Rating: 
Summary: A must see for the strokee community
Review: All the first reviewer wrote is completely true. This film gives a wonderful bio of Ram Dass. But his graceful path through the STROKE EXPERIENCE is a must for strokees to view. there is much he has learned from this "fierce grace" from "BEING STROKED"...that could help others through the aging process and esp through the understanding of stroke as a strokee and as a loved one. I wish all of the 700,000 who experiences STROKE this year could have this dvd placed in their hands asap.
I give it 5 stars. I intend to enjoy each part of THIS FILM for a long time. THANK YOU RAM DASS FOR YOUR LIFE BEFORE STROKE AND AFTER.
NAMASTE'
Love, Light, Rainbows
and Blessings
Mary Simpson
Rating:
Summary: Very informative, Interesting & Useful
Review: I urge everybody to reexamine Ram Dass, intelligently not stupidly, as a better alternative to the Neo-Christian Taliban, and as an intelligent method to dealing with emotional grifters who've misappropriated his methods. Before I chanced upon this on OPB, I saw Ram Dass books at garage sales and thrift stores all over the west coast. I wish more would get reacquainted with the REAL Ram Dass--he definitely is better than the competition, or the stank his abusers have caused. Now, I always thought Ram Dass was some sort of guru-for-money-60's-guy, but after this, I see not. He's very intellectual, and encourages self-examination, thoughtfulness and kindness.
As with any lifestyle, beware the radical stupid followers. This is the same with any religion. They ruin it for the leader and the rest of society.
I admit that I had to overcome some prejudices against the Ram Dass generation.
The Me-Generation out here has misappropriated Ram Dass's ideas to retool ethics to where everything they do is "enlightened", no matter how narcissistic, abusive and neglectful---and they really mess up other folks around them and their own children. They've turned into no-better than any other religious addiction. In his film, I saw the followers dancing around in awkward and unnatural ways totally alien to Indian culture---but seen every where on the west coast. I call it the Dance-of-Milkfed-Wannabes-Rebelling-Against-Super-Square-Background-But-Still-Clueless-&-Dancing-Like-Windmill. (Indian music and dancing, I've always found to be pleasant and graceful.) So many folks here are overly desperate to be cult followers, and get all glassy-eyed and irrational about the obsession of the month. In the city where I live, you see the exact same hippie dance, where the attention-ho seems to think arm-flailing like a zombie in inappropriate places shows everybody they are enlightened, even though nobody else is dancing, there's too many breakables, and other people looking on in horror & snickering.
That and watching 20-year-old hippie infants, who've been told by Mommy & Daddy that everything they do is wonderful and natural, sit in cafes, pick their noses and eat it, plus eat with their mouths open & food falling out. I cannot believe that was a kindness by their parents---why would they make the kid so repulsive? Anyway, his stuff is good, it's a good way of thinking, and it's a good way to deal with the abusers of his system or any other system.
Rating:
Summary: Absolutely Wonderful and Healing
Review: I've watched this DVD twice now. It is even more powerful the second time. I've known about Ram Dass for years and just really got how beautiful a man he is. This is a perfect example of how this medium can be a powerful tool for healing and transformation. The journey of this film is an emotional ride with many delightful moments of wit and interesting history about a man and presence of love on this planet. I highly reccomend everyone to experience the power of "Fierce Grace". While no one would ever wish upon another the harsh lessons of the many people interviewed in this documentary, there is an opportunity for growth and expansion of awareness contained in this slim DVD.
Rating:
Summary: A gift of love
Review: Mickey Lemle's documentary Ram Dass, Fierce Grace, describes the life of Ram Dass (Richard Alpert), author, 60s guru, spiritual teacher, cohort of Timothy Leary, and author of Be Here Now, one of the most influential books of the 1970s. The film begins in the present as Ram Dass deals with the effects of a massive stroke he suffered in February 1997 that left him physically incapacitated and with impaired memory and speech.
Interweaving current conversations, interviews with people in his life, and archival footage, Lemle then looks back at his childhood, the controversy surrounding his research with Timothy Leary in psychedelics at Harvard, his studies in India with Neem Karoli Baba who renamed him Baba Ram Dass (Servant of God), his work with the Seva Foundation in social action projects dedicated to relieving suffering in the world, and his impact as an author and guru to millions of followers. Several examples are shown of his compassion and his ability to feel the pain of others. In an opening sequence, his beautiful "Rachel's Letter"*comforts a family after their daughter was murdered. In the final sequence, Ram Dass listens to a young woman struggling to overcome her grief at her boyfriend's violent death. In a powerfully moving segment, she brings Ram Dass to tears when she tells him about a dream she had in which her boyfriend speaks to her from beyond with a reassuring message.
When Ram Dass received the "fierce grace" of being "stroked", he admits he did not have any unusual spiritual epiphany. He recalls, "Here I am, Mr. Spiritual, and in my own head I didn't orient toward the spirit. It showed me I have some work to do". He has written about the stroke in his latest book, "Still Here" in which he talks about slowing down, and finding out about the "everything" that is out there. For Ram Dass, aging has become a gift. "I was galumphing through life before the stroke", he says. "I'm at peace now more than I've ever been. The peace comes from settling in to the moment". Enhanced by the music of Krishna Das, the documentary is more than just a bio-pic or a meditation on the process of aging, it is an inspiring portrait of a man whose life can be summed up in one word -- service. Ram Dass has said, "What one person has to offer to another is their own being, nothing more, nothing less". In Ram Dass, Fierce Grace, Mr. Lemle has given us Ram Dass' being, nothing more, nothing less. That is a gift of love.
Rating:
Summary: Itself a Transmission
Review: Never a Ram Dass fan, I saw this film at home and experienced a totally unexpected elevation of thought, mood and outlook. In my early 50's, I have surrendered many of my earlier life beliefs, preferring to live realistically and in concert with the community as it is. This film reached deeply into my core, brought deep tears and a profound softening, compassion for us all on the planetary journey. For anyone feeling distanced from spiritual energy, this is a must see, as it wakes up the best of what we as humans have to offer.
Rating:
Summary: OOOOOMMMmmmmmmmmmmmmm
Review: Once again Ram Dass leads the way! He is at his most open, his most giving and humbled in this wonderous film of the journey of his life. old home movies, many stories, comments by friends such as Huston Smith, Ralph Metzner, Larry Brilliant, Krishna Das and Bhagavan Das. This film inspires, as does all of Ram Dass' work.
Thank you Ram Dass, Namaste`. i bow to the God within you.
Rating:
Summary: OMMMMMMMMMMMMMMmmmmmmmmm
Review: Once again Ram Dass leads the way! He is at his most open, his most giving and humbled in this wonderous film of the journey of his life. old home movies,many stories, comments by friends such as Huston Smith, Ralph Metzner, Larry Brilliant, Krishna Das and Bhagavan Das. This film inspires, as does all of Ram Dass' work.
Thank you Ram Dass, Namaste`. i bow to the God within you. Love,
*Ladybear~
Rating:
Summary: A hippie guru learns to live with the challenges of old age
Review: This is a documentary about the legendary Harvard professor, Richard Albert, who experimented with LSD in the 60s, then went to India, changed his name to Ram Das, and came back to become a guru for the hippie generation. Now he's about 70, and, due to a stroke he suffered in 1997, is wheelchair bound. "I never expected old age to be like this," he says with difficulty, as his speech is slow now as he struggles to find the right words. The camera takes us right with him on his daily routine. Aides help him dress and drive him to his many therapy appointments and we are witness to his acupuncture as well as speech and physical therapy sessions. There's background of course, home movies of him as a child in the 1930s, one of three lively siblings whose father was the president of the New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad. There's some footage of him with a fresh face and short cropped hair as a professor at Harvard as he and Timothy Leary saw the mind altering drugs of the time as a major breakthrough in human psychology. And then we see him with his guru in India, taking on the spiritually that was even more powerful than the drugs. He then returned home, bearded and dressed in what his father described as a "bedsheet", and held outdoor yogi sessions for his hundreds of his followers right on the golf course of his family's New Hampshire estate. His book, "Be Here Now" became a best seller and is still in print. But now he's an old man, struggling with his physical challenges. Much of the film focuses on him this way, and sometimes it's hard to watch as he's learning to live with his limitations. I was impatient with some of these scenes, in which he struggles to speak; I would have much preferred the film tto be about his history, rather than his present. However, I realize that the film is exactly what he intended it to be and it gives a powerful message. He's now a guru to the aging baby boomers and he's a living example of how to deal with old age with dignity. Aging is a natural part of life and we all have to learn to live with it. Ram Das is a fine example. He's recently written a book, takes on speaking engagements, and finds time to give individuals spiritual counseling. I give this film a high recommendation. There's a lot to learn from it. It might not be comfortable to watch, but it
certainly is worthwhile.
Rating: 
Summary: Psychedelic Lovers Should View This
Review: This is an ongoing glimpse of Dr. Richard Alpert's transformation as Ram Dass, now going through the experience of 'being stroked' and dealing with the ramifications. There's a good chunk about psychedelics in this, a very brief capture of Dr. Timothy Leary's face, and Ralph Metzner also shows up for a few friendly words.
All in all, this is a piece of the puzzle to Ram Dass and his era. I recommend this DVD to a select audience whom have already become acquianted with the book BE HERE NOW, and perhaps GRIST FOR THE MILL. And of course, you should be familiar with yoga and LSD25, otherwise this will probably have little meaning to you.
Rating:
Summary: Jai MA! An amazing story of a true Yogi and devotee
Review: This is one of the best documentaries I have ever seen. It has the power to really touch the hearts of anyone. Ram Dass's life story is captured and presented in such a real way that he becomes your friend, and anyone can relate to him and his life experiences. The film has great footage from the, Be Here Now, era of the late sixties and seventies all the way up to his life after his nearly fatal stroke. Fierce Grace details many of Ram Dass's career highlights and life achievements. The relationship between an enlightened guru, Neem Karoli Baba, and his disciple Ram Dass is the essence of this story, pure devotion to GOD. Ram Ram. A must see. OM Shanti - Jai Sri Neem Karoli Baba!!!
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