

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 her books at www.sharonsalzberg.com and check out Insight Meditation Society.

“I think that’s what Ram Dass was saying—that other people, situations, art, so many things may inspire love or invoke it or threaten it, but ultimately it is ours to tend, to nurture, to grow. It is within us and that can be very empowering.” –Sharon Salzberg

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Turning back time to 2018, we revisit a conversation between Dr. Thurman and Raghu Markus about facing reality, transforming our reactivity, and understanding karma.

You can help continue Dr. Thurman’s life’s work to preserve Tibetan culture. Visit Tibet House to learn more.

In this episode, Robert Thurman and Raghu explore: 

• Buddhism as a realistic approach to understanding reality
• The projections and stories we tell ourselves every day
• Working with fear and judgment in meditation
• Entering the gaps of mental reactivity
• Karma: an intentional action with evolutionary consequences
• The relationship between self-awareness and the direction of our karma
• Buddhist perspectives on rebirth and reincarnation
• The distinction between unconscious rebirth and consciously choosing to return
• Neem Karoli Baba and the experience of living completely in reality
• The intimate connection between absolute reality and unconditional love

About Dr. Robert Thurman:

Robert Thurman (1941-2026) was an American Buddhist author and academic who wrote, edited, and translated many books on Tibetan Buddhism. He was the Je Tsongkhapa Professor of Indo-Tibetan Buddhist Studies at Columbia University before retiring in June 2019. He held the first endowed chair in Buddhist Studies in the West. After education at Phillips Exeter and Harvard, he studied Tibet and Tibetan Buddhism for almost thirty years as a personal student of His Holiness the Dalai Lama. He wrote both scholarly and popular books and lectured widely all over the world. As President of the American Institute for Buddhist Studies, he convened the First Inner Science Conference with His Holiness the Dalai Lama at Amherst College in 1984. He was also a founding trustee of Tibet House New York. Check out his most recent book Wisdom Is Bliss: Four Friendly Fun Facts That Can Change Your Life. Robert Thurman made many appearances on our network, and he is greatly missed. 

“Being realistic is the best approach because the better you understand reality, the happier you will be. The less you understand it, the more unnecessary trouble you will put yourself through. That’s why when people ask what Buddhism is, I tell them that Buddhism is realism.” –Robert Thurman

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Tommy Rosen, Gagan Levy, and Raghu Markus explore addiction and the everyday choices that shape recovery and a meaningful life.

Be part of the Recovery 2.0 community with online recovery meetings that are open to anyone: Click Here to Register

This time on Mindrolling, Tommy, Gagan and Raghu explore: 

• Growing up in a home filled with anxiety and developing a sense that something is always wrong
• How oftentimes addiction comes from seeking relief and homeostasis 
• Distraction and Procrastination as forms of addiction
• Ram Dass’s approach to working with habits of the mind
• Facing the long, dark night of the soul
• The ‘nitty-gritty’ of how we choose to live our lives
• The five core tenets of Tommy’s program, ‘Recovery 2.0’
• How working the 12-steps guarantees a spiritual experience
• Tending to the needs of mind, body, and soul 

About Tommy Rosen:

Tommy Rosen is the founder and host of the Recovery 2.0: Beyond Addiction Online Conference and presents workshops annually at Esalen, Omega, and Kripalu. One of the pioneers in the burgeoning field of Yoga and Recovery, he holds advanced certifications in both Hatha and Kundalini Yoga and has 20 years of recovery from acute drug addiction. Tommy and his wife, noted yoga instructor, Kia Miller, live in Venice, California, where they teach yoga and grow organic vegetables in their backyard. Check out Tommy’s upcoming retreats and his book, Recovery 2.0.

“In recovery circles, we see a lot of people who struggle for a lifetime. They aren’t going to implode their life like we did, but if you asked any human being, do you want to ‘get through life’ or do you really want to seize this day and realise yourself, your heart’s desires and dreams, everyone would say ‘of course I do’. Well, maybe you have to change the ways that you’re facing a 24-hour period of time.” –Tommy Rosen

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. 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.

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Melvin McLeod, editor of Lion’s Roar, shares his new vision of mindfulness as a complete way of living, from cultivating concentration and awareness to understanding our place in the universe.

Check out Melvin’s podcast series, The Complete Path of Mindfulness, where he talks with leaders in the field about a groundbreaking new advance in mindfulness practice. Melvin and his guests explore mindfulness as not only a helpful meditation technique, but as a complete, transformative path of life. 

This time on Mindrolling, Melvin and Raghu explore: 

• Looking into what this life and universe is all about
• Leading happier and more meaningful lives
• Seeing mindfulness as a complete path of life
• Melvin’s four identified keys of mindfulness 
• Inspiration from Thich Nhat Hanh, one of the most important spiritual teachers of this age
• Developing the power of concentration 
• Following a path without adopting a formal religion 
• Recognizing our deep, intimate connection with all things
• Investigating the nature of awareness
• Taming the mind and the RAIN method taught by Tara Brach
• Be Here Now: Inhabiting the moment with loving-awareness
• Melvin’s interview with Joanna Macy, renowned Buddhist thinker, environmental activist, and author

About Melvin McLeod:

Melvin McLeod is the editor-at-large of Lion's Roar, the largest media organization in the English language devoted to Buddhist meditation and mindfulness, and co-founder of Mindful magazine. He has been practicing for more than 40 years and is a well-known and respected authority on mindfulness and meditation. His ground-breaking teaching on the Complete Path of Mindfulness has been praised by leaders in the field as an important advance in how mindfulness is defined and practiced. Check out his new book to learn more about this innovative work: With a Single Breath: The Complete Path of Mindfulness.

“When mindfulness is seen not simply as a helpful meditation technique but as a complete path of life, it can offer the same powerful tools for personal and societal transformation traditionally only offered by religion in an evidence-driven, common-sense format, for all of those people who are not especially interested in following a capital ‘R’ religious path.” –Melvin McLeod

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Challenging our perceptions of reality, Samuel Bercholz and Raghu discuss loosening the ego’s grip through meditation and opening to the humor beneath it all.

Click HERE to preorder Samuel’s upcoming book, Rude Awakenings: An Unconventional Guide to the Buddhist Path

This time on Mindrolling, Samuel and Raghu explore: 

• Dipping a toe into all religions and learning how to meditate
• The humble beginnings of Shambhala Publications
• Addictions to ego and so-called reality 
• Witnessing the beautiful emptiness within Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche
• How Ram Dass moved within many different spiritual circles
• Entering the mind of Buddha through meditation 
• Stepping out of the bureaucracy of ego
• Not being too serious / blending love and humor

About Samuel Bercholz:

Sam Bercholz is a senior teacher in the Nyingma and Kagyu lineages of Tibetan Buddhism and the founder of Shambhala Publications. He was a close disciple of Kyabje Thinley Norbu Rinpoche and Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche, and was empowered by them to teach and given the title Acharya (religious instructor). He has taught extensively in North America, Europe, and Australasia. He was particularly empowered by Kyabje Thinley Norbu Rinpoche to teach from A Cascading Waterfall of Nectar.

“What I’ve learned through Buddhist practice and being with great teachers is that the fixed ideas of reality and viewing the world were 180 degrees off. We experience things exactly backwards. Our habit of reality is so skewed that it makes all perceptions backwards. We choose our realities, and we become addicted to keeping that reality going.” –Samuel Bercholz

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Explaining the South African Philosophy of Ubuntu, traditional healer John Lockley discusses ancestral connection and the wisdom of our collective human story.

In this episode, John and Raghu explore: 

• Giving thanks to our biological ancestors 
• Reconciling with ancestors who may have done bad deeds
• Calling in the names of our ancestors as a path to honoring all of our human relations
• John’s experience being raised through Apartheid in South Africa
• How Nelson Mandela spread the teachings of Ubuntu
• Connecting to our dreams to connect to our humanity and our ancestors
• The circle of Ubuntu and realizing that we are all equal 
• Humility as the foundation of any spiritual practice
• A guided ancestral practice from John

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. His remarkable journey through the constraints of Apartheid is a testament to the human spirit, and to the power of forgiveness and reconciliation. Find out more about John’s work and learn more about his numerous upcoming events, retreats, and other offerings at JohnLockley.com.

“Wherever you are, whatever you’re experiencing, know that you’re a child of nature, a child of the great one.”  –John Lockley

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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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