Be Here Now
In 1967 Harvard psychologist Richard Alpert, fired alongside Timothy Leary for psychedelics research, walked into the Himalayan foothills and met an old man in a blanket who knew things he had told no one. He came back as Ram Dass with a teacher, a practice, and the manuscript that would become Be Here Now. The 1971 book is part autobiography, part hand-drawn Hindu cosmology, part instruction manual for meditation, breath, and devotional service. Its center section, a square block of trippy ink illustrations and one-line aphorisms, became the visual signature of the American counterculture's turn from drugs toward serious spiritual practice. The book sold over two million copies and seeded a generation of yoga teachers, mindfulness instructors, and contemplative writers. Still strange, still useful.
Themes & atmosphere
What you might want to know about Be Here Now
The questions readers send us most often, answered without spoilers.
After being fired from Harvard for psychedelic research, Richard Alpert traveled to India and came back as Ram Dass. His illustrated 1971 book is a guide to meditation, presence, and conscious living.
Be Here Now was written by Ram Dass, born Richard Alpert, and published in 1971. It became a foundational text of the Western counterculture spiritual movement of the 1970s.
Be Here Now blends Hindu and Buddhist teachings with Western psychology and counterculture spirituality. It is not tied to a single religion but is rooted in Ram Dass's time studying with the Indian guru Neem Karoli Baba.
Be Here Now is 100 pages in standard print editions, though page counts vary slightly between hardcover, paperback, and large-print formats.
At an average reading pace of about 250 words per minute, Be Here Now takes most readers about 2 hours to finish.
Be Here Now is a standalone novel by an unknown author, not part of a series.
Be Here Now is available in hardcover, paperback, ebook, and audiobook formats from Amazon, Bookshop.org, ThriftBooks, and most major bookstores.