Bring a cozy cushion, blanket and snacks and join us for this heart-warming documentary about Ram Dass (Richard Alpert)—author, 60s guru, spiritual teacher, cohort of Timothy Leary, and author of Be Here Now, one of the most influential books of the 1970s.
More than just a portrait of his colourful life, this documentary tells the story of Ram Dass’s inner life as he enters the twilight years of his life. In February 1997 he suffered a massive stroke that left him physically incapacitated, with impaired memory and speech. Interweaving current conversations, interviews with people in his life, and archival footage, looks back at his childhood, the controversy surrounding his research with Timothy Leary in psychedelics at Harvard, his studies in India with Neem Karoli Baba, his work with the Seva Foundation in social action projects dedicated to relieving suffering in the world, and his impact as an author and guru to millions of followers.
When Ram Dass received the “fierce grace” of being “stroked,” he admits he did not have any unusual spiritual epiphany. He recalls, “Here I am, Mr. Spiritual, and in my own head I didn’t orient toward the spirit. It showed me I have some work to do.” He has written about the stroke in his latest book, Still Here, in which he talks about slowing down, and finding out about the “everything” that is out there. For Ram Dass, aging has become a gift. “I was galumphing through life before the stroke,” he says. “I’m at peace now more than I’ve ever been. The peace comes from settling in to the moment.”
