Ram Dass

Ram Dass (born April 6, 1931 as “Richard Alpert”) is an author and spiritual teacher originally from Newton, Massachusetts. He is perhaps best known for his 1971 book Be Here Now.

He was a close affiliate of Timothy Leary and Ralph Metzner in the 60s. They co-wrote The Psychedelic Experience between 1962 and 1964. This Manual Based on the Tibetan Book of the Dead would have a profound effect on artists like John Lennon, who was inspired to write the song “Tomorrow Never Knows” after reading it.