Maharishi Mahesh Yogi

Maharishi

The Maharishi in Puna in 1973.
Born January 12, 1914
Jabalpur, Central Provinces and Berar, British India
Died February 5, 2008
Vlodrop, Netherlands
Years active 1939 - 2008
Parents Father: Sri Ram Prasad

Maharishi Mahesh Yogi (Hindi: महर्षि महेश योगी) born Mahesh Prasad Varma (January 12, 1914 - February 5, 2008) developed the TM technique (TM), and was the leader or "guru" of the TM movement, which has been defined as a new religious movement.[1] Varma's given name was Mahesh, while maharishi and yogi are honorifics. Varma was known as "Maharishi Mahesh Yogi" beginning around the year 1960. His devotees referred to him as "His Holiness",[2] and he became known as the "giggling guru".[3][4][5]

He became a disciple and assistant of Swami Brahmananda Saraswati, who was the Shankaracharya (spiritual leader) of Jyotir Math, located in the Indian Himalayas from 1941 to 1953. The Maharishi credits Brahmananda Saraswati with inspiring his teachings. Beginning in 1955, the Maharishi began to introduce the Transcendental Meditation technique (also known as TM) and other related programs and initiatives to the world. His first global tour began in 1958.[6]

In the late 1960s and early 1970s, he achieved fame as the guru to The Beatles and other celebrities. In the mid-1970s, he started the TM-Sidhi program, which offered practitioners the ability to levitate and to create world peace. His followers started the Natural Law Party in 1992, which ran campaigns in dozens of countries. He moved to Vlodrop, the Netherlands, in the same year.[7] In 2000, he created the Global Country of World Peace, a country without borders, and appointed its leaders. In 2008, he announced his retirement from all administrative activities and went into mauna (spiritual silence) until his death three weeks later.

According to news reports, "more than 5 million people studied his methods".[8][9] TM websites report tens of thousands having learned his advanced meditation techniques. His initiatives include schools and universities with campuses in several countries including India, Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom and Switzerland.[10] The Maharishi, his family and close associates created charitable organizations and for-profit businesses that include nearly 1,000 TM centers, schools, universities, clinics, health supplements and organic farms. Estimates of the value of the Maharishi's empire range from the multi-millions to the billions of dollars.

Contents

Biography

Birth

The birth name, birth date, and caste of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi are not known with certainty, in part because of the tradition of ascetics and monks to renounce family connections.[11]

Many accounts say he was born Mahesh Prasad Varma (Verma) into a Kayastha caste[12][13] family living in the Central Provinces of British India.[14] A different name appears in the Allahabad University list of distinguished alumni, where he is listed as M.C. Srivastava.[15] Srivastava is the name of his nephews and cousins,[11] and an obituary says his name was "Mahesh Srivastava".[16] The given name "Mahesh", an epithet of Shiva, indicated that the Maharishi came from a Shaivaite family.[17]

The name of his father is given as Sri Ram Prasad, identified as a local tax official in the civil service.[5][18] One source says he worked in the department of forestry.[14]

Various accounts give the year of his birth as 1911, 1917 or 1918.[5] Biographies by Paul Mason and William Jefferson say that he was born January 12, 1917 in Jabalpur, Central Provinces. The place of birth given in his passport is "Pounalulla", India and his birth date as 12 January 1918.

While a few sources say Maharishi came from a lower caste family,[19] the predominant view is that he was a member of the kayastha caste,[12][13][20] a sub-caste of Brahmins whose ancient profession was writing.[21][22][23][24]

Early life

Varma studied physics at Allahabad University and earned a degree in 1942. Some accounts say that he worked in a factory following graduation.[25][26] In 1941, Varma became a secretary to the Shankaracharya of Jyotir Math, Swami Brahmananda Saraswati, who addressed him as "Bala Brahmachari Mahesh".[27][28] The title "Bala Brahmachari" designates someone as "a dedicated student of spiritual knowledge and life-long celibate ascetic".[28] Mahesh remained with Swami Brahmananda Saraswati until the latter died in 1953. In 1953, Brahmachari Mahesh moved to Uttarkashi in Uttarakhand in the Himalayas. Although Mahesh was a close disciple, he could not be the Shankaracharya's spiritual successor because he was not of the Brahmin caste.[20][29] Canadian author and journalist Paul Grescoe reported in 1968 that "A British magazine said his teacher was Jagad Guru Shankaracharya Swami Brahmananda Saraswati, ... or Guru Dev for short. The Maharishi ... was his pupil for 13 years. When the Guru Dev died, the Maharishi was so disappointed at not being named successor, that he launched an unsuccessful lawsuit."[30] He was trusted to take care of the bulk of the Guru Dev’s correspondence without direction, and was also sent out to give public speeches on Vedic (scriptural) themes.[31] The Shankaracharya, at the end of his life, named Swami Shantananda Saraswati as his successor, and charged Maharishi with the responsibility of traveling and teaching meditation to the masses.[32][33] One of the claimants[34] to become Guru Dev's successor, Swami Swaroopanand, told a German filmmaker in 2010 that, as a member of the trader class and Guru Dev's bookkeeper, the Maharishi had no right to teach meditation or to give mantras, and that "Gurus don't sell their knowledge, they share it."[19] Other sources say that Maharishi worked closely with the Shankaracharya and was considered his "right man".[16]

Tour in India (1955-1957)

In 1955,[5][35][36][37] the Maharishi left Uttarkashi and began publicly teaching what he stated was a traditional meditation technique[38] that he learned from his master Brahmananda Saraswati, which he called Transcendental Deep Meditation and later renamed Transcendental Meditation.[39] The Maharishi traveled around India for two years.[40] At that time, he called his movement the "Spiritual Development Movement", but renamed it "The Spiritual Regeneration Movement" in 1957, in Madras, India, on the concluding day of the Seminar of Spiritual Luminaries.[5] According to J. Lynwood King, in his dissertation Fundamentals of Maharishi Vedic Science, the feedback Maharishi received from the diverse population that learned his technique suggested to him that it could be of wide benefit.[41] In his visits to Southern India, the Maharishi spoke in English rather than the Hindi-language spoken in his home area to avoid provoking resistance among those seeking linguistic self-determination and to appeal to the "learned classes", according to Coplin.[42]

World tours (1958-1968)

In 1959, the Maharishi began his first world tour.[5][8] Of the purpose of the tours, the Maharishi wrote: "I had one thing in mind, that I know something which is useful to every man".[3]

The Maharishi's 1986 book, Thirty Years Around the World, gives a detailed account of his world tours. The first world tour began in Rangoon, Burma (now Myanmar) and included the countries of Thailand, Malaya, Singapore, Hong Kong and Hawaii.[43][44] According to that book, the Honolulu Star Bulletin reports: "He has no money, he asks for nothing. His worldly possessions can be carried in one hand. Maharishi Mahesh Yogi is on a world odyssey. He carries a message that he says will rid the world of all unhappiness and discontent."[45] The Maharishi and OneIndia report that, in 1959, the Maharishi lectured and taught the Transcendental Meditation technique in Honolulu, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Boston, New York and London.[8][43][46][47]

When the Maharishi came to the U.S., his movement was renamed Transcendental Meditation and in 1959, he began the International Meditation Society with centers in San Francisco and London. While in Los Angeles, Maharishi became a guest at the home of Roland and Helena Olson and their daughter Theresa, who wrote several books about their experiences. He continued to visit the Olsons' home over the next few years.[43][48]

In 1960, the Maharishi traveled to many cities in India, France, Switzerland, England, Scotland, Norway, Sweden, Germany, the Netherlands, Italy, Singapore, Australia, New Zealand and Africa.[49] He lectured, taught the Transcendental Meditation technique, and established administrative centers where practitioners could gather for meetings in his absence.

While in Manchester, England, the Maharishi gave a television interview and was featured in many English newspapers such as the Birmingham Post, the Oxford Mail and the Cambridge Daily News.[50] This was also the year in which the Maharishi trained Henry Nyburg to be the first Transcendental Meditation teacher in Europe.[51]

In 1961, the Maharishi visited Austria, Sweden, France, Italy, Greece, India, Kenya, England, USA and Canada.[40] While in England, the Maharishi appeared on BBC television and gave a lecture to 5,000 people at the Royal Albert Hall in London.[40] In April 1961, the Maharishi conducted his first Transcendental Meditation Teacher Training Course in Rishikesh, India with 60 participants from various countries.[8][52] Teachers continued to be trained as time progressed.[53] During the course, Maharishi began to introduce additional knowledge regarding the development of human potential, and began writing his translation and commentary on the first six chapters of the ancient Vedic text, the Bhagavad Gita.[54]

His 1962 world tour included visits to Europe, India, Australia and New Zealand. The year concluded in California where the Maharishi began dictating his book The Science of Being and Art of Living.[55] In Rishikesh, India, beginning on 20 April 1962, a 40-day course was held for "sadhus, sanyasis, and brahmacharis" to introduce TM to "religious preachers and spiritual masters in India".[56]

The Maharishi toured cities in Europe, Asia, North America and India in 1963, and also addressed ministers of the Indian Parliament.[57] According to his memoirs, twenty-one members of parliament then issued a public statement endorsing the Maharishi's goals and meditation technique.[58] His Canadian tour generated news articles in the magazine Enjoy and in the Daily Colonist, Calgary Herald and The Albertan.[59]

The Maharishi's fifth world tour, in 1964, consisted of visits to many cities in North America, Europe and India.[60] During his visit to England, he appeared with the Abbot of Downside, Abbot Butler, on a BBC television show called "The Viewpoint".[61] In October of that year, in California, the Maharishi began teaching the first Advanced Technique of Transcendental Meditation to some experienced meditators.[62] While traveling in America, the Maharishi met with Robert Maynard Hutchins, the head of the Center for the Study of Democratic Institutions, and U Thant, the Secretary General of the United Nations.[63] During this same year, the Maharishi wrote his book The Science of Being and Art of Living, which sold more than a million copies and was published in 15 languages.[64]

In 1966, the Maharishi founded the Students' International Meditation Society, which The Los Angeles Times later characterized as a "phenomenal success".[5][65]

In 1967, the Maharishi gave a lecture at Caxton Hall in London which was attended by Pattie Boyd, George Harrison's wife,[18] as well as Leon MacLaren, the founder and leader of the School of Economic Science (SES).

In 1967, according to author Sean McCloud, Time magazine reported that the Maharishi “has been sharply criticized by other Indian sages, who complain that his program for spiritual peace without either penance or asceticism contravenes every traditional Hindu belief." McCloud says that Newsweek reported that “many Indian sages contend that his rather simplified system of meditation is without basis in the Bhagavad-Gita --- the epic poem that is Hinduism’s most exalted scripture". McCloud also writes that Look magazine "asserted that tradition-minded gurus, angrily citing the Bhagavad Gita, say that self-abnegation and suffering along with rigid concentration are the prescribed pathway to Enlightenment", in contrast to the Maharishi's "belief that Enlightenment was compatible with active living and easily available to everyone."[66]

Interaction with The Beatles

In 1967, the Maharishi's fame increased and his movement "really took off" when he became the "one-time spiritual advisor to The Beatles".[64][67] The Beatles met him in August 1967, and studied with him in Bangor, Wales, and in early 1968, traveled to Rishikesh, India to "devote themselves fully to his instruction".[68] Starr left after a week because he disliked the spicy food and vegetarian diet.[64][68] McCartney left three weeks after Starr.[68] Lennon and Harrison departed two weeks later after hearing a rumor that the Maharishi had made sexual advances towards Mia Farrow and a few other women.[68][68][69] Lennon wrote the song "Maharishi" (with the lines: "what have you done? You made a fool of everyone") as he was leaving.[70] Later, at the request of George Harrison[70] or to avoid a possible libel suit,[71] the title and lyrics were changed from "Maharishi" to "Sexy Sadie."[71] Later, Lennon said the Beatles' association with the Maharishi was an "an error of judgment" and "a public mistake".[72][73] Yoko Ono said in 2008 that if Lennon were alive he probably would have reconciled with the Maharishi.[74]

The New York Times and The Independent reported that the influence of the Maharishi and going to Rishikesh to meditate, weaned The Beatles from LSD and inspired them to write many new songs which later were recorded on the White Album.[68] During this time, they wrote scores of songs including "Spiritual Regeneration," reported to be a "theme song" for the Maharishi and Across the Universe, reported to be a tribute to the Maharishi's teacher, Guru Dev.[18][68]

Alexis Mardas, head of the Beatles' Apple Electronics, noted the luxurious infrastructure at the Rishikesh ashram. Neil Aspinall, The Beatles' road manager, recalled his opinion in reference to obtaining rights for a feature film that, "This guy knows more about making deals than I do. He's really into scoring, the Maharishi".[65]

In the book, Paul McCartney; Many Years From Now, Barry Miles says that for the media, the Maharishi was well cast with "liquid eyes, twinkling but inscrutable with the wisdom from the East".[75]

The New York Times reported in 2008 that Harrison and McCartney reconsidered the accusations. McCartney said that the rumors of sexual impropriety were raised by Alexis Mardas who "had agendas of his own, and may have fabricated (or at least exaggerated) the story".[68] In a press conference on April 3, 2009, prior to his performance at the David Lynch Foundation benefit concert "Change Begins Within", Paul McCartney commented that Transcendental Meditation was a gift The Beatles had received from Maharishi at a time when they were looking for something to stabilize them.[76] Harrison commented, "Now, historically, there's the story that something went on that shouldn't have done — but nothing did".[77] Farrow's autobiography is ambiguous about the incident: she describes "panicking" and fleeing after the Maharishi put his arms around her in a dark cave, immediately after a private meditation session.[78] Deepak Chopra, who met and became a "disciple of the Maharishi's" in the 1990s before later splitting, said in 2008 that the Maharishi had a "falling out with the rock stars when he discovered them using drugs".[79][80][67] In their obituaries of the Maharishi, Rolling Stone and Bloomberg news service stated that the rumor of impropriety was "unfounded" and never proven.[3][74][81]

Other popular culture contacts

Because of his involvement with wealthy celebrities, the Maharishi was ridiculed for his business acumen and his love of luxury, such as his habit of touring in a Rolls-Royce.[65] However, the Maharishi is also credited with helping to "inspire the anti-materialism of the late 60s".[8]

Private Eye ridiculed the guru as "Veririchi Lottsa Money Yogi Bear".[18] The Maharishi was also parodied by comedians Bill Dana and Joey Forman in the 1968 comedy album "The Mashuganishi Yogi",[82] and by comedian Mike Myers in the movie The Love Guru[83] and in the character "Guru Maharishi Yogi" featured in the BBC sketch Goodness Gracious Me.

Further growth of his TM movement (1968-1990)

The Maharishi during a 1979 visit to Maharishi University of Management in Fairfield, Iowa.

In 1968, the Maharishi announced that he would stop his "public activities" and instead begin the training of TM teachers at his new global headquarters in Seelisberg, Switzerland.[65] In 1970, the Maharishi held a TM teacher training course at a Victorian hotel located in Poland Springs, Maine with 1,200 participants. Later that year, he held a similar four-week course at Humboldt State College in Arcata, California. About 1,500 people attended and it was described as a "sort of a crash program to train transcendental teachers".[84] Following tax troubles in India, he moved his headquarters to Italy and then to Austria.[81]

A 1972, a TM training course was given by the Maharishi at Queens University and attended by 1,000 young people from all over the USA and Canada. At the start of the course the Maharishi encouraged the attendees to improve their appearance by getting haircuts and wearing ties.[85]

In 1974, Maharishi International University was founded. In October 1975, the Maharishi was pictured on the front cover of Time magazine. He made his last visit to the Spiritual Regeneration Movement center in Los Angeles in 1975, according to film director David Lynch, who met him for the first time there.[86] Newspapers, detractors, and even followers began referring to him as the "Giggling Guru", in part due to his habit of laughing during television interviews.[87][88]

In 1975, the Maharishi embarked on a five continent trip to inaugurate what he called "the Dawn of the Age of Enlightenment". The Maharishi said the purpose of the inaugural tour was to "go around the country and give a gentle whisper to the population".[89][90] That same year, the Pittsburg Press reported that “The Maharishi has been criticized by other Eastern yogis for simplifying their ancient art.”[91]

In the mid 1970s, the Maharishi's U.S. movement was operating 370 TM centers manned by 6,000 TM teachers.[3] At that time, the Maharishi also began approaching the business community via an organization called the American Foundation for SCI (AFSCI), whose objective was to eliminate stress for business professionals. The Maharishi's message was a promise of "increased creativity and flexibility, increased productivity, improved job satisfaction, improved relations with supervisors and co-workers".[89] His TM movement came to be increasingly structured along the lines of a multinational corporation.[65]

The Maharishi's headquarters in Seelisberg, Switzerland

The teaching of TM and the Science of Creative Intelligence, in a New Jersey public school was stopped when a US court, in 1977, declared the movement to be religious, and ruled adoption of TM by public organizations in breach of the separation of church and state (First Amendment).[92]

During the 1980s, the Maharishi’s mass appeal waned and his organization was faced with accusations of fraud and pseudo-scientific deception.[65] However, his meditation technique continued to attract celebrities.[3]

The Maharishi made a number of property investments with the funds he amassed. In England, he bought Mentmore Towers in Buckinghamshire, Roydon Hall in Maidstone, Swythamley Park in the Peak District and a Georgian rectory in Suffolk.[65] In the United States, resorts and hotels, many in city centers, were purchased to be used as TM training centers. Doug Henning and the Maharishi planned a magical Vedic amusement park, Vedaland, and bought large tracts of land near Orlando, Florida and Niagara Falls, Ontario to host the park. The Maharish commissioned plans from a prominent architect for the world's tallest building, a Vedic-style pyramid to be built in Sao Paulo, Brazil, and to be filled with Yogic Flyers and other TM endeavors.[93] In later years, the Maharishi directed the purchase of properties in locations such as islands and land at the geographic center of the continental United States and other countries.

In January 1988, the Maharishi's palace in India was raided by Indian police, who reportedly confiscated $500,000 in cash, securities, and jewels.[94] The raid occurred amidst a conflict with authorities over taxes and the movement was accused of lying about expenses.[95] The Maharishi moved out of India following the tax audit.[96] That same year the Maharishi created a "Master Plan to Create Heaven on Earth", a plan for reduced crime, longer life spans and increased prosperity and happiness.[81]

Years in Vlodrop (1991-2008)

The Maharishi in 2007
The Maharishi's headquarters in Vlodrop, Holland
A detail of the Maharishi's headquarters

In 1990, the Maharishi relocated his headquarters from Seelisberg, Switzerland to a former Franciscan monastery in Vlodrop, the Netherlands.[80][97] A building, called the "largest wooden structure" in the Netherlands, was built for Maharishi, reportedly at "vast expense".[98] During his time in Vlodrop, he communicated to the public mainly via video and the internet. He also created a subscription-based, satellite TV channel, called Veda Vision, which broadcast content in 22 languages and 144 countries.[65]

The Maharishi is believed to have made his final public appearance in 1991, in Maastricht, the Netherlands.[98] Deepak Chopra, "one of the Maharishi's top assistants before he launched his own career",[5] wrote that the Maharishi collapsed in 1991 with kidney and pancreas failure, that the illness was kept secret by the Maharishi's family and that he tended to Maharishi during a year-long recovery. According to Chopra, the Maharishi accused him, in July 1993, of trying to compete for the position of guru and asked him to stop traveling and writing books, which led to Chopra's decision to leave the movement in January 1994.[99]

He inaugurated the Natural Law Party (NLP) as a means for achieving a "natural government" to enact his plans.[81] His adherents, led by Maharishi University of Management president Bevan Morris, founded the NLP in 1992.[100] It was active in 42 countries.[101] John Hagelin, the NLP's three-time candidate for U.S. president, denied any formal connection between the Maharishi and the party.[102] The chief plank in the NLP's platform was funding the Maharishi's plan for thousands of Yogic Flyers who could create the Maharishi Effect and thereby insure invincibility for every nation.[103] According to spokesman Bob Roth, "The Maharishi has said the party has to grow to encompass everyone".[101] Critics charged that the party was an effort to recruit people for Transcendental Meditation,[104] and that it resembled "the political arm of an international corporation" more than a "home-grown political creation".[105] The Indian arm of the NLP, the Ajeya Bharat Party, achieved electoral success, winning one seat in a state assembly in 1998.[106] The Maharishi shut down the political effort in 2004, saying, "I had to get into politics to know what is wrong there."[107]

In 1992, the Maharishi began to send groups of Yogic Flyers to India, America, Brazil, China and Brazil in an effort to increase global peace through a "coherent world consciousness".[81]

In 2000, the Maharishi founded the Global Country of World Peace (GCWP) "with the goals of preventing war, eradicating poverty and promoting environmental sustainability".[13][108] The Maharishi crowned Tony Nader as the Maharaja (king) of the GCWP in 2000. The GCWP unsuccessfully attempted to establish a sovereign microstate when it offered USD 1.3 billion to the President of Suriname for a 200-year lease of 3,500 acres (14 km2) of land and in 2002, attempted to choose a king for the Talamanca, a "remote Indian reservation" in Costa Rica.[109][110]

In 2001, followers of the Maharishi founded Maharishi Vedic City a few miles north of Fairfield, Iowa. This new city requires that the construction of its homes and buildings be done according to the Maharishi Sthapatya Veda principles of "harmony with nature".[111]

In a 2002 appearance on the CNN show, Larry King Live, the first time in 25 years that the Maharishi had appeared in the mainstream media, he said ""Transcendental meditation is something that can be defined as a means to do what one wants to do in a better way, a right way, for maximum results".[64] It was occasioned by the reissue of The Science of Being and Art of Living.[112] That same year, the Maharishi Global Financing Research Foundation issued the "RAAM" as a currency "dedicated to financing peace promoting projects".[65]

In 2003, David Lynch began a fundraising project to raise USD 1 billion "on behalf of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi" to build a meditation center large enough to hold 8,000 skilled practitioners.[113]

In 2007, the GCWP purchased the American Bank Note Company Building near the New York Stock Exchange for its Maharishi Global Financial Capital. Its purpose is to create funding that will support the construction of 3,000 “peace palaces” around the world.[3]

During this period, skeptics were critical of some of the Maharishi's programs such as a $10 trillion plan to end poverty through organic farming in poor countries and a $1 billion plan to use meditation groups to end conflict.[80] In 2008, BBC news reported that "The Maharishi's commercial mantras drew criticism from stricter Hindus, but his promises of better health, stress relief and spiritual enlightenment drew devotees from all over the world".[72][114]

Death

Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, concerned about his health,[115] became increasingly secluded in two rooms of his residence.[80] He communicated with even his closest advisors by closed-circuit television.[13]

On January 12, 2008, Maharishi declared: "It has been my pleasure at the feet of Guru Dev Brahmananda Saraswati, to take the light of Guru Dev and pass it on in my environment. Now today, I am closing my designed duty to Guru Dev. And I can only say, 'Live long the world in peace, happiness, prosperity, and freedom from suffering.'"[116][117][118]

A week before his death, the Maharishi said that he was "stepping down as leader of the TM movement" and "retreating into silence" and that he planned to spend his remaining time studying "the ancient Indian texts".[64][67] Maharishi Mahesh Yogi died peacefully in his sleep of natural causes on February 5, 2008 at his residence in Vlodrop, Netherlands.[119] The cremation and funeral rites were conducted at the Maharishi's Allahabad ashram in India, overlooking the confluence of the Ganges and Yamuna rivers.[120][121] The funeral, with state honours,[122] was carried by Sadhana TV station and was presided over by the of Shankaracharya of the North, Swami Vasudevananda Saraswati Maharaj. Also in attendance were state and local officials, 35 Rajas of the Global Country of World Peace, one-time disciple Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, and David Lynch.[123] A troop of uniformed policemen lowered their arms in salute.[123]

The Maharishi was survived by a number of nephews and nieces.[124] One nephew, Girish Varma, is chairman of the Maharishi Vidya Mandir Schools Group, chancellor of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi Vedic University and chancellor of Maharishi University of Management and Technology in India.[125][126] Other nephews include Anand Shrivastava, chairman of the Maharishi Group,[127][128] and Ajay Prakash Shrivastava, president of Maharishi Vidya Mandir Schools.[129][130]

Philosophy and teaching

The Maharishi had a message of happiness, writing in 1967, "being happy is of the utmost importance. Success in anything is through happiness. Under all circumstances be happy. Just think of any negativity that comes at you as a raindrop falling into the ocean of your bliss".[64] His philosophy featured the idea that "within everyone is an unlimited reservoir of energy, intelligence, and happiness".[8] He also taught that practicing Transcendental Meditation twice a day would help to create inner peace and that "mass meditation sessions" could create outer peace by reducing violence and war.[64] According to a TM website, the performance of yagyas by 7,000 pandits in India, plus hundreds of Yogic Flyers in Germany, brought "coherence and unity in the collective consciousness of Germany" and caused the fall of the Berlin Wall.[131]

Gerald James Larson, a religious studies scholar, states that Maharishi Mahesh Yogi is one of a number of Indian gurus who brought Neo-Hindu adaptations of Vedantic Hinduism to the west.[132] Author Meera Nanda calls neo-Hinduism "the brand of Hinduism that is taught by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, Deepak Chopra, and their clones".[133] J.R. Coplin, a sociologist and MIU graduate, says that the Maharishi saw his own purpose as "the 'revival' of the knowledge of an integrated life based upon Vedic principles and Vedantist reality".[28]

Author Barry Miles writes that, in spite of the media's skepticism for the Maharishi's spiritual message, they seized upon him because young people seemed to listen to his pro-establishment, anti-drug message.[75]

Transcendental Meditation

During a CNN interview in 2002, the Maharishi said "Transcendental meditation is something that can be defined as a means to do what one wants to do in a better way, a right way, for maximum results".[64] Over a 30-year period, the Maharishi held many advanced, in-residence courses and assemblies in North America, India and Europe for practitioners of the Transcendental Meditation technique. These courses consisted of long meditation sessions, lectures by Maharishi, discussions based on personal experiences of meditation, questions from course participants, and organizational meetings. This type of in-residence course style continues to this day.[134] By the time of his death, there were nearly 1,000 TM training centers around the world.[65]

In the mid 1970s, the Maharishi began the TM-Sidhi program, including Yogic Flying, as an additional option for those who had been practicing the Transcendental Meditation technique for some time. According to Coplin, this new aspect of knowledge emphasized not only the individual, but also the collective benefits created by group practice of this advanced program.[135] This new program gave rise to a new principle called the Maharishi Effect. The Maharishi believed that this group practice of the technique benefited the environment.[136]

Maharishi Vedic Science

Entrance to the Marishi Univerity of Management and Maharishi Vedic University campus in Vlodrop, Holland

Maharishi Vedic Science, or MVS, is based on Maharishi Mahesh Yogi's interpretation of the ancient Vedic texts. MVS includes two aspects, the practical aspect of the Transcendental Meditation technique and the TM-Sidhi Program, as well as the theoretical aspect of how MVS is applied to day to day living.[137]

These applications include programs in: Maharishi Vedic Approach to Health (MVAH);[138][139] Maharishi Sthapatya Veda, a mathematical system for the design and construction of buildings; Maharishi Gandharva Veda,[140][141] a form of classical Indian music; Maharishi Jyotish (also known as Maharishi Vedic Astrology),[141][142] a system claiming the evaluation of life tendencies of an individual; Maharishi Vedic Agriculture, a trademarked process for producing fresh, organic food; and, Consciousness-Based Education.[143]

According to educator James Grant, a former Maharishi University of Management Associate Professor of Education and the former Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, Maharishi brought out a "full revival of the Vedic tradition of knowledge from India" and demonstrated its relevance in many areas including education, business, medicine and government.[144]

Publications

The Maharishi has written more than twenty books on the Transcendental Meditation technique and Maharishi Vedic Science.[145]

In 1955, the organizers of The Great Spiritual Development Conference of Kerala, published The Beacon Light of the Himalayas, a transcribed, 170 page, "souvenir" of the conference. Authors Chryssides, Humes and Forsthoefel, Miller, and Russel cite this as the Maharishi's first published book on Transcendental Meditation, although Transcendental Meditation is not mentioned in the text of the book.[146][147][148][149][150] The book is dedicated to Maharshi Bala Brahmanchari Mahesh Yogi Rajaram by his devotees of Kerala and contains photos, letters and lectures by numerous authors which appear in various languages such as English, Hindi and Sanskrit.[146]

In his 1967 publication, Bhagavad-Gita: A New Translation and Commentary, the Maharishi describes the Bhagavad Gita as "the Scripture of Yoga". He says that "its purpose is to explain in theory and practice all that is needed to raise the consciousness of man to the highest possible level."[151] In 1964, the Maharishi attended the All-India Yogic Conference held in Calcutta, India, where he said that the teachings contained in the Bhagavad Gita were misunderstood in the current age, "the practice of yoga was misunderstood, misinterpreted, and misapplied", resulting in "weakness in the fields of thought and action".[152] The Maharishi said that the source of his commentary was his master: "We are just an innocent means for the spontaneous flow of that knowledge – that's all."[153]

While working on his translation and commentary of the Bhagavad Gita, the Maharishi began audio taping the text of the book Science of Being and Art of Living, which was later transcribed and published in 15 languages in 1963.[64][154][155]

Other initiatives, projects and programs

Maharishi International University (renamed Maharishi University of Management (MUM) in 1995), the first university Maharishi founded, began classes in Santa Barbara, California, in 1973. Then in 1974, the university moved to Fairfield, Iowa, where it remains today. The university houses a library of the Maharishi's taped lectures and writings, including the 33-lesson, Science of Creative Intelligence course, originally a series of lectures given by the Maharishi in Fiuggi, Italy, in 1972. Described in the MUM university catalog as combining modern science, and Vedic science,[156] the course also defines certain higher states of consciousness, and guidance on how to attain these states.[41]

The Maharishi Vidya Mandir Schools (MVMS), an educational system established in 16 Indian states and affiliated with the New Delhi Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), was founded in 1995 by the Maharishi.[157] It has 148 branches in 118 cities with 90,000 to 100,000 students and 5,500 teaching and support staff.[158]

In 1998, Maharishi Open University was founded by the Maharishi. It was accessible via a network of eight satellites broadcasting to every country in the world, and via the Internet.[159]

The Maharishi also introduced theories of management, defense, and government,[41] programs said to alleviate poverty, and introduced a new economic development currency called the RAAM.[160] In 2000, the Maharishi began building administrative and teaching centers called "Peace Palaces" around the world, and by 2008 at least eight had been constructed in the US alone.[161]

Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, in his farewell message on January 11, 2008, announced the establishment of the Brahmananda Saraswati Trust (BST), named in honor of his teacher, to support large groups totaling more than 30,000 peace-creating Vedic Pandits in perpetuity across India.[162] According to Bevan Morris, the Prime Minister of the Global Country of World Peace, the BST is an endowment fund to "support the Vedic Pandits to perform Yagyas and Graha Shanti for all 192 countries of the world generation after generation".[116] The Patron of the Brahmanand Saraswati Trust is the Shankaracharya of Jyotir Math.[116]

Organizations and businesses

Maharishi Mahesh Yogi is credited with heading charitable organizations, for-profit businesses, and real estate investments whose total value has been estimated at US$ 2 to 5 billion. The real estate alone was valued in 2003 at between $3.6 and $5 billion.[163] Holdings in the United States, estimated at $250 million in 2008, include dozens of hotels, commercial buildings and undeveloped land.[161] The Maharishi Group, an international conglomerate created by the Maharishi in 1959, is controlled by members of the Maharishi's family including his nephew, Anand Shrivastava (also spelled Srivastava).[127] The group, which includes schools, solar power factories, health supplements, organic farms, software, jewelry, and many other businesses, was reported in 1999 to be worth $700 million.[164] The Maharishi "amassed a personal fortune that his spokesman told one reporter may exceed $1 billion".[165] According to a 2008 article in The Times, the Maharishi "was reported to have an income of six million pounds".[65]

In his biography of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, The Story of the Maharishi ( published 1976), William Jefferson suggests that the financial aspect of the TM organization was one of the greatest controversies it faced. He says the paradox of a movement whose concern is spiritual growth should have generated so much controversy about finances is unfortunate, and notes that other organizations handled finances differently than did the TM organization. Jefferson says that the concerns with money came from journalists more so than those who have learned to meditate. The controversy circled around the Maharishi’s mission, the comments from leaders of the movement at that time, and fees and charges the TM organization made. According to Jefferson, Maharishi said in response to concerns about finances in the TM organization that, ”Money is never on my mind. When I created the world plan to establish centers in every country on earth, I didn’t consider whether we had the necessary money to do it, I saw only the possibility…". The Maharishi also said, ‘We cannot take away the economic aspects of the movement…even though my message concerns the non-economic fulfillment of life. If initiations were free we could not cover the overhead for spreading the movement through out the world."[166] According the to Times obituary, the Maharishi said he had no interest in wealth, "It goes to support the centres, it does not go on me. I have nothing."[65]

Notable followers

According to the movement, four to six million people have been trained in the TM technique since 1959. Notable practitioners include The Beatles, David Lynch, John Hagelin, Mia Farrow, and Doug Henning. Former disciples who became spiritual teachers or self-help authors include Deepak Chopra, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, John Gray, and Barbara De Angelis.

Published works

References

  1. New Religious Movements (University of Virginia) (1998), citing Melton, J. Gordon, 1993, Encyclopedia of American Religions. 4th ed. Detroit: Gale Research Inc, 945-946. Occhiogrosso, Peter. The Joy of Sects: A Spirited Guide to the World's Religious Traditions. New York: Doubleday (1996); p 66. O'Brien, J. & M. Palmer. The State of Religion Atlas. Simon & Schuster: New York (1993); pg. 35. O'Brien, J. & M. Palmer. The State of Religion Atlas. Simon & Schuster: New York (1993); p. 35. Petersen, William J. Those Curious New Cults in the 80s. New Canaan, Connecticut: Keats Publishing (1982), p 123.
  2. Carlton, Jim (April 15, 1991). "For $1,500 a Head, Maharishi Promises Mellower Inmates --- Transcendental Meditation Goes to Prison as Backers Try to Lock Up Contracts". Wall Street Journal (New York, N.Y.): p. A.1. 
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 Shankar, Jay (February 6, 2008). "Maharishi Mahesh Yogi". Bloomberg. http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601091&sid=aXiUpQyKxGnI&refer=india. Retrieved August 15, 2010. 
  4. Richardson, Mark (October 12, 1993). "A leap of faith". The Ottawa Citizen: p. A.1. 
  5. 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 5.6 5.7 Woo, Elaine (February 6, 2006). "Maharishi Mahesh Yogi". Los Angeles Times. http://www.latimes.com/news/obituaries/la-me-maharishi6feb06,1,4208394.story. 
  6. Oates, Robert M. (1976). Celebrating the dawn: Maharishi Mahesh Yogi and the TM technique. New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons. p. 40. ISBN 9780399118159. 
  7. KOPPEL, LILY (October 8, 2006). "Encounter: Outer Peace". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/08/magazine/08wwln_essay.html?_r=1&oref=slogin. 
  8. 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 8.5 Hudson, Alexandra (February 6, 2008). "Beatles Indian Guru Maharishi Mahesh Yogi". Reuters. Archived from the original on August 30, 2010. http://www.webcitation.org/5sMgtyEz3. 
  9. Page, Jeremy; Hoyle, Ben (February 6, 2008). "Maharishi Mahesh Yogi Dies a Recluse". The Times (London). http://women.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/women/celebrity/article3322232.ece. 
  10. "Gifts of the Global Country of World Peace: Education Products Services". Archived from the original on August 28, 2010. http://www.webcitation.org/5sLEqXOdF. Retrieved August 28, 2010. 
  11. 11.0 11.1 Coplin, J.R. (1990). "Chapter Two: Socio-Historical Context for SRM's Emergence" Text and Context in the Communication of a Social Movement's Charisma, Ideology, and Consciousness: TM for India and the West. (Ph.D. thesis). University of California, San Diego, Footnote #73. “Maharishi Mahesh Yogi's caste background is a matter of some uncertainty because it is the tradition of yogis, ascetics, and renunciants to relinquish their family ties. His education and family status are known by many long-time movement members, however. Shrivastava is the family name of his cousins and nephews, and that name can be traced to the Hindu Kayasthas.”
  12. 12.0 12.1 Humes, C.A. (2005). "Maharishi Mahesh Yogi: Beyond the T.M. Technique". In Forsthoefel, Thomas A.; Humes, Cynthia Ann. Gurus in America. SUNY Press. p. 61. ISBN 079146573X. 
  13. 13.0 13.1 13.2 13.3 Koppel, Lily (February 6, 2008). "Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, a Guide On the Beatles' Spiritual Path, Dies". New York Times: p. C.10. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/06/world/asia/06maharishi-1.html?_r=1. 
  14. 14.0 14.1 Ruthven, Malise (February 6, 2008). "Maharishi Mahesh Yogi". The Guardian (London). http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/feb/06/india.obituaries. Retrieved April 5, 2010. 
  15. http://web.archive.org/web/20061011132039/http://allduniv.edu/hostels/gnjha/gnjha_alumni.htm
  16. 16.0 16.1 Kalambakal, Jupiter (February 6, 2008). "Transcendental Meditation Founder Maharishi Dies". All Headline News. http://www.allheadlinenews.com/articles/7009948300. Retrieved 2010-09-03. 
  17. Coplin, J.R. (1990) p. 48
  18. 18.0 18.1 18.2 18.3 Leigh, Spencer (February 7, 2008). "Maharishi Mahesh Yogi: Spiritual leader who introduced millions, including the Beatles, to transcendental meditation". The Independent (London). http://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/maharishi-mahesh-yogi-spiritual-leader-who-introduced-millions-including-the-Beatles-to-transcendental-meditation-779109.html. 
  19. 19.0 19.1 Simon, Alyssa (February 14, 2010). "David Wants to Fly". Variety. http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117942181.html?categoryid=31&cs=1. 
  20. 20.0 20.1 Williamson, Lola (2010). Transcendent in America. New York University Press. p. 84. ISBN 9780814794494. "Guru Dev represented the tradition well, for he did not allow anyone who was not of the Brahmin varna, the caste of the priesthood, to teach. Since [Maharishi] Mahesh [Yogi] was born into a scribe caste (kayastha), he was not allowed to join the order of monks. Thus when Guru Dev died in Calcutta in 1953, Mahesh would not have been considered a candidate to replace him." 
  21. Vepachedu, Sreenivasarao. "Brahmins". vedah.net. http://www.vedah.net/manasanskriti/Brahmins.html. Retrieved 2009-07-18. 
  22. Kamat, Vikas (April 01,2003). "A List of Brahmin Communities". kamat.com. http://www.kamat.com/kalranga/people/brahmins/list.htm. Retrieved 2009-07-18. 
  23. Sanskrit Dictionary at Hindunet.org
  24. [1] Ethnographical notes on Chandraseniya Kayastha Prabhu], Chandraseniya Kayastha Prabhu Social Club, Poona. 1904.
  25. "Maharishi Mahesh Yogi". Encyclopedia of World Biography (2nd ed ed.). Gale Research. 1998. http://galenet.galegroup.com/servlet/History/. 
  26. Coplin (1990) Ch.2, fn 74
  27. Mason, Paul (1994). The Maharishi—The Biography of the Man Who Gave Transcendental Meditation to the World. Shaftsbury, Dorset: Element Books Ltd.. p. 17. ISBN 1-85230-571-1. 
  28. 28.0 28.1 28.2 Coplin, J.R. (1990). "Chapter Three: SRM as Cultural Revitalization Text" Text and Context in the Communication of a Social Movement's Charisma, Ideology, and Consciousness: TM for India and the West. (Ph.D. thesis). University of California, San Diego. “While his association with the illustrious Shankaracharya tradition served as vital letter of introduction throughout India, his title, "bala brahmachari" identified him as a fully dedicated student of spiritual knowledge and life-long celibate ascetic. Literally, the name means "childhood or boy" (bala) "student of sacred knowledge" (brahmachari), and it has signified from Vedic times one who has taken the vow of chastity.”
  29. Coplin, J.R. (1990) p. 49
  30. Grescoe, Paul (August 16, 1968). "Hail Holy Teacher". Montreal Gazette: p. 3. http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=z4Y1AAAAIBAJ&sjid=1Z8FAAAAIBAJ&pg=2416,3359638&dq. "What I knew of the Maharishi’s background I'd read here and there. ... A British magazine said his teacher was Jagad Guru Shankaracharya Swami Brahmananda Saraswati, or Swami Brahmananda Saraswati Maharaj, Shankaracharya of Jyotirmath, or Guru Dev for short. The Maharishi (Hindu for "great sage"; Mahesh is his family name) was his pupil for 13 years. When the Guru Dev died, the Maharishi was so disappointed at not being named successor, that he launched an unsuccessful lawsuit." 
  31. Mason (1994) p. 22
  32. "Obituary: Maharishi Mahesh Yogi". BBC News. February 6, 2008. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/3747053.stm. 
  33. Mason (1994) p. 23
  34. "Squad of God". The Indian Express. July 6, 2003. http://www.indianexpress.com/storyOld.php?storyId=27061. Retrieved Retrieved on 2010-09-03. 
  35. AP (February 5, 2008). "Beatles guru dies in Netherlands". USA Today. http://www.usatoday.com/news/religion/2008-02-05-maharishi-obit_N.htm. 
  36. Epstein, Edward (December 29, 1995). "Politics and Transcendental Meditation". San Francisco Chronicle. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/1995/12/29/MN65432.DTL. 
  37. Morris, Bevan (1992). "Maharishi’s Vedic Science and Technology: The Only Means to Create World Peace" (PDF). Journal of Modern Science and Vedic Science 5 (1–2): 200. http://www.mum.edu/pdf/msvs/v05/morris.pdf. 
  38. Rooney, Ben (February 6, 2008). "Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, guru to Beatles, dies". The Telegraph (London). http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/1577866/Maharishi-Mahesh-Yogi-guru-to-Beatles-dies.html. 
  39. Russell, Peter (1977). The T.M. Technique: An Introduction to Transcendental Meditation and the Teachings of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. Routledge. p. 25. ISBN 9780710085399. http://books.google.com/books?id=TZ89AAAAIAAJ&dq=maharishi+%22transcendental+deep+meditation%22&source=gbs_navlinks_s. 
  40. 40.0 40.1 40.2 Maharishi Mahesh Yogi (1986). Thirty Years Around the World: Dawn of the Age of Enlightenment. Maharishi Vedic University Press. p. 199. ISBN 9071750027. 
  41. 41.0 41.1 41.2 King, Jeams Lynwood (2007). Fundamentals of Maharishi Vedic Science. (Thesis). Maharishi University of Management, 14–15.
  42. Coplin, J.R. (1990). "Chapter Two: Socio-Historical Context for SRM's Emergence" Text and Context in the Communication of a Social Movement's Charisma, Ideology, and Consciousness: TM for India and the West. (Ph.D. thesis). University of California, San Diego. “In South India Maharishi spoke in English because his Hindi would not only be little understood outside of the North, but it would provoke hostility among many who were fighting for linguistic self-determination in the period immediately following Independence. The use of English, however, had greater connotations, as it presumed an audience of Indians familiar with British administration and education. More significantly, it appealed to the "learned classes," mostly brahmins, but also lower caste officials whose families had escaped their more humble backgrounds by means of acquiring an English education.”
  43. 43.0 43.1 43.2 Devi, Priya (February 21, 2008). "Naturally In Self; Maharishi Mahesh Yogi". One India. http://living.oneindia.in/yoga-spirituality/faith-mysticism/2008/maharishi-mahesh-yogi-profile-death.html. 
  44. Maharishi Mahesh Yogi (1986) p. 237 "Summary 1958: The first countries he visited on his first wold tour were Burma, Thailand, Malaya, Singapore, Hong Kong and the USA (Hawaii)."
  45. Maharishi Mahesh Yogi (1986) p. 236 "He has no money, he asks for nothing. His worldly possessions can be carried in one hand. Maharishi Mahesh Yogi is on a world odyssey. He carries a message that he says will rid the world of all unhappiness and discontent."
  46. Blume, Mary (July 8, 1995). "A Little Meditation on the Bottom Line". International Herald Tribune. http://www.iht.com/articles/1995/07/08/yoga.t.php. Retrieved 2004-04-25. 
  47. Maharishi Mahesh Yogi (1986) p. 275 "Summary 1959: In January Maharishi traveled to the [mainland] USA for the first time, establishing the movement in Hawaii and then moving on to San Francisco and Los Angeles. Towards the end of the year, he once again visited Hawaii, the flew to the East Coast cities of Boston and New York"
  48. Olson, Helena, Hermit in the House, p.44, Los Angeles, 1967
  49. Maharishi Mahesh Yogi (1986) pp. 318-320 Note: The source contains a 3 page itinerary of 40+ cities visited by the Maharishi with corresponding dates of visit ranging from 1/1/60 and 12/30/60, "Summary 1960: Maharishi brought TM to the countries of Europe and in his many lectures in England, Scotland, Norway, and Germany he...""In the first half of the year he visited France, Switzerland, Austria and Germany." "...then traveled to the Scandinavian countries of Norway, Denmark and Sweden."
  50. Maharishi Mahesh Yogi (1986) p. 305 "In Manchester, Maharishi gave a television interview which reached millions of people in the north of England" "In Cambridge, the Daily News carried headline: 'Maharishi shows a simple method of meditation', while the Oxford Mail reporter who asked Maharishi ...."
  51. Maharishi Mahesh Yogi (1986) p. 302 "Maharishi made Henry Nyburg his personal representative for Europe and gave him the training and authority to teach Transcendental Meditation, thus making him the first European teacher."
  52. Maharishi Mahesh Yogi (1986) pp. 318-344 "From Chapter Titled '1961' pg 328 "The following day, BBC Television interviewed Maharishi and chose as the setting for the interview the Acropolis, one of the glories of ancient Greece." "On 20 April Maharishi inaugurated..."Maharishi then conducted the first international course to train teacher of TM" "The graduation ceremony of the course was held on 12 July and 60 new teachers of TM returned to their countries...."
  53. Seven-step course in How to Learn the Transcendental Meditation program
  54. Maharishi Mahesh Yogi (1986) p. 400 "...it was on this course that Maharishi started his commentary on the Bhagavad Gita--a commentary later to be published..."
  55. Maharishi Mahesh Yogi (1986) p. 490-491 and p.503 "And in the final days of 1962, in the silent surroundings of Lake Arrowhead, California, Maharishi brought out yet another gift for the world--The Science of Being and Art of Living--a treasury of pure knowledge to guide mankind in its evolution to perfection."
  56. Maharishi Mahesh Yogi (1986) p. 414 "Chapter Titled "1962": On 20 April, Maharishi in the presence of His Holiness Swami Shantanand Saraswati, the Shankaracharya of northern India, inaugurated a special course" "In the Prospectus, this special 40-day course was announced for 'sadhus, sannyasis and brahmacharis, and retired persons of energetic calibre'."
  57. Maharishi Mahesh Yogi (1986) pp. 544-545 "Twenty one members of the parliament, representing each of the Indian states, issued a statement entitled a 'timely Call to the Leaders of Today and Tomorrow' for the speedy introduction of the system [of TM] into the daily routine of national life." NOTE: the text of the 3 page statement from the parliament is also included in the book on pages 504-507
  58. Maharishi Mahesh Yogi (1986) p. 504-507 "Twenty one members of parliament, representing each of the Indian states, issued a statement entitled a 'timely Call to the Leaders of Today and Tomorrow' for the speedy introduction of the system [of TM] into the daily routine of national life." NOTE: the text of the 3 page statement from the parliament is also included in the book on pages 504-507
  59. Maharishi Mahesh Yogi (1986) p. 530-536 "Tributes were later printed in the Canadian magazine, Enjoy"--"A front page news article in the local Daily Colonist newspaper" "The Calgary Herald reported an entertaining incident, which took place during an interview in Maharishi's hotel room". "The Albertan newspaper of Wednesday, 25 September quoted Maharishi as saying that there were now 1,000 meditators in Canada"
  60. Maharishi Mahesh Yogi (1986) pp 587-588 "ON his fifth world tour, Maharishi conducted a Meditation Guides Course in Norway, a course in London, where advanced techniques of TM were given for the first time, and Meditation Guides Courses in Austria, Canada, and Germany/"
  61. Maharishi Mahesh Yogi (1986) p. 553 "But the highlight of this London visit was the popular BBC television interview with Robert Kee, featuring Maharishi and the Abbot of Downside, Abbot Butler."
  62. Maharishi Mahesh Yogi (1986) p. 572 "On his fifth world tour, Maharishi conducted a Meditation Guides Course in Norway, a course in London, where advanced techniques of TM were given for the first time, and Meditation Guides Courses in Austria, Canada, and Germany/"
  63. Maharishi Mahesh Yogi (1986) pp 576-577 "On the 17th Maharishi went to Santa Barbara to meet with Dr. Robert Maynard Hutchins, head of the Centre for Democratic Studies. Maharishi left for NYC on 19 December to meet with U Thant, Secretary General of the United Nations."
  64. 64.0 64.1 64.2 64.3 64.4 64.5 64.6 64.7 64.8 van den Berg, Stephanie (February 5, 2008). "Beatles Guru Maharishi Mahesh Yogi Dies". The Sydney Morning Herald. AFP. Archived from the original on August 30, 2010. http://www.webcitation.org/5sMh9UTba. 
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  66. McCloud, Sean (2004). Making the American Religious Fringe: Exotics, Subersives and Journalists, 1955-1993. UNC Press. ISBN 9780807854969. http://books.google.com/books?id=X50EHT0eiEwC&pg=PA106&dq=maharishi+inauthentic&cd=2#v=onepage&q=maharishi%20inauthentic&f=false. 
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  78. Farrow, Mia. What Falls Away. Bantam. p. 128. ISBN 0553763342. "...I was blinking at his beard when suddenly I became aware of two surprisingly male, hairy arms going around me. I panicked, and shot up the stairs, apologizing all the way. I flew out into the open air, and ran as fast as I could to Prudy’s room... I blurted out something about Maharishi’s cave, and arms, and beard, and she said, It’s an honor to be touched by a holy many after meditation, a tradition." 
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  82. Kamdar, Mira (June 20, 2008). "Between Yogis and Gurus, It May be Time to Get Smart". Asia Society. Archived from the original on August 27, 2010. http://www.webcitation.org/5sJU3HncK. Retrieved August 27, 2010. 
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  84. Sherlock, Pat (July 3, 1970). "The Transcendental Gospel Solution to Life's Problems Says Guru at Poland Springs". Lewiston Evening Journal. Associated Press. 
  85. "Maharishi tells Queen's student to continue short-hair culture". Montreal Gazette. CP. August 2, 1972. http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=BQsyAAAAIBAJ&sjid=w6EFAAAAIBAJ&pg=3772,310478&dq=maharishi&hl=en. 
  86. Hoffman, Claire (February 7, 2008). "David Lynch's Guru and His Art". Washington Post. http://newsweek.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/undergod/2008/02/david_lynch_talks_about_the_de.html. Retrieved May 1, 2010. 
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Further reading

  • Official List of Books by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi http://www.maharishi-programmes.globalgoodnews.com/publications/books.html
  • Mason, Paul (2005) The Maharishi: The Biography of the Man Who Gave Transcendental Meditation to the World, Element Books Ltd, ISBN 1852305711
  • Miles, Barry (1998) Paul McCartney: Many Years from Now, ISBN 0-7493-8658-4
  • Spitz, Bob (2006) The Beatles—The Biography, Aurum Press, ISBN 1-84513-160-6
  • Lennon, Cynthia (1978) A Twist of Lennon, W. H. Allen, ISBN 0-352-30196-1
  • Wynn, Ned (1993), We Will Always Live in Beverly Hills; Random House Value Publishing, ISBN 0-517-10885-2

External links