Foursome Plan to Become 'Spiritual Guides'

Beatles Now on a

(Toronto Telegram News Service)

It's transcendental, baby.

That's the only way to describe The Beatles latest kick -- mind-bending a la mode.

Chief Mind Bender and guru to the mop-topped quartet is Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, the celibate vegetarian and spiritual guide who was with them when they learned of Brian Epstein's sudden death recently.

For Maharishi they will go to India to become gurus (spiritual guides) themselves. They have requested that he make them teachers. They want an exclusive course and have even offered to establish a London academy for Maharishi, who currently runs schools in India and Germany.

And the Beatles have confirmed that they will leave for India in "two or three weeks" to become full disciples of the bearded holy man.

To become his teachers around the world they will take special three-month classes at his Indian school, hidden in the Himalayas, where they will learn his confidential technique for meditation.

The Beatles have already had sessions with Maharishi in England, on a casual bring-the-family basis in a Kensington flat.

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One night, after listening to their guru for more than an hour, they spoke of their involvement in the mystical "transcendental meditation" offered by Maharishi as a way to achieve absolute love and peace, and to live life 200 per cent -- "100 per cent inside, 100 per cent outside."

 


"We have been searching for a long time for something like this," said George Harrison. "Some of the things we have done in the past have been part of this search.

"Taking LSD was part of it," he admitted.

Did they regret taking drugs?

"No," said John Lennon. "No we don't regret it. But we realize that if we'd met Maharishi before we had taken LSD we would not have needed it."

Said Maharishi: "I will take them to my academy near Delhi as soon as they want to go.

"They are very important to me because they are the Beatles. They can do a great deal for the whole humanity, and particularly the youth which they lead.

"I can bring them up as very practical philosophers of their age...all four of them. They live life together."

*                *                *

When The Beatles and their womenfolk arrived, they gave him carnations, red and pink.

Maharishi handed one to Ringo's wife Maureen and asked, "You have been in hospital for a baby -- do you feel strong enough?"

She nodded and blushed.

During the session Marharishi asked and answered some of his own questions.

"What is a sensible, intelligent young man seeking? He knows he has 50 or 100 years of life in front of him and he is seeking means whereby he can enjoy life to the maximum for himself, and yet create this same maximum for others in this society.

"My plan for the world," he said, "is for a time when children reach majority -- at 20 or 21, physically -- they also reach majority in consciousness."

One of The Beatles gently corrected the holy man's use of the word "majority" and suggested he meant "maturity."

Maharishi agreed. He said he believed that children could begin to learn his meditation at 16 years of age and achieve maturity of consciousness in four or five years.

"They will enjoy the result the whole of their lives -- 200 per cent."

What is the secret of Maharishi's meditation? How is it achieved?

"It's no secret," said Paul McCartney with a grin. "It's simple, easy -- that's the gimmick. It's trendy."

And transcendental?

-- End of article. Copyright by the Toronto Telegram News Service, Friday, October 6, 1967.