The Beatles in India

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
"Beatles Ashram" (India)
"Beatles Ashram"
"Beatles Ashram"
Location of the ashram in Rishikesh , where the Beatles studied Transcendental Meditation with Maharishi Mahesh Yogi between February and April 1968 .

In February 1968, the English rock band The Beatles traveled to Rishikesh , Northern India , to attend an advanced training course in Transcendental Meditation (TM) in the ashram of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi . The visit was a consequence of the group's public condemnation of drugs in favor of TM and received widespread media coverage. The band's interest in the teachings of the Maharishi was led by George Harrison's addiction, and it changed the West's attitude towards Indian spirituality and encouraged the study of transcendental meditation. The visit was also the most productive time for the band's songwriting.

The Beatles had planned to join the Maharishi in India shortly after attending his seminar in Bangor, Wales , in late August 1967 . Their participation in the seminar was interrupted by the death of their manager Brian Epstein , after which they undertook to direct the television film Magical Mystery Tour . Harrison and John Lennon were convinced of the benefits of TM and became spokesmen for the Maharishis Spiritual Regeneration Movement when he became internationally known as the guru of the Beatles. The band members came to India in mid-February 1968 with their wives, friends, assistants and numerous reporters. They joined a group of 60 people who were training to become TM teachers. Other prominent meditators included musicians Donovan , Mike Love, and Paul Horn, and actress Mia Farrow . While there, Lennon, Paul McCartney, and Harrison wrote many songs, and Ringo Starr finished writing his first. Eighteen of these songs were recorded for The Beatles ("The White Album"), two songs appeared on the Abbey Road album, and others were used for various solo projects.

The exercises and discipline required for meditation were carried out with varying degrees of zeal by the individual Beatles. Starr left on March 1 after a 10-day stay. McCartney left later in March to attend to business needs. Harrison and Lennon left abruptly on April 12 after rumors had emerged of the Maharishi's improper conduct towards Farrow and one of his fellow students. The divisive influence of the Beatles 'Greek friend "Alexis" Mardas , financial disagreements and the suspicion that their teacher was taking advantage of the band's fame were cited by biographers and witnesses as reasons for the Beatles' dissatisfaction.

The band's public condemnation of the Maharishi had a detrimental effect on his reputation in the West, and their return from Rishikesh marked the beginning of a split atmosphere that anticipated the group's breakup in 1970. Harrison later apologized for the way he and Lennon had treated the Maharishi. Like many of the other students in the Ashram, he said that allegations about the Maharishi's inappropriate behavior were unfounded. Harrison gave a 1992 benefit concert for the Maharishi Associated Natural Law Party . In 2009, McCartney and Starr performed at a benefit concert for the David Lynch Foundation that raised funds to teach TM at risk students. Due to continued interest in the Beatles' retreat in 1968, the abandoned ashram was officially opened to the public in 2015 and renamed the Beatles Ashram.

background

The Beatles in a sequence from Magical Mystery Tour

The Beatles attended Maharishi Mahesh Yogi's Transcendental Meditation (TM) Seminar in Bangor , Wales, on August 27, 1967 after learning that their manager, Brian Epstein, was found dead in his London home . The Beatles were eager to explore meditation further and planned to travel to the Maharishi Training Center in Rishikesh , India, in late October . At the urging of Paul McCartney , however, the trip was postponed until the New Year to work on their film project Magical Mystery Tour , fearing that with the loss of Epstein, the band would initially focus on their careers. George Harrison and John Lennon , the two most dedicated to the teachings of the Maharishi, appeared twice on David Frost's television program in the fall of 1967 to promote the benefits of TM.

Now known as "The Beatles' Guru," the Maharishi went on his eighth world tour, lecturing in Great Britain, Scandinavia, West Germany, Italy, Canada and California. Harrison introduced the Beach Boys' Dennis Wilson to the Maharishi when he and Lennon met their teacher on a UNICEF charity visit to Paris in December . Wilson's bandmate Mike Love described the private lecture the Maharishi had previously given as "impressive" and "the most profound experience I have ever had" After the Scottish singer Donovan also recognized Harrison's interest in meditation and Indian religious texts he presented the Maharishi as the "leader" they were looking for.

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Philip Goldberg: American Veda: From Emerson and the Beatles to Yoga and Meditation - How Indian Spirituality Changed the West. Harmony Books, New York 2010, ISBN 978-0-385-52134-5 , p. 152.
  2. ↑ The Editors of Rolling Stone : Harrison. New York 2002: Rolling Stone Press. ISBN 978-0-7432-3581-5 .
    Kenneth Shouler, Susai Anthony: The Everything Hinduism Book: Learn the Traditions and Rituals of the "Religion of Peace". Avon 2009: Adams Media. ISBN 978-1-59869-862-6 .
    Michael R. Frontani: The Beatles: Image and the Media. Jackson 2007: University Press of Mississippi. ISBN 978-1-57806-966-8 .
  3. ↑ Will Hermes: "George Harrison 1943-2001". In: Spin . February 2002, p. 22.
  4. ^ Philip Goldberg: American Veda: From Emerson and the Beatles to Yoga and Meditation - How Indian Spirituality Changed the West. Harmony Books, New York 2010, ISBN 978-0-385-52134-5 , p. 7.
  5. ↑ Mark Paytress: "A Passage to India". Mojo Special Limited Edition: 1000 Days of Revolution (The Beatles' Final Years - Jan 1, 1968 to Sept 27, 1970). London 2003: Emap. P. 14
  6. ↑ a b Cynthia Lennon: John. New York 2005: Three Rivers Press. ISBN 978-0-307-33856-3 . P. 206.
  7. ^ A b Jonathan Gould: Can't Buy Me Love: The Beatles, Britain, and America. New York 2007: Harmony Books. ISBN 978-0-307-35337-5 . P. 438 and 461.
  8. ↑ Barry Miles: The Beatles Diary Volume 1: The Beatles Years. London 2001: Omnibus Press. ISBN 0-7119-8308-9 . P. 275.
  9. ^ A b c d Mark Paytress: "A Passage to India". Mojo Special Limited Edition: 1000 Days of Revolution (The Beatles' Final Years - Jan 1, 1968 to Sept 27, 1970). London 2003: Emap. P. 12
  10. ↑ Pattie Boyd with Penny Junor: Wonderful Today: The Autobiography. London 2007: Headline Review. ISBN 978-0-7553-1646-5 . P. 115
  11. ^ The Beatles: The Beatles Anthology. San Francisco 2000: Chronicle Books. ISBN 978-0-8118-2684-6 . P. 305
  12. ^ Barry Miles: Paul McCartney: Many Years from Now. New York 1997: Henry Holt. ISBN 0-8050-5249-6 .
  13. ↑ Geoffrey Giuliano, Avalon Guiliano: Revolver: The Secret History of the Beatles. London 2005: John Blake. ISBN 978-1-84454-160-7 . Pp. 125-126
  14. ^ Stefanie Syman: The Subtle Body: The Story of Yoga in America. New York 2010: Farrar, Straus and Giroux. ISBN 978-0-374-23676-2 . P. 201, accessed May 31, 2019
  15. ^ Joshua M. Greene: Here Comes the Sun: The Spiritual and Musical Journey of George Harrison. Hoboken 2006: without Wiley & Sons. ISBN 978-0-470-12780-3 . P. 97.
  16. ^ The Beatles: The Beatles Anthology. San Francisco 2000: Chronicle Books. ISBN 978-0-8118-2684-6 . Pp. 285-286
  17. ^ Barry Miles: Paul McCartney: Many Years from Now. New York 1997: Henry Holt. ISBN 0-8050-5249-6 . P. 427
  18. ↑ Larry Kane: Lennon Revealed. Philadelphia 2005: Running Press. ISBN 978-0-7624-2364-4 . Pp. 60-61.
  19. ↑ Cynthia Lennon: John. New York 2005: Three Rivers Press. ISBN 978-0-307-33856-3 . 210.
    Wayne Warga, "Maharishi Yogi Turns Other Cheek to The Beatles' Slur". In: Los Angeles Times . May 17, 1968. S. D14.
  20. ↑ Allan Kozinn: "Meditation on the man who saved the Beatles". In: The New York Times . February 7, 2008, accessed May 31, 2019.
  21. ↑ Geoffrey Giuliano, Avalon Guiliano: Revolver: The Secret History of the Beatles. London 2005: John Blake. ISBN 978-1-84454-160-7 . P. 129
  22. ^ David Israelson: "Politics brings former Beatle back on stage in Britain". In: Toronto Star . April 4, 1992, p. A3.
  23. ^ Jon Pareles: "Just Say 'Om': The Fab Two Give a Little Help to a Cause". In: The New York Times. April 6, 2009, SC7.
  24. ↑ Adrija Bose: "The 'Beatles Ashram' In Rishikesh Is Now Open To Public As A Tourist Spot". In: The Huffington Post. December 9, 2015, accessed May 31, 2019.
  25. ↑ Dave Felton: "Beatles' Yogi Allows Shoes at Conference". In: The New York Times. September 20, 1967, p. A3.
  26. ^ Ian MacDonald: Revolution in the Head: The Beatles' Records and the Sixties. Chicago Review Press, Chicago 2007, ISBN 978-1-55652-733-3 , p. 274.
  27. ^ Barney Leffert's Chief Guru of the Western World . In: The New York Times Magazine. December 17, 1967, p. 235
  28. ^ Alan Clayson: George Harrison London 2003: Sanctuary. ISBN 1-86074-489-3 . P. 231
  29. ↑ Barry Miles The Beatles Diary Volume 1: The Beatles Years London 2001: Omnibus Press. ISBN 0-7119-8308-9 . P. 287
  30. ^ Philip Goldberg: American Veda: From Emerson and the Beatles to Yoga and Meditation - How Indian Spirituality Changed the West. Harmony Books, New York 2010, ISBN 978-0-385-52134-5 , p. 151.