Be Here Now by Ram Dass
First published in 1971, Be Here Now by Ram Dass, "Describes one man's transformation upon his acceptance of the principles of Yoga and gives modern restatement of the importance of the spiritual side of human nature." - Goodreads. First introduced to LSD by Timothy Leary, the Harvard psychology professor then known as Dr. Richard Alpert traveled to India in 1967. There he explored Eastern spirituality.
'Be Here Now, Ram Dass’s monumentally influential and seminal work, still stands as the highly readable centerpiece of Western articulation of Eastern philosophy, and how to live joyously a hundred per cent of the time in the present, luminous or mundane. Be Here Now continues to be the instruction manual of choice for generations of spiritual seekers. Forty years later, it’s still part of the timeless present. Being here now is still being here now." - ramdass.org
Physical Description
Copy Examined
The copy examined of Be Here Now for project this was part of the thirteenth printing in March 1974. This particular copy shows wear as seen in the cracks and bends in the paper cover, and on the exterior spine, which is lined and cracked, and peeling. When opened the cover is clearly separating from the pages of this forty one year old copy; the binding is damaged and falling apart. The book is 8x1x8, and 416 pages in length. The paperback cover is purple in color. The title is in white letters.
Cover
The cover art depicts a simple wood and rattan (possibly) chair in a circular web pattern. The circle is surrounded by the words “Be Here Now” repeated, and on four sides topped with the word “Remember.” On the spine (one inch wide and eight inches long) are the words of the title in a different order “Be Now Here” and “Be Here Now.” The title words are stacked so that no matter which side is up, the front cover or back, the words can be read. If viewing it with the cover facing it up the spine reads, “Be Here Now.” If flipped and viewed with the back cover facing up, it reads, “Be Now Here”. At the top of the spine is a symbol in a white font presumably in Hindi or another language that does not employ the Western alphabet. The cost for this book in 1974 is listed as $3.33 at the bottom of the book spine. The back cover art features a white mountain scape on the purple background with a white circle containing the sun (depicted with a human face) and crescent moon hovering above a river situated to the left of a mountain range. The words, “Lama Foundation” are printed in white beneath the mountain range illustration.
The physical elements are reflective of the contents and the place in time this artifact represents. As a counterculture artifact, Be Here Now is of its time. The homespun or amateurish nature of its construction speak to the generation that considered itself to be part of a revolution in thought and actions.
The copy examined of Be Here Now for project this was part of the thirteenth printing in March 1974. This particular copy shows wear as seen in the cracks and bends in the paper cover, and on the exterior spine, which is lined and cracked, and peeling. When opened the cover is clearly separating from the pages of this forty one year old copy; the binding is damaged and falling apart. The book is 8x1x8, and 416 pages in length. The paperback cover is purple in color. The title is in white letters.
Cover
The cover art depicts a simple wood and rattan (possibly) chair in a circular web pattern. The circle is surrounded by the words “Be Here Now” repeated, and on four sides topped with the word “Remember.” On the spine (one inch wide and eight inches long) are the words of the title in a different order “Be Now Here” and “Be Here Now.” The title words are stacked so that no matter which side is up, the front cover or back, the words can be read. If viewing it with the cover facing it up the spine reads, “Be Here Now.” If flipped and viewed with the back cover facing up, it reads, “Be Now Here”. At the top of the spine is a symbol in a white font presumably in Hindi or another language that does not employ the Western alphabet. The cost for this book in 1974 is listed as $3.33 at the bottom of the book spine. The back cover art features a white mountain scape on the purple background with a white circle containing the sun (depicted with a human face) and crescent moon hovering above a river situated to the left of a mountain range. The words, “Lama Foundation” are printed in white beneath the mountain range illustration.
The physical elements are reflective of the contents and the place in time this artifact represents. As a counterculture artifact, Be Here Now is of its time. The homespun or amateurish nature of its construction speak to the generation that considered itself to be part of a revolution in thought and actions.
Front Matter:
The front mater includes a title page consisting of the same image on the cover but with a light blue back ground and white font. The next page (verso) includes a dedication, an image of the sun and moon and publication date, place and printing information, as well as distribution. On the rector page is the contents.
Information and Identification:
Title: Be Here Now
Author: Baba Ram Dass AKA Dr. Richard Alpert, Ph.D.
Dimensions: The book is 8x1x8 inches.
Printed by Newspaper Printing Corporation, Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Distributed by Crown Publisher, 419 Publishing, 419 Park Ave. S., N.Y., N.Y., 10016.
First printing through twelfth printing, 397,000 copies.
Thirteenth printing, March, 1974, 36,000 copies
Production Notes:
A note on the Lama Foundation’s connection to the publication and production of this text is included following the table of contents at the beginning of the book. A pie chart figure describes the distributor, wholesaler, printer, shipper and Lama Foundation Reservoir Fund cost distribution. “The Lama Foundation current note, 1973” details the limits the group has placed on visitors to the spiritual center. Presumably fame and popularity at the time of the writing had led to increased interest in visiting the Lama Foundation.
Paper and Ink:
The book itself does not contain explicit information on the paper used or the type or font it is printed in. Four types of paper are used in this copy, all the paper is in-expensive in feel and look. The first section, “Journey” is printed on white paper. Blue/indigo ink is used for the text and for the drawn illustrations and photographs. In the second section, “From Bindu to Ojas” the text is black ink printed on brown paper, similar to a brown paper bag, between the strength and weight of paper bags used for lunch and paper bags used to bag groceries. Section 3, “Cookbook” is printed on paper darker than the first section (white/off white) but lighter than the second and fourth section. Due to the age of this copy, it could be yellowed with time. The ink used is brown. The photographs in this section are also printed with brown tones. The fourth and final section, “Painted Cakes” is darker than the third and first and lighter than the second. Its pages are brownish like a paper lunch bag. The ink used in this section is red.
Pagination:
The pagination is eccentric. The content is divided into four sections: 1. “Journey: The Transformation of Dr. Richard Alpert, Ph.D. Into Baba Ram Dass”, 2. “From Bindu to Ojas The Core Book”, 3. “Cookbook For A Sacred Life A Manual For Conscious Being”, 4. “Painted Cakes Books”. A table of contents following the title page lists the sections and their titles. Following the title page is a note on the Lama Foundation’s connection to this work, the funding for this book and information on the limitations their community has placed on membership because of its popularity. Section 1 has no page numbers whatsoever. Section 2 is numbered beginning on the page following the illustration that introduces this section. The numbering of pages is continued up until page 108. This section (which contains texts and illustrations interspersed) then appears to end but is followed by five further pages on the same type of paper with images, but the pages are not numbered. The final and fourth section, “Cook Book For A Sacred Life” begins with a cover page for this section as the others did, but unlike the previous sections a dedication page, table of contents and an introduction. This section begins a new set of numbered pages, as in 1, 2, 3 etc. and ends on page 121. Two further pages of unnumbered illustrations are followed by a final section, “Painted Cakes Do Not Satisfy Hunger”/”Books To Hang Out With.” This final section of recommended reading is not numbered. It is approximately 18 pages in length. The final page (verso) is a floral figure with red type. The flower petals contain ordering information on forthcoming titles that may be of interest to readers.
Contents:
Section 1, “Journey: The Transformation: Dr. Richard Alpert, Ph.D. Into Baba Ram Dass describes the author’s dissatisfaction with his highly successful life as a well-known Harvard professor. After experimenting with hallucinogenic drugs and exploring Eastern religion and spirituality in India he acquires and becomes a guru.
Section 2, “From Bindu to Ojas” is difficult to describe. Clearly to the modern eye it is an artifact of the psychedelic/”hippie” era. The illustrations combine Eastern, Hindu, Buddhist imagery, mantras, Christian imagery, etc. all regarding a quest for enlightenment and truth.
Section 3, “Cook Book For A Sacred Life” is described as a manual that can be used for “work on the spiritual path (page 1, Dass).” Techniques, quotes, yoga poses, exercises and thought experiments are provided in this section for readers. How to eat, sleep, study, transmute energy, “drop out/cop out” are examined.
Section 4 offers recommended reading suggestions. Three sections list reader’s advisor under the headings “Books to Hang Out With”, “Books To Visit Now & Then”, and “Books It’s Useful To Have Met”. “Books To Hang Out With” include the Bhagavad Gita, The King James Bible, and The Tao Te Ching . “Books To Visit Now & Then” include Isis Unveiled by Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, and Pilgrim’s Progress by John Bunyan. Finally, listed under “Books It’s Useful To Have Met” are the Koran, Mystics &Zen Masters by Thomas Merton, the works of Plato, various philosophers and science fiction writers and fantasy writers, such as Bradbury, Asimov and Tolkien and a selection of psychology and various religious works.
The front mater includes a title page consisting of the same image on the cover but with a light blue back ground and white font. The next page (verso) includes a dedication, an image of the sun and moon and publication date, place and printing information, as well as distribution. On the rector page is the contents.
Information and Identification:
Title: Be Here Now
Author: Baba Ram Dass AKA Dr. Richard Alpert, Ph.D.
Dimensions: The book is 8x1x8 inches.
Printed by Newspaper Printing Corporation, Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Distributed by Crown Publisher, 419 Publishing, 419 Park Ave. S., N.Y., N.Y., 10016.
First printing through twelfth printing, 397,000 copies.
Thirteenth printing, March, 1974, 36,000 copies
Production Notes:
A note on the Lama Foundation’s connection to the publication and production of this text is included following the table of contents at the beginning of the book. A pie chart figure describes the distributor, wholesaler, printer, shipper and Lama Foundation Reservoir Fund cost distribution. “The Lama Foundation current note, 1973” details the limits the group has placed on visitors to the spiritual center. Presumably fame and popularity at the time of the writing had led to increased interest in visiting the Lama Foundation.
Paper and Ink:
The book itself does not contain explicit information on the paper used or the type or font it is printed in. Four types of paper are used in this copy, all the paper is in-expensive in feel and look. The first section, “Journey” is printed on white paper. Blue/indigo ink is used for the text and for the drawn illustrations and photographs. In the second section, “From Bindu to Ojas” the text is black ink printed on brown paper, similar to a brown paper bag, between the strength and weight of paper bags used for lunch and paper bags used to bag groceries. Section 3, “Cookbook” is printed on paper darker than the first section (white/off white) but lighter than the second and fourth section. Due to the age of this copy, it could be yellowed with time. The ink used is brown. The photographs in this section are also printed with brown tones. The fourth and final section, “Painted Cakes” is darker than the third and first and lighter than the second. Its pages are brownish like a paper lunch bag. The ink used in this section is red.
Pagination:
The pagination is eccentric. The content is divided into four sections: 1. “Journey: The Transformation of Dr. Richard Alpert, Ph.D. Into Baba Ram Dass”, 2. “From Bindu to Ojas The Core Book”, 3. “Cookbook For A Sacred Life A Manual For Conscious Being”, 4. “Painted Cakes Books”. A table of contents following the title page lists the sections and their titles. Following the title page is a note on the Lama Foundation’s connection to this work, the funding for this book and information on the limitations their community has placed on membership because of its popularity. Section 1 has no page numbers whatsoever. Section 2 is numbered beginning on the page following the illustration that introduces this section. The numbering of pages is continued up until page 108. This section (which contains texts and illustrations interspersed) then appears to end but is followed by five further pages on the same type of paper with images, but the pages are not numbered. The final and fourth section, “Cook Book For A Sacred Life” begins with a cover page for this section as the others did, but unlike the previous sections a dedication page, table of contents and an introduction. This section begins a new set of numbered pages, as in 1, 2, 3 etc. and ends on page 121. Two further pages of unnumbered illustrations are followed by a final section, “Painted Cakes Do Not Satisfy Hunger”/”Books To Hang Out With.” This final section of recommended reading is not numbered. It is approximately 18 pages in length. The final page (verso) is a floral figure with red type. The flower petals contain ordering information on forthcoming titles that may be of interest to readers.
Contents:
Section 1, “Journey: The Transformation: Dr. Richard Alpert, Ph.D. Into Baba Ram Dass describes the author’s dissatisfaction with his highly successful life as a well-known Harvard professor. After experimenting with hallucinogenic drugs and exploring Eastern religion and spirituality in India he acquires and becomes a guru.
Section 2, “From Bindu to Ojas” is difficult to describe. Clearly to the modern eye it is an artifact of the psychedelic/”hippie” era. The illustrations combine Eastern, Hindu, Buddhist imagery, mantras, Christian imagery, etc. all regarding a quest for enlightenment and truth.
Section 3, “Cook Book For A Sacred Life” is described as a manual that can be used for “work on the spiritual path (page 1, Dass).” Techniques, quotes, yoga poses, exercises and thought experiments are provided in this section for readers. How to eat, sleep, study, transmute energy, “drop out/cop out” are examined.
Section 4 offers recommended reading suggestions. Three sections list reader’s advisor under the headings “Books to Hang Out With”, “Books To Visit Now & Then”, and “Books It’s Useful To Have Met”. “Books To Hang Out With” include the Bhagavad Gita, The King James Bible, and The Tao Te Ching . “Books To Visit Now & Then” include Isis Unveiled by Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, and Pilgrim’s Progress by John Bunyan. Finally, listed under “Books It’s Useful To Have Met” are the Koran, Mystics &Zen Masters by Thomas Merton, the works of Plato, various philosophers and science fiction writers and fantasy writers, such as Bradbury, Asimov and Tolkien and a selection of psychology and various religious works.
Illustrations and Photographs
The text and illustrations are interspersed throughout this book in a unique and inventive way, in a style that is associated with the 1960’s and 1970’s counter culture. Imagery borrowed from Eastern religions and cultures, such as Hindu gods and goddesses, Buddhist imagery, such as the Buddha and lotus flowers, as well as Christian imagery, (Christ on the cross) are used as embellishments, and part of the text (words) to communicate Dass’ spiritual message.
The text and illustrations are interspersed throughout this book in a unique and inventive way, in a style that is associated with the 1960’s and 1970’s counter culture. Imagery borrowed from Eastern religions and cultures, such as Hindu gods and goddesses, Buddhist imagery, such as the Buddha and lotus flowers, as well as Christian imagery, (Christ on the cross) are used as embellishments, and part of the text (words) to communicate Dass’ spiritual message.
Lost connection: Note: It's this Richard Alpert (guru on left) Not This Richard Alpert (immortal Lost character at right.) Richard Alpert, the mysterious island resident on TV's Lost was a meta comment by the writers who also named other characters after philosophers, such as Locke and Rouseau. The Dharma Initiative, a group of 1960's hippie scientists and intellectuals who sought to use the Island as a research center, also seems to refer to intellectuals like Ram Dass who advocated dropping out of society.