The notes below were made during a second reading of the excellent book, Still Here, by Ram Dass. I was still working at Alden Library when I read the book for the first time. I had purchased it to see if it would help me to cope better with aging. It did.
But, after I retired on April 1, 2020, I found that I was again having problems dealing with feeling old and useless, so I decided to give the book a second read and this time take some notes for future reference. The results of that second reading and note-taking can be seen below:
Ram Dass Notes
· Be
conscious. Do not allow myself to be unconsciously influenced by cultural
attitudes toward aging, e.g. seniors are: silly, stubborn, vindictive, cute, invisible;
· Don’t
fight nature. Aging is not a type of failure.
· Don’t
unconsciously view yourself as “other” or as a burden to society and the young;
· Stop
processing information and strive instead for wisdom, which alone increases
with age, up until death;
· Rather
than striving to stay up-to-date, see enlightenment through the wisdom of
directed consciousness;
· We are
materialists – the real is perceived through the senses.
· Consciousness
+ Matter + Energy = the Universe;
· Life
is a journey toward Awareness = Atman = God;
· Old
age as a release from materialism (body). Liberation, not loss. Ask: Is more
really better? Is enough enough?;
· Meaning
of life seen through: jobs, possessions, health only = constant suffering,
anxiety;
· Reincarnation:
learning to be a Buddha;
· Awareness
= Ground of Being = Atman;
· You
have the power to age as you choose: from ego’s fear of death to soul
awareness;
· Practice
mindfulness: meditation: a) be comfortable; b) relax jaw, tongue touching front
teeth; c) look down at 45 degree angle, forearms on thighs, concentrate on
breathing through the nostrils;
· Face
Your Fears: Senility; loneliness; embarrassment; powerlessness; loss of
role/meaning; depression;
· Accept
your aging body; don’t bemoan it;
· Practice
walking meditation – awareness of body’s motions;
· Old
age is being, not role playing; freedom to do nothing at all;
· The
Ego collects information the Soul needs to learn Wisdom;
· The
Ego is an actor that has forgotten it is playing a role;
· Elders
now suffer isolation, removal from family role;
· The
tendency to isolate is dangerous;
· From a
soul perspective, dependency can be liberating;
· Do not
allow loss of power to cause fear and suffering;
· Stillness
is required to awaken wisdom. No need for busyness;
· Dharma
is Karma;
· Slow
down and open the door to Mystery;
· Anicca – the
impermanence of all phenomena;
· Observe
change from the present moment: Awareness;
· In the
moment we are free of Ego’s desires and open to Soul;
· Future:
fear thrives on the unknown;
· Time
and change are interrelated: we measure each by the other;
· Curiosity
rather than dread;
· There
is no “way things ought to be” – only the way things are;
· The
desire to control change is the greatest obstacle to Wisdom;
· Mystery is the Soul’s element;
· Attention:
Eternity is Now;
· Attention
is the transforming agent;
· Death
is the final stage of our healing;
· Death
is like taking off a tight shoe;
· Don’t
allow your death to be guided by Ego: be Aware;
· Change is the mantra of aging;
· Gita:
use the battles of life to become God;
· Greater
suffering elicits higher consciousness;
· Suffering
is caused by attachment, so it prompts us to let go;
· To let
go is to heal – not to cure – what ails us;
· Faith
and Love (Soul Awareness) are stronger than aging and death.
