American doctor visited Kainchi Dham; Neem Karoli Baba changed his life

In the early 1970s, American physician Dr. Larry Brilliant travelled to India and spent time at Neem Karoli Baba’s ashram at Kainchi Dham, seeking spiritual guidance during a period of personal uncertainty. Baba reportedly began calling him “Doctor America”. In an interview with Tricycle: The Buddhist Review, he said the spiritual guru later urged him to go to Delhi and work for the United Nations to help eradicate smallpox.Brilliant eventually joined the World Health Organization’s smallpox eradication programme in India. His journey to the ashram and his work against the disease became closely connected in his later recollections. For Brilliant, the journey was deeply connected to his encounter with Neem Karoli Baba, whom he credited with giving his life a new direction.When he recalled his conversation with Neem Karoli BabaIn an interview published by Tricycle: The Buddhist Review in 2023, Dr.