274. Ram Das Batchelder

Ram Das Batchelder passed away in 2023. He was born in Pennsylvania in 1961, had a spiritual awakening in his early twenties, and spent most of 25 years in India as a devotee of Amma, the “hugging saint.” He wrote four children’s books, which have been translated into several European languages, and also a novel in rhyming verse, three full-length plays, and 40 original songs. In 2012, he and his wife, Tarini Ma, wrote and co-taught a university course in Venezuela on Hinduism. He gave numerous talks and workshops about various aspects of spirituality in many locations around the world. “Rising in Love: My Wild and Crazy Ride to Here and Now, with Amma, the Hugging Saint" tells the story of Ram Das Batchelder’s powerful marijuana-fuelled spiritual awakening in America (which included meeting an angel), his two-year struggle with delusion and addiction, his subsequent renunciation of drugs, and his eventual discovery of Amma (the living Guru known in the West as “the Hugging Saint”). The narrative then covers the 27 amazing years he spent in quest of Enlightenment as Amma’s devotee, most of that time in India. It is a story of profound healing from drug addiction and despair into a joyfully fulfilled life, and is, therefore, a ray of hope for all who suffer from addiction or mental illness of one kind or another. The book is a suspenseful psychological thriller, “a real page-turner” (as more than one reviewer has said), yet there is so much humor in the narrative that it reads like a comedic novel. It describes his struggles with dysentery and sexual desire during his first several years at Amma’s ashram and also includes descriptions of numerous miracles he witnessed, a vision of Krishna, and the steady progression of his meditation, which has culminated in states of samadhi. It also discusses how the author left Amma’s ashram for a six-year period, visited numerous other Gurus, and then returned, with a fiancée, and was married by Amma in 2001. One chapter is dedicated to the difficulties he and his wife faced in their marriage, and the beautiful healing Amma gave them as a couple. There is also a section about the Asian Tsunami, which occurred when they were in Amma’s ashram; hundreds were killed in the surrounding area. “Rising in Love” will appeal to anyone interested in spirituality, Enlightenment, Hinduism, Saints or Gurus, as well as psychology, psychotherapy, angels or Jesus. Website: rising-inlove.org Other books: You Are The King- A Parable For Amma's Children Sathyaram Discovers the Mother of All Transcript of this interview Interview recorded 1/17/2015 YouTube Video Chapters: 00:00:00 - Introduction to Ram Dass and Amma 00:04:17 - The Divine Hug 00:07:32 - The Divine Hug and Humanitarian Work 00:10:54 - A Divine Presence in Disguise 00:14:09 - Amma: The Embodiment of Divine Mother 00:17:30 - The Divine Mother Incarnate 00:20:44 - Comparing Amma with Lord Krishna 00:23:50 - Cultivating Personalities 00:26:58 - Bliss and Peace in the Ashram 00:30:19 - The Evolution of Meditation Journey 00:33:49 - Opening up into pure being 00:37:06 - The Dissolution of the Ego 00:40:14 - The Profound Experience of Sitting with a Saint 00:43:29 - A Global Celebrity and a Source of Charity 00:46:49 - Reaching out to Alleviate Suffering 00:49:48 - Serving the Suffering with Compassion 00:52:55 - Amma's Selfless Service 00:56:05 - Amma's Omniscience 00:59:36 - Epiphanies and Divine Encounters 01:06:24 - The Beginning of the Spiritual Path 01:09:44 - The Revelation of Alma's Identity as God 01:12:57 - Struggles with Relationships and Celibacy 01:16:05 - Reflections on Past Wrong Actions 01:19:15 - Celibacy and Determination 01:22:21 - Transition back to a normal married life 01:25:34 - Overcoming Difficulties in Marriage 01:28:52 - Amma's Divine Intervention 01:32:08 - Return to Amma and Charity Donation