Ram Dass, Fierce Grace

As I watched it, I realized that it continued to get better and better as the runtime went on. Whereas most docs tend to wear down over time, this one did the exact opposite, and it ultimately has become one of the best documentary I've seen lately.

It doesn't have an agenda or message, and it doesn't rely on any manipulative music or narration to get a point across. It's just there for what it is, and it is amazing.

Ram Dass was and is still such an inspiring figure. The theme of death and seeing him so feeble makes me feel for the world when he finally passes on. If you have any interest in him, you should without a doubt watch this film. Even if you don't have any interest, you should give it a go. You might find him to be one of your new favorite philosophers and teachers!

This documentary-biography is presentations by Ram Dass helping us cope with aging and bringing us his experience with a stroke.

The presentations are not well focused; however, they are much better than many of the soundbite presentations produced nowadays. There is no way to come from ground zero and bring you to today's view in the few minutes of this presentation. In many ways this viewing can be quite emotional.

This also helps fill in his life from childhood as Richard Albert and the many people he came across that changed his views throughout life. We also get introduced to his books as "Be Here Now" and "Still Here: Embracing Aging, Changing, and Dying."

The DVD I viewed has many scenes that did not make it into the original film. Do not overlook the extras.

I've read Ram Dass's "Be Here Now" and "Journey of Awakening". I've seen his other books on the shelf like "How Can I Help" and "Grist for the Mill" and though it's been a while, I recall his account of meeting his guru for the first time from "Be Here Now" which is retold in this doc. Being familiar with him, Fierce Grace felt very natural to me like a visit from an old, trusted friend. I soaked in the Kirtan chanting of Krishna Das as well. Beautiful. The footage of the gatherings of like minded youth at his family's estate and the story of his psychedelic experimenting which eventually led to his spiritual journey were magical.

Let me say this is some Real Stuff from life. We all have our struggles in life and this film shows others struggling through things like the death of loved ones and having to deal with the aftermath of a stroke. It gave me strength to deal with my own issues and to remember the process of life from the more eternal perspective. Thanks Ram Dass!

Mickey Lemle's documentary Ram Dass, Fierce Grace is a portrait of Ram Dass (Richard Alpert), author, 60s guru, spiritual teacher, cohort of Timothy Leary, and author of Be Here Now, one of the most influential books of the 1970s. The film begins in the present, as Ram Dass deals with the effects of a massive stroke he suffered in February 1997 that left him physically incapacitated, and with impaired memory and speech. Interweaving current conversations, interviews with people in his life, and archival footage, Lemle then looks back at his childhood, the controversy surrounding his research with Timothy Leary in psychedelics at Harvard, his studies in India with Neem Karoli Baba, who renamed him Baba Ram Dass (Servant of God), his work with the Seva Foundation in social action projects dedicated to relieving suffering in the world, and his impact as an author and guru to millions of followers.

Several examples are shown of his compassion and his ability to feel the pain of others. In an early sequence, his beautiful "Rachel's Letter"* comforts a family after their daughter was murdered. In the final sequence, Ram Dass listens to a young woman struggling to overcome her grief at her boyfriend's violent death. She brings him to tears when she tells him about a dream she had in which her boyfriend speaks to her from beyond with a reassuring message.

When Ram Dass received the "fierce grace" of being "stroked," he admits he did not have any unusual spiritual epiphany. He recalls, "Here I am, Mr. Spiritual, and in my own head I didn't orient toward the spirit. It showed me I have some work to do." He has written about the stroke in his latest book, Still Here in which he talks about slowing down, and finding out about the "everything" that is out there. For Ram Dass, aging has become a gift. "I was galumphing through life before the stroke," he says. "I'm at peace now more than I've ever been. The peace comes from settling in to the moment."

Enhanced by the music of Krishna Das, the documentary is more than just a bio-pic or a meditation on the process of aging, it is an inspiring portrait of a man whose life can be summed up in one word -- service. Ram Dass has said, "What one person has to offer to another is their own being, nothing more, nothing less." In Ram Dass, Fierce Grace, Lemle has given us Ram Dass's being, nothing more, nothing less. That is a gift of love.

*http://www.ramdasstapes.org/rachels%20letter.htm

One of the most profoundly moving and inspiring documentary films I have ever seen. Ram Dass talks openly about his experiences with his ageing process and willingly shows his vulnerability to his situation. His ability to put this into words is inspiring and left me feeling more resourced about any suffering in my own life.

The documentary is informative, funny and poignant and should appeal to any with yearning for honesty and understanding of life's dilemmas. The style of the movie doesn't try to be slick or clever or preachy. Ram Dass's spirituality is portrayed through his twinkling eyes as much as through his words.

Gives an interesting short historical leap into the late sixties / early seventies with footage of Timothy Leary and acid culture. The scenes of 400 hippies dancing on the lawns of Ram Dass's father's house is great. Would your father be OK with that?

Do not pass this film by.