Ram Dass: Be Here Now and the Path of the Heart
Ram Dass, formerly Harvard psychologist Richard Alpert, journeyed from psychedelics to devotional practice. His teaching: love is the answer. By seeing everyone as souls wearing disguises, compassion naturally arises. The spiritual path is about becoming love, not just talking about it.
From Richard Alpert to Ram Dass
As a Harvard professor, Alpert explored consciousness through psychedelics with Timothy Leary. Dismissed from Harvard, he traveled to India and met his guru Neem Karoli Baba, who transformed him. His journey modeled East-West integration.
The Path of Devotion
Ram Dass embraced bhakti yoga—the path of love and devotion. Unlike paths emphasizing knowledge or discipline, bhakti uses emotion to dissolve ego. By loving deeply, the separate self merges into love itself.
Seeing Everyone as Souls
A key practice: see everyone you meet as a soul who has taken a body for this incarnation. Behind the personality is a being on the same journey as you. This shift from judgment to recognition opens the heart.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does "Be Here Now" mean?
Be Here Now means fully inhabiting the present moment instead of living in mental projections. Most suffering comes from dwelling in past regret or future anxiety. When you're truly here now, you're connected to living reality beyond concepts.
What is loving awareness?
Loving awareness is Ram Dass's core practice. You identify not as your thoughts or body but as awareness itself—which is inherently loving. Repeating "I am loving awareness" shifts identification from ego to soul.
How did Ram Dass view death?
Ram Dass taught that death is not an ending but a transition. The soul continues; only the costume changes. By making peace with death now, you free yourself to live fully.
Try Our Free Tools
Related topics: ram dass teachings, be here now book, ram dass meditation, loving awareness, ram dass on death, spiritual awakening
