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Summary: THE CURSE!
Review: Since my review is #34, I will not annoy you with repetition. Instead, I offer a comparison of Ram Dass to his own longago reading of the Ramayana, in which the hero goes to consult a wise man about the disappearance of his wife. The seer begins by warning that he is under a curse: Half the time his advice is brilliant wisdom, and the other half of the time his advice is stupid baloney (or words to that effect). The curse is that he never knows which is which.The various trips that RD did and described (it seems to me) each had two sides, a liberating possibility and an entrapment possibility. He did not always know which was which until later. And when he found out later, he told us that, too. Good Man, RD!
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Summary: Richard Alpert (Ram Dass) is a "Finder."
Review: There are seekers, and there are finders. Richard Alpert (Ram Dass) is a 'finder'. He was a self-described bi-sexual college professor, and a colleague of Timothy Leary, when he got caught up in the drug scene (esp. LSD), which gave him a look at chemically induced 'enlightenment.' Just enough to whet his curiosity. The trouble was, he always "came down." so he went to India. He wanted something more permanent. While he was there on his spiritual quest, he was led to a little Indian 'Guru,' who showed him the way--demonstrating powers that blew Alpert away! For one thing, he took a dose of LSD that would have stunned an elephant, and never batted an eye. He had something stronger--the real thing. I met Alpert when he returned to the United States, intent upon spreading the good word. By then he had changed his name to Ram Dass ('servant of God'). I heard him speak in Santa Cruz, as well as in Monterey. He has charisma, and he has a message in which he truly believes. This is one of his best books (he has written several.) I recommend it as a primer for any seeker who is interested in the Eastern philosophies; especially Hinduism, which is the original source of Ram Dass' message, and specifically the Vedanta (the culmination of the Hindu scriptures, the earliest forms of which date back perhaps 3,000 years.) Joseph Pierre,
author of THE ROAD TO DAMASCUS: Our Journey Through Eternity
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Summary: The Om on the spine says it all... Perfection
Review: This book is the most amazingly beautiful book I have ever encountered. Reading it brings more love into my heart than even the Bagavad-Gita! Dr. Richard Alpert (Ok, Ok Baba Ram Dass) is an amazingly inspiration to me. I am only 16, but my life seems to be following the same sort of path that his did. I ate lots of LSD, experiences cosmic unity, returned, and now I want more, but I want it permanently :-) If you've ever eaten LSD, but are not into spirituality, this book will turn you on to spirituality. If you are spiritual, then this book will give you a good ammount of practical experiments and spiritual excersises. The latest version of this book (from the Hanuman Foundation) also has a VERY thorough list of spiritually oriented books rated from "Books good to hang out with" to "Books good to see now and then" to "Books it is good to have known"
Good stuff! Thanks Richard, I mean, Baba!
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Summary: Still one of the best
Review: It's near amazing to me how well Be Here Now has stood up over what's now quite a long time! It both gives readers a great intro to hippy tripping in the 60s, and, more important for me, it gives one of the best, straightforward, introducations to what the major religions have in common with each other and with "spirituality". And it's great for learning to meditate. I suppose there will be a number of evangelical souls who will disagree, but I really think that this book might well be good for even the most fundemental of Christians, at least those who've got any openness left to the many different sorts of messages one can get from the Godhead, by whatever names.
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Summary: A legal way to turn on!
Review: I first encountered this book when I was leading a very "sixties-ish" lifestyle. Good gosh! Every brown, full-capp'd page was a revelation! Needless to say it opened my eyes (and they're still open). I'm going to buy and read this book again; so, this glowing review is based on a reading of nearly twenty (sigh!) years ago. I'm sure I'll still love it, though.
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Summary: A cup of water for a parched soul
Review: This is one of the first books I read on my journey of self discovery. An excellent start for the beginning traveler.
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Summary: Unique and classic, it still deserves attention
Review: This book fascinated me over several readings. The great thing about this and other Dass 70's work (read "The only Dance there is") is the contrast between 70's hippie talk and the eternal truth, and how well it all works, due to Dass's ever-present Witness guiding the way. The brown paper bag section is absolutely classic, and the rest is worthy. Check it out.
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Summary: this book is totally addictive
Review: Baba Ram Dass'es autobiography is amazing. tHE artwork alone is a visual pleasure.
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Summary: Still Here Now
Review: This book explained in words everything that was in my head and still as of now unexplainable by myself. Read with an open mind and hopefully one may find its truth in everything it says. P.S. This is not a book about LSD!!!!!!! As if it wasnt obvious in and of itself.......
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Summary: my bible
Review: I'm not religious, but Dass spouts a lot of good common-sense knowledge. Don't let the ethereal, self-helpish, flaky aspect turn you off. Just read what he writes, let it all in, and you'll realize how wise and right he is. I also highly recommend Dass's The Only Dance There Is as a companion volume. I love the groovy drawings and psychedelic poetry, too, baby!!
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