Love Everyone book review
Love Everyone is a a series of engrossing first-hand recollections by followers of the Indian saint and spiritual teacher Neem Karoli Baba, affectionately known as Maharajji. Although I didn’t meet him in person, my life has been enriched by being a follower of his teachings for the last ten years of my life.
In the late 1960s, an assorted collection of Western seekers travelled to India and wound up at the feet of Neem Karoli Baba. The group included Ram Dass (formerly Dr. Richard Alpert), Dr. Larry Brilliant, psychologist Daniel Goleman, and kirtan rock stars Jai Uttal and Krishna Das. They all report to be all instantly transfixed and ultimately transformed by this saint who “exuded pure unconditional love.”
The author, Parvati Markus, was also one of those in India some 45 years ago. She has lovingly woven together this anthology with a skillfully conversational flow and with just the right amount of clarification to keep the reader from getting lost in the complex Hindu traditions that were a part of the experience. The book serves as a proper and devotional homage for those dedicated to this teacher and his teachings; it is also a juicy and completely absorbing reading experience for anyone curious about the path of Bhakti Yoga.
For more information about Neem Karoli Baba, visit the Love Serve Remember Foundation, dedicated to the teachings of Maharajji and Ram Dass: ramdass.org.
Julie Devi Hale, MFT, eRYT is a psychotherapist, yoga and meditation teacher who attends to private clients in Los Angeles as well as runs retreats regularly in her home away-from-home; the Sequoia National Forest: juliehale.net