Guest guest Posted November 2, 2001 Report Share Posted November 2, 2001 Just to add to this ad hoc symposium on the 60's and 70's, I thought someone should mention the specific encounter between psychedelics and a realized Master that created as great an influence on the spiritual life of young American's as anything before or since. I'm refering to the story that Ram Dass, formerly Richard Alpert of Harvard and LSD fame, told about giving a massive dose of acid to his not yet guru, Neem Karoli Baba. He gave him about 1,000 micrograms, 3 separate doses, and then watched him all day. He said baba just "twinkled" at him, and aside from that, nothing. Don't let me spoil it for you. Be Here Now sold about a Gazillion copies, and if you haven't yet read it, it's a must. A few intrepid souls read it and, within days embarked for India with no further preparation, to search for a guru whose address and location Ram Dass had purposely left out of the book. It's a big continent, but they found him. The rest is American cultural history. The same group of people who helped Ram Dass publish Be Here Now later brought out Miracle of Love, an illustrated collection of stories about Neem Karoli Baba told by his devotees, both Indian and American,that I can unreservedly recommend as the finest book ever compiled about the experience of living with an Indian Master. Oh yes, Ram Dass gave Maharaj another chance at the acid on a subsequent trip to India, because he wasn't sure he could believe what he'd previously seen. The 2nd trip, Neem Karoli allowed as how yogis in the Kuru valley had had something similar in the distant past, but that was all Ram Dass could get out of him. yours in the bonds, eric Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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