An eminent psychologist, Ram Dass experimented with levels of human consciousness through magic mushrooms and LSD with Timothy Leary, Aldous Huxley, Allen Ginsberg and others. As a result he was expelled from Harvard and, in 1967, journeyed to India where he met his guru, Neem Karoli Baba. His life changed and, on his return to America, he travelled and taught widely, wrote the seminal bestseller Be Here Now and set up various charitable foundations, with an emphasis on service to others. The Seva Foundation has helped restore sight to nearly 3 million people suffering from cataract blindness in Nepal, Cambodia, Bangladesh, Tibet and throughout Africa. In 1997, Dass suffered a near-fatal stroke and then a life-threatening infection in 2004. However, though his travel is now curtailed, he still teaches, as well as engages with people via the internet. See www.ramdass.org
