Tripping in the Moment: The Spiritual Journey of Baba Ram Dass
International Journal of Transpersonal Studies October 31, 2022 DOI: 10.24972/ijts.2021.40.2.103 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Historical analysis Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Buddhism Meditation Mysticism |
| Keywords | Spirituality Spiritual journey Spiritual unfolding Enlightenment Consciousness Transcendence Inner path Eastern philosophy Eastern wisdom Asian thought Yoga Non-duality Personal transformation Self-discovery Self-realization Personal growth Metamorphosis Evolution Inner change Self-development Awareness Presence Contemplation Attentiveness |
| Key points | Argues that Ram Dass's idea of self in existence transformed from a psychological object of clinical study, to a shared experience of co-discovery, and finally to the witnessing soul recognizing continuous spiritual transformation. |
Abstract
Ram Dass, the iconic, countercultural, spiritual seeker, brought the wisdom of the East to those of us in the West through his many books and frequent, charismatic dharma talks. This view of his spiritual journey describes the transformation of Richard Alpert, clinical psychologist and product of the Western milieu’s often-shackling conventional expectations, into Ram Dass, the free, embodied soul who, through explication and example, and with witnessing attention, tries to guide us all to the always present abode of loving awareness. Ram Dass’s idea of self in existence was transformed: first, from a psychological object of clinical study, to a shared experience of co-discovery, and finally, to the witnessing soul who, with full attention, came to recognize the self in, and as continuous, moment to moment spiritual transformation.
Comparable studies
Other theoretical and historical papers on buddhism, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mental balance and well-being: Building bridges between Buddhism and Western psychology. | 2006 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Buddhist Modernism and the Rhetoric of Meditative Experience | 1995 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Buddhist and Psychological Perspectives on Emotions and Well-Being | 2005 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Too Early to Tell: The Potential Impact and Challenges—Ethical and Otherwise—Inherent in the Mainstreaming of Dharma in an Increasingly Dystopian World | 2017 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| From self to nonself: The Nonself Theory | 2016 | Theoretical or philosophical paper |