Forty years later, it's still part of the timeless present. Maharaj-ji gave Ram Dass his name, which means "servant of God." Everything changed then-his intense dharmic life started, and he became a pivotal influence on a culture that has reverberated with the words “Be Here Now” ever since.īe Here Now, Ram Dass's monumentally influential and seminal work, still stands as the highly readable centerpiece of Western articulation of Eastern philosophy, and how to live joyously 100 percent of the time in the present, luminous or mundane. Be Here Now continues to be the instruction manual of choice for generations of spiritual seekers.
In India, he met his guru, Neem Karoli Baba, affectionately known as Maharaj-ji. He continued his psychedelic research until that fateful Eastern trip in 1967, when he traveled to India. Richard Alpert, an already eminent Harvard psychologist and psychedelic pioneer with Dr.Timothy Leary. With over 150 pages of metaphysical illustrations, practical advice on how to implement a yogic regiment, and a chapter dedicated to quotes and book recommendations, Be Here Now is sure to enrich your emotional, physical, and spiritual life. If he found himself reminiscing or planning, he was reminded to “Be Here Now.” He started upon the path of enlightenment, and has been journeying along it ever since.īe Here Now is a vehicle for sharing the true message, and a guide to self-determination.
Alpert headed to India where his guru renamed him Baba Ram Dass – “servant of God.” He was introduced to mindful breathing exercises, hatha yoga, and Eastern philosophy. Fear turned into exaltation upon the realization that at his truest, he was just his inner-self: a luminous being that he could trust indefinitely and love infinitely.Īnd thus, a spiritual journey commenced. During a period of experimentation, Alpert peeled away each layer of his identity, disassociating from himself as a professor, a social cosmopolite, and lastly, as a physical being. By most societal standards, he had achieved great success… And yet he couldn’t escape the feeling that something was missing. He published books, drove a Mercedes and regularly vacationed in the Caribbean. In March 1961, Professor Richard Alpert – later renamed Ram Dass – held appointments in four departments at Harvard University. We’re talking about how to become a butterfly.” We’re talking about going from a caterpillar to a butterfly It was a pioneering bridge, written in colloquial language, from the psychedelic 60s to eastern spirituality, and over the years has sold more than two million copies. In 1970, Ram Dass' Be Here Now became the counter-culture bible for thousands of young people seeking enlightenment in the midst of the darkness of Vietnam.
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