Ram Dass facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Ram Dass
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Ram Dass in February 2008
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Richard Alpert
April 6, 1931 Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
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| Died | December 22, 2019 (aged 88) |
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| Occupation | Spiritual teacher in the lineage of Neem Karoli Baba, writer |
| Children | 1 |
Ram Dass (born Richard Alpert; April 6, 1931 – December 22, 2019) was an American spiritual teacher, psychologist, and writer. He was also known as Baba Ram Dass. His famous 1971 book, Be Here Now, helped make spiritual ideas from the East and yoga popular in Western countries. Many people called this book groundbreaking. He wrote or helped write twelve more books about spirituality over the next forty years. Some of these books include Grist for the Mill (1977) and How Can I Help? (1985).
In the early 1960s, Richard Alpert worked with Timothy Leary at Harvard University. In 1967, Alpert traveled to India. There, he became a student of a Hindu spiritual teacher named Neem Karoli Baba. This teacher gave him the name Ram Dass, which means "Servant of God."
Later, Ram Dass helped start two charity groups: the Seva Foundation and the Hanuman Foundation. From the 1970s to the 1990s, he traveled a lot. He gave talks, led spiritual retreats, and raised money for good causes. In 1997, he had a stroke that affected his body and speech. He saw this event as a blessing. He learned to speak again and kept teaching and writing books. After becoming very sick in India in 2004, he stopped traveling. He moved to Maui, Hawaii, where he held yearly spiritual gatherings until he passed away in 2019.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Ram Dass was born Richard Alpert in 1931. His parents were Gertrude and George Alpert. His father was a lawyer in Boston. Richard didn't feel a strong connection to his family's religious background early on.
Schooling and Degrees
Richard Alpert went to the Williston Northampton School. He graduated with honors in 1948. In 1952, he earned a bachelor's degree in psychology from Tufts University. His father wanted him to study medicine. However, Richard chose psychology instead.
After getting his master's degree in psychology from Wesleyan University in 1954, he went to Stanford University. He earned his Ph.D. in psychology from Stanford in 1957. His doctoral paper was about "achievement anxiety." Alpert then taught at Stanford for one year.
Teaching at Harvard
In 1958, Alpert became an assistant professor at Harvard University. He worked in different departments, including Social Relations and Psychology. He focused on why people are motivated and how their personalities grow. He also published his first book, Identification and Child Rearing.
At Harvard, Alpert worked closely with Timothy Leary. They both did research at the Center for Research in Personality. Alpert was Leary's assistant in the lab. In 1963, both Leary and Alpert were asked to leave Harvard. This happened because they broke university rules.
Millbrook Years (1963–1967)
After leaving Harvard, Alpert, Leary, and their friends moved to the Hitchcock Estate in Millbrook, New York. This estate became a community for their group. They called their new organization the Castalia Foundation. In 1967, Alpert also gave talks in Greenwich Village, New York.
Spiritual Journey and New Name
In 1967, Richard Alpert traveled to India. There, he met another American spiritual seeker named Bhagavan Das. Bhagavan Das introduced him to Neem Karoli Baba. Alpert called this teacher "Maharaj-ji." Neem Karoli Baba became Alpert's spiritual guide.
At the Kainchi ashram, Neem Karoli Baba gave Richard Alpert a new name: "Ram Dass." This name means "servant of God." After this, Alpert became known as Ram Dass.
The Book Be Here Now
After returning to America, Ram Dass stayed at the Lama Foundation in Taos, New Mexico. He had helped start this spiritual community in 1967. While there, he shared a book he had written. The community members helped edit and illustrate it. This book was published in 1971 as Be Here Now.
This 416-page book was a guide for living mindfully. It shared Ram Dass's spiritual journey and suggested spiritual practices. It became a very popular guide for new spiritual ideas, selling two million copies. The money from the book helped support the Lama Foundation for many years.
Be Here Now was one of the first books to teach people not born Hindu how to become a yogi. It was very important for the hippie movement and later spiritual groups. Many people called it a "countercultural bible." The book also made the phrase "Be Here Now" common. It influenced many writers and yoga students, including Apple Inc. co-founder Steve Jobs. The first part of the book also inspired George Harrison's song "Be Here Now."
Foundations and Helping Others
During the 1970s, Ram Dass taught, wrote, and worked with different foundations. In 1974, he started the Hanuman Foundation. This group helps improve people's spiritual well-being through education and community service. One of its projects, the Prison-Ashram Project, helps people in prison.
In 1978, Ram Dass also helped create the Seva Foundation. He started it with public health leader Larry Brilliant and activist Wavy Gravy. This foundation works with healthcare workers to help blind people in India, Nepal, and other developing countries. It has become a global health organization.
In the early 1970s, Ram Dass led workshops about aging and dying consciously. He helped create the Living/Dying Project. This project, based in Marin, California, helps people face death with peace. Ram Dass also taught at the Metta Institute, where he trained people to care for the dying with kindness.
The Love Serve Remember Foundation was created to keep the teachings of Neem Karoli Baba and Ram Dass alive. Ram Dass gave away most of the money he earned from his books and teachings. He donated between $100,000 and $800,000 each year to his foundations and other good causes.
Later Life and Teachings
Ram Dass's spiritual teacher, Neem Karoli Baba, passed away on September 11, 1973. Ram Dass and Timothy Leary, who had drifted apart, became friends again in 1983. They reunited before Leary's death in May 1996.
When Ram Dass was 60 years old, he explored Judaism more deeply. He felt that he was born into Judaism for a reason. He believed it was important to honor his background. He wrote that from a Hindu view, you are born with what you need to learn from.
In February 1997, Ram Dass had a stroke. This stroke caused paralysis and made it hard for him to speak. He saw this event as a "fierce grace" or a tough blessing. He said the stroke was teaching him lessons. He learned that death is the biggest change we face, so we need to practice change.
After almost dying from another stroke in India in 2004, Ram Dass moved to Maui. In 2013, he released a book called Polishing the Mirror. This book shared his life story and teachings. At 82, he said his earlier thoughts about aging seemed simple now. He felt truly ready to face old age and death.
Ram Dass stayed in the Hawaiian Islands until July 2019. He then attended a special event in Taos, New Mexico. After that, he returned to Hawaii. He continued to give talks, lead retreats, and teach through live online videos until his death on December 22, 2019, at age 88.
Personal Life
When Ram Dass was 78, he found out he had a son. He had become a father when he was 24 and teaching at Stanford. His son, Peter Reichard, was a 53-year-old banker. Peter found out about Ram Dass through a DNA test. Ram Dass also learned he was a grandfather.
Works
Books
- Identification and Child Rearing (with R. Sears and L. Rau) (1962) Stanford University Press
- Be Here Now or Remember, Be Here Now (1971) ISBN: 0-517-54305-2
- Doing Your Own Being (1973)
- The Only Dance There Is (1974) ISBN: 0-385-08413-7
- Grist for the Mill (with Stephen Levine) (1977) ISBN: 0-89087-499-9
- Journey of Awakening: A Meditator's Guidebook (1978) ISBN: 0-553-28572-6
- Miracle of Love: Stories about Neem Karoli Baba (1978) ISBN: 0-525-47611-3
- How Can I Help? Stories and Reflections on Service (with Paul Gorman) (1985) ISBN: 0-394-72947-1
- Compassion in Action: Setting Out on the Path of Service (with Mirabai Bush) (1991) ISBN: 0-517-57635-X
- Still Here: Embracing Aging, Changing and Dying (2000) ISBN: 1-57322-871-0
- Paths to God: Living The Bhagavad Gita (2004) ISBN: 1-4000-5403-6
- Be Love Now (with Rameshwar Das) (2010) ISBN: 1-84604-291-7
- Polishing the Mirror: How to Live from Your Spiritual Heart (with Rameshwar Das) (2013) ISBN: 1-60407-967-3
- Walking Each Other Home: Conversations on Loving and Dying (with Mirabai Bush) (2018) ISBN: 1-68364-200-7
- Being Ram Dass (with Rameshwar Das) (2021) ISBN: 9781683646280
Recordings
- Here We All Are, a 3-LP set recorded live in Vancouver, BC in the summer of 1969.
- Love Serve Remember (1973), a six-album set of teachings, data, and spiritual songs (ZBS Foundation) (released in MP3 format, 2008)
- The Evolution of Consciousness (1973), a 3-LP set recorded live in NYC, March 1969 (Noumedia Co - Harbinger Records Ltd.)
- Cosmix (2008), a video enhanced CD of Ram Dass messages mixed with work by Australian DJ and performer Kriece, released on Waveform Records.
- RAM DASS (2019) collaborative album with musician East Forest featuring the final recorded teachings of Ram Dass.
Films
- A Change of Heart, a 1994 one-hour documentary directed by Eric Taylor and hosted by Ram Dass and shown on many PBS stations. It looked at social action as a meditative act.
- Ecstatic States, a 1996 interview on VHS, by Wiseone Edutainment Pty.
- Ram Dass, Fierce Grace, a 2001 biographical documentary directed by Micky Lemle.
- Ram Dass – Love Serve Remember, a 2010 short film directed by V. Owen Bush, included in the Be Here Now Enhanced Edition eBook.
- Dying to Know: Ram Dass & Timothy Leary, a 2014 documentary about Ram Dass and Timothy Leary.
- Ram Dass, Going Home, a 2017 documentary about Ram Dass in his later years, directed by Derek Peck.
- Ram Dass, Becoming Nobody, a 2019 documentary about Richard Alpert becoming Ram Dass and Ram Dass becoming nobody. The film's message is: You have to be somebody to become nobody. Directed by Jamie Catto.
See also
- John C. Lilly
