Youth and college
Alpert was born to a prominent Jewish family in Newton, Massachusetts. His father, George Alpert, was a lawyer in the Boston area and president of the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad, as well as one of the leading founders of Brandeis University and the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. The youngest of three boys, Richard as a child was described as being engaging and loved by all—the family mascot. He started out his high school career at the Williston Northampton School graduating in 1948 as a part of the Cum Laude association. He then went on to receive a Bachelor of Arts degree from Tufts University, master's degree from Wesleyan University and doctorate (in psychology) from Stanford University.
Harvard professorship and the Timothy Leary/Richard Alpert research
After returning from a visiting professorship at the University of California, Berkeley, Alpert accepted a permanent position at Harvard, where he worked with the Social Relations Department, the Psychology Department, the Graduate School of Education, and the Health Service, where he was a therapist. He was also awarded research contracts with Yale and Stanford. However, perhaps most notable was the work he was doing with his close friend and associate, Dr. Timothy Leary.
Having only recently obtained his pilot's license, Alpert flew his private plane to Cuernavaca, Mexico, where Leary first introduced him to teonanácatl, the magic mushrooms of Mexico. By the time Alpert made it back to America, Leary had already consulted with Aldous Huxley, who was visiting at M.I.T., and through Huxley and a number of graduate students they were able to get in touch with Sandoz, which had produced a synthetic component of ergot rye fungus called LSD. Alpert and Leary brought a test batch of both substances back to Harvard, where they conducted the Harvard Psilocybin Project and experimented with LSD relatively privately.
Leary and Alpert were formally dismissed from the university in 1963. According to Harvard President Nathan M. Pusey, Leary was dismissed for leaving Cambridge and his classes without permission or notice, and Alpert for allegedly giving psilocybin to an undergraduate. By this time, however, Alpert had already become disillusioned with academia and even described himself as feeling trapped in a meaningless game, and Leary had already left the university some weeks earlier.
The two soon relocated and continued their (unsupervised) experiments at a private mansion in Millbrook, New York owned by Billy Hitchcock, an heir to the Mellon fortune. Famous poets, musicians and intellectuals of the time, such as Allen Ginsberg, Maynard Ferguson, the Grateful Dead, Marshall McLuhan and Ken Kesey, came from across the country to be part of what was going on there. Although they remained life-long friends, Leary and Alpert eventually began to part ways spiritually and philosophically as Leary continued to spread his mantra of "turn on, tune in, drop out", while Alpert increasingly found his purpose in the Hindu ethic of serving others.
From Dr. Richard Alpert to Baba Ram Dass
In 1967 Alpert traveled to India, where he met the American spiritual seeker Bhagavan Das. As he guided Alpert barefoot from temple to temple, Bhagavan Das began teaching him basic mantras and asanas, as well as how to work with beads. After a few months, Bhagavan Das led Alpert to his guru, Neem Karoli Baba, or as he is better known in the West, Maharaj-ji.
Maharaj-ji soon became Alpert's guru and gave him the name "Ram Dass," which means "servant of Lord Rama." Under the guidance of Maharaj-ji, Ram Dass was instructed to receive teaching from Hari Dass Baba, who taught in silence using only a chalkboard. While in India, Ram Dass also corresponded with Meher Baba; however, he remained primarily focused on the teaching of Hari Dass Baba.
Among other things, Hari Dass Baba trained Ram Dass in raja yoga and ahimsa. It was these life-changing experiences in India that inspired Ram Dass to write the contemporary spiritual classic, Remember, Be Here Now, in which he teaches that everyone is a manifestation of God and that every moment is of infinite significance.
Back in the West to spread the message
After his return to the United States in 1969, Ram Dass founded several organizations including the Hanuman Foundation and Seva Foundation.
Hanuman Foundation is a non-profit educational and service organization founded by Ram Dass in 1974, focused on the spiritual well-being of society through education, media and community service programs which support practical applications of knowledge in the areas of health, education, arts, social responsibility, water and environmental sustainability. The organization was founded upon the life principles of Neem Karoli Baba, from India, who taught people to “Love and feed people,” and to “Love and serve everyone.”
Seva Foundation is an international health organization founded by Ram Dass in 1978 along with public health leader Dr. Larry Brilliant and humanitarian activist Wavy Gravy. Seva Foundation builds health programs in some of the most under-served communities of the world. The organization is perhaps best known for their work in preventable blindess, having helped restore eyesight to nearly 3 million blind people suffering from cataract blindness in places like Tibet, Nepal, Cambodia, Bangladesh, and throughout Africa. Seva also has a Native American Community Health Program which builds grassroots health projects in Native communities throughout the United States.
For many years Ram Dass toured giving lectures to raise funds for both of these organizations. His talks have inspired conversation about a wide variety of spiritual traditions and practices, including guru kripa (grace of the guru); bhakti yoga focused on the Hindu spiritual deva Hanuman; meditation in various schools of Buddhism such as Theravada and Mahayana (including Tibetan and Zen); karma yoga; and Jewish studies.
In February 1997, Ram Dass suffered a stroke which left him with expressive aphasia. However, he interprets his stroke as an act of grace and continues to travel giving lectures, as his health permits.
When asked if he could sum up his life's message Ram Dass replied, "I help people as a way to work on myself, and I work on myself to help people... To me, that's what the emerging game is all about."
Ram Dass was awarded the Peace Abbey Courage of Conscience Award in August 1991. The Peace Abbey Courage of Conscience Recipients List
Ram Dass is a vegetarian, and has also acknowledged his bisexuality. VegetarianUSA - Exclusive Interview with Ram Dass In the 1990s, he became more forthcoming about sexuality OutSmart - This Issue while avoiding labels and pointing out that who we are "isn't gay, and it's not not-gay, and it's not anything—it's just awareness." Gay Today at Badpuppy
