bBeloved guru Ram Dass tells the story of his spiritual awakening and gives you the tools to take control of your life in this counterculture bible iThe New York Timesi featuring powerful guidance on yoga, meditation, and finding your true self.b pWhen iBe Here Now iwas first published in 1971, it filled a deep spiritual emptiness, launched the ongoing mindfulness revolution, and established Ram Dass as perhaps the preeminent seeker of the twentieth century. pJust ten years earlier, he was known as Professor Richard Alpert. He held appointments in four departments at Harvard University. He published books, drove a Mercedes and regularly vacationed in the Caribbean. By most societal standards, he had achieved great success. . . . And yet he couldn't escape the feeling that something was missing. pPsilocybin and LSD changed that. During a period of experimentation, Alpert peeled away each layer of his identity, disassociating from himself as a professor, a social cosmopolite, and lastly,