Fierce Grace, a documentary about Ram Das, portrays his far-reaching impact as an author and spiritual teacher. It also chronicles his struggle to reconcile his stock in trade message of unconditional love and acceptance with the anger and frustration he feels about the stroke that left half of his body paralyzed.

The documentary has been fashioned in a very personal style, interlacing current conversations with Ram Das, interviews with people he has known, and incredible archival stills and film footage. The film also shows how Das, with much eloquence and compassion, uses his current predicament to help others.

The film begins in present time, as Ram Das deals with the effects of a massive stroke that befell him five years ago. Das demonstrates such remarkable peacefulness, grace and acceptance that the documentary asks the rhetorical question, “How do you get to be like this?” The film then traces Ram Das's story: from his childhood as Richard Alpert, the youngest child of an affluent Jewish family; through his years as a professor of psychology at Harvard University; his LSD experimentation with Timothy Leary; his pilgrimage to India where he explored Hinduism, Yoga and Buddhism; and continuing through his return to the U.S. as a devoted healer and teacher serving mankind.

Meeting with his guru, Maharaj ji, was the turning point in Ram Das's life. Maharaj ji's expansive unconditional love changed Das's life forever. It was then that he began devoting himself to nurturing any soul that he found to be in need.

The film depicts two fine examples of his dedication to alleviating suffering. The first is a man and a woman whose daughter was murdered only a few blocks from their house. The letter Ram Das sends to them is of invaluable assistance in their healing process. The second incident involves a woman whose fiancé was murdered in Columbia, South America. Ram Das meets with her and helps her to find some peace and acceptance amidst her unbearable grief. Both incidents are deeply touching. Ram Das's voiceless expression of empathy and compassion are a marvel to behold.

Ram Das's stroke has forced him to live his teachings in a way he had not expected. He spends a great deal of time in various, often painful, therapies and is confined to a wheelchair. He is paralyzed on his right side and has speech aphasia. We see him struggle with physical tasks that we take for granted, such as getting in and out of a car, talking and walking.

He tells us that at the moment of his stroke all of his spiritual training was of no assistance. He simply stared up at the pipes on his ceiling as he lay in a helpless state. No uplifting thoughts or inspiration came to rescue him. In that crucial moment, he says, “I flunked the test.”

We see Ram Das's struggle with dogged determination to regain his faculties. Scenes of this struggle are interwoven with memoirs of his past. Interviews of family and friends give us insights and anecdotes about who this man was and is. Finally, we are shown that Ram Das puts his stroke in a spiritual perspective. Through acceptance he has acquired an inner peace greater than anything he's known in his life, he says. And this peace is touchingly discernible as he sits in his wheelchair on his front porch.

Fierce Grace portrays Ram Das as a pioneer scout for western civilization - somewhere out there ahead of the rest of us, sending back information about places we've yet to go, whether it's the territory of the inner psyche or the frightening pathway of aging and dying. He shows us this with strength, gentleness and humor. I was deeply touched by this film. I literally laughed and cried with it. There were many powerful moments, but for me the most deeply touching were the encounters Ram Das has with people whose spiritual journey began with his book Be Here Now. I am one of those people.

Greg Liber, along with his wife Jan, facilitates “The Loving Course” and “Sticks and Stones” workshops. For information go to: www.thelovingcourse.com.