Be Here Now
by Ram Dass · first published 1971
57% recommend41% neutral2% critical
Why HN recommends it
Part memoir of Richard Alpert's path from Harvard LSD experiments to an Indian guru, part illustrated artwork that tries to reach past the intellect. Suits readers curious about Eastern spirituality and meditation.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
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Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test - Tom Wolfe Be Here Now - Ram Das Whole Earth Catalog - Stewart Brand Infinite Jest - David Foster Wallace Savage Continent - Keith Lowe Forged - Bart D. Ehrman Young Stalin - Simon Sebag Montefiore Court of the Red Czar…
on “Ask HN: Which books changed your life?” ↗…had access to the drugs you mentioned. And the LSD that was carried by Ram Dass was made by Sandoz, arguably the purest LSD that you could ever get. May be reading Ram Dass' account of the event in _Be Here Now_ will provide some much needed context.
on “Ram Dass has died” ↗I know of three spiritual teachers who describe psychedelics as a door to the spiritual world. Ram Dass the Jewish Psychology Professor at Harvard/Hippie/Hindu. See his famous book Be Here Now. [1] He passed away last year Fr. Stephen De Young and Fr. Stephen Damick (PhD), Eastern Orthodox Christian priests. Psychedelics are mentioned near the end of episode 2 of their podcast. [2] [1]: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41580312-be-here-now…
on “Psychedelics alter metaphysical beliefs” ↗Hey man, I am having serious relaxation issues also. I'm working a fulltime job and a startup. I have definitely helped me to start running and working out. If you are at all spiritual, read the book Be Here Now by Baba Ram Dass. It will put things in perspective and calm you down a bit. Cheers -
on “Relaxation tips?” ↗…you can probably do yoga - which is the absolute best. You can also run and meditate. After a week or so you'll have more control over your mind. If you are looking for a cheap shortcut buy and read Be Here Now by Richard Alpert/Baba Ram Dass. I think you have to be under 25 for this to work.
on “Do you ever switch off?” ↗The message is pretty much the same but the presentation is considerably different. After the wordy introduction which is more or less the story of his transformation from Richard Alpert to Ram Dass, Be Here Now is as much a work of art as it is a book. It tries to reach around your intellect. I haven't had a copy for many years and just ordered one from Amazon because you made me think about it fondly again.…
on “Ask HN: Which books changed your life?” ↗…what he read or was taught. If you're more theoretically/philosophically inclined, try Nisargadatta Maharaj (I Am That). As a westerner, I also got a lot from the (white) US gurus Ram Dass (many, e.g. Be Here Now, Grist for the Mill, audio recordings of his retreats) and Gangaji (any of her books or videos). They couldn't be more different. I met an Indian woman here whose favourite guru is Ram Dass, so it seems…
on “Ask HN: What are some books that delve into Hinduism” ↗…unlikely, and so amazing that a billion years of wandering stardust turned into an organism that strives to question where it came from. Just wow. If I could convince you read one book, I would choose "Be Here Now" by Ram Das. It is by no means ordinary english literature - but it's a fantastic journey inside and outside of yourself. I've read all your comments in this thread, and it sounds like you've spent quite…
on “Everywhere and Nowhere: A Journey Through Suicide” ↗…mid-20th C Hindu guru, widely considered as good as it gets. Gangaji, an American woman, is of his lineage, and has very good bs-free books and videos (some on youtube), which take you straight there... Be Here Now by Ram Dass, a US Hindu guru, is a great hippie-era introduction to Hindu-based religious practices, also has a lot of quotes from different books and traditions, from which I discovered a lot of great…
on “Ask HN: Which is the best spiritual book you have read?” ↗Or, better, read Be Here Now. I recommend it every chance I get: never have had a friend who's disliked it. It has a few anecdotes on Leary, and it's probably influenced Atkinson far more than Leary has (Jobs recommended it a bunch,…
on “Bill Atkinson: Reflections on the 40th anniversary of my joining Apple” ↗touch base here: "Be here now" transformed my brainz too. afaik Ram Dass is well and alive, and will be for many years to come
on “Ram Dass has died” ↗Of all the bogus teachers of the 60-70s, Ram Dass was the real thing. He overcame a lot, thanks to the example of Neem Karoli Baba. Be Here Now was consonant with and a testimony to The Perennial Tradition. We live in times where that tradition - except where it's still living amongst people close to the Earth - is completely blanketed by bogus…
on “Ram Dass has died” ↗Here's my three... Be Here Now https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Be_Here_Now_(book) The Tao of Pooh https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Tao_of_Pooh Tao Te Ching https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tao_Te_Ching
on “Ask HN: What are some deep, mentality changing books?” ↗- Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes (All 4 Novels and 56 short stories) --> read multiple times since childhood - "Be Here Now" by Ram Dass (read once and listened to audiobook twice) - Flatland by Edwin Abbot Abbot --> read multiple times to understand whats going on in different levels - Some PG Wodehouse stuff because it…
on “Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?” ↗Be Here Now by Ram Dass https://smile.amazon.com/Be-Here-Now-Ram-Dass/dp/0517543052
on “Ask HN: Which book helped you understand the world?” ↗