Ram Dass

For other people named Ram Dass, see Ram Dass (disambiguation).
"Richard Alpert" redirects here. For other uses, see Richard Alpert (disambiguation).

Ram Dass
Zalman Schachter-Shalomi & Ram Dass
Ram Dass in February 2008
Born
Richard Alpert

(1931-04-06)April 6, 1931
Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
DiedDecember 22, 2019(2019-12-22) (aged 88)
Maui, Hawaii, U.S.
Alma mater
Occupation(s)Spiritual teacher in the lineage of Neem Karoli Baba, writer
Children1

Ram Dass (born Richard Alpert; April 6, 1931 – December 22, 2019),[1] also known as Baba Ram Dass, was an American spiritual teacher, guru of modern yoga,[2] psychologist, and writer. His best-selling[3] 1971 book Be Here Now, which has been described by multiple reviewers as "seminal",[4][5][6] helped popularize Eastern spirituality and yoga in the West.[7] He authored or co-authored twelve more books on spirituality over the next four decades, including Grist for the Mill (1977), How Can I Help? (1985), and Polishing the Mirror (2013).

Ram Dass was personally and professionally associated with Timothy Leary at Harvard University in the early 1960s. Then known as Richard Alpert, he conducted research with Leary on the therapeutic effects of psychedelic drugs. In addition, Alpert assisted Harvard Divinity School graduate student Walter Pahnke in his 1962 "Good Friday Experiment" with theology students, the first controlled, double-blind study of drugs and the mystical experience.[8][9] While not illegal at the time, their research was controversial and led to Leary's and Alpert's dismissal from Harvard in 1963.

In 1967, Alpert traveled to India and became a disciple of Hindu guru Neem Karoli Baba, who gave him the name Ram Dass, meaning "Servant of Ram," but usually rendered simply as "Servant of God" for Western audiences. In the following years, he co-founded the charitable organizations Seva Foundation and Hanuman Foundation. From the 1970s to the 1990s, he traveled extensively, giving talks and retreats and holding fundraisers for charitable causes. In 1997, he had a stroke, which left him with paralysis and expressive aphasia. He eventually grew to interpret this event as an act of grace, learning to speak again and continuing to teach and write books. After becoming seriously ill during a trip to India in 2004, he gave up traveling and moved to Maui, Hawaii, where he hosted annual retreats with other spiritual teachers until his death in 2019.

  1. ^ Oliver, Joan Duncan (December 23, 2019). "Ram Dass, Beloved Spiritual Teacher, Has Died". Tricycle: The Buddhist Review.
  2. ^ Charet, F. X. (2013). "Ram Dass: The Vicissitudes of Devotion and Ferocity of Grace". In Gleig, Ann; Williamson, Lola (eds.). Homegrown Gurus: from Hinduism in America to American Hinduism. Albany, New York: State University of New York Press. pp. 15–40. ISBN 978-1-4384-4792-6. OCLC 862746284.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference Almereyda was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Romancito, Rick (July 19, 2010). "'Be Here Now' turns 40". Taos News. Retrieved November 19, 2021.
  5. ^ Wallace, Amy (December 20, 2012). ""I Have a Great Idea, Maybe Like the Best Idea I've Ever Had"". GQ. Retrieved November 19, 2021.
  6. ^ Pickering, Lucy (Winter 2018). "Time-rich: 1960s counterculture and time as affluence in a dropout community in Hawai'i". Journal of Ethnographic Theory. 8 (3). University of Chicago: 625–639. doi:10.1086/701025. S2CID 149534872. Retrieved November 19, 2021.
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference Harvey 2010 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference SaraDavidson was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ Cite error: The named reference HiattJune2016 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).