February 12 - 14, 2010 Post-Conference February 15 LAX Hilton |
7 pm: Special Kirtan as requested by Ram Dass 8 pm: Ram Dass: Conference Keynote. Celebrating the 40th Anniversary of Be Here Now Ram Dass will discuss the genesis of his seminal book, Be Here Now. His journey to India 1966-67 brought him to his Guru who opened his heart and blew his mind. Finding himself in an ashram in the Himalayan foothills he was given instruction in yoga and renunciation. Ram Dass’ training taught him to be fully in the present moment, a teaching he sought to share on his return to the west. In the late 60’s he emerged as a singular catalyst for the evolution of a generation disenchanted with materialism and searching for the spiritual side of life. Coming into the present moment, Ram Dass arrives full circle to illuminate the relevance of Being Here Now in these very difficult times. He talks about how being in the moment at ease with whatever comes one’s way becomes contentment. He shows how his practice of “Loving Awareness” allows each one us to be present to love and serve not only our fellow humans, but to express unconditional/universal love in the world. Ram Dass first went to India in 1967. He was still Dr. Richard Alpert, an already eminent Harvard psychologist and psychedelic pioneer with Dr.Timothy Leary. He had continued his psychedelic research until that fateful Eastern trip in 1967, when he traveled to India. In India, he met his guru, Neem Karoli Baba, affectionately known as Maharajji, who gave Ram Dass his name, which means "servant of God." Everything changed then - his intense dharmic life started, and he became a pivotal influence on a culture that has reverberated with the words “Be Here Now” ever since. Ram Dass’s spirit has been a guiding light for three generations, carrying along millions on the journey, helping free them from their bonds as he has worked his way through his own. |
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