Ram Dass
ON MAUI BEFORE MAUI
ON MAUI
Ram Dass lived on Maui for 15 years beginning in 2004. He decided to make Maui his home base after recovering from a severe infection. He loved his home on Maui where he felt totally content. Ram Dass loved the nature, land, gardens, flowers and the water. He swam often in the pool and in the ocean. He gathered with satsang most Monday mornings at Kamaole I beach in Kihei where he led satsang chanting Oh Bouy, Oh Bouy, Oh Joy, Oh Joy in the water. This was followed by Hawaiian and Hindu chants, songs, poems and other forms of FUN in the water.
On Maui, Ram Dass continued to offer retreats, podcasts and weekly Skype calls with followers. Visitors came from all over the world, for short visits or personal retreats. Ram Dass participated in biannual 5-day residential retreats with his friends and colleagues. He also shared in workshops on ‘death and dying’, end of life care, Sufi gatherings and was available for those in need. He reached out to serve and help people whenever possible.
Ram Dass dropped his body on December 22, 2019 after a long bout with infection. Hanuman Maui was created in the home he so loved to continue his legacy. Ram Dass’s presence imbues the property and can be felt and experienced by all who visit.
BEFORE MAUI
Ram Dass was a leading American spiritual teacher, humanitarian, psychologist and author. His best selling book ‘Be Here Now’, published in 1971, is an engaging unconventional roadmap for finding the spiritual path. It sold over a million copies and has helped popularize eastern spirituality in the West. Ram Dass published or co-published more than 15 books, articles for various publications, online talks and podcasts.
Ram Dass made his mark on the world by teaching loving awareness and promoting service in the areas of social consciousness and care for the dying. When Ram Dass first went to India in 1967, he was still Dr. Richard Alpert, an eminent Harvard psychologist and psychedelic pioneer with Dr.Timothy Leary. In India, he met his guru, Neem Karoli Baba, known as Maharaji, who gave Ram Dass his name, which means "Servant of God”. Ram Dass founded and/or cofounded charitable organizations including the SEVA Foundation, the Prison/Ashram Project, Hanuman Foundation and the Living/Dying Project and Love Serve Remember Foundation.
Ram Dass was born Richard Alpert in Newton, Massachusetts on April 6, 1931. Ram Dass received a masters degree from Wesleyan University and a doctorate in psychology from Stanford University. He was a clinical psychology professor at Harvard University where he specialized in human motivation and personality development. While at Harvard, Ram Dass's exploration of human consciousness led him to collaboration with Timothy Leary, Ralph Metzner, Aldous Huxley and Allen Ginsberg. At Harvard, he joined Timothy Leary in experimentation and researched the potential therapeutic effects of hallucinogens.
In 1967, Ram Dass travelled to India where he met his spiritual teacher, Neem Karoli Baba (Maharaj-ji). It was with Maharaji that Ram Dass had his first glimpse of genuine unconditional love and this love truly opened his heart. Ram Dass's journey has been a long search for unconditional love and in navigating the way to stay in that space. In 1997, Ram Dass experienced a severe stroke which left him paralyzed on his right side and aphasic. The stroke did not hold him back but it taught him to go even more inward and become more present with each person he encountered. He viewed everyone as Love and embodied the mantra, I am Loving Awareness, I am Loving Awareness, I am Loving Awareness… Loving Awareness, Loving Awareness, Loving Awareness.
