Mindrolling with Raghu Markus

Continuing their discussion on Tibetan Buddhism and Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche's lineage, David Silver and Raghu Markus chat about carrying forward the wisdom of great masters.
Check out part 1 of this conversation on Ep. 627 of the Mindrolling Podcast and grab a copy of Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche’s memoirs, Blazing Splendor, for a deeper look into his magnificent life.
In this episode, Raghu and David chat about:
Being guided toward unconditional love, selflessness, and devotion to the Divine Mother
The role of lineage holders and treasure revealers in Tibetan Buddhism
Tulku Urgyen’s unique style of teaching
Deep humility as an essential spiritual practice
How ‘being here now’ becomes a gateway to embodied wisdom
Releasing skepticism and misunderstanding around the concept of a guru
Honoring great spiritual masters and transmitting their wisdom across generations
The powerful film, Tibet: Cry of the Snow Lion
Reaching a state of deathlessness and timeless awareness
Starting our day with compassion for ourselves and others
“As soon as I wake up in the morning, I remind myself that nothing exists as it appears. Then I think about sentient beings who want happiness, but experience suffering. I generate compassion for them, determined to help them as much as I can to eliminate their negative emotions.” –The Dalai Lama

About David Silver:
David Silver is the former co-host of the Mindrolling podcast. He is a filmmaker and director, most recently coming out with Brilliant Disguise. Brilliant Disguise tells the unique story of a group of inspired Western spiritual seekers from the 60s, who in meeting the great American teacher, Ram Dass, followed him to India to meet his Guru, Neem Karoli Baba, familiarly known as Maharaj-ji. Two days before he left his body, Maharaj-ji instructed K.C. Tewari to take care of the Westerners, which he did resolutely until the day he died in 1997. Silver’s #1 charting MGM/UA/Warners film, “The Compleat Beatles” is the critically acclaimed biopic movie about history’s most famous band. The term ‘rockumentary’ was first applied to this two-hour movie. Rolling Stone recently described the film as a “masterwork.” Silver’s Warner Brothers’ feature film, “No Nukes” also started the whole trend of music/activism feature documentaries.
“‘Be Here Now’ is not only Ram Dass’s precept of just be in the present, it’s saying, ‘Be here now, and you’re everywhere. Be here now, and you’re in wisdom.’ If you’re not here now, you’re veering away from wisdom.” — David Silver
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Tracing her path from sharp-minded scholar to seasoned devotee, Mirabai Bush shares intimate stories of her personal evolution and enduring devotion to Maharaj-ji.
Check out Mirabai's latest book, Almost Home: Dharma, Social Change, and the Power of Love
In this episode, Raghu and Mirabai chat about:
Mirabai’s leap of faith: leaving her PhD program, going to India, and becoming a devotee of Maharaj-ji
The mystery of timing and how a single moment can quietly change the course of a life
A silent meditation retreat that unexpectedly prepared Mirabai to meet Maharaj-ji
How one moment with Maharaj-ji expanded Mirabai’s sense of being alive and transformed her inner world
Surrendering control: how Maharaj-ji taught Ram Dass to release the need to manage reality
The sacred symbolism and devotional practice of touching a guru’s feet
The miracle of childbirth and Mirabai’s profound experiences with home birth
Check out Mirabai’s archived podcast series on the Be Here Now Network.
About Mirabai Bush:
In addition to being one of Love Serve Remember Foundation’s respected board members, Mirabai Bush is a devotee of Neem Karoli Baba and spent time with him in India from 1971 to 1972. Along with Ram Dass, she is the co-author of Compassion in Action: Setting Out on the Path of Service and Walking Each Other Home. Mirabai is Senior Fellow and founder of the Center on Contemplative Mind in Society, which encourages contemplative practice and perspective in American life in order to create a more just, compassionate and reflective society. Mirabai has also worked with Google on a workplace course called ‘Search Inside Yourself’ and with the US Army on a program for chaplains and medics. She is editor of Contemplation Nation: How Ancient Practices are Changing the Way We Live, co-author of Contemplative Practices in Higher Education: Powerful Methods To Transform Teaching and Learning, and author of Working with Mindfulness. Keep up with Mirabai on her website and don’t forget to grab her latest book, Almost Home.
“I just fell down at his feet. I never thought I would bow to a guru, but it wasn’t a decision; I was just there. In those first moments, he just expanded my sense of what it could mean to be human, to be on this planet. There is so much more to it than I had thought.” –Mirabai Bush
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Raghu Markus is joined by Michael Leach, the first-ever Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer of the White House, for a conversation on how to have faith over fear in the face of uncertainty.
Grab a copy of Michael’s book, Faith Over Fear, to learn more about harnessing your own resilience.
In this episode, Raghu and Michael take a journey through:
Closing the gap between faith and fear
Seeing faith as an action rather than a feeling
How freedom comes when we loosen our grip on ego, fear, and identity
Surrender and choosing presence even when outcomes are unclear
The book The First 90 Days and what culture truly means
Michael’s time working in the White House with the Biden-Harris administration
The meaningful pivot from our preference to our purpose
Enduring and adapting through the many changes we face socially, politically, and personally
Breaking down the wall between ‘us’ and ‘them’, taking inspiration from Ram Dass’s There Is No Other
Giving ourselves ‘the fear test’ and looking inward before we judge another person
Considering the cost of unity and choosing listening over labeling
Forming ourselves so that we are not driven by fear
“Whatever you're not changing you’re choosing, but here's the truth about change: it's not secured in a single election or moment of triumph. Democracy is an ongoing experiment, constantly tested by shifts in power, societal challenges, and the choices we make to protect (or erode) progress. It's not about ensuring nothing changes when you leave, it's about ensuring that what truly matters can endure when everything does. The key is not permanence, it's resilience” –Michael Leach
About Michael Leach:
Michael is a nationally respected strategic advisor, public sector leader, and culture builder whose career spans the NFL, national politics, and the White House. He currently serves as CEO & Co-Founder of BridgeTrust Partners, an advisory firm specializing in leadership development, inclusive strategy, and transformative partnerships across industries—from sports and healthcare to tech, media, and government.
Michael began his professional journey in the National Football League, serving as Assistant to the Head Coach of the Chicago Bears and later managing Labor Relations at NFL Headquarters, where he played a key role in administering and enforcing the NFL's Collective Bargaining Agreement. In 2019, he was appointed Chief People Officer and Head of Diversity and Inclusion for the Biden-Harris campaign, helping build the most diverse general election team in U.S. history. He later became the first-ever Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer for the White House, serving as Special Assistant to the President. Michael is also now an author! Faith Over Fear, a book on resilience and faith in uncertain times, was released in February 2026.
Reach out to Michael via his website, where you can find his social media and contact information as well as learn more about his speaking engagements, career coaching, and more.
“It's really through our surrendering that God does his establishing. God is unable to establish if we don't surrender. If your hands are closed and someone is trying to give you a gift, it's going to be really hard to receive that gift if you don't first open your hands. That's literally the nature of faith. I first have to release what's in my hand in order for God to release what's in his hand.” –Michael Leach

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In a world shaped by collective crisis, Raghu Markus and Dr. Thomas Hübl come together to explore inner connection and healing trauma.
Interested in learning more about trauma? Grab a copy of Releasing Our Burdens, Thomas’s co-authored book with systemic family therapist Dr. Richard Schwartz, HERE
This time on Mindrolling, Raghu and Thomas discuss:
Thomas’s early call to meditation, spirituality, and a life of service
Living within a global ecosystem shaped by overlapping crisis dynamics
Returning to ourselves when we are overwhelmed by fear and pain
Understanding how trauma shuts down parts of the self as a survival response
Examining the lasting effects of trauma on both the mind and body
The genetic transmission of trauma across generations
The role of restorative practices in healing trauma and reversing symptoms
Digesting trauma instead of becoming stuck in survival patterns
Cultivating compassion, patience, and trust in the healing process
The power of presence as a foundation for trauma recovery
How healing even one part of the self creates fertile ground for deeper integration
Spiritual trauma and how it creates a misalignment within our inner and outer lives
Supporting one another in reconnecting with our most powerful resource: inner connection
About Thomas Hübl PhD:
Thomas Hübl, PhD, is a renowned teacher, author, and international facilitator who works within the complexity of systems and cultural change, integrating the core insights of the great wisdom traditions and mysticism with the discoveries of science. Since the early 2000s, he has led large-scale events and courses on the healing of collective trauma. Hübl is the author of Attuned: Practicing Interdependence to Heal Our Trauma—and Our World, and Healing Collective Trauma: A Process for Integrating Our Intergenerational and Cultural Wounds. He is also the co-author of Releasing Our Burdens with Dr. Richard Schwartz. Hübl has served as an advisor and guest faculty for universities and organizations, as a coach for CEOs and organizational leaders, and is currently a visiting scholar at the Wyss Institute at Harvard University. Keep up with Hübl’s upcoming events and livestreams HERE. You can also follow Thomas on Instagram!
“What does trauma do? It shuts down a part of ourselves so that we can survive or go through very painful moments better. But the aftereffect, if it’s not being taken care of, is a sense of disconnect from ourselves. So, then we try to fill that hole with all kinds of other stuff that is not authentic to us, that is over consumerism, that is not feeding each other, that is creating all kinds of side effects.” –Thomas Hübl, PhD
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Author & human rights lawyer Anu Gupta sits down with Raghu to explore meeting division with “soul force”—the compassionate, spiritual power that lives within us all.
Learn more about Anu’s project, Soul Force for the 21st Century
This time on Mindrolling, Raghu and Anu have an in-depth conversation on:
The precipice of our karma and how past negative actions are coming to a head globally
Anu’s recent work in South Africa with racial healing and dissolving borders
How Artificial Intelligence lacks ethics and moral virtues
Resisting commodification and profit-driven systems through awareness and conscious choice
How modern society has dulled our innate human capacity to care
Returning to our shared primary identity as human beings rather than focusing on what makes us different
Buddhist teachings on interconnectedness and the illusion of separateness
Meditation as an antidote for the negative habits that we have stored within ourselves
Navigating Kali Yuga with Bhakti yoga and merging with the divine
Finding the divinity in every single human being
Keeping the faith and remembering that uncertainty does not have to be dangerous
How small acts of kindness can add up to global change
The PRISM acronym that Anu discusses in his book, Breaking Bias
“Recognize that everything that happens is perfectly designed to open up your eyes, your mind, your heart, to one thing or another that you need in this lifetime.” –Raghu Markus
About Anu Gupta:
Anu Gupta is a human rights lawyer, scientist, scholar of bias, meditation teacher, and the founder and CEO of BE MORE with Anu, a professional development company that trains corporate, nonprofit, and government leaders to advance inclusion and wellness by breaking bias. He is also the author of Breaking Bias: Where Stereotypes and Prejudices Come From and the Science-Backed Method to Unravel Them(2024), with a foreword from His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Check out Anu Gupta on Substack, Linked in, and Instagram.
Interested in working directly with Anu? Head over to Bemorewithanu.com to learn more.
“It’s really a spiritual power that we all have as human beings, as a spirit in this body suit; it's the loving strength of will to confront injustice and violence without mirroring. That is what we must reinvigorate within ourselves, but also between ourselves. That soul force, to see it with kindness and compassion and when we divert from it, to be able to call ourselves and others back on that path.” –Anu Gupta
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