The Guy The guy Ned was talking about in his book was Billy Clayton, who apparently beat out Ned for the job of Maharishi's "skin boy" in Fuiggi, causing Ned to fall off the wagon. Ned and I were early adopters and we were both initiated by Jerry Jarvis at the first SIMS in 1965, along with Rick Stanley, Jerry Garcia, and John Densmore. I must admit that Ned's book leaves a lot to be desired, but that part about the plough pose was hilarious!
Bhagavandas (Michael Riggs): [image: Inline image 1] Bhagavan Das: Sri Krishna - Now CD http://www.youtube.com/Bhagavandas_Now<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q50Q9s1ikxo&feature=share&list=PLifWhk5wnZk-z8iuXDDTGYIi6SHNgzmaz> "The book is an intriguing portrait of what it was like to be right in the middle of it. The real gurus, the fake gurus, the zealous devotees, the drugs, the sex, the confusion. In India he studied with several famous teachers and when he gets back to America, Allen Ginsberg, Alan Watts (who was apparently a notorious drunk!) and Ram Dass, among others are constantly floating in and out of his life. It is also an interesting to see how he dealt with his unwanted fame..." About the Book: "Michael Riggs left for California and traveled to India searching for something more than "the American Dream". Once there, he studied with several teachers including Maharishi, living the austere life of a yogi, eventually falling under the loving blanket of Neem Karoli Baba, who renamed him Bhagavan Das. For seven years Das moved through the subcontinent, from Bombay to Madras, Kashmir to Darjeeling, fully embracing Hinduism and all its practices, worshiping the Divine Mother, and studying Buddhism, Transcendental Meditation, and Tantra. In Nepal he met and became the teacher of Richard Alpert, the Harvard professor, LSD experimenter, and expatriate whom Neem Karoli Baba would rename Ram Dass. After the publication of the bestselling classic "Be Here Now", in which Alpert described their experiences together, Bhagavan Das arrived back in the United States to find he was a celebrity. Traveling on the guru circuit - where he forged a number of influential and lasting relationships with other seekers such as Allen Ginsberg, Alan Watts, and Chogyam Trungpa - Bhagavan Das lived more like a rock star than the saint he was proclaimed to be. He spoke and sang in front of groups of thousands, had sex with spiritual groupies, did drugs, and witnessed the hypocrisy of his path and that of his peers. His disillusionment continued to grow; meanwhile, he felt an intense pressure to earn a more traditional living for his wife and children, and for years he struggled to integrate his Eastern mysticism with Western spirituality. In compelling detail, Das explores the myriad of forces that sent him on a tortuous journey that led him to study the peyote culture of the American Indians with Little Joe Gomez, fall under the influence of Joya, become a born-again Christian, follow Ammachi Ma, and eventually, after hitting rock bottom, find a way to reconcile both worlds." Works cited: 'Its Here Now, Are You? A Spiritual Memoir' By Michael Riggs aka 'Bhagavan Das' Broadway Books 1998 'We Will Always Live in Beverly Hills: Growing Up Crazy in Hollywood' by Ned Wynn William Morrow, 1990 Read more: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bhagavan_Das<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bhagavan_Das_%28yogi%29> On Tue, Dec 24, 2013 at 10:02 AM, Richard Williams <pundits...@gmail.com>wrote: > Krishna Das - Radhe Shyam > http://youtu.be/V85aqp6Dz8E > > One Track Heart Official Trailer > https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MG84IBv7cS0 > > [image: Inline image 1] > > "Layering traditional Hindu kirtan with instantly accessible melodies and > modern instrumentation, Krishna Das has been called yoga’s “rock star.” > > Krishna Das Live > Friday January 20th, 2012 > Austin, Texas > > He Lived as a Sadhu; He Died as a Sadhu: > > In 1957 Charan Das, originally an American, lived as > a sadhu in India for over twenty years. Cheerful and > without cares, he roamed the country for part of the > year, going from one holy place to the other, visiting > with brother-sadhus. He died a few years ago. > > Excerpt: > > "I can't tell you how surprised and entertained I was > to read Anne Cushman's piece in Wanderlust about Charan > Das, the sadhu from Texas. > > I too had several encounters with Charan Das over the > course of several years. I met him for the first time > in Delhi in early 1990 -- he was a friend of the man > I was then seeing, and he kept a supply of his books > in my friend's room while he was off wandering. Every > once in a while, he would turn up in Delhi and visit > my friend (and his books)." > > Read the whole article: > http://www.salon.com/letters/1998/04/07letters.html > > The Sadhu From Texas: > http://www.salon.com/1998/04/02/feature_193/ > > > On Tue, Dec 24, 2013 at 6:45 AM, Share Long <sharelon...@yahoo.com> wrote: > >> >> >> Richard, I'm looking at a sweet picture of Neem Karola on my desk. >> Krishna Das has been to FF twice, said civic center had best acoustics >> ever. This morning I've already listened to his Hanuman Chalisa, good for >> Tuesdays. His voice resonates and his stories of Neem are wonderful. >> >> >> On Monday, December 23, 2013 11:24 PM, Richard Williams < >> pundits...@gmail.com> wrote: >> >> I am glad to hear that you are listening to the great bhajans sung by >> my old pal Krishna Das. He is indeed an amazing artist. >> >> Speaking of Das, you might recall from one of my previous post that >> several of us became students of Neem Karoli Baba in the late sixties. My >> old pal Bhagavan Das and I visited the Baba shortly after we departed >> Rishikesh. Later, Bhagavan Das introduced Richard Alpert to the Baba, and >> Alpert became Ram Das, who wrote "Be Here Now." >> >> Jeffrey Miller became Surya Das about this time. Another pal of mine from >> Texas, Charan Das, also has many interesting observations concerning the >> Baba. If you are interested in learning more about the type of Bhajan >> chanting in this tradition you might consider reading the book by Bhagavan >> Das called "It's Here Now. Are You?" in which Bhagavan Das (Michael Riggs) >> relates some amazing experiencies on his journeys in India. Surya Das has >> several books in print and you can read about Charan Das, the 'Sadhu from >> Texas' by Anne Cushman, at Salon. >> >> [image: Inline image 1] >> >> Krishna Das - Pilgrim Heart - Live Kirtan >> http://youtu.be/xRDaMkDMWII >> >> "The book is an intriguing portrait of what it was like to be right in >> the middle of it. The real gurus, the fake gurus, the zealous devotees, the >> drugs, the sex, the confusion. >> >> In India he studied with several famous teachers and when he gets back to >> America, Allen Ginsberg, Alan Watts (who was apparently a notorious drunk!) >> and Ram Dass, among others are constantly floating in and out of his life. >> It is also an interesting to see how he dealt with his unwanted fame..." >> >> 'It's Here Now (Are You?)' >> By Bhagavan Das >> Broadway, 1998 >> Amazon reviews: >> http://tinyurl.com/3q3puzo >> >> >> On Mon, Dec 23, 2013 at 8:55 PM, <yifux...@yahoo.com> wrote: >> >> >> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kzTGSITIckw >> >> >> >> >> >> > >
