Be Here Now by Ram Dass discusses elaborately about the basic themes and philosophies of spirituality, meditation, and yoga. The book is divided into four sections and it is narrated from the transformation of Dr Richard Alpert, PhD, up to the painted cakes section, which recommends other books that is related with the same subject.
Dr Richard after years of teaching in Harvard, realised that there is more to psychology than mere theories and justifications. Hence for learning that underlying truth, he travelled to India. He has presented the book in a very creative manner. It has no page numbers, also the text and the pages are mostly in blue, brown, and white colour. The contents are actually a summary of the practical experiments and realisations of spiritualism that he learned from his guru.
The first section of the book tells the story of Dr Richard Alpert. This is mostly an autobiography and his transformation to Baba Ram Dass. He elucidates about his journey to India and how he met his Guru Neem Karoli Baba. In the first section, he also writes about his research with Timothy Leary at Harvard, and his career as a psychologist.
The second and third section of the book is exclusively about spiritualism and various forms of yoga and meditation. It consists of a collection of religious, spiritual, and metaphysical sayings. In the explanation about yoga, pranayama and various quotations of eminent spiritual leaders have been included. Also these sections consist of appropriate illustrations.
The final section offers a list of books that are related with spirituality and these books are categorised under headings Books to hang out with, Books to visit now and then, and Books it’s useful to have met. Be Here Now was published by RHUS in 1971 and it is available in paperback.
About the author
Ram Dass
An eminent psychologist, Ram Dass experimented with levels of human consciousness through magic mushrooms and LSD with Timothy Leary, Aldous Huxley, Allen Ginsberg and others. As a result he was expelled from Harvard and, in 1967, journeyed to India where he met his guru, Neem Karoli Baba. His life changed and, on his return to America, he travelled and taught widely, wrote the seminal bestseller Be Here Now and set up various charitable foundations, with an emphasis on service to others. The Seva Foundation has helped restore sight to nearly 3 million people suffering from cataract blindness in Nepal, Cambodia, Bangladesh, Tibet and throughout Africa. In 1997, Dass suffered a near-fatal stroke and then a life-threatening infection in 2004. However, though his travel is now curtailed, he still teaches, as well as engages with people via the internet. See www.ramdass.org
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