How to Find Lasting Pleasure in a Temporary World - Ray Raghunath Cappo - Online - Saturday, August 15th, 2026 - 2-3:30 PM PT

In this session, Raghunath (Ray Cappo) traces his evolution from frontman of the influential mid-eighties hardcore band Youth of Today to a spiritual seeker embarking on a "God quest" to India in 1988. He candidly shares the joys and struggles of ashram life and the challenges of navigating pre-internet India without cell phones or credit cards. Raghunath discusses his profound transition into monkhood—a journey defined by dissolving attachments, quitting his band at the height of its success, and fully embracing a foreign culture. Driven by the heartbreak of watching his father spend three years in a coma, he was haunted by a single question: “How can we find lasting pleasure in a temporary world?” This inquiry sparked a decades-long immersion in Vedic philosophy and culture that continues to shape his life today.

Takeaways:

• The Punk-to-Monk Path: Discover how the intensity of the hardcore straight-edge scene fueled a deeper search for truth.
• Renunciation in Real-Time: Lessons learned from quitting a successful career to embrace a life of simplicity and service.
• Navigating the Unknown: Stories of traveling through India in the eighties and the resilience required for spiritual growth.
• Vedic Wisdom for the Modern World: Understanding the philosophy of "lasting pleasure" and how to apply ancient monk principles to contemporary life.

About:

Raghunath (Ray Cappo) is a yoga teacher, author, and musician who famously transitioned from punk rock icon to monk. In the 1980s, he fronted the influential hardcore band Youth of Today and co-founded Revelation Records.
Seeking deeper meaning, he moved to India in 1988 to live as a celibate monk for over six years, eventually blending his punk roots with Vedic philosophy through his band, Shelter. Today, he co-hosts the popular Wisdom of the Sages podcast and leads spiritual pilgrimages and yoga trainings worldwide.