The Beatles, Drugs, Mysticism & India: Maharishi Mahesh Yogi - Transcendental Meditation - Jai Guru Deva OM

This is the at depth documentary on the happenings in the late sixties that had a deep impact on more than one generation. The story take off 50 years ago with the Beatles turn for spiritual seeking in eastern philosophy after experimenting with hallucinogenic substances. From being a successful POP group they transformed into making groundbreaking statements and music.This documentary is well researched with 287 references and richly illustrated with many previously not published photos. Its about a rare love between the fab four and their families and destinies no-one could foresee and their love for meditation and relation with the man that made words like mantra and meditation well known to the western world, - Maharishi Mahesh Yogi.I could not put it down!A must read for music and Beatles lovers and all all kind of spiritual seekers. A splendid way of celebrating "The summer of love".Bjarne U Hansen MD, PhD

This book is essential reading for anyone who is a Beatles fan and wants to know about their trip to India or anyone who grew up in the 60s flower power era etc and was into meditation or something similar due to the Beatles meeting with Maharishi. It really brings that time back to life again, and contains a lot of interesting info and quotes etc.

Nice and satisfyingly exhaustive compendium of The Beatles' 4D shenanigans.

Great!

This is an excellent book for Beatles fans and those with an interest in Transcendental Meditation. It’s been very thoroughly researched and beautifully presented. A fascinating insight into that famous period of time.

another well researched and comprehensive work from this author .It covers the period from 1965 to the present and includes much previously unknown and unseen material ,memories,photos from those who attended the courses and events which so many of my generation remember ,it is a must for both beatle fans and Transcendental meditators ,especially for those like me whose initial interest in meditation was sparked by the fab four getting initiated into the easy natural practice of TM

As an avid reader of all things Beatles over many years, there is (I thought) very little information I have yet to glean ...... wrong. 'The Beatles, Drugs, Mysticism & India by Paul Mason is a highly extensive look at the Beatles involvement in TM, right from the early days of '65 where 'filthy eastern ways' (their quote not mine!) were first encountered through to a poignant conclusion today with the passing of 'the word' to the Beatle children. Centred in the middle is the tale of their travels to India in Feb '68 and their involvement in the TM course in Rishikesh through to it's rather messy conclusion mid April '68, Paul Mason is both highly informative whilst able to tell a good tale with several moments for me of 'I never thought of it that way...' - a book to make you think. Well done Paul for coming up with a unique and often overlooked part of the Beatles and TM history.

You think this is just another book about The Beatles? Then you’ll have to set aside your assumptions for one moment. This book is an insightful, unique experience unlike anything that’s gone before. “A fly on the wall’ analogy springs to mind, because the author, Paul Mason has done what many others have failed to achieve in writing a book about the fab four. He has carefully removed the media gloss that has sugar-coated news reports to get to the core of who said, and did what, and where, in a way not experienced before. More so, because it was written of a rare period when access by the media was largely prohibited. I’m talking of course about that period of time when The Beatles retired to Rishikesh to learn more about meditation with the Maharishi.The impression of being a ‘fly on the wall’ is in the nature of the delivery of Paul’s extensive research, because he’s unearthed rare and original conversations that took place between the Beatles themselves, their families, friends, their business associates, their lovers and the Rishikesh course participants. In approaching the project in this way the reader is drawn closer to the action and thus has a much clearer insight into the emotional highs and lows which ignited the songs we have grown to know and love so well. But to leave it at that doesn’t do it justice. For this book encompasses so much more than the Rishikesh period. It chronicles the time where they continued to expanded their creative boundaries through the increasing use of drugs and dabbling with meditation from the period of Help in ’65 through to their eventual demise as a group in 1970. If you’re a Beatles fan, or into understanding the affect that drugs and meditation can have on creative supremo’s like The Beatles then look no further. This is a ‘must have’.

This is a fascinating book. Since getting it, I keep it handy and open it up to pretty much anywhere and start reading. Paul Mason has done a lot of research in putting this work together, and should be highly commended for it. If you read it from start to finish, it's a fascinating journey through time with the Beatles and all the other people quoted along the way. Only regret is that I wish it was available in Kindle format!!

Really great work of compiling so many materials from the era when Maharishi and the Beatles were together. There is no other book offering so many details about what was going on at that time (and also afterwards). The book is a pure documentary, with very little text from the author himself. It is just an enormous (and extremely interesting!!!) collection of hard documented quotes. Therefore, in this book, the protagonists are describing the events themselves, so you really get a first-hand information, rather than author’s interpretation of the events. Highly recommended!

An amazing book by Paul Mason. The story of The Beatles, Maharishi and Transcendental Meditation. I highly recommend this book I had a hard time putting it down each day as I read it. Not only does the text give you a great read, the numerous photographs of the Beatles.and Maharishi are a joy to look at Thanks Paul Mason.

Fantastic diary type story of The Beatles association with anything to do with India, before, and after, their time together. Besides 'The Beatles In India', which is another great one, this is the best I've ever seen.

The author dug deeply into extensive research to come up with an extraordinary day-by-day account of the Beatles time in India. I would give it 5 stars if the book design had been better. But the content certainly deserves 5 stars. I recommend this to anyone who's interested in the spiritual path taken by the Beatles and spiritual master that the Beatles followed.