Sacred Community Podcast

Dassi Ma & Rita Green: Serving Ram Dass and Siddhi Ma

For this very special episode of the Sacred Community Podcast, host Hari Scott Whitmore interviews Dassi Ma and Rita Green. Rita served Siddhi Ma in India for over 40 years. Dassi Ma was Ram Dass’s primary caregiver for the last 15 years of his life and is now the president of Hanuman Maui: Ram Dass Loving Awareness Sanctuary.
This deeply touching conversation was recorded shortly after Ram Dass's death and places a special emphasis on portraying Ram Dass’s final moments, his trip to the Hanuman temple in Taos, NM, and the birth of the Ram Dass Loving Awareness Sanctuary. Learn more at: hanumanmaui.org
The Sacred Community Podcast is an inter-spiritual hub of the universal teachings, “Love, Service, Remembrance, and Truth.” Home to Sacred Community Project interviews, live workshop recordings, dharma talks, and meditations, each episode is carefully curated to ensure its alignment with SCP values. SCP works to lower the barriers of access to contemplative and devotional practices through free, donation-based, and affordable offerings, spiritual support, and prison outreach. Learn more and make a tax-deductible donation at: https://sacredcommunityproject.org
 
Music: Carl Golembeski
SCP Logo: Beverly Hsu https://beverlyhsu.com
 
 

Recorded Workshop- Navigating Uncertainty with Vasu Jon Seskevich

An inter-spiritual hub of the universal teachings, “Love, Service, Remembrance, and Truth.” Home to Sacred Community Project interviews, live workshop recordings, dharma talks, and meditations, each episode is carefully curated to ensure its alignment with SCP values. SCP works to lower the barriers of access to contemplative and devotional practices through free, donation-based, and affordable offerings, spiritual support, and prison outreach. Learn more and make a tax-deductible donation to support our service projects at: https://sacredcommunityproject.org
About this episode:
With over 30 years of listening and speaking with people facing major changes in their lives, Vasu Jon Seskevich has learned that the biggest stressor one faces is "waiting and not knowing." We are in the midst of what will be remembered as one of the most uncertain times in our lives. For many, our capacity to navigate and sustain through uncertainty has been pushed to it’s limits.
Vasu is a lifelong student of meditation and practitioner of mind-body medicine, nursing and healing. He helped create the Duke University Hospital Stress Management Consult Team and has been a pioneer in integrating therapies that build resiliency. Now retired, he has seen over 40,000 patient consults throughout his career, helping people to skillfully navigate the sufferings and joys of life, right up to their last breath. Vasu's presentations are entertaining, insightful, and inspiring. He will share approaches crafted from his clinical practice, research, and friendship with Ram Dass. Topics covered include. 
Waiting and not knowing
Listening with your heart without taking on the pain
Practices to support quieting down worry
Self-relaxation skills
Strengthening our personal spiritual connection.
 
Ram Dass wrote these words about Vasu in 1996:
“I have known Jon Seskevich for more than fifteen years...
“In all the projects in which I have been involved with Jon, I have found him to be responsible, thorough and disciplined in his efforts. His recognition of the need for both a spiritual dimension in healing work and grounded, responsible social action in spiritual work have defined his career in nursing. To that career he has brought a creative energy for mind-body healing, meditative practices with stress reduction healing touch with traditional nursing practices and a spiritual perspective for patients facing traumatic illness.
“The integration of spiritual dimensions in his work is very personal for Jon. His own inner work takes the form of being fully present for both patients, fellow staff members, and offering a very warm heart-full human dimension to what are too often impersonal medical procedures.
“Jon is truly a brilliant example of compassion in action. He not only serves his patient community but seems tireless in his willingness to share and teach, and to explore innovative techniques for humanizing nursing for nurses and patients alike.”
 
Learn more about Vasu at https://jonvasu.com
 
Music: Carl Golembeski
SCP Logo: Beverly Hsu https://beverlyhsu.com