Be Here Now Book summary
“Be Here Now Book Summary”
Be Here Now is deep and out-of-the-box kind of masterwork , to the journey the leading characters embark upon. One is fiction, and the other is part-autobiographical, but both masterpieces call attention to awareness and self-knowingness.
Richard Alpert, born to a Jewish family, found himself in a quandary, unable to untie the knot of human existence. Arriving at the right destination was impossible because he was going in circles.
As a Harvard Professor, he stretched the boundaries of an LSD experiment, conducted in the mid-60s. Published in the 70s, this gem of a book, tells the whole story about a man who changed everything.
Laying fingers on happiness was obstructed by his position and status at Harvard school, and this led to overwhelming dissatisfaction.
The next message you need is always right where you are.
The intellectual world could only go so far, and the process of discovering the depts of human consciousness was paused. He spent half a decade in psychoanalysis, trying to get to the bottom of all state of consciousness , and ended up with empty hands.
Some inner pull triggered a change from within, and he set sights on India – the land of wisdom and tradition. He sought a spiritual teacher who could show him how to find his real self and discard the egoic and self-centered personality.
Richard was longer amazed by worldly achievements and had no passion for teaching his students about superficial matters, while totally neglecting the real values. “Ram Dass” decided to set sail and dive deep into the unknown.
Our shallow limitations and knowledge conceal the real mysteries of life, and prevent us, same as Richard to delve further into the broader sense of self.
A twist of faith occurred when Alpert was approached by a wealthy man, who then invited him to join the “conquest” of India.
It took seconds for Alpert to make up his mind and agreed to commit himself to the task.
When the student is ready, the teacher will appear – they say!
Before the journey, he was at his wits’ end, not knowing what do next, and how to improve his well-being. Next up, Alpert “landed” in a café, somewhere in India, surrounded by all these unusual looking individuals.
He then plunged into a profound discussion with a westerner. This man, called Bhagwan Dass, was labeled as the guru, by the locals, and everyone felt his peaceful aura, radiating from the core of his being.
What amazed him the most was that he traveled miles to come to this village in Northern India, only to have a Californian Guru.
Richard Alpert was a little doubtful at first, but then agree to follow Bhagwan all across the country, and mix with people who are on the same journey. Learning mantras, and connecting with his beingness through meditation, became his everyday routine.
Richard distanced himself from relies on the adrenaline boost, which is triggered only by a sequence of desired events.
His new guru taught him to be entirely in the presence of the “Self,” to love that peacefulness, to enjoy its company, and to forget about the future.
As a matter of fact, no one has ever been in the future, nor in the past, it’s just a concept that induces anxiety, depression, and unhappiness.
Bhagwan Dass, as his leading role model, trained him to surrender to life, and allow the life-current to flow naturally. In other words, he was no longer obliged to swim, but to be totally relaxed and confident with the tide, that could have taken himDetermined to stay liberated in the present moment, he took this advice, wholeheartedly. Every person on this planet has a mission to fulfill, and not even twins should stick together. Not comparing with anyone else, serve as a ticket that can lead you to blissfulness .
The conversion to “Ram Dass” allowed him to free himself even more:
Over the years, he understood that for a person to be aware, he/she must go back to the place of unconditional observation. To put it in different terms, to become the non-judgemental witness of all the actions.
Suffering is part of our training program for becoming wise.
Meditation helps you to remain calm, and be the witness of the buzz, which tries to suck you into the play. But no, you are here only to watch and enjoy the game, you are not the actor, just a spectator, who can end the show in a heartbeat.
Ram Dass managed to escape from the rational mind, which worships the material things, and the whole political gamesmanship. Most people are wondering, why do the final recognition results in laughter?
A feeling of aversion or attachment toward something is your clue that there’s work to be done.
It’s because you realize how close you always were, and why did you put so much belief into your self-imposed egoic limitations.
Key Lessons from “Be Here Now”
1. Bring meditation into play
2. Find your mentor
3. Don’t be afraid of going deep
Bring meditation into play
The purpose of meditation is to stay awake, without being pulled by the monkey mind and the endless chatter of thoughts. Not doing, nor non-doing anything, just Be.
As you can see, being yourself is easy, but because of our attachments to the outer world, we perpetuate our suffering and pain.
Find your mentor
Ram Dass cheerfully conveyed his experiences and spiritual teachings that he gathered on this adventure; extracted from the beautiful garden of never-fading wisdom.
He elevates many masters such as Buddha, Jesus, Zen Master Dogen, Lao Tzu, Ramakrishna, and others.
Don’t be afraid of going deep
For the first time in his life, he truly was in the presence of his own self.
With no money and no plans, he realized that it’s all about being here and now, (which is different from the present moment).
Presence is not expressed in time but as undisputed and absolute truth.