For many years, Ram Dass has been a popular speaker on the spiritual talk circuit. Then he suffered a major stroke that temporarily stopped him from speaking and easily moving around. For most people, the stroke would have been a major disaster, but in this video, we see that Ram Dass returned with a vibrant joy and deepened wisdom. He joins with singer Krishna Das for this special presentation at the 1999 Inner Directions Gathering, in La Jolla, California.
This remarkable event is like a circle — Ram Dass speaking about his stroke as an act of grace and the profound gift of silence he has been given — and the melodious chanting of Krishna Das carrying the words home to the heart. Together, they demonstrate that the silence of Spirit and the eternal chant of India both emanate from the same source.
With his usual humor and wisdom, Ram Dass demonstrates how suffering and its "apparent" difficulties actually bring one closer to the Supreme. Ram Dass shares with the audience stories from his past, as well as the present situation he now finds himself in. As always, Ram Dass draws directly from life to illustrate important lessons on how to make living as whole and rewarding as possible.
As he "surfs the silence," Ram Dass opens his heart in a vibrant interchange between speaker and listener. Krishna Das takes the cue, and leads the group through the harmonious singing of sacred Indian chanting.
