Remember, Be Here Now Reviews

• The 'truth' in three words?

  
  By A3G5G7D3B4LOKG on 2000-07-11
  I know it's a cliché, but this book changed my life. I read it in 1973 when I was an angst-ridden twenty-something searching for a spiritual direction. I bought the book because I recognised Dr Richard Alpert from his association with Dr Timothy Leary and was curious to hear his post acid-haze spin on spirituality. What I found in the pages of this book planted the seed of a philosophy which has grown in my own consciousness, becoming the foundation for a spiritual life. The first part of the book deals with Dr Alperts spiritual awakening through the grace of his guru and his subsequent metamorphosis into the disciple called Baba Ram Dass. It is an inspiring tale for those not afflicted by cynical preconceptions and it inspired in me the desire to seek out my own guru. The central portion of the book was perfect for the times, when people who had opened the gates of their perception with the aid of psychotropic substances, were looking for more natural means to help keep them open. Using the words and teachings of many different spiritual masters, from Jesus to Ramakrishna, the book uses psychedelic, cartoon-like images to get the message across. And the message is Be Here Now. When I first meditated on the meaning of this exhortation, ten thousand bells began to ring in my mind. Of course! The past is gone, an illusion which exerts all kinds of negative influences on the human psyche. The future is even more illusory, in that it is so transient. It could be years long, or it could be seconds - who knows? Life can only be truly experienced in the present - in the here and now - and if we are to find peace and spiritual freedom, we must first do away with our attachment to the past and the future. This is the central premise of the books teaching and it is a profoundly important teaching. We live so much of our lives in the past or the future, we forget to experience the joy of the moment and in the third part of the book entitled `Cook-book for a Sacred Life', Ram Dass offers the reader some practical techniques. Meditation, yoga, posture, mantra, recipes - there is everything here for the novice spiritual aspirant wishing to bring a sense of sacred-ness into all aspects of his or her daily life. As a young man seeking spiritual knowledge and a pathway towards salvation, the rituals, techniques and teachings expounded in this book brought a magic to each day and a kind of unseen connection with Ram Dass and his other readers. Be Here Now was a vital component of my spiritual awakening and I would like to address my words to any open-minded person looking to tread the rock-strewn road towards self-knowledge, compassion and spiritual illumination. Read this book now!
  
  

• Introduction to Places Your Mind Needs to Go

  
  By ANQ9CVCJ1LUK0 on 2002-03-07
  I picked up this book about 8 years ago for the first time and as I was reading it I felt as if my mind was being [pulled] in the pages. I have bought it 3 separate times but always feel compelled to give it away to someone who I feel could benefit from the wisdom inside.
  This book comes in 3 parts...the first part is an account of the author's pre "Ram Dass" life as a PhD and scholar....then to make a long story short, he did some psychedelic drugs, and discovered that he actually liked what was inside his mind and wanted to try to find a way to live in "the now" without the drug experience attached. His journey took him to finding a guru..interesting stuff but then to my favorite part of the book:
  the middle....this is a brown paper rambling section full of rich artwork, roughly drawn cartoons, biblical and buddhist references, and what I found to be great truths....all about what it means to "be here now."
  While some of it is overly simplistic, and some of it is gratuitous reference to organized religion, most of it is just an alternative way of thinking about yourself, your problems, lifestyle, and family issues. What I took away from this book was a renewed sense of self awareness and it even made me realize that different is not bad, its just different. I guess I was at the point in time in my life where I needed that insight into my own behaviors and thought processing capabilities. In any event, it OPENED MY EYES!!! It made me look at everything differently, and almost instantaneously changed my perception of the world and others in it.
  The third part, which is called something like "cookbook for a sacred life" really gets into the practice of buddhism and meditation, which was not the route I chose to go with my life...but in any case, a great and interesting read for anyone interestied in gaining valuable insight into the mystery of their life and life in general.
  
  

• Ambivalent

  
  By A67NO0TFRCNK1 on 2007-08-24
  Richard Alpert telling his life story is alright. It's even instructive. And putting an emphasis on reverence, devotion, and love is great. The part that I like is that he DOES tell about the existence of a path of self actualization and transformation for each of us. Where i get 'heartburn' is in the assumption on the part of many who read this book that 'his' path should be 'their' path.
  
  It's like the idea of reciting a mantra. Ok, this is supposed to give your attention span an anchor while dealing with the drama of the world to help 'hang on' to your center within the unfolding moment. This is fine for beginners who are first attempting to master the practice of 'mindfulness', but, as is poignantly expressed in the Zen classic about taming the bull, at some point, you must stop trying to guide the bull and must let the bull BE the bull. Alpert just encourages TOO MUCH striving. Striving is futile. He also misrepresents his relationship with 'Bhagavan Das' in subtle ways that distort the truth of the matter. Read Bhagavan Das's own account in his book, it's Here Now, Are You.
  
  Finally, there is much to be learned from the study of Yoga, Hinduism, Buddhism, and indeed, every spiritual tradition on the face of the Earth--but you don't actualize yourself by imitating the spiritual customs of other cultures. Each of us was born into a socio-cultural matrix, for better or worse. Each of us belongs to a tribe. Like it or not, that tribe has ancient totemic icons that figure prominently in the story of our tribe. You cannot simply ditch this reality because someone else's culture looks more appealing. Spiritual transformation doesn't work that way. What you must do is to get in touch with your OWN roots, in a very personal way, and create your OWN religion. Discover the voices of your Old Ones from your own DreamTime. Instead of repeating a mantra, invent a new mantra with every incantation. What in the hell do you think enlightenment IS, anyway? You think its like striking the Comstock Lode? Going to Paradise and receiving 15 doe eyed Houris? You still have to brush your teeth and take out the trash. You will still have to wait for the bus with the rest of us. But, like some distant space vehicle, you will have turned your antenna towards your true origins and will be open to receive transmissions from command central.
  
  Take this book with a BIG lump of salt. Enlightenment is not to be found in the Bible, the Baghavad Gita, or the Tao Te Ching, or in this book--it is to be found within yourself, and within the context of working out your karma in your own socio-cultural matrix. Of course wisdom can be studied in these scriptures, but they are NO substitute for processing ones own experience, and knowing oneself.Quit joining up with groups that claim to have all the answers. You are sufficient unto yourself. According to Jesus, the Buddha, and Lao Tse, you are perfect. As You Are. IF, as the Buddha claims, you have Buddha nature, then it's as simple as getting up in the morning. Wake up! There is nowhere to go. There is nothing to do. This is it! And thou art that! And EVERY seat is the best seat in the house!
  
  

• I hope we've grown up since then

  
  By A2DZ6OCWZZ2PQ4 on 2005-09-11
  Like many others, I read this in college and was sucked in. However, reading "Ringolevio" later I uncovered the Richard Alpert used the same approach he used in B.H.N. to promote a beatific vision for drug use prior to his India trip. In other words, the message was the same, the theatrics were the same - only this time a unique journey through India offered him a new pedestal upon which to preach from, one that made him feel 'special'. Why would someone wish to actively seek such world acclaim. Perhaps the answer lay in my also having met his boarding school master from when Alpert was a teenager. From this older man's own words, Alpert was gay and felt forced to hide it - one must remember the times he lived in back then. He was, however, also very much ostracized by his fellow classmates for possibly this very same reason. In short - my amateur interpretation: a teen with a secret, lonely and shunned, seeks mass approval later in life, and a solution for stifling his own inner demons - first through an incredibly heavy use of drugs, which he openly pushes in an effort to make society more like him (so that they might like him more), and later through a pseudo eastern philosophy, that he pushes using the same tactics he used before when he pushed his (addictive & DNA altering) drugs onto others. I attended several of his 'spiritual' retreats and, to my surprise, found his compatriots insulting and intentionally demeaning to those of us who attended looking to them for answers. But the most revealing was when one time Mr Be Here Now was asked a serious question and, after an embarrassing silence, Dr. Alpert/Ram Dass admited he didn't know the answer. And that, when he didn't know, he admitted that he often made up an answer, but in this case, he couldn't even think of an answer to 'make up.' And I thought, why am I sitting here being treated this way, listening to a man who is knowingly lying to us. I got up and left. Some time later I sat next to a woman on a plane who's own mother used to help Dr. Leary distribute drugs to his college students and others when they lived up in the country. This would have been after Dr Leary had been fired from Harvard. She was his right hand in passing them out. This woman shared that her mother, now older, lives with a sense of remorse that, after all those drugs they took, that she still feels no closer to God or her own inner spirituality. I suspect the same may be said about anyone who followed Ram Dass from when he preached a pseudo spirituality mixed in with admitted lies. Part of why I had been so pulled in was Dr Alpert's credentials. Had he not been a professor at Harvard? And even from Dr Leary's own autobiography, wasn't his being fired from Harvard for political reasons more than that he pushed LSD onto his students? One must respect 'the' institution, right? Yet, in the past year, Harvard's very own president has insinuated that females may have an inherent weakness when intellectually competing with men. Re; this book and those times: strip away the 'feel good', explore what is really true, and then move on to something that's a lot more honest, I would humbly suggest.
  
  

• "Hail The Goer" ~ Caution, Paradigm Shift In Progress!

  
  By A141HP4LYPWMSR on 2006-05-25
  Goodbye Dr. Richard Alpert, Harvard Psychology professor. Hello Baba Ram Dass, Hindu spiritual seeker and devotee of the great monkey-God Hanuman!
  
  'Be Here Now' was a phenomenon born out of the sixties counter culture movement and became "the book" that turned the spiritual consciousness of the Christian West eastwards, thus altering the metaphysical landscape forever. Not only were the ideas within this 416 page softcover book made of recycled materials a shock to the religious nervous system of the American mainstream, but the very format was a mystery all its own. Part autobiography, part Occidental psychology, part hippie philosophy, part Indian mysticism, part comic book, one was left to wonder if the text was meant to be read in the conventional manner, or somehow absorbed by simply chanting the contents out loud.
  
  Truly a piece of 20th century American spiritual history that should be experienced by all. PARADIGM SHIFT ANYONE?
  
  
• BE HERE for him, NOW - Wayne W. Dyer
  By A10LODYOZY7C0E on 2005-03-31
  BE HERE for him, NOW
  One of the truly great men of our time needs our help. I write these words to encourage your generosity and support. Back in the 1960's a Harvard professor named Richard Alpert left behind the hectic world of academia and traveled to India - there he was to meet his spiritual teacher who gave him a new purpose to fulfill along with a new name. He of course is Ram Dass.
  His guru told him love everyone, feed people and see God everywhere. Ram Dass became a person who lived out this mandate - he did what so many of us could only dream. He connected to his spirit and devoted his life to serving others.
  In 1969 he wrote and published the signature book on spirituality and applied higher awareness, Be Here Now. In keeping with his commitment to love everyone and feed people, he donated all of the royalties and profits to foundations that did just that. With millions of dollars at stake, Ram Dass simply chose to live his life as a man of service to God.
  After years spent in India in pursuit of a higher more enlightened consciousness for himself and for our troubled world, he returned to the United States to lecture throughout the country. He spoke to packed venues wherever he went, and as always he donated the proceeds to such causes as would keep him in harmony with his mandate to serve. He co-founded the Seva Foundation (www.seva.org) and his writing and lecture fees were primary sources for this compassionate and inspired work.
  To me Ram Dass was and is the finest speaker I have ever heard, period! He was my role model on stage; always gentle and kind, always speaking without notes from his heart, sharing his inspiring stories and always with great humor. I tell you this from my own heart; I could listen to his lectures for hours and always felt saddened when they would end. He was the voice for Applied Spirituality - his life was the model. When he was threatened by having his own private sexual preference exposed, in a time when a closet was the only place that was even mildly safe, Ram Dass called a press conference and proudly announced his preference to the world. He paved the way for tolerance and love when no one else would dare to do so.
  Most of us could only dream of defying the conventional life and living out our inner callings to promote a cause that was bigger than our own lives - to leave the security of a guaranteed career - to leave a country where comfort was ensured; all to live in a foreign land with few conveniences, traveling and meditating for a more peaceful world. It is what St. Francis did in the 13th century and what Ram Dass did in our lifetime.
  When Ram Dass' own father, who had largely criticized his son's unconventional lifestyle, was close to death, Ram Dass devoted himself to 100% service in those final years. He fed his father, he bathed his father, he placed him on and off the toilet until the day he died. Why? Because he felt this was his mandate. He wanted to experience true service on a 24/7 basis and know firsthand the joy that comes from giving one's own life away in the service of others. Always, for over 30 years, Ram Dass was in the service of others.
  In 1997 Ram Dass was struck by a semi-paralyzing stroke and became wheelchair bound. Still he wrote of his adventure in a powerful book titled, Still Here. He continued to travel, though he could no longer walk and continued to speak to audiences, though he spoke from a slowed down body, but still he did it to serve others.
  Now it is our turn... Ram Dass' body can no longer endure the rigors of travel. He has come to Maui, where I live and write. I speak with him frequently and I am often humbled by the tears in his beautiful 73-year-old eyes as he apologizes for not having prepared for his own elderly health care - for what he now perceives as burdensome to others. He still intends to write and teach; however without the travel - we can now come to him. Maui is healing - Maui is where Ram Dass wishes to stay for now!
  He is currently living in a home on Maui, which he doesn't own and is currently in jeopardy of losing. I am asking all of you to help purchase this home and to set up a financial foundation to take care of this man who has raised so much money to ensure the futures of so many others. To live out what Ram Dass has practiced with his actions. Please be generous and prompt - no one is more deserving of our love and financial support. In the end these donations will help ensure that Ram Dass and his work will reach another generation or remind a current generation that it is in giving that we receive.
  If there has ever been a great spirit who lived in our lifetime, literally devoting his life to the highest principles of spirit, it has been Ram Dass. I love this man; he has been my inspiration and the inspiration for millions of us. It is now time to show him how we feel by doing what he has taught all of us to do - Just, BE HERE for him, NOW.
  In love and light,
  Wayne W. Dyer
  
  
  
• THE MOST AMAZING BOOK
  By on 1999-01-17
  AS A 16 YEAR OLD IN CANADA AND GROWING UP IN A VERY RELIGIOUS HOME, THIS WAS THE BOOK THAT HAS OPENED MY EYES. " THERE IS THE ANSWER.... AND IT WAS INSIDE ME ALL ALONG!!". I'M READING IT FOR THE 5TH THIME, BECAUSE ONCE, TWICE, FIFTY TIMES IS NEVER ENOUGH!! THIS BOOK JUST OPENS, OPENS, OPENS AGAIN YOUR SOUL, MIND AND BODY..... VERY CAPTIVATING, VERY TRUSTING..... VERY LOVELY. WORDS CAN'T EXPRESS MY LOVE FOR THIS BOOK.... AND FOR A TEENAGER (we get confused, we get upset, we need advice, and we need to know!) THIS BOOK IS THE ONE TO READ....THIS BOOK IS AMAZING.
  
  
• Sprituality of a wrong kind
  By on 2001-08-08
  This is an example that not every book that talks about Love, God and spirituality is helpful for one's spiritual development. The author read some spiritual books, ideas got all mixed up in his head he added some of his imagination and then put them all on paper. This book if read without critical mind will create more illusions take one away from right path and will be harmful. If read with a critical mind this book of a very little use because of all the garbage one have to sort through to find anything useful.
  
  
• The Sea of Existence
  By A1VQCSMMJCAPG6 on 2001-01-13
  Trying to describe the concepts expressed in this amazing book is akin to the proverbial five blind men each touching and then trying to describe an elephant. The concepts herein are hinduistic in nature but certainly linked to any and all "spiritual" expressions. The key to spiritual enlightenment is surrender - the surrender of desire, the surrender of ego attachments, the surrender of self - letting go of material attachments and becoming attuned with the "quiet voice" within all of us. The highlight of this book, without a doubt, is the amazing middle section which, through alternately hilarious and sublimely profound psychedelic illustrations and writings, describes the wretched state of being trapped in a materialistic and ego-centered world and, even more amazingly, guides those seeking enlightenment on the path to "moksha" - the state where one's ego - even the material world - are released. Words are useless when it comes to this undescribable place - referred to as the 'Sea of Existence'. The bizarre illustrations may be off-putting at first but I've never before or since read anything quite like "Be Here Now".
  
  
• My Hippie Prayer Book
  By A105B8V248S2WH on 2004-12-12
  Spritual ideas are simple - it's the practice that's difficult. This shows us the fun and the ideas and also gives us hint of what true spirituality can bring us - mind over matter and control over ones destiny. The book is useful for any level of the spiritual journeyman. It can be opened and referenced like the I Ching. It's a great and humble energy to have lying around.
  
  
• REALLY out there but . .
  By AAVT6T77QQHSI on 2000-09-30
  I first picked up this book about two years ago. Since that time, the tale of how Richard Alpert Ph.D. became Ram Dass has become one of my favorite works. Is it on the fringe? Well, that depends on your perspective. Your enjoyment of this book will be proportional to your acceptance of different viewpoints on life. If you don't want your ideas about life challenged, then don't read this book. However, if you believe that the purpose of reading is to get you thinking, then there is perhaps no better book then "Be Here Now". If you are up for a good internal debate, pick it up and read on.
  
  
• the way
  By A3SAVM5NXO8E8 on 2001-09-07
  i read this book a couple of years ago.i cannot describe the change which has occurred in me since reading it. i am now a vegetarian,and i am living *the way*. after reading some others' reviews of this book, I was initially hurt & offended by the negative reactions. then i realized that the person who was disappointed by the book must have had some expectations from it. this is natural; however; Baba Ram Dass does not proclaim to write of the "truth". From a spiritual prospective;this is not a book which teaches *truth*. this is a book which causes one to look within oneself, and recognize the truths in everyday events. and again; one cannot say one is done with ones caterpillarness and is now ready to be a butterfly..one just becomes. the moment you give it up you can have it ALL. anyone who opens these pages with an intent to become "realized" or "aware" will be sadly disappointed, for the knowledge is conveyed so subtlely that one can NEVER see what one is not ready to see. an important thing to note before making the decision to live the "right" way...you cannot go back. once you SEE, once you SEE the right way vs. the wrong way...you are responsible for choosing the right path. and only you know if you are living the right way. this book was the start of a beautiful and eternal path I've chosen to make every day matter, and to really live in the Here and Now. this is not to say there will not be hang-ups...that there will not be obstacles. the old saying goes, "the higher you get, the harder you fall" and this is true...but through the suffering, comes enlightenment. i welcome anyone's thoughts on this...i welcome a global realization of these ideas...but i recognize that we can all move only as fast as our slowest link. so, *help everyone*. :-)
  
  
• Richard Alpert (Ram Dass) is a "Finder."
  By AR2DE47VCY1C8 on 2000-04-28
  

  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

  
  
  

• Unique and classic, it still deserves attention
  By on 1999-10-01
  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.
  
  
• awakening to the eternal present
  By A3NA4PLLR3K58E on 2001-11-10
  So, here I am about a year ago and I am in the process of
  knowing "whats up" with things. I had had pychedelic expierences with psilocybin and LSD and whatnot, I I thought, wow
  they don't tell you this is skills for adolesence class! Then I hop on the ol' internet, read psychedelics encyclopedia and realized that alot of people, doctors included
  that believed drugs can actually expand the mind. It wasn't just me and my exclusive, aparrently misguided friends. My Parents, "what is happening to our son!" But I show them the studies and the opinions of well known "smart respectable people"
  many scientist and philosophers, and they say, "well perhaps there not all nuts afterall, or maybe there lunicy is hiding under a viel of legetamasy.... Anyway the guy who sold me my '79
  v-dub bus says have you ever read "Be Here Now?" and I say, no, but I've heard of Ram Dass, the guy from harvard with leary, yeah I know whats up with that guy. Boy was I wrong, I thought Ram Dass was a footnote on america's psychedelic history, but I find that he is a true hero for those seeking truth, at least as big as leary for that sake. Any way he gives me a copy and says check it out. I start reading it and get to the dark part, And I'm thinking, Am I trippin, Is this really just some cracked-out
  acid-head that is hiking down a trail of drug induced un-thuths? am I only down with this because he has done psychedelics, what if he were'nt into drugs would I be down with this, and the drawings and all this, and I began to test my faith in the guy. But as I read it I thought"well he isn't preaching any religion, he doesn't tell me what to do with my life he simply says listen what I believe to be true. And I began to see, no matter how skeptical I was trying to be, I couldn't deny that it made sense, real sense to me. And then I look at what the Dali Lama says and ghandhi and krisnamurti and infinite more and they all say the same thing! If Ram Dass is nuts then vitually every religious leader and holy people are all on the bandwagon of deception. To add to this rather comforting thought is that the words ring true in my heart, which can't be wrong. The first part of the book may seem far fetched, but he says it happened this way, he is still alive, and was a harvard professor, look at christianity and think that was 2000 years ago, his deciples were farmers, Neem Karoli Baba died about 30 years ago and Ram Dass is HERE NOW. I met mim a month ago in San Rafeal, he has had a stroke but is doing well, if you are skeptical, talk to him your self, I did, he'll be in the open secret book store again soon. Search google to find out the details. Don't take my word for it; take yours,read it. After all its the only opinion you can trust. There are may great books that say things very similiar this. in that respect, this book is not unique, but the way the information is delivered and Ram Dass's wonderfull way of communicating what's in his heart. And this is what makes the book a classic, a must read. pure love egoless love thats Ram Dass. Good luck on your journey. Namaste:)
  
  
• Buy this book. If you have it buy it again.
  By A25FDX17O3QKLT on 2005-05-10
  This a fantastic book not just about mysticism but, like Blake, the mysticism of everyday life.
  It is the ultimate self-help book and every page is filled with the joy of living.
  Like Blake every page of this book is filled with illustrations and a poetic mysticism.
  Self-help books come and go but this book should be on everyone's book shelf.
  So much is said in the very word's or the book's title "be here now".
  In the seventies I remember this book being in every dorm room. I think many of us benefited from it.
  Perhaps some of us have forgotten its power so pick it up again. Buy it for someone you know who never had the experience of reading this book.
  If you owned it once and lost it buy yourself a new copy. If your copy is old and dog eared buy yourself a new copy.
  I had the pleasure of knowing Ram Dass personally. He was always caring and never acted like the celebrity he was.
  Now Ram Dass needs our help as his situation as he approaches old age is not good.
  Do yourself and Ram Dass a favor and buy this book. If you bought it before buy it again.
  
  
  
• The Hippie Bible
  By A3RUNO0TMPQ3HG on 2005-07-12
  While the hippie movement was a disparate phenomenon, if there were to be one book that stood out as the hippie bible, it would be this book. I read it as originally printed, when it was in a larger, all brown paper format. I'd love to have one of those. After that, I got the regular edition for myself...still have it over 3 decades later.
  
  I think this is a unique and very beautiful book, as well as reflecting something worthwhile from those times, something that had a lasting value for many of us.
  
  Update (2/9/2006): I found a copy of the 11x11" original edition of Be Here Now, which was entitled "From Bindu to Ojas." This was the core book, in brown craft paper 3-hole punched and bound simply with twine, one of the four parts of what was to become Be Here Now. I want to pass it down to my son and grandchildren. Priceless.
  
  Berry Ives
  
  
• Be here now
  By on 2005-08-02
  Unlike the great title and the great cover page, this book was not good. It was about drugs and stupid stuff and although I read many books like this one and enjy them, this one I didn't like much. Maybe it had to do with too much talk of drugs and the sixties attitude.
  
  
• 60's flashback
  By A1L5BD1GU12PUC on 2006-03-01
  It's hard to imagine the impact this book had when it first came out - the format, the design and typography, and of course, the message. Be Here Now has aged a bit - feeling somewhat like watching a Laugh-in rerun. A real 60's rush. Sometimes naive, sometimes right on. But then again, the message was and is and will be right on - especially for those trying to find meaning in life, trying to find their center. Ancient wisdom wrapped in 60's dreams.
  
  Be grounded. Be Here Now. Let Ram Dass show you the way.
  
  
• Still one of the best
  By A3OCSRVQGLU277 on 2000-02-10
  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.
  
  

• The craziest guidebook to life and spirit ever.
  By on 1997-07-29
  My spiritual father, who was then my father-in-law, introduced me to Be Here Now. I thought he was crazy and the book even crazier.The next time we visited I picked up the book and took a closer look, ahhh, maybe it wasn't so crazy after all, but not for me. Each time I visited I was drawn to read a bit more of this "far out" book. Over a year later I finished reading it. And then I read it all over again. How wise my father-in-law had been to set me on this path. I am eternally grateful to him and to Ram Dass for their love and guidance. Ram Dass' words ring true. Any one looking for answers would do well to start with Be Here Now
  
  
• Inspiring
  By on 2001-03-26
  After weeks of of clouded thoughts leading me back to where I started, a friend recommended I read this book. I went on a search for it and it ended up finding me. I bought it on a Monday, read it all day on tuesday, by Wednesday I had done three drawings, one collage, and one oil painting. Now mind that i hadn't had any creativity flowing through me for a year! This book was obviously written while on acid but it is amazing what words and ideas came out of this man. I would recommend, and have recommended it. Especialy if you are searching for something yrt you have no idea what it is.
  
  
• New Age Garbage
  By A3F3MVVYJTDJ2T on 2004-12-28
  Ram Das is not for the serious practitioner.
  
  A lot of the writings in this book are based upon LSD experiences with Timothy Leary as well as drug advocacy for spiritual reasons. While Ram Das is a very smart person and a good human being as far as humanitarianism goes, there are a bunch of other books to read that have more quality for the spiritual seeker than this one. This is spiritual materialism at it's best.
  
  
• Why be anywhere else?
  By A3TKXA0GAWAC55 on 2006-03-19
  "Be Here Now" captures more truth per page with less dogma and greater clarity than many foundation religious texts. There are elements of the era within which Ram Dass wrote the book, and given his path, significant discussion regard chemically altered consciousness that may be less resonant with today's readers. I first read the book after returning from participation in the Southeast Asian conflict in 1971. In the intervening years, I have revisited the book on multiple occasions with extended family members (Christian, Buddist, Hindu), my children, and most recently this year when my eldest grandchild turned 16, and with my new fiancée. The book speaks to readers on multiple levels, and resonates clearly, but differently with the passage of time. "Be Here Now (Be Now Here)" is a truly wonderful book, able to spark introspection and enlightenment in readers, and Ram Dass' enlightened gift to us all.
  
  
• Saved my life
  By A3PS4RS27VXV72 on 2007-03-08
  If I could only keep 1 book - this would be it.
  
  
• Cosmic Wisdom
  By A1D9DY8JZTHWN1 on 2007-04-15
  When I first read this book in 1971, it was the bible of the new age movement. It synthesized just about everything .It was psychology, philosophy, poetry, religion, mysticism, and was non-dogmatic. It was inclusive. Spiritual jazz at its finest. When I read it again 30 years later, like a classic, it still held up. "Be here now" is not just a simplistic platitude, it is pure cosmic wisdom. Just about every recent book on happiness emphasizes the importance of embracing the moment. You don't find happiness in the past or the future. This is not some kind of a faddish pop culture, hippie leftover thing. This book has endured as a best seller for a good reason. It's applicable any time and any place. Wherever you go, you're 'here'. Whenever you go, it's 'now'. Read this book.
  
  
• A warped product of its times, saved only by its uniqueness
  By on 1998-04-27
  It's well and fine if you first read this book as an adult but imagine if you were, as I was, a young child who first stumbled upon this book in his parents' (who were at the time psuedo-"hippies") collection. Yuck. Filled to the brim with early-70's psychobabble, illustrated with diagrams and clip art that are as tedious as they are quixotic, this book is a cultural relic of no lasting importance. It is saved from an even lower score because "Ram Dass" was at least clever enough to try to create his own overarching philosophy, as drug-blurred and nonesencial as that philosophy was.
  
  
• Spiritual Thinking Outside the Box
  By A1PVY5E59L5905 on 2003-03-21
  Although this book is probably a testament to why LSD is illegal,this book remains a spiritual classic. It's funky, thought provoking, real, honest and just plain fun. What is says is meaningful and it's about people, and more specifically Ram Dass, who took risks. He didn't accept the "norm" and searched for more. This book is about what he found out. Thinking outside the box and living it. I found it more enjoying to read the book in sittings as it's text is not presented traditionally and is interspersed with drawings. But the simple presentation makes it message stay with you. A must read for any person on a spiritual journey.
  
  
• peace
  By AU0D0DGSCPM53 on 2003-10-01
  This book changed my life. I have read tons and tons of spiritual books, but this one really changed me. I have read this book over and over and the message seems to change as the readers development changes. If I could only have one book to choose it would be this one. It explores the writer's path first, then gives a great illustrated tale that lingers in the mind...,goes on with spiritual quotes from all spiritual leaders that we have ever known, gives some info on stretching,and etc. This book calls for those who are ready. How much do you want to let the ego go, is the real question here...now...
  
  
• A Classic of Contemporary Spirituality
  By ARYMHJNCCRG9H on 2006-06-01
  This book launched a spiritual renaissance for an entire generation. It starts out as a personal memoir, a Western academic who travels to India and finds answers to questions he didn't realize his soul was asking. Then, in the middle, Ram Dass shares some of the higher teachings of India, but in a way that makes you feel you are listening to a really cool individual who is also your friend. It is impossible for Ram Dass to be preachy. He's too down-to-earth, too fun, too "us". (As someone who has heard him speak several times, I can assure you, he speaks and is just like he writes.) The last part of the book is a short list of source materials, books and such, for those who wish to delve further into the subject. This mini-tome is a good introduction for those investigating the spiritual path. For those already on such a path, Be Here Now reminds us what we're trying to do, and why. I highly recommend it.
  
  Richard Salva--author of Soul Journey from Lincoln to Lindbergh [UNABRIDGED]
  
  

• Tanita BC533 Glass Innerscan Body Composition Monitor

• Journey of Awakening: A Meditator's Guidebook
• Still Here: Embracing Aging, Changing, and Dying
• The Only Dance There Is
• Ram Dass: Fierce Grace
• Paths to God: Living the Bhagavad Gita