Ram Dass – Still Hip

Many times over the years I meet someone, usually in the baby boomer generation who tells me that Ram Dass was their first introduction to Eastern spiritual ideas. Now, nearly 40 years after the landmark publication of his book ‘Be Here Now’ he is still going strong.

For those of us who have grown up in later generations it is hard to imagine a world where the richness and diversity of spiritual knowledge from the great land of India are not readily available. Maybe because of that it is harder for us to appreciate just what a trail blazer Ram Dass was on his return from India in 1969, inspired by the teaching of his Guru Neem Karoli Baba and Baba Hari Dass.

Admittedly, he was slowed down over the last decade by a stroke in 1997. That life change became a deepening of Ram Dass’s spiritual journey and not a hindrance to it.

Hidden deep within all of us is a primordial fear of death. Despite his many years of work with the dying through the ‘Dying Project’, his stroke brought Ram Dass to direct experience of his own mortality.

Of that debilitating event Ram Dass later said, "I had been superficial and arrogant and the stroke helped me to be humble. I had gotten power from helping people and now I need help for everything. That was the grace. The stroke happened to the ego, and when I could witness the pain, my life got better."

Now 79 and with a new hip replacement Ram Dass is still teaching on retreats and giving satsangs. Recently some of these activities are being made available to those outside Hawaii through the internet as Ram Dass continues to inspire new generations of spiritual seekers.

This Sunday May 24th, renowned spiritual teacher will give satsang with guest speakers Lei Ohu Ryder and Lama Gyaltsen at The Studio Maui.

Find out what else Ram Dass is up to in the near future and how to sign up for online satsang at http://www.ramdass.org

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Technorati Tags: Bhakti yoga, Death, spiritual practice, Spiritual Teachers

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