Ram Dass

Ram Dass openly talked about his bisexuality. He preferred to have no family ties that may influence his work. At the age of 78, he learnt that he had a son from a brief affair with a fellow graduate named Karen Saum during his days in ‘Stanford University.’ This was revealed when his son, Peter Reichard, took a DNA test. Ram and Peter came together 53 years after Peter’s birth and have kept in touch since then.

In 1997, he suffered a stroke that left him with expressive aphasia, which affected his speech and the left side of his body. However, his mind is as active as it was prior to the stroke. He believes his stroke was an act of God to prepare him for more difficult things in life. He has been living on Maui, in Hawaii, since 2004 and has not moved out much.

His health and his financial condition have both deteriorated with time. However, he continues to preach and write books to spread his message.

He was born Richard Alpert, on April 6, 1931, in Newton, Massachusetts, US, to Jewish parents. His father was a lawyer and an active fundraiser for Jewish causes. His father was also one of the founders of the ‘Albert Einstein College of Medicine’ and ‘Brandeis University.’

Alpert considered himself an atheist during his younger days and did not profess any religion. He graduated from the ‘Williston Northampton School’ in 1948 and went on to complete his BA degree from ‘Tufts University.’ He then completed his master’s degree from ‘Wesleyan University’ and earned a doctorate degree in psychology from ‘Stanford University.’

After completing his PhD, he taught at ‘Stanford University’ for a year and went on to practice psychoanalysis.

He started teaching as an assistant professor of psychology at ‘Harvard University’ in 1958. He worked in the ‘Social Relations Department,’ the ‘Psychology Department,’ the ‘Graduate School of Education,’ and the ‘Health Service.’ He became a therapist and specialized in motivation and personality development. He published his first book, ‘Identification and Child Rearing,’ in 1962.

He met Timothy Leary at ‘Harvard’ and joined him in his research to study the therapeutic effects of hallucinogenic drugs such as LSD and psilocybin. The duo co-founded the ‘International Federation for Internal Freedom’ (IFIF) in 1962, a non-profit institution geared toward the study of the spiritual use of psychedelic drugs. His exploration of human consciousness led him to collaborate with Ralph Metzner, Allen Ginsberg, and Aldous Huxley. His work with Timothy Leary became highly controversial at ‘Harvard.’

He worked under David McClelland at the ‘Center for Research in Personality’ and assisted Walter Pahnke of ‘Harvard Divinity School’ in his ‘Good Friday Experiment’ in 1962, which was the first study on the mystical experience of drugs.

Alpert and Leary moved to the ‘Hitchcock Estate’ in Millbrook, New York, in 1962 and started a communal group with their followers and former ‘Psilocybin Project’ members at the estate. The new organization, known as the ‘Castalia Foundation,’ aimed at cultivating divinity within each person. The foundation hosted retreats where individuals paid to undergo psychedelic experiences through yoga and meditation, without the help of drugs.

He co-authored several books and delivered lectures that included talks at the ‘League for Spiritual Discovery’s center in Greenwich Village, in 1967. He traveled to India the same year and met Neem Karoli Baba, also known as “Maharaj-ji,” at ‘Kainchi Ashram.’ Neem Karoli Baba became his guru. Alpert was given the name “Ram Dass,” meaning “servant of God,” by his guru, who had a lasting influence on the rest of his life. He also interacted with the spiritual teacher Meher Baba, whom he has often mentioned in his books.

He has written a number of books, such as ‘Identification and Child Rearing’ (1962), ‘LSD’ (1966), ‘Be Here Now’ (1971), ‘Miracle of Love: Stories about Neem Karoli Baba’ (1978), ‘Still Here: Embracing Aging, Changing and Dying’ (2000), and ‘Polishing the Mirror: How to Live from Your Spiritual Heart’ (2013).

He has also made several recordings of his teachings and has appeared in a number of documentaries, which include ‘A Change of Heart’ (1991), ‘Dying to Know: Ram Dass & Timothy Leary’ (2014), and ‘Ram Dass, Going Home’ (2017).