Ram Dass

Ram Dass

Ram Dass (Richard Alpert) was born on April 6th, 1931. Ram passed away December 22nd, 2019 at 88 years old. Ram Dass was born in Boston, Massachusetts, USA.

Ram Dass, whose real name was Richard Alpert, was an American spiritual author and teacher who helped popularize Eastern spirituality in the United States and Europe.

However, Ram Dass has not always been a spiritual teacher, as she started as a psychologist working in academia. While he was teaching at Harvard, he teamed up with Timothy Leary and conducted controversial but groundbreaking psychedelic drug experiments during the 1960s.

His activities ultimately led to his dismissal from Harvard. Soon enough, he was at the head of the counterculture movement. Disappointed with hallucinogenics, he travelled to India during the late 1960s and met Neem Karolu Baba, the Hindu guru who changed his name to Ram Dass.

Now a changed man, Ram moved back to America as a spiritual teacher dedicated to service, compassion, and meditation. He became the seminal teacher on eastern spirituality as he blended Western psychology, Buddhism, and Hinduism and influenced counterculture thinkers and figures such as George Harrison and Steve Jobs.

In 1978, Ram Dass founded the Seva Foundation that offered global eye care. He was also the co-founder of the Dying/Living Project, which found inspiration in Eastern teachings on death.

After he suffered a stroke in 1997, Ram moved to Maui, Hawaii, and hosted and taught spiritual events online, wrote books, and gave lectures until he died in 2019.

Ram Dass’s most popular work was Be Here Now, in which he tells of his journey from Richard Alpert the academic into Ram Dass the Hindu-inspired teacher.

Blending spiritual teaching, autobiography, and practical guidance on yoga and meditation, Ram offers insights into divine love, mindfulness, and ego. He draws from different religious traditions to teach on concepts such as the importance of service, conscious living, and love.

Ram also provides a list of his recommended reads on consciousness and spirituality for persons interested in exploring further.

In 1976, Ram Dass teamed up with Stephen Levine to publish the work Grist for the Mill. It is a guide that looks at the journey toward unity with the divine and self-realization.

Delving into themes of the nature of reality, consciousness, and identity, the authors assert that embracing all life experiences is critical for spiritual growth. They also encourage readers to look beyond personal narratives and ego to develop a deeper connection with the universal self and the present moment.

Two years later, Ram Dass published Journey of Awakening, in which he draws from several spiritual traditions to explore meditation techniques, including movement practices, mantra, visualization, and prayer.

He explores the different stages of meditation and provides perspectives on how to deal with common challenges such as mental distractions and ego interference. He asserts that meditation is about living in the present moment with compassion and clarity rather than escaping reality.

Related Authors

Fans of Ram Dass also enjoy these authors:

1. Stephen King, author of The Dark Tower Series.
2. Jane Austen, author of: Pride and Prejudice.
3. Ray Bradbury, author of: Fahrenheit 451.
4. Kristin Hannah, author of: The Nightingale.
5. F. Scott Fitzgerald, author of: The Great Gatsby.

Ram Dass: F.A.Q