Review

“These are ‘love stories,’ providing an intriguing glimpse into the possibilities for spiritual change and reminding readers that 45 years ago, young people looking for something more help spark significant cultural shifts.” — Publisher's Weekly

“It is the story of a generation (my own) that went to India to learn how to live, to actually be happy … It is the story of a time and a place that also symbolizes our own intrinsic human potential at any time, in any place.” — Sharon Salzberg, author of Lovingkindness and Real Happiness

“Love Everyone vividly captures a seminal moment in Eastern wisdom and spirituality making its way to the West. Parvati Markus’s lucid account skillfully weaves this group memoir into a modern-day Pilgrim’s Progress.” — Daniel Goleman author of A Force for Good: The Dalai Lama's Vision of Our WorldA Force for Good: The Dalai Lama's Vision of Our World

“The grace-filled stories of Ram Dass and those who met his beloved Guru have inspired and opened the hearts of millions. Here you can join them on their beautiful journey and connect with the grace and love yourself.” — Jack Kornfield, author of A Path With Heart

“Reading this book is like gazing at a precious Jewel. At first we see the beautiful surfaces, that shine and glitter, but gradually the inner radiance of the gem is revealed. Neem Karoli Baba is that Inner Radiance, the love that lives within us as who we truly are.” — Krishna Das, “chant master” and author of Chants of a Lifetime

“…I’ve learned that nothing truly great can be accomplished without loving each and every one. But the trick is that not only saints like Neem Karoli Baba can love everyone; we can, too, when our hearts are open. This book will open your heart.” — Dr. Larry Brilliant, epidemiologist, author, senior advisor at the Skoll Foundation

“Every word of this luminous collection carries the butterfly kiss of the saint it celebrates… It is a living testament to a love that transcends all form, and a clarion call to shift from the ego to the heart, where loving everyone is not only possible, but the only possibility.” — Mirabai Starr, author of God of Love and Caravan Of No Despair

“My dear Dharma sister Parvati has opened the radiant heart of Maharajji, which embraces us all-the whole world-and generously shares its miraculous, heart-opening warmth, inclusive love and wisdom, for anyone who cares to see, hear, feel, inquire, unmask, awaken, and transform. ” — Lama Surya Das, author of Awakening the Buddha Within, and Make Me One With Everything

“Maharajji’s true love overawed both my New York motor mind and youthful egocentric heart, changed my life totally, and has never left me-distance or death be damned. ” — Lama Surya Das, author of Awakening the Buddha Within, and Make Me One With Everything

“These truly personal stories of our guru and spiritual transformation can certainly include you and that Great One who doubtless works his magic through you, if you want it. I highly recommend it! ” — Lama Surya Das, author of Awakening the Buddha Within, and Make Me One With Everything

“This little heart of mine cannot hold that much joy and love. It feels as if i’m living each one of the stories. I’m filled with gratitude beyond measure. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.” — Durga Sanchez, yoga teacher and kirtan leader.

“[Markus] has documented both the passion and the credibility of what she has recorded and she’s done it in a manner that takes readers on the journey with those who are reliving it in narrative.” — Anna Jedrziewski, Retailing Insight

“The stories feel as though they are being reexperienced at the moment of recall, decades later.... The concluding Satsang chapter provides ‘where are they now’ bios of the book’s seekers... For them, saving the world became a matter of serving it.” — Spirituality and Health magazine

From the Back Cover

A celebration of one of the most influential spiritual leaders of our time: Neem Karoli Baba, the enlightened guru who inspired a generation of seekers—including Ram Dass, Daniel Goleman, and Larry Brilliant—on life-altering journeys that helped change the world.

In 1967, Ram Dass returned to the West from India and spread the teachings of his mysterious guru, Neem Karoli Baba, better known as Maharajji. Ram Dass’s words about Maharajji’s life-affirming wisdom resonated with a youth culture that had grown disillusioned with the violence, civil discord, and crude materialism of modern civilization. Hundreds of Westerners traveled to India and experienced Maharajji’s extraordinary presence directly until his death in 1973. His simple directives—love everyone, feed everyone, and remember God—opened their hearts and awakened their souls.

What these followers brought back to the West has since changed the landscape of everyday life. Meditation is now mainstream; yoga studios are in every town; and mindfulness is practiced in elementary schools and board-rooms everywhere, from Silicon Valley to Capitol Hill. A stirring piece of history, Love Everyone brings these stories to life, sharing for the first time the inspiring tales of the men and women who followed the siren call of the East to the foothills of the Himalayas, then returned to forever reshape the world.

A compelling and inspiring tribute to Maharajji from the Western men and women who knew him best, Love Everyone is a profound teaching on the power of love, as lasting and transformative as the truth, wisdom, and bliss of Maharajji.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Parvati Markus is a developmental editor and writer of spiritually oriented non-fiction books and memoirs. Since her time in India with Maharajji (1971-72), she has worked on books by various members of the satsang, from Ram Dass’s classic Be Here Now to Dada Mukerjee’s By His Grace and The Near and the Dear to Krishna Das’s recent Chants of a Lifetime. She is a former President of the Board of the Neem Karoli Baba Ashram and Temple and a development consultant for the Global Peace Initiative of Women Religious and Spiritual Leaders, held at the U.N. in Geneva, Switzerland. She is also on the boards of the Love Serve Remember Foundation and the Center for Collective Wisdom. She lives in West Palm Beach, Florida.