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Product Description Set against a backdrop of nine decades of sweeping cultural change, Being Ram Dass shares this modern day luminary's journey from psychologist to renegade Harvard psychedelics researcher to beloved spiritual icon.Perhaps no other teacher has sparked the fires of as many spiritual seekers in the West as Ram Dass. If you've ever embraced the phrase "be here now," practiced meditation or yoga, tried psychedelics, or supported anyone in a hospice, prison, or homeless center―then the story of Ram Dass is also part of your story.From his birth in 1931 to his luminous later years, Ram Dass saw his life as just one incarnation of many. This memoir puts us in the passenger seat with the one time Harvard psychologist and lifelong risk-taker Richard Alpert, who loved to take friends on wild rides on his Harley and test nearly every boundary―inner or outer―that came his way.Here, Ram Dass shares his life's odyssey in intimate detail: how he struggled with issues of self-identity and sexuality in his youth, pioneered psychedelic research, and opened the doorways to Eastern spiritual practices. In 1967 he trekked to India and met his guru, Neem Karoli Baba. He returned as a yogi and psychologist whose perspective changed millions.Populated by a cast of luminaries ranging from Timothy Leary to Elisabeth Kübler-Ross, Allen Ginsberg to Sharon Salzberg, Aldous Huxley to Alan Watts―this intimate memoir chronicles Ram Dass's experience of the cultural and spiritual transformations that resonate with us to this day, a journey from the mind to the heart, from the ego to the soul.Before, after, and along these waypoints, readers will encounter many other adventures and revelations―each ringing with the potential to awaken the universal, loving divine that links this beloved teacher to all of us. Review "A comprehensive memoir from a famous but humble spiritual seeker." ―Kirkus Reviews"More than an account of one man's fantastic voyage, Being Ram Dass is an account of America..." ―The East Hampton Star "Throughout the book [BEING RAM DASS], he [Ram Dass] is cogent, warm, and wise; the book provides a glimpse into an extraordinary life as well as a historical moment, one that continues to resonate." ―The Boston Globe“Being Ram Dass is a profound journey into the heart and soul of one of the world’s most beloved spiritual leaders. Throughout, we are reminded that our intrinsically loving nature can never be tainted or destroyed.” ―Tara Brach, PhD, author of Radical Acceptance and Radical Compassion“Ram Dass is one of the great spiritual masters of our time, who was at the same time extremely humble, approachable, and a quintessential storyteller! His stories were all inspiring, uplifting, and transforming. He also knew how to transcend all stories and find the highest truth in the pure knowing and love of just being. This book will be a joyful companion to anyone on the spiritual journey.” ―Deepak Chopra, MD, author of Total Meditation“Being Ram Dass is a wonderful memoir, sharing his life’s travels and journey from Harvard to Bodh Gaya to Kainchi, and all over the world. Ram Dass became a beloved spiritual guide to so many, and this book is a reminder of all the ways he impacted our lives. Love, Serve, Remember . . .” ―Sharon Salzberg, author of Lovingkindness and Real Change“When Ram Dass left this world, he was eulogized as a ‘new age guru.’ He was so much more than that, as all know who were delighted, stretched, and transformed by his presence, his teaching, and his writing. His imprint was growing on a new generation at the end of his life, and will continue to do so. For this was a singular, radiant human being who never stopped deepening and evolving. As wise and fluent in the language of intellect as of spirit, of ‘fierce grace’ as of karma, Ram Dass embodied the possibilities of consciousness, and of spiritual evolution, as few have. He is missed, and yet he is still with us. No surprise that we receive this book, hi