After co-authoring a book on LSD and giving lectures at the League for Spiritual Discovery in New York in the 1960s, Alpert took his aforementioned trip to India which saw him return to the US as Ram Dass. He subsequently wrote 'Be Here Now' which was a reflection on all of his spiritual and psychological ideas. Published in 1971, it became a bestseller. Part autobiography and part spiritual handbook, it contains many spiritual aphorisms and illustrations. The book also offers insights into using yoga as a means of getting into spirituality. It was one of the first books to teach people about how to become a yogi that was written for non-Hindus.