Ram Dass

Richard Alpert is a man who is often called a burned out hippie.  Yet in his time he has used his experience with the spiritual effects of the chemical compound naturally found in nature, Psilocybin.  A professor at Harvard in the mid sixties, he and Timothy Leary introduced this compound to the masses and both were quickly let go as Harvard Staff.  Many famous folks aligned themselves with the two merry pranksters.  Ken Kesey, Alan Ginsberg of course the grateful dead and many others.  experimentation was the way, and what a way it was.

Alpert traveled to India in the late 60's and was forever changed in a spiritual sense and was now called Baba Ram Dass.  Baba, after the man who trained him, and Ram Dass meaning "servant of God".  After coming back west to spread his word he wrote "BE HERE NOW" and began to spread the word of the ever worsening ego of the humanrace.   Since then he has embraced a wide variety of spiritual traditions and practices, including guru kripa (grace of the guru); bhakti yoga focused on the Hindu spiritual devaHanuman; meditation in various schools of Buddhism such as Theravada and Mahayana (including Tibetan and Zen); karma yoga; and Sufi and Jewish studies. In February 1997, he suffered a stroke which left him with expressive aphasia, however, he understands his stroke as an act of grace and continues to travel giving lectures, as his health permits. When asked if he could sum up his life's message Ram Dass replied, "I help people as a way to work on myself, and I work on myself to help people... To me, that's what the emerging game is all about." He was awarded the Peace Abbey Courage of Conscience Award.  

This man is an artist of peace showing us a strength of spirit we should all hope to obtain.

 inin  August 1991.^[1]