Culture

Beatles' Guru Passes On

by Jarrett Martineau | February 6, 2008 at 12:47 pm

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As Stevie Wonder once said: "Transcendental / meditation / gives you / peace of mii-iiind..." RIP Maharishi Mahesh Yogi.

Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, who introduced transcendental meditation to the West and gained fame in the 1960s as the spiritual guru to the Beatles, died Tuesday at his home and headquarters in Vlodrop, the Netherlands. He is believed to have been in his 90s. Steven Yellin, a spokesman for the organization, confirmed the Maharishi's death but did not give a cause....

....The visibility and popularity of the organization can largely be attributed to the Beatles. In 1968, the band, with great publicity, began studying with the Maharishi at his Himalayan retreat, or ashram, in Rishikesh, in northern India. They went with their wives, the folk singer Donovan, the singer Mike Love, of the Beach Boys, the actress Mia Farrow and Ms. Farrow's sister Prudence....

...In the last years of his life he rarely met with anyone, even his ministers, face-to-face, preferring to speak with followers almost exclusively by closed-circuit television.

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Swan

at 13:22 on February 6th, 2008

Hello Jarrett,

Well that's the end of the Sgt. Peppers era for sure.

For our younger readers:

The Maharishi was largely responsible for the dramatic change in the style of the Beatles' music. While it was indirectly - his teachings influenced much of their music when they returned from India - as they began to introduce Indian instruments into their arrangements and references in their lyrics, to what they'd been taught/discovered in India.

I'm with you Jarrett, RIP Maharishi Mahesh Yogi.
~ Swan

Rob Walker

at 14:06 on February 6th, 2008

[q
url="http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1202246335545&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull"]Maharishi
Mahesh Yogi, a guru to the Beatles whose beaming, bearded face became
an icon of 1960s hippie mysticism, has died at his Dutch home. He was
thought to be 91.[/q][q
url="http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601091&sid=aXiUpQyKxGnI&refer=india"]Maharishi
Mahesh Yogi, the Indian founder of Transcendental Meditation whose
teachings captured world attention after he became spiritual guru to
the Beatles, has died in the Netherlands. He is thought to have been
91.[/q][q
url="http://www.kansascity.com/news/world/story/477579.html"]Maharishi
Mahesh Yogi, who introduced the West to transcendental meditation, died
Tuesday in his home in the Dutch town of Vlodrop, a spokesman said.[/q]