Love Everyone: The Transcendent Wisdom of Neem Karoli Baba Told Through the Stories of the Westerners Whose Lives He Transformed

In 1967, Baba Ram Dass—former American Harvard professor Richard Alpert—left India to share stories of his mysterious guru, Neem Karoli Baba, known as Maharajji. Introducing idealistic Western youth to the possibilities inherent in spiritual development, Ram Dass inspired a generation to turn on and tune in to a reality far different from the one they had known.

From the spring of 1970 until Maharajji died on September 11, 1973, several hundred Westerners had his darshan (in Hinduism, the beholding of a deity, revered person, or sacred object). Those who saw him formed the Maharajji satsang—fellow travelers on the path. Love Everyone tells the stories of those who heard the siren call of the East and followed it to the foothills of the Himalayas. The ways they were called to make the journey, their experiences along the way, and their meeting with Maharajji form the core of this multicultural adventure in shifting consciousness.

The contributors share their recollections of Maharajji and how his wisdom shaped their lives. All have attempted to follow Maharajji’s basic teaching, his seemingly simple directives: Love everyone, feed everyone, and remember God. All have found their own way to be of service in the world and, in so doing, have collectively touched the hearts and souls of countless others.

These are the firsthand accounts of those who met Maharajji and carried his light into the world—a testament to a love that transformed a generation.

• The Guru's Darshan: Intimate, firsthand accounts of sitting with Neem Karoli Baba (Maharajji) and experiencing his all-knowing wisdom and boundless compassion.
• Kirtan, Mantra, and Service: Discovering the simple, powerful practices Maharajji encouraged: Love everyone, feed everyone, and remember God through chanting and selfless action.
• Ram Dass's Journey: The story of how Ram Dass, a former Harvard professor, met his guru and became the emissary who brought Maharajji's teachings to the West.
• From Counterculture to Consciousness: Follow a generation of Western seekers on the hippie trail to the Himalayas, as they trade psychedelics for spiritual development and find their true home.
• The Seeds of Satsang: How a ragged band of travelers formed a spiritual family whose members—including Daniel Goleman and Larry Brilliant—went on to change the world.