Ram Dass Quotes

When you go out into the woods, and you look at trees, you see all these different trees. And some of them are bent, and some of them are straight, and some of them are evergreens, and some of them are whatever. And you look at the tree and you allow it. You see why it is the way it is. You sort of understand that it didn’t get enough light, and so it turned that way. And you don’t get all emotional about it. You just allow it. You appreciate the tree.

The minute you get near humans, you lose all that. And you are constantly saying ‘You are too this, or I’m too this.’ That judgment mind comes in. And so I practice turning people into trees. Which means appreciating them just the way they are.

The spiritual journey is individual, highly personal. It can't be organized or regulated. It isn't true that everyone should follow one path. Listen to your own truth.

Everything changes once we identify with being the witness to the story, instead of the actor in it.

Only that in you which is me can hear what I'm saying.

A feeling of aversion or attachment toward something is your clue that there's work to be done.

Let's trade in all our judging for appreciating. Let's lay down our righteousness and just be together.

We are all affecting the world every moment, whether we mean to or not. Our actions and states of mind matter, because we are so deeply interconnected with one another.

The next message you need is always right where you are.

I can do nothing for you but work on myself...you can do nothing for me but work on yourself!

I would say that the thrust of my life has been initially about getting free, and then realizing that my freedom is not independent of everybody else. Then I am arriving at that circle where one works on oneself as a gift to other people so that one doesn't create more suffering. I help people as a work on myself and I work on myself to help people.

The game is not about becoming somebody, it's about becoming nobody.

If you think you're free, there's no escape possible.

Every religion is the product of the conceptual mind attempting to describe the mystery.

"I'm not interested in being a "lover." I'm interested in only being love."

Learn to watch your drama unfold while at the same time knowing you are more than your drama.