Ram DassMUSHEROOMS GAVE ME WHAT I COULD HAVE HAD AT MY BAR MITZVAH
October 18, 2006 DOI: 10.1525/california/9780520245457.003.0014 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Historical analysis |
|---|---|
| Key points | Argues that Ram Dass's life and work, from his bar mitzvah through his spiritual transformation in India, made him a key translator of Eastern spirituality for American audiences, influencing Western perspectives on consciousness and faith. |
Abstract
This chapter discusses the experience of Ram Dass at his bar mitzvah. Ram Dass or Richard Alpert is the epicenter of America's spiritual searchings, a teacher, eloquent guide, and agile translator of Eastern thought into American practice. Since the 1960s, he has helped shape Americans' attitudes toward consciousness, faith, drugs, religion, and mysticism, giving them perspective and a distinctly Western relevance. Richard was destined for great things: earning a Ph.D. from Stanford, he became the youngest person to secure tenure at Harvard, where he taught in two departments before he was thirty. In 1967 he traveled to India, met his spiritual teacher, and became Baba Ram Dass. Returning to the United States, Richard wrote Be Here Now, a spiritual guide full of perky aphorisms promising that God was only a yoga posture away: “Here we are. Here and now.”