Ram Dass: National Treasure
You Can Help Honor America's Longtime Spiritual Teacher
By Cat Saunders
On December 5, 1985, I had a dream that changed my life. In the dream,
a handsome, white-haired, moustached man with a dazzling grin came to be
with me. When I woke up, I drew his face in my drawing journal because it
seemed important.
Later that day, I had a massage appointment with someone I hadn't seen
in months. When I walked into her home office I almost passed out, because
there on her refrigerator was a picture of the man in my dream!
Actually it was Ram Dass, but it wasn't the Ram Dass I remembered. Last
time I'd seen him in the mid-1970s, he looked like a classic hippie with
flowing shirts and a wild beard bushy enough to house squirrels.
In contrast, the man in the 1985 photograph was clean-shaven with a neatly
trimmed moustache and short white hair. He wore a simple T-shirt with
SEVA written on it, because he was doing a SEVA fundraising tour.
As I stared at the photograph, my mind worked furiously to re-sort my
outdated images of Ram Dass. In the midst of my disorientation, I suddenly
felt as if I was being tricked–in a good way.
I journeyed shamanically to see if my hunch was correct. It was. My shamanic
teachers said they wanted me to pay attention to Ram Dass because he's
a good example of being spiritual while being in a body.
For the next ten years, I kept a photograph of Ram Dass on my altar.
I used his image to inspire me and help me open my heart. I paid attention
to his real-life adventures, I listened to his wonderful audiotapes, and
I wrote him long letters.
At some point, I asked to interview him. I kept asking for years, and
one day out of the blue, he called and said he could do it on a certain
date at Breitenbush in Oregon. Could I come?
That experience was a total gift. The interview,
entitled "Suffering as Grace,"
was published in 1990 by The Sun.
Years later, in February 1997, Ram Dass had a massive stroke that left
him paralyzed on the right side. Suddenly, the man with the golden tongue
could scarcely speak, and the globe-trotting spiritual teacher couldn't
walk.
Mickey Lemle's exquisite documentary, "Fierce Grace," captures
the essence of Ram Dass, including his post-stroke efforts to restore
speech and increase mobility. The film shows how Ram Dass is even more
extraordinary since he was "stroked by the guru," as he calls
it.
One scene in "Fierce Grace" says it all. Ram Dass is sitting
in his wheelchair amidst a group of blissed-out people as they sing and
sway while my favorite chant-master, Krishna Das, performs "Hare
Krishna."
When the camera pans in on Ram Dass, the successive play of emotions
across his face conveys the beauty of his soul: his devotion, his compassion,
his courage, his tenderness, his brilliance, his humility, his playfulness,
his gutsiness, his strength, his multi-level focus–and so much more.
To honor this spiritual warrior, this ringleader of radicals, this pioneer
of the heart, I've decided to award him "National Treasure"
status for the United States. Nothing gives me the authority to do this,
other than love. And love is good enough.
If you agree that Ram Dass deserves this special designation, I have
an invitation for you.
Do you have a personal story about Ram Dass? Write it down and send it
to me (my postal address follows; sorry, no e-mails). If you want to draw
a picture of how you feel about Ram Dass, that would be great. Or if you
want to send a card saying something simple like "yeah, baby, you
da man!" please feel free.
Be sure to mark "National Treasure" in big letters on the outside
of your envelope, so I'll know it's for Ram Dass.
Sometime around his 73rd birthday on April
6, 2004, I'll pack up whatever I've received and send it to him (if you
read this online after April 1st, please see note following the article).
By the way, it's okay if someone tells him about this "National Treasure"
award, because whatever you send him will still be a surprise.
It's always good to BE HERE NOW. In this
case, I invite you to ACT now, too. You count!
Mail your Ram Dass "National Treasure"
goodies c/o Cat Saunders, P.O. Box 31161, Seattle, WA 98103. If
you read this article after April 1, 2004, and would still like to participate,
please feel free to send your letter or card anytime, and I'll forward
it as soon as I can. Thanks!
To order the video "Fierce Grace,"
Ram Dass books and audiotapes, or other Ram Dassian treats, please visit
www.ramdasstapes.org.
This article was originally published by Evergreen
Monthly (March 2004).
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