Birthday of Ram Dass

Ram Dass was born on this day in 1933. One of the pioneers of the New Age movement, he has taught us all to "be here now." To celebrate with him, you might do one of the following:

• Explore his life and work through our Living Spiritual Teachers.

• Watch a clip about his morning ritual of greeting Caspar Weinberger to open his heart to those he disagrees with (from the Spiritual Literacy DVD series).

• Rent and watch Ram Dass Fierce Grace, an extraordinary documentary about him.

• Ponder and put into practice these spiritual gems from his writings:

1. "Helping out is not some special skill. It is not the domain of rare individuals. It is not confined to a single part or time in our lives. We simply heed the call of that natural caring impulse within, and follow where it leads us." (from How Can I Help)

2. "Suffering is the sandpaper of our incarnation. It does its work of shaping us." (from One-Liners: A Mini-Manual for a Spiritual Life)

3. "A feeling of aversion or attachment toward something is your clue that there's work to be done." (from One-Liners: A Mini-Manual for a Spiritual Life)

4. "Treat everyone you meet like God in drag." (from One-Liners: A Mini-Manual for a Spiritual Life)

5. "One of the best parts of aging is entering the 'don't know,' learning to be someone who can rest comfortably in uncertainty." (from Still Here)