Ram Dass

For the Sixteenth century Sikh guru, see Guru Ram Das.

Ram Dass at the Hanuman Temple in Taos, New Mexico, September 2004

Dr. Richard Alpert (born April 6 1931), later known as Baba Ram Dass, was a professor of psychology at Harvard University who became well known for his controversial research program which studied the effects of psilocybin on human subjects. He was born to a prominent Jewish family in Boston, Massachusetts. His father, George Alpert, was one of Boston's most prominent lawyers as well as a railroad executive and a founder of Brandeis University. Richard Alpert has two older brothers. He received a Bachelor of Arts Degree from Tufts University, a masters' degree from Wesleyan University and a doctorate from Stanford University.

Alpert worked closely with Dr. Timothy Leary at Harvard, where the two conducted experiments on the effects of psilocybin on human subjects. The pair were dismissed from the university in 1963. Leary was dismissed for not showing up to his classes, Alpert for giving psilocybin to an undergraduate in an off-campus apartment. They relocated, and continued their experiments at a private mansion in Millbrook, New York.

In 1967, Alpert travelled to India, where he became heavily involved in meditative practice and yoga. He met and studied with the great American spiritual seeker Bhagavan Das, who introduced Alpert to his guru, Neem Karoli Baba, or Maharaj-ji, hindi for "Great King." Maharaj-ji gave Alpert the name Ram Dass, which means servant of Rama, and instructed him to receive teaching from Bhagavan Das.

After his return to the United States in 1969, Alpert founded several organizations dedicated to expanding spiritual awareness and promoting spiritual growth. Since a 1994 interview with Gay Soul, he has been open about his bisexuality. In February 1997, he suffered a stroke which left him with expressive aphasia, but he continues to give lectures at a variety of places.

References

Books by Ram Dass

Be Here Now (1971). ISBN 0517543052
Compassion in Action, with Mirabai Bush (1991)
Doing Your Own Being (1973)
Grist for the Mill (with Steven Levine) (1977)
Journey of Awakening: A Meditator's Guidebook (1978)
Miracle of Love: Stories about Neem Karoli Baba (1979) (tales of Maharajji). ISBN 0525476113
The Only Dance There Is (1974)
Still Here: Embracing Aging, Changing and Dying (2000)
Paths to God:Living The Bhagavad Gita (2004)

Films aboutRam Dass

. Lemle Productions

External links

[Official Ram Dass website]

[Talking with Ram Dass about being gay, being soul friends, and just being ... Ram Dass]

[Ram Dass co-founded the Seva Foundation]

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