After his best friend 's girlfriend , Allison Krause , was killed during the Kent State shootings , Surya Das began pursuing spirituality . From 1971 to 1976 he traveled in India . There he studied Hinduism with Neem Karoli Baba as well as Vipassana with S. N. Goenka and Anagarika Munindra , of the Theravadin tradition . He was given the name Surya by Neem Karoli Baba in 1972
Kent State shootings
Kent State shootings
Surya Das