Journey of Awakening: A Meditator's Guidebook by Ram Dass

Find the practice that’s right for you with this exploration of the many paths of meditation—from mantra, prayer, singing, visualizations, and “just sitting” to movement meditations such as tai chi.

“Everyone has experienced a moment of pure awareness. A moment without thinking ‘I am aware’ or ‘that is a tree.’ Such moments bring a sense of rightness, of clarity, of being at one. Such moments are the essence of meditation.”
—Ram Dass

Ram Dass is an American psychologist and spiritual teacher who has studied and practiced meditation for many years.

Here he shares his understanding and suggests how you can find methods suitable for you.

He illuminates the stages and benefits of meditative practice, and provides wise and often humorous advice on overcoming difficulties along the way.

Book Data

• Book Title: Journey of Awakening: A Meditator's Guidebook
• ISBN-13: 9780553258455
• ISBN-10: 0553258451
• Author: Ram Dass
• Book Edition: Later Printing
• Book Binding: Mass Market Paperback
• Publisher: Bantam Books
• Published: 1978

About the Author

Ram Dass (1931–2019) was born Richard Alpert, was an American spiritual teacher, psychologist, and author who was influential in introducing Eastern spirituality to Western counterculture. His transformation from a prominent Harvard academic to a renowned guru is chronicled in his bestselling 1971 book, Be Here Now.

Early Academic Life

• Richard Alpert was born into a wealthy Jewish family in Boston, Massachusetts, on April 6, 1931.
• He attended Tufts University, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology in 1952.
  He later received a Ph.D. in psychology from Stanford University in 1957 and taught there for a year.
• In 1958, he began teaching at Harvard as an assistant clinical psychology professor, where he specialized in human motivation and personality development.

Psychedelic Research with Timothy Leary

While at Harvard, Alpert worked closely with psychologist Timothy Leary.

Harvard Psilocybin Project (1961–1963)

Alpert and Leary researched the therapeutic potential of hallucinogenic drugs like psilocybin and LSD.

Controversial Experiment

They gained notoriety after Alpert gave psilocybin to an undergraduate student.

Dismissal from Harvard

The controversy led to the dismissal of both Leary and Alpert from the university in 1963.

Spiritual Awakening in India

After his dismissal, Alpert became disillusioned with the limitations of psychedelic drugs. 
Travel to India (1967): He traveled to India, where he met the American spiritual seeker Bhagavan Das, who introduced him to Hindu guru Neem Karoli Baba, affectionately known as Maharaj-ji.

Testing LSD

After Alpert gave him a large dose of LSD with no effect, Maharaj-ji showed him that a higher state of consciousness could be achieved through meditation alone.

A New Name and Path

Maharaj-ji gave Alpert the new name Ram Dass, meaning "servant of God," and set him on a new spiritual path.

Best-Selling Author and Spiritual Teacher

Upon returning to the U.S. in 1968, Ram Dass became a spiritual teacher.

The Book Be Here Now (1971)

While staying at the Lama Foundation in New Mexico, Ram Dass's manuscript was edited and illustrated by the community and published as Be Here Now. The book became a seminal text of the counterculture movement, blending autobiography, spiritual wisdom, and a manual for conscious living.

Further Publications

He wrote or co-wrote more than a dozen books, including Grist for the Mill (1977), How Can I Help? (1985), and his memoir, Being Ram Dass (2021).

Humanitarian Work

Throughout his life, Ram Dass dedicated himself to service, or karma yoga.

Hanuman Foundation

He founded this non-profit educational and service organization in 1974. It launched the Prison-Ashram Project to help inmates with spiritual development and the Dying Project to support conscious aging and dying.

Seva Foundation

In 1978, he co-founded this international health organization to provide medical care, including eyesight-restoring surgery, in developing countries.

Living/Dying Project

He helped create this organization to help people approach death as a conscious, spiritual awakening.

Later Life and Legacy

Ram Dass faced significant health challenges in his later years.

1997 Stroke

A near-fatal stroke left him with partial paralysis and aphasia. He came to view this experience as an act of "fierce grace" that deepened his spiritual awareness.

Final Years in Maui

After another illness in 2004, he moved to Maui, where he continued to teach and host retreats, and communicate through online platforms.

Enduring Influence

Before his death in 2019, Ram Dass's teachings on love, service, and presence had influenced countless individuals, including Steve Jobs.

The work of Ram Dass is preserved by the Love Serve Remember Foundation.