Over half a century ago, Professor Richard Alpert and his office mate, Timothy Leary, were fired from Harvard University for experimenting with LSD. Alpert, later named Ram Dass by his Indian guru, Neem Karoli Baba, spent time on a spiritual journey. He returned to America and began lecturing on what he learned. He taught us how to open the heart and serve others. In 1971 he published Be Here Now, a handbook that spawned a generation of spiritual seekers. It is as poignant today as it was then, if not more.
I recently had an opportunity to chat with Raghu Markus, the Executive Director of Love Serve Remember Foundation which is “dedicated to preserving and continuing the teachings of Ram Dass and his guru, Neem Karoli Baba.” It was an incredibly insightful discussion about how and why Ram Dass’ teachings are as important today as they were 50 years ago.
Those of us who were born after the late 60’s may look back on the “Summer of Love” as a time when hippies dropped acid and danced naked around grassy fields. More importantly, as you will learn if you delve deeper into their exploration, they were looking for meaning. What was the meaning of life? Why do we suffer? Do we have to? How can we free ourselves from that suffering?
According to Markus, who spent time with Ram Dass and his guru in the early days, he was always looking to be free from suffering, open the heart, and melt polarization. Those divides might be in politics, religious beliefs, or any endeavor where people dig their heels in and push others away.
Markus said that Neem Karoli Baba told Ram Dass not to tell anyone about him or his teachings, but Ram Dass would say, “How could I not?” The teachings were so simple and so powerful that they could change the mindset of a generation. Markus reported, “Ram Dass had a compulsion to share.” That is what the foundation continues to do.
Ram Dass taught us to see ourselves in others. He taught us that if others were suffering, we were also suffering. He said, “We don’t need to wait until we are enlightened before we act in the world, and we don’t need to withdraw from the world to become enlightened. Conscious social action can be our own work on ourselves that becomes the vehicle for our awakening.”
If this heart centered work is something you’re interested in or just curious about, I highly recommend you search out Ram Dass and his teachings. In our incredibly polarized culture, I do believe this is one way to help us come together, to bridge the gap, and ultimately heal our world.
Photo by Aziz Acharki on Unsplash
