Ep. 308 – You Are Love

July 13, 2026

AI Summary

5 min read

In a 1989 talk recorded in a Los Angeles hotel ballroom, Ram Dass tells a story about being pulled over by a state trooper while driving across the United States singing the names of God. He was in a high state after returning from India, driving a 6,000-pound antique Buick limousine. When the trooper approached his window, Ram Dass did not see an authority figure. He saw the divine in disguise. "I knew who this was," he says. "Christ came as a carpenter. Why wouldn't Krishna come as a state trooper?" He played along with the form—handed over his license, listened to the warning about driving too slowly—but he was "in love" the whole time. The trooper, sensing something unusual, lingered, found a reason to talk about the car, and finally waved him on. When Ram Dass looked in the rearview mirror, the trooper was waving back. "Stay troopers don't wave," he notes. The story is not a punchline. It is the central teaching of the episode: the spiritual task is to see the beloved in every disguise, and to stop trying to collect love from a few people and instead become love itself.

The deprivation model of love

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What you'll learn

1 (04:04) **Welcome and Episode Frame** - Host introduces the episode as the second half of a 1989 talk, setting up the core themes of love, deprivation, and awakening.
2 (07:20) **Settling into Other Planes** - Ram Dass explains how becoming familiar with non-ordinary reality allows one to embrace human suffering without fear.
3 (08:53) **The Crucible of Death and Suffering** - Ram Dass describes watching people die, observing that suffering is part of the process of breaking the shell of the ego.
4 (10:51) **Relationships as Curriculum** - Ram Dass argues that every relationship is a vehicle for coming to God, and that we ultimately only meet God in everyone.
5 (14:23) **The Christian Perspective and the Cost of Separation** - Ram Dass reads a poem by Charles Causley from a Norman crucifix, illustrating how God is present in every human role but remains unseen.
6 (16:44) **The Minister of Health Story** - Ram Dass recounts a meeting with Nepal's Minister of Health, where recognizing the beloved behind the role transformed a negotiation into a form of making love.
7 (20:05) **Holding Patterns and Creating Environment** - Ram Dass reflects on relationships where he cannot see the beloved, and describes how working on his own mind can create an environment for others to release their suffering.

+ Full timestamped outline available in the app

Guests on this episode

Ram Dass

Show Notes

In this exploration of relationships and awakening from the illusion of separateness, Ram Dass talks about looking behind the veil of individual differences and coming to a place where you are love itself.

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This episode is supported by Omega Institute. Like the Be Here Now Network, Omega believes that personal transformation can change the world—one heart at a time. Discover immersive retreats, workshops, and gatherings in New York's Hudson Valley. Learn more: eomega.org

This episode of Here and Now is the conclusion of a talk Ram Dass gave at the LA Whole Life Expo on February 18, 1989. Don’t miss the first part of this talk in Episode 307 – Being in Other Planes of Reality.

Ram Dass explores how settling into other planes of reality helps us deal with the immense suffering on this plane of reality. He talks about awakening out of the illusion of separateness and seeing your life as a curriculum.
This includes seeing your relationships as part of the curriculum for coming to God. Ram Dass dives into the subject of relationships and how everyone is God in drag. Ultimately, you only meet God.
Sharing some classic stories, Ram Dass talks about how relationships are a way to delight in the play of form. He explores moving away from the deprivation model of love into a place where, ultimately, you are love itself.

The Ram Dass community gathers regularly to engage in meaningful discussions about the podcast. We invite you to join us and share your curiosities, insights, and wisdom. Sign up for the General Fellowship to receive event invitations directly in your inbox.

“And you shift gears; you no longer try to collect love. You just are in love with everybody. ‘In love’ is the last stop on the train of dualism before you enter into Nibbana, where you become love, and you are no longer experiencing the experience of loving. You are love. And that is inevitable and irrevocable.” – Ram Dass

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