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

Inspired by American spiritual teacher Ram Dass and Be Here Now, his groundbreaking book, many young North Americans in the early 1970s found their way to the eccentric Indian guru Neem Karoli Baba. His primary instruction, Markus reports, was simply to “love everyone, feed everyone, and remember God.” Markus, herself a member of Baba’s satsang, or community of devotees, has woven many interviews into a narrative of a remarkable time. Amid picaresque tales of being on the loose in India, Markus details an array of seekers who bear witness to the profound influence of their adored guru’s “unconditional love.” Markus notes that while most of the satsang “didn’t get into ‘feeding’ everyone” while in India, a number (including Ram Dass, renowned epidemiologist Larry Brilliant, and psychology writer Daniel Goleman) later made significant social contributions. The recollections, full of vivid detail, are largely uncritical, and readers pining for some analysis—psychological, social, cultural, or gender-based—won’t find much here. These are, after all, “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 helped spark significant cultural shifts. (Nov.)