Ram Dass
American spiritual teacher and author
Ram Dass, born Richard Alpert, was an American spiritual teacher, psychologist and writer who helped bring Eastern spirituality to Western readers.
2 summaries 36 min of listening
American Born 1931 in Boston, United States Died 2019
About Ram Dass
Before he took the name Ram Dass, Richard Alpert researched the effects of psychedelic drugs at Harvard University alongside Timothy Leary. Harvard dismissed him in 1963, and in 1967 he traveled to India, where he became a disciple of the Hindu guru Neem Karoli Baba, who gave him his new name. His 1971 book Be Here Now was a best-seller that helped popularise yoga and Eastern spiritual practice in the West. He went on to write many more books over the following decades. He co-founded the Seva Foundation and the Hanuman Foundation, and for years he gave talks, led retreats and raised money for charitable causes. After a stroke in 1997 he learned to speak again and kept teaching and writing. He later settled on Maui, Hawaii, where he died on December 22, 2019.