Sanjivini mountain, the mountain of herbs that
saved Laksmana’s life.
Further reading: K. C. Aryan and Subhashini Aryan,
Hanuman in Art and Mythology (Delhi: Rekha Prakashan,
1975); Devdutt Pattnaik, Hanuman: An Introduction
(Mumbai: Vakils, Feffer & Simons, 2001).
Hanuman Foundation (est. 1974)
The Hanuman Foundation is one of the creations
of the American spiritual teacher Baba RAM DASS,
born Richard Alpert, April 6, 1931, in Boston,
Massachusetts.
After working with psychedelics with Timo-
thy Leary at Harvard University and being dis-
missed with Leary, from their teaching positions
there, Alpert went to India in 1967 and met his
GURU, NEEM KAROLI BABA. Neem Karoli gave him
the spiritual name Ram Dass (servant of God)
and introduced him to Hindu spirituality. In his
time with Neem Karoli, he learned about HANU-
MAN, the deity depicted as a monkey who is a
symbol of selfless service in the Hindu tradition.
Ram Dass became an affectionate devotee of
Hanuman.
The Hanuman Foundation was incorporated
in 1974, after Ram Dass’s pilgrimage to India in
order to supply information from the teachings
of Neem Karoli Baba, who, although deceased,
still teaches. Ram Dass founded the Neem Karoli
Baba Hanuman Temple, located in Taos, New
Mexico, in a remodeled adobe building. The
central focus of the temple is a 1,500-pound
marble carving of Hanuman imported from
India. This temple primarily serves some 300
Indian families spread between Albuquerque
and Denver. Major services featuring chanting
and singing are held every Tuesday (as that
is considered Hanuman’s day). Neem Karoli
Baba’s mahasamadhi (death/liberation day) is
celebrated in September.
The foundation has become over time a
central archive and headquarters of a number
of projects. The Orphalese Foundation controls
a tape library and the ZBS Foundation (also
known as Amazing Grace) has released several
recordings on spiritual topics with the assistance
of Steven Levine. The foundation also works
closely with the Seva Foundation, founded by
Larry Brilliant (b. 1946), a devotee of Baba, on
social service projects, especially the eradication
of blindness.Further reading: Inside Out (Nederland, Colo.: Prison
Ashram Project/Hanuman Foundation, 1976); Timothy
Leary, Ralph Metzner, and Richard Alpert, The Psy-
chedelic Experience (New Hyde Park, N.Y.: UniversityHanuman, monkey god, servant of Lord Rama
(Courtesy Vedanta Society, San Francisco)
K 178 Hanuman Foundation