Maharishi Mahesh Yogi

Template:Infobox Hindu leader Maharishi Mahesh Yogi (born Mahesh Prasad Varma, 12 January 1911?Template:Refn – 5 February 2008) was the creator of Transcendental Meditation (TM) and leader of the worldwide organization that has been characterized in multiple ways, including as a new religious movement and as non-religious.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref> He became known as Maharishi (meaning "great seer")<ref name="Koppel" /><ref name="Dehsen">Template:Cite book</ref> and Yogi as an adult.<ref name="Mason">Mason (1994), p. 28</ref><ref name="American">Template:Cite book</ref>

After earning a degree in physics at Allahabad University in 1942, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi became an assistant and disciple of Swami Brahmananda Saraswati (also known as Guru Dev), the Shankaracharya (spiritual leader) of the Jyotir Math in the Indian Himalayas. The Maharishi credits Brahmananda Saraswati with inspiring his teachings. In 1955, the Maharishi began to introduce his Transcendental Deep Meditation (later renamed Transcendental Meditation) to India and the world. His first global tour began in 1958.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> His devotees referred to him as His Holiness,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and because he laughed frequently in early TV interviews, he was sometimes referred to as the "giggling guru."<ref name="bloomberg.com">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=Woo />

The Maharishi trained more than 40,000 TM teachers, taught the Transcendental Meditation technique to "more than five million people" and founded thousands of teaching centres and hundreds of colleges, universities and schools,<ref name=Koppel /><ref name="Hudson">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="The Times of London">Template:Cite news</ref> while TM websites report that tens of thousands have learned the TM-Sidhi programme. His initiatives include schools and universities with campuses in several countries, including India, Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom and Switzerland.<ref name="autogenerated1">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The Maharishi, his family and close associates created charitable organisations and for-profit businesses, including health clinics, mail-order health supplement stores and organic farms. The reported value of the Maharishi's organization has ranged from the millions to billions of U.S. dollars; in 2008, the organization placed the value of their United States assets at about $300 million.<ref name=Koppel />

In the late 1960s and early 1970s, the Maharishi achieved fame as the guru to the Beatles, the Beach Boys, and other celebrities. In the late 1970s, he started the TM-Sidhi programme, which proposed to improve the mind–body relationship of practitioners through techniques such as Yogic flying.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The Maharishi's Natural Law Party was founded in 1992 and ran campaigns in dozens of countries. He moved to near Vlodrop, the Netherlands, in the same year.<ref name=Koppel2006 /> In 2000, he created the Global Country of World Peace, a non-profit organization, and appointed its leaders. In 2008, the Maharishi announced his retirement from all administrative activities and went into silence until his death three weeks later.<ref>Srinivasan, 2008. Hinduism For Dummies. John Wiley & Sons.</ref>

Life

Birth

Maharishi Mahesh Yogi belonged to the Kayastha caste, a caste of scribes in India.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> The birth name and the birth dates of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi are not known with certainty, in part because of the tradition of ascetics and monks to relinquish family connections.<ref name="Coplin2n">Coplin, Ch. 2, Socio-Historical Context for SRM's Emergence, 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."</ref> Many accounts say he was born Mahesh Prasad Varma into a Kayastha family living in the Central Provinces of British India.<ref name=Koppel /><ref name="Humes 2005 61">Humes, p. 61</ref> A different name appears in the Allahabad University list of distinguished alumni, where he is listed as M.C. Srivastava,<ref>Distinguished Alumni. Allahabad University</ref> and an obituary says his name was "Mahesh Srivastava".<ref name=Kalambakal /><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Various accounts give the year of his birth as 1911, 1917 or 1918.<ref name=Woo /> Authors Paul Mason and William Jefferson say that he was born 12 January 1917 in Rajim, Central Provinces, British India (Chhattisgarh, India).<ref name="Una Kroll">Kroll, Una (1974) The Healing Potential of Transcendental Meditation, John Knox Press. Ch. 1: The Guru, pp 17–25. Template:ISBN</ref><ref name="Jefferson">Jefferson, William (1976) The Story of The Maharishi, Pocket Books. pp 7–21. Template:ISBN</ref> The place of birth given in his passport is "Pounalulla", India, and his birth date 12 January 1918.<ref>Yogi's passport. paulmason.info</ref> Mahesh "most likely" came from an upper-caste family<ref name=Simon /> of the high-status Kayastha caste, whose traditional profession is writing.<ref name="Odd Gods">Lewis, James (2001) Prometheus Books, Odd Gods, New Religions and the Cult Controversy, pp 230–233,</ref><ref>Coplin, p. 48: "Maharishi Mahesh Yogi . . . was most likely born into a family of Hindu Kayasthas, a well-known and high-status literary caste of Hindustan – with reference to varna, a kshatryia not a brahmin jati".</ref>

Early life

Mahesh studied physics at Allahabad University and earned a degree in 1942.<ref name="Ruthven">Template:Cite news</ref> While a few sources say that he worked at the Gun Carriage Factory in Jabalpur for some time,<ref name="BBC Obit" /><ref>Coplin, Ch.2, footnote 74</ref> most report that in 1941 he became an administrative secretary to the Shankaracharya of the Jyotir Math, Swami Brahmananda Saraswati (also known as Guru Dev, which means "divine teacher")<ref name="Odd Gods" /><ref name="Humes 2005 59-60">Humes, pp. 59–60.</ref><ref name="Williamson81">Williamson, p. 81</ref><ref name="Goldberg154">Template:Cite book</ref><ref name="American" /> and took a new name, Bal Brahmachari Mahesh.<ref name="Mason22">Mason (1994), p. 22</ref> Coplin refers to bala brahmachari as both a title and a name and considers that it "identified him as a fully dedicated student of spiritual knowledge and life-long celibate ascetic."<ref name="Coplin3">Coplin, Ch. 3, SRM as Cultural Revitalization Text: "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."</ref> Brahmananda insisted that before accepting Mahesh as a pupil he must first complete his university degree and get permission from his parents.<ref name="Mason" /> The Maharishi recalls how it took about two and a half years to attune himself to the thinking of Brahmananda Saraswati and to gain "a very genuine feeling of complete oneness".<ref>'Thirty Years Around the World- Dawn of the Age of Enlightenment', MVU, 1986, pp185-6</ref> At first Brahmachari Mahesh performed common chores but gained trust and became Guru Dev's "personal secretary"<ref name="Chryssides Exploring New Religions">Chryssides, George D. (1999). Exploring new religions. London: Cassell. pp. 293–296. Template:ISBN. Page 293</ref> and "favored pupil".<ref name="Una Kroll" /> He was trusted to take care of the bulk of Swami Brahmananda Saraswati's correspondence without direction and was also sent out to give public speeches on Vedic (scriptural) themes.<ref name="Mason22" /> The Maharishi said his life truly began in 1940, at the feet of his master, when he learned the secret of swift and deep meditation.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

Brahmachari Mahesh remained with Swami Brahmananda Saraswati until the latter died in 1953, when he moved to Uttarkashi in Uttarakhand in the Himalayas, where he undertook a reclusive life for two years.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Although Brahmachari Mahesh was a close disciple, he could not be the Shankaracharya's spiritual successor, because he was not a Brahmin.<ref name="Williamson84">Williamson, p. 84: "Guru Dev represented the tradition well, for he did not allow anyone who was not of the Brahmin. Since Mahesh was born into a scribe caste (kayastha), he was not allowed to join the order of monks. Thus when Saraswati died in Calcutta in 1953, Mahesh would not have been considered a candidate to replace him."</ref><ref>Coplin, p. 49: "Because he was not a brahmin, Mahesh could not become a member of the dandi sannyasi order and succeed his master as Shankaracharya; the honor passed to Swami Shantanand Saraswati in June, 1953." (This from an interview by the author with the Shankaracharya of Jyotir Math, Swami Vishnudevananda Saraswati on 12 June 1983.)</ref> The Shankaracharya, at the end of his life, charged him with the responsibility of travelling and teaching meditation to the masses, while he named Swami Shantananda Saraswati as his successor.<ref name="BBC Obit">Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Mason (1994), pp. 23–24</ref>

Tour in India (1955–1957)

In 1955,<ref name=Woo /><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> Brahmachari Mahesh left Uttarkashi and began publicly teaching what he stated was a traditional meditation technique<ref>Template:Cite newsTemplate:Cbignore</ref> learned from his master Brahmananda Saraswati, and that he called Transcendental Deep Meditation.<ref name="Williamson97-99">Williamson, pp. 97–99</ref> Later the technique was renamed Transcendental Meditation.<ref>Russell, p. 25</ref> It was also then that he was first publicly known with the name "Maharishi", an honorific title meaning "great sage", after the title was given to him according to some sources from "Indian Pundits"; according to another source the honorific was given along with Yogi by followers in India. Later in the west, the title was retained as a name.<ref name=American /><ref>Bajpai, R.S. (2002) Atlantic Publishers, The Splendours And Dimensions of Yoga 2 Vols. Set, page 554, "received the title Maharishi, from some Indian Pundits"</ref>

He travelled around India for two years<ref>Mason (1994) pp. 27–34</ref> interacting with his "Hindu audiences" in an "Indian context".<ref name="Melting Point">Template:Cite book</ref> At that time, he called his movement the Spiritual Development Movement,<ref name="Odd Gods" /> but renamed it the Spiritual Regeneration Movement in 1957, in Madras, on the concluding day of the Seminar of Spiritual Luminaries.<ref name="Woo">Template:Cite news</ref> According to Coplin, in his visits to southern India, the Maharishi spoke English rather than the Hindi spoken in his home area to avoid provoking resistance among those seeking linguistic self-determination, and to appeal to the "learned classes".<ref name="Coplin2">Coplin, Ch. 2, Socio-Historical Context for SRM's Emergence: "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."</ref>

World tours (1958–1968)

Template:See also According to William Jefferson, in 1958, the Maharishi went to Madras to address a large crowd of people who had gathered to celebrate the memory of Guru Dev. It was there that he spontaneously announced that he planned to spread the teaching of TM throughout the world. Hundreds of people immediately asked to learn TM.<ref name="Jefferson" /> In 1959, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi began his first world tour,<ref name=Woo /> writing: "I had one thing in mind, that I know something which is useful to every man".<ref name="bloomberg.com" />

The Maharishi's 1986 book, Thirty Years Around the World, gives a detailed account of his world tours, as do two biographies, The Story of the Maharishi, by William Jefferson, and The Maharishi by Paul Mason.<ref name="Mason" /><ref name="Jefferson" /> The first world tour began in Rangoon, Burma (now Myanmar), and included the countries of Thailand, Malaya, Singapore, Hong Kong and Hawaii.<ref name="Devi">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>Maharishi Mahesh Yogi (1986) p. 237 "Summary 1958: The first countries he visited on his first world tour were Burma, Thailand, Malaya, Singapore, Hong Kong and the USA (Hawaii)."</ref><ref>Mason (1994), p. 34</ref> He arrived in Hawaii in the spring of 1959,<ref name="Odd Gods" /> and the Honolulu Star Bulletin reported: "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."<ref>Mason (1994), p. 37: "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..."</ref> In 1959, the Maharishi lectured and taught the Transcendental Meditation technique in Honolulu, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Boston, New York and London.<ref name=Hudson /><ref name=Devi /><ref>Mason (1994), pp. 41–46</ref><ref name="iht1">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>Maharishi Mahesh Yogi (1986) p. 275 "Summary 1959: In January Maharishi travelled 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, then flew to the East Coast cities of Boston and New York"</ref> While in Los Angeles, the Maharishi stayed at the home of author Helena Olson,<ref name=Devi /><ref>Olson, Helena, Hermit in the House, p. 44, Los Angeles, 1967</ref>Template:Unreliable source? and during this period he developed a three-year plan to propagate Transcendental Meditation to the whole world.<ref name="Odd Gods" /> Though most of his audience consisted of average middle class individuals, he also attracted a few celebrities, such as Efrem Zimbalist Jr., Nancy Cooke de Herrera and Doris Duke.<ref name="American" />

Maharishi Mahesh Yogi in 1967 in The Netherlands at Concertgebouw (Amsterdam)

Left to right: Michael Cooper, Mick Jagger, Marianne Faithfull, Shepard Sherbell, and Brian Jones; sitting: Maharishi Mahesh Yogi (Concertgebouw Amsterdam, 1967)

When the Maharishi came to the U.S. in 1959, his Spiritual Regeneration Movement was called Transcendental Meditation.<ref name="bloomberg.com" /> That same year, he began the International Meditation Society and other organizations to propagate his teachings,<ref name="Hunt">Template:Cite book</ref> establishing centres in San Francisco and London.<ref name=Leigh /> For years, the sole teacher of Transcendental Meditation in America was a San Diego woman named Beulah Smith.<ref name="American" />

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.<ref>Mason (1994), pp. 52–54</ref><ref>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 travelled to the Scandinavian countries of Norway, Denmark and Sweden."</ref>

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.<ref>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 ...."</ref> This was also the year in which the Maharishi trained Henry Nyburg to be the first Transcendental Meditation teacher in Europe.<ref>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."</ref><ref>Mason (1994), p. 52</ref>

In 1961, the Maharishi visited the United States,<ref name="Una Kroll" /> Austria, Sweden, France, Italy, Greece, India, Kenya, England, and Canada.<ref>Mason (1994), pp. 54–55</ref> While in England, he appeared on BBC television and gave a lecture to 5,000 people at the Royal Albert Hall in London, organised by Leon MacLaren of the School of Economic Science.<ref>Mason (1994), p. 55</ref> In April 1961, the Maharishi conducted his first Transcendental Meditation Teacher Training Course in Rishikesh, India, with sixty participants from various countries.<ref name=Hudson /><ref>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...."</ref> Teachers continued to be trained as time progressed.<ref>Wiliams, Martyn (2 October 2014) Maharishi and the 7 step Teachers Program. enlightenmenthow.com</ref> During the course, the 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.<ref>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..."</ref><ref>Mason (1994), pp. 62, 69</ref>

His 1962 world tour included visits to Europe, India, Australia and New Zealand.Template:Citation needed In Britain, he founded a branch of the Spiritual Regeneration Movement.<ref name="Una Kroll" /> The year concluded in California, where the Maharishi began dictating his book The Science of Being and Art of Living.<ref>Mason (1994), p. 62</ref><ref>Maharishi Mahesh Yogi (1986) pp. 490–491 and 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."</ref> In Rishikesh, India, beginning on 20 April 1962, a forty-day course was held for "sadhus, sanyasis, and brahmacharis" to introduce TM to "religious preachers and spiritual masters in India".<ref>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'."</ref>

The Maharishi toured cities in Europe, Asia, North America and India in 1963, and also addressed ministers of the Indian Parliament.<ref>Mason (1994), pp. 66–67</ref><ref>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</ref> According to his memoirs, twenty-one members of parliament then issued a public statement endorsing the Maharishi's goals and meditation technique.<ref>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</ref> His Canadian tour<ref>Mason (1994), p. 69</ref> was also well covered by the press.<ref>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 TM meditators in Canada."</ref>

The Maharishi's fifth world tour, in 1964, consisted of visits to many cities in North America, Europe and India.<ref>Mason (1994), pp. 71–75</ref><ref>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/"</ref> During his visit to England, he appeared with the Abbot of Downside, Abbot Butler, on a BBC television show called The Viewpoint.<ref>Mason (1994), p. 72</ref><ref>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."</ref> In October of that year, in California, the Maharishi began teaching the first Advanced Technique of Transcendental Meditation to some experienced meditators.<ref>Mason (1994), p. 75</ref><ref>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"</ref> While travelling 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.<ref>Mason (1994), p. 79</ref><ref>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."</ref> During this same year, the Maharishi finished his book The Science of Being and Art of Living, which sold more than a million copies and was published in fifteen languages.<ref name="van den Berg" />

The Maharishi's activities in 1966 included a course in India and a one-month tour in South America. He established Transcendental Meditation centers in Port of Spain, Trinidad; Caracas, Venezuela; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Porto Alegre, Brazil; Buenos Aires, Argentina; Santiago, Chile; Lima, Peru; and Bogota, Colombia.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

In addition, in 1966 the Maharishi founded the Students' International Meditation Society ("SIMS"), which The Los Angeles Times later characterised as a "phenomenal success".<ref name=Woo /><ref name=Times0882 /> In the 1970s, SIMS centres were established at "over one thousand campuses",<ref name="Olson-Encyclopedia">Olson, Carl (1 January 2005) Transcendental Meditation, Encyclopedia of Religion</ref> including Harvard University, Yale University, and UCLA.<ref name="American" />

In 1967, the Maharishi gave a lecture at Caxton Hall in London, which was attended by Leon MacLaren, the founder and leader of the School of Economic Science (SES).<ref name="Mason22" /> He also lectured at UCLA, Harvard, Yale and Berkeley.<ref>Bainbridge, William Sims (1997 Routledge, The Sociology of Religious Movements, page 188</ref> That year, an article in Time magazine reported that the Maharishi "has been sharply criticised by other Indian sages, who complain that his programme for spiritual peace without either penance or asceticism contravenes every traditional Hindu belief".<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Religion and culture scholar Sean McCloud also reported that traditional Indian sages and gurus were critical of the Maharishi for teaching a simple technique and making it available to everyone and for abandoning traditional concepts of suffering and concentration as paths to enlightenment.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> At the end of 1968, the Maharishi said that after ten years of teaching and world tours, he would return to India.<ref name="Needleman1">Template:Cite book</ref>

Association with the Beatles

{{#invoke:Labelled list hatnote|labelledList|Main article|Main articles|Main page|Main pages}} In 1967, the Maharishi's fame increased and his movement gained greater prominence when he became the "spiritual advisor to the Beatles",<ref name="van den Berg">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="Corder">Template:Cite news</ref> though he was already well known among young people in the UK and had already had numerous public appearances that brought him to the band's attention.<ref name="Humes 2005 64">Humes, p. 64</ref> Following the Beatles' endorsement of TM, during 1967 and 1968 the Maharishi appeared on American magazine covers such as Life, Newsweek, Time and many others.<ref name="Needleman">Template:Cite book</ref> He gave lectures to capacity crowds at the Felt Forum in New York City and Harvard's Sanders Hall.<ref name="American" /> He also appeared on The Tonight Show and the Today TV shows.<ref name="American" />

He and the Beatles met in London in August 1967, when George Harrison and his wife Pattie Boyd urged their friends to attend the Maharishi's lecture at the Hilton on Park Lane. The band members went to study with the Maharishi in Bangor, Wales, before travelling to Rishikesh, India,<ref name="Una Kroll" /> in February 1968 to "devote themselves fully to his instruction".<ref name="MMB">Template:Cite news</ref> Ringo Starr and his wife Maureen left after 10 days. The group's most dedicated students, George Harrison and John Lennon, departed with their wives 16 days later <ref name=Miles2007 /><ref name=MMB /><ref name="Miles1998">Template:Cite book</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and Paul McCartney and Jane Asher left after five weeks.<ref name="Miles2007">Template:Cite book</ref><ref name="Barry">Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

During their stay, the Beatles heard that the Maharishi had allegedly made sexual advances towards Mia Farrow.<ref name="Wenner 2000 27">Template:Cite book</ref> On 15 June 1968, in London, the Beatles formally renounced their association with the Maharishi as a "public mistake". "Sexy Sadie" is the title of a song Lennon wrote in response to the episode.<ref name=MMB /><ref name="Spitz">Template:Cite book</ref><ref name="MacDonald">Template:Cite book</ref> Lennon originally wanted to title the song "Maharishi",<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> but changed the title at Harrison's request. Harrison commented years later, "Now, historically, there's the story that something went on that shouldn't have done – but nothing did." In 1992, Harrison gave a benefit concert for the Maharishi-associated Natural Law Party and later apologised for the way the Maharishi had been treated, by saying, "We were very young" and "It's probably in the history books that Maharishi 'tried to attack Mia Farrow' – but it's bullshit, total bullshit." Cynthia Lennon wrote in 2006 that she "hated leaving on a note of discord and mistrust, when we had enjoyed so much kindness from the Maharishi". Asked if he forgave the Beatles, the Maharishi replied, "I could never be upset with angels." McCartney took his daughter Stella to visit the Maharishi in the Netherlands in 2007, which renewed their friendship.<ref name="The Beatles Anthology">Template:Cite book</ref>

The New York Times and The Independent reported that the influence of the Maharishi, and the journey to Rishikesh to meditate, steered the Beatles away from LSD and inspired them to write many new songs.<ref name="Leigh">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=MMB /> In 2009, McCartney commented that Transcendental Meditation was a gift the Beatles had received from the Maharishi at a time when they were looking for something to stabilise them.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The Beatles' visit to the Maharishi's ashram coincided with a thirty-participant Transcendental Meditation teacher training course that was ongoing when they arrived. Graduates of the course included Prudence Farrow and Mike Love.<ref name="Russell">Russell, pp. 26–30</ref><ref name="Magee">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="Pop History">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Although the Rishikesh ashram had thrived in its early days, it was eventually abandoned in 2001. By 2016, some of it had been reclaimed with building repairs, cleared paths, a small photo museum, murals, a cafe and charges for visitors, although the site remains essentially a ruin.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Further growth of the TM movement (1968–1990)

The Maharishi's headquarters in Seelisberg, Switzerland

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.<ref name=Times0882 /> In 1969, he inaugurated a course in his Science of Creative Intelligence at Stanford University, which was then offered at 25 other American universities.<ref name="Una Kroll" />

In 1970, the Maharishi held a TM teacher training course at a Victorian hotel in Poland Springs, Maine, with 1,200 participants. Later that year, he held a similar four-week course with 1500 participants at Humboldt State College in Arcata, California.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In 1970, after having trouble with Indian tax authorities, he moved his headquarters to Italy, returning to India in the late 1970s.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref name="Telegraph7870">Template:Cite newsTemplate:Cbignore</ref> That same year, the City of Hope Foundation in Los Angeles gave the Maharishi their "Man of Hope" award.<ref>Goldhaber, Nat, Denniston, Denise, McWilliams, Peter, (1976). TM: An Alphabetical Guide to the Transcendental Meditation Program, p. 109. Ballantine, New York. Template:ISBN Note: "It was in honor of his great contribution to humankind that Maharishi was named Man of Hope in 1970 by the City of Hope Foundation in Los Angeles".</ref>

By 1971, the Maharishi had completed 13 world tours, visited 50 countries, and held a press conference with American inventor Buckminster Fuller at his first International Symposium on SCI at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst, Massachusetts.<ref name="Una Kroll" /><ref name="Williamson92">Williamson, p. 92</ref><ref>Walcott, James (15 September 2010) Beam Me Up, Bucky. Vanity Fair</ref><ref>Template:YouTube</ref> From 1970 to 1973, about 10,000 people attended the Maharishi sponsored symposia on his modern interpretation of Vedanta philosophy, called Science of Creative Intelligence. During these conferences, held at universities, the Maharishi spoke with "leading thinkers" of the day, such as Hans Selye, Marshall McLuhan, and Jonas Salk.<ref name="American" />

The Maharishi announced his World Plan in 1972, the goal of which was to establish 3,600 TM centres around the world.<ref name="Una Kroll" /><ref name="Odd Gods" /> That year, a TM training course was given by the Maharishi at Queen's University and was attended by 1,000 young people from the US and Canada. At the start of the course, the Maharishi encouraged the attendees to improve their appearance by getting haircuts and wearing ties.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He also persuaded the U.S. Army to offer courses in TM to its soldiers<ref name="Una Kroll" /> and made videotaped recordings of what was thought to be the West's first comprehensive recitation of the Rig Veda.<ref>Stark, Rodney and Bainbridge, William Sims (1985), The Future of Religion, University of California Press. p. 288. Template:ISBN</ref>

In March 1973, the Maharishi addressed the legislature of the state of Illinois. That same year, the legislature passed a resolution in support of the use of Maharishi's Science of Creative Intelligence in Illinois public schools.<ref name="Una Kroll" /><ref>"People", Anchorage Daily News, 14 March 1973. Note: "The Maharishi addressed the Illinois legislature Tuesday and made a few suggestions on how to handle fiscal problems. "The basis of a restful budget is no problems in society", he told legislators." Retrieved on 1 December 2010.</ref><ref>"The TM believers are expanding their universe", Bangor Daily News, 6 March 1973. Note: "The legislature in the State of Illinois passed a resolution this past year recommending the inclusion of SCI teaching in the public schools." Retrieved on 1 December 2010.</ref> Later that year, he organized a world conference of mayors in Switzerland.<ref name="Una Kroll" /> In that same year, he also addressed 3000 educators at an American Association of Higher Education (AAHE) conference on quality of life and higher education.<ref name="Dehsen" />

In 1974, Maharishi International University was founded at the site of the former Parsons College in Fairfield, Iowa. In October 1975, the Maharishi was pictured on the front cover of Time magazine. He made his last visit to the Spiritual Regeneration Movement centre in Los Angeles in 1975, according to film director David Lynch, who met him for the first time there.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

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".<ref name="news.google.com">Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He visited Ottawa during this tour and had a private meeting with Canadian prime minister Pierre Trudeau, during which he spoke about the principles of TM and "the possibility of structuring an ideal society".<ref>"Maharishi says Trudeau 'Receptive'", Canadian Press, The Windsor Star, 22 March 1975. Retrieved on 21 October 2010.</ref><ref>The Gazette, 22 March 1975, "PM and TM leader"</ref><ref>The Citizen, 22 March 1975, "Trudeau "intelligent man" Guru Says After Long Talk"</ref> That same year, the Pittsburgh Press reported that "The Maharishi has been criticised by other Eastern yogis for simplifying their ancient art."<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The Maharishi appeared as a guest on The Merv Griffin Show in 1975 and again in 1977, and this resulted in "tens of thousands of new practitioners" around the USA.<ref name = Woo /><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="MG & DB 177">Merv: making the good life last, Merv Griffin, David Bender, page 177</ref>

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

In the mid 1970s, the Maharishi's U.S. movement was operating 370 TM centres staffed by 6,000 TM teachers.<ref name="bloomberg.com" /> At that time, the Maharishi also began approaching the business community via an organisation called the American Foundation for SCI (AFSCI), whose objective was to eliminate stress for business professionals. His TM movement came to be increasingly structured along the lines of a multinational corporation.<ref name=Times0882 />

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 organisations to be in breach of the separation of church and state (First Amendment).<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

During the 1980s, the organisation continued to expand and his meditation technique continued to attract celebrities,<ref name="bloomberg.com" /> despite its "outlandish claims" and accusations of fraud from disaffected former disciples.<ref name="Times0882">Template:Cite news</ref> The TM organization made a number of property investments, buying a former Rothschild mansion in England, Mentmore Towers in Buckinghamshire, Roydon Hall in Maidstone, Swythamley Park in the Peak District, and a Georgian rectory in Suffolk.<ref name=Times0882 /> In the United States, resorts and hotels, many in city centres, were purchased to be used as TM training centres. 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 theme park was supposed to be a gateway into understanding the mysteries of the universe. According to the Maharishi's official Vedic city website, "Entering Veda Land through a secret cave on a windswept plateau high in the Himalayas the adventure starts as one travels through a waterfall that leads to a forest where an ancient Vedic civilization awaits to reveal the deepest secrets of the universe (sic)".<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> These plans were never executed and, for Niagara Falls, Veda Land turned out to be just another theme park proposal that never materialized, joining an eclectic list that includes the Worlds of Jules Verne, the Ancient Chinese City and even Canada's Wonderland when it was first being planned.<ref>Ricciuto, Tony (8 February 2008) A dreamland by the QEW. Niagara Falls Review</ref> The Maharishi commissioned plans from a prominent architect for the world's tallest building, a Vedic-style pyramid to be built in São Paulo, Brazil, and to be filled with Yogic Flyers and other TM endeavours.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The Maharishi founded Maharishi Ved Vigyan Vishwa Vidyapeetham, a self-described educational institution located in Uttar Pradesh, India, in 1982. The institution reports that it has trained 50,000 pundits in traditional Vedic recitation.<ref>Unknown author E-Gyan web site Template:Webarchive accessed 9 March 2013</ref><ref>Unknown author MVVVP Maharishi India web site Template:Webarchive accessed 9 March 2013</ref> In 1983, the Maharishi invited government leaders to interact with his organization called "World Government".<ref name="Odd Gods" />

In January 1988, offices at the Maharishinagar complex in New Delhi were raided by Indian tax authorities, and the Maharishi and his organisation were accused of falsifying expenses.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Reports on the value of stocks, fixed-deposit notes, cash and jewels confiscated vary from source to source.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The Maharishi, who was "headquartered in Switzerland" at the time, reportedly moved to the Netherlands "after the Indian government accused him of tax fraud".<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>) Following an earthquake in Armenia, the Maharishi trained Russian TM teachers and set up a Maharishi Ayurveda training centre in the Urals region.<ref>Borden, Charles W. (8 Jul 2010) "Transcendental Meditation in Russia". Passport Magazine</ref> Beginning in 1989, the Maharishi's movement began incorporating the term "Maharishi" into the names of their new and existing entities, concepts and programmes.<ref>Mason (1994), pp. 272–273</ref>

Years in Vlodrop (1991–2008)

The Maharishi's headquarters in MERU, The Netherlands

In 1990, the Maharishi relocated his headquarters from Seelisberg, Switzerland, to a former Franciscan monastery in Vlodrop, the Netherlands, which became known as MERU, Holland, on account of the Maharishi European Research University (MERU) campus there.<ref name="foxnews.com">Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> 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.<ref name=Times0882 />

In 1991, the Maharishi called Washington, D.C. a "pool of mud" after a decade of attempts to lower the rate of crime in the city, which had the second-largest TM community in the US. He told his followers to leave and save themselves from its "criminal atmosphere".<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The Maharishi is believed to have made his final public appearance in 1991, in Maastricht, the Netherlands.<ref name="Osborn">Template:Cite news</ref> Deepak Chopra, described as "one of the Maharishi's top assistants before he launched his own career",<ref name=Woo /> 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 travelling and writing books, which led to Chopra's decision to leave the movement in January 1994.<ref name="Chopra">Template:Cite news</ref>

As part of a world plan for peace, the Maharishi inaugurated the Natural Law Party (NLP), calling it a "natural government".<ref name=Telegraph7870 /> His adherents founded the NLP in 1992.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> It was active in forty-two countries.<ref name="SCHULTE">Template:Cite news</ref> John Hagelin, the NLP's three-time candidate for U.S. president, denied any formal connection between the Maharishi and the party.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> According to spokesman Bob Roth, "The Maharishi has said the party has to grow to encompass everyone."<ref name=SCHULTE /> Critics charged that the party was an effort to recruit people for Transcendental Meditation,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and that it resembled "the political arm of an international corporation" more than a "home-grown political creation".<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The Indian arm of the NLP, the Ajeya Bharat Party, achieved electoral success, winning one seat in a state assembly in 1998.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The Maharishi shut down the political effort in 2004, saying, "I had to get into politics to know what is wrong there."<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

In 1992, the Maharishi began to send groups of Yogic Flyers to countries like India, Brazil, China and the United States of America in an effort to promote world peace through "coherent world consciousness".<ref name=Telegraph7870 /> In 1993 and 2003, he decided to raise the fees for learning the TM technique.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

In 1997, the Maharishi's organization built the largest wooden structure in the Netherlands without using any nails.<ref name=Times0882 /><ref name=Osborn /> The building was the Maharishi's residence for the last two decades of his life. In later years, the Maharishi rarely left his two-room quarters in order to preserve his health and energy.<ref name="Koppel2006">Template:Cite news</ref> He used videoconferencing to communicate with the world and with his advisors.<ref name=Koppel2006 /><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Built to Maharishi Sthapatya Veda architectural standards, the structure, according to the Maharishi, is said to have helped him infuse "the light of Total Knowledge" into "the destiny of the human race".<ref name="GGN">Template:Cite press release</ref><ref>Williamson</ref>

In 2000, the Maharishi founded the Global Country of World Peace (GCWP) "to create global world peace by unifying all nations in happiness, prosperity, invincibility and perfect health, while supporting the rich diversity of our world family".<ref name=Koppel /><ref name="Official Web Site">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The Maharishi crowned Tony Nader, a physician and MIT-trained neuroscientist,<ref name=Williamson81 /> as the king or Maharaja of the GCWP in 2000.<ref name="globalcountry">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The GCWP unsuccessfully attempted to establish a sovereign micronation when it offered US$1.3 billion to the President of Suriname for a 200-year lease of Template:Convert of land and in 2002, attempted to choose a king for the Talamanca, a "remote Indian reservation" in Costa Rica.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news Shorter version at Costa Rica Expels Foreign Group. Orlando Sentinel. 19 July 2002</ref>

In 2001, Maharishi University Of Information Technology was founded at Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh India.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

In 2001, followers of the Maharishi founded Maharishi Vedic City a few miles north of Fairfield, Iowa, in the United States. 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".<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

The Maharishi in 2007

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".<ref name="van den Berg" /> It was occasioned by the reissue of the Maharishi's book The Science of Being and Art of Living.<ref name="Easterling">Template:Cite book</ref> That same year, the Maharishi Global Financing Research Foundation issued the "Raam" as a currency "dedicated to financing peace promoting projects".<ref name=Times0882 />

In 2003, David Lynch began a fundraising project to raise US$1 billion "on behalf of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi" to build a meditation centre large enough to hold 8,000 skilled practitioners.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

The Maharishi ordered a suspension of TM training in Britain in 2005 due to his opposition to prime minister Tony Blair's decision to support the Iraq War.<ref name=Honigsbaum /> The Maharishi said that he did not want to waste the "beautiful nectar" of TM on a "scorpion nation".<ref name=Honigsbaum /><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> He lifted the ban after Blair's resignation in 2007.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> During this period, skeptics were critical of some of the Maharishi's programmes, such as a US$10 trillion plan to end poverty through organic farming in poor countries and a US$1 billion plan to use meditation groups to end conflict.<ref name="foxnews.com" />

Death

Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, concerned about his health,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> became increasingly secluded in two rooms of his residence.<ref name="foxnews.com" /> During this period, he rarely had in-person meetings and instead communicated with his followers almost exclusively by closed-circuit television.<ref name=Koppel />

On 12 January 2008, the 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.Template:'"<ref name="GGN2008">Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite press release</ref>

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".<ref name="van den Berg" /><ref name=Corder /> The Maharishi died peacefully in his sleep of natural causes on 5 February 2008 at his residence in Vlodrop, Netherlands.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The cremation and funeral rites were conducted at the Maharishi's Allahabad ashram in India, overlooking the confluence of the Ganges and Yamuna rivers.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>"The Beatles' guru Maharishi Mahesh Yogi cremated", Krittivas Mukherjee, Reuters, 11 February 2008 Template:Webarchive</ref>

The funeral, with state honours, was carried by Sadhana TV station and was presided over by one of the claimants to the seat of Shankaracharya of the North, Swami Vasudevananda Saraswati Maharaj.<ref name="Williamson80">Williamson, p. 80</ref> Indian officials who attended the funeral included central minister Subodh Kant Sahay; Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) leader Ashok Singhal; and former Uttar Pradesh assembly speaker and state BJP leader Keshri Nath Tripathi, as well as top local officials.<ref name="Brier">Template:Cite book</ref> Also in attendance were thirty-five rajas of the Global Country of World Peace, one-time disciple Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, and David Lynch.<ref name=Hindustan /> A troop of uniformed policemen lowered their arms in salute.<ref name="Hindustan">Template:Cite news</ref> The funeral received its status as a state funeral because the Maharishi was a recognised master in the tradition of Advaita Vedanta founded by Shankara.<ref name=Brier />

The Maharishi is survived by a brother and "a number of nephews".<ref name="Indian Muslim News">Template:Cite news</ref> One nephew, Girish Chandra Varma,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> is chairman of the Maharishi Vidya Mandir Schools Group<ref name="Varma Bio">Brahmachari Girish (Dr Girish Chandra Varma) Template:Webarchive, accessed 22 April 2013</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and a "senior functionary of the Transcendental Meditation (TM) movement in India."<ref name="Indian Muslim News" /> Other nephews include Prakash Shrivastav,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> president of Maharishi Vidya Mandir Schools<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and Anand Shrivastava,<ref name="Nephews">Template:Cite news</ref> chairman of the Maharishi Group.<ref name="Human Dimension: Anand Shrivastava">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

In its obituary, BBC News reported that the Maharishi's master had bequeathed him "the task of keeping the tradition of Transcendental Meditation alive" and 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".<ref name="BBC Obit" /> Paul McCartney commented, saying that "Whilst I am deeply saddened by his passing, my memories of him will only be joyful ones. He was a great man who worked tirelessly for the people of the world and the cause of unity."<ref>"Beatles pay tribute to late Maharishi Mahesh Yogi", AFP (7 February 2008)</ref>

Legacy

Maharishi Mahesh Yogi on a 2019 stamp of India

The Maharishi left a legacy that includes the revival of India's ancient spiritual tradition of meditation, which he made available to everyone.<ref name="Greenberg">Template:Cite book</ref> He is considered responsible for the popularisation of meditation in the west,<ref name="Hindustan Times">Template:Cite news</ref><ref>James Dalen, James and Devries, Stephen (2011) Oxford University Press (New York) Integrative Cardiology, The Integrative Approach to Hypertension, Ch. 11, page 237</ref> something he accomplished by teaching Transcendental Meditation worldwide through a highly effective organization of his own development.<ref name="Greenberg" /> The Maharishi is also credited with "the proposal of the existence of a unique or fourth state of consciousness with a basis in physiology" and the application of scientific studies to research on the physiological effects of Transcendental Meditation and the development of higher states of consciousness, areas previously relegated to mysticism.<ref name="The prime mover of life">Wagger, Lane (16 June 2011) The prime mover of life Template:Webarchive, Times of India</ref><ref name="Goldberg173">Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Rosenthal, Norman (2011) Transcendence, Tarcher Books. p. 4. Template:ISBN</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Partly because of this, Newsweek credited him with helping to launch "a legitimate new field of neuroscience".<ref>Begley, Sharon (18 February 2008). "His Magical Mystery Tour". Newsweek: 18. "Whatever you think of the 'White Album', give the Maharishi credit for helping launch what's become a legitimate new field of neuroscience."</ref><ref name=Goldberg154-5 /> According to The Times of India, his "unique and enduring contribution to humankind was his deep understanding of – and mechanics of experiencing – pure consciousness".<ref name="The prime mover of life" /> A memorial building, the Maharishi Smarak, was inaugurated at Allahabad in February 2013.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="Indiapost">Template:Cite news</ref>

Philosophy and teaching

Template:Hindu philosophy The Maharishi had come out to teach with the "avowed intention" to change "the course of human history".<ref name=Needleman1 /> When he first began teaching, he had three main aims: to revive the spiritual tradition in India, to show that meditation was for everyone and not just for hermits, and to show that Vedanta is compatible with science.<ref name="Goldberg154-5">Goldberg, (2010) American Veda, New York, Harmony Books pp154-155.</ref> The Maharishi had a message of happiness, writing in 1967 that "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".<ref name="van den Berg" /> His philosophy featured the concept that "within everyone is an unlimited reservoir of energy, intelligence, and happiness".<ref name=Hudson /> He emphasised the naturalness of his meditation technique as a simple way of developing this potential.<ref name="Olson">Template:Cite book</ref>

Beginning in 1962, the Maharishi began to recommend the daily practice of yoga exercises or asanas to accelerate growth further.<ref>Mason (1994), p. 59</ref>

He also taught that practising Transcendental Meditation twice a day would create inner peace and that "mass meditation sessions" could create outer peace by reducing violence and war.<ref name="van den Berg" /> 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.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="Gardner">Template:Cite book</ref><ref name="Sun">Template:Cite news</ref> One religion scholar, Michael York, considers the Maharishi to have been the most articulate spokesman for the spiritual argument that a critical mass of people becoming enlightened through the practice of "meditation and yogic discipline" will trigger the New Age movement's hoped-for period of postmillennial "peace, harmony, and collective consciousness".<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Religious studies scholar Carl Olson writes that the TM technique was based on "a neo-Vedanta metaphysical philosophy in which an unchanging reality is opposed to an ever-changing phenomenal world" and that the Maharishi says it is not necessary to renounce worldly activities to gain enlightenment, unlike other ascetic traditions.<ref name=Olson />

According to author Jack Forem, the Maharishi stated that the experience of transcendence, which resulted in a naturally increasing refinement of mind and body, enabled people to behave in more correct ways naturally. Thus, behavioral guidelines did not need to be issued and were best left to the teachings of various religions: "It is much easier to raise a man's consciousness than to get him to act righteously," the Maharishi said.<ref name="Forem">Template:Cite book</ref>

Some religious studies scholars have further said that Maharishi Mahesh Yogi is one of a number of Indian gurus who brought neo-Hindu adaptations of Vedantic Hinduism to the West.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Author Meera Nanda calls neo-Hinduism "the brand of Hinduism that is taught by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, Deepak Chopra, and their clones".<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> 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".<ref name=Coplin3 />

Author Barry Miles writes that, despite 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, with one TM participant saying the Maharishi "signaled the beginning of the post-acid generation."<ref name=Needleman1 /><ref name=Barry />

Transcendental Meditation

{{#invoke:Labelled list hatnote|labelledList|Main article|Main articles|Main page|Main pages}} 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."<ref name="van den Berg" /> His movement offered in-residence style TM advanced courses.<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref> By the time of his death, there were nearly 1,000 TM training centers around the world.<ref name=Times0882 />

The Maharishi is credited with having contributed to the Western world a meditation technique that is both simple and systematic, as well as introducing the scientific study of meditation.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

In the mid-1970s, the Maharishi began the TM-Sidhi programme, which included 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 the group practice of this advanced program.<ref>Coplin, p. 71</ref> This new program gave rise to a new principle called the Maharishi Effect, which is said to "create coherence in the collective consciousness" and to suppress crime, violence, and accidents.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Maharishi Vedic Science

Entrance to the Maharishi University of Management and Maharishi Vedic University campus in Vlodrop, the Netherlands

Maharishi Vedic Science (MVS) is based on the Maharishi's interpretation of the ancient Vedic texts based on his master, Brahmananda Saraswati's teachings.<ref name="Humes 2005 66">Humes, p. 66</ref> MVS aims to put forward traditional Vedic literature in the light of Western traditions of knowledge and understanding.<ref name="Meyer-Dinkgräfe">Template:Cite book</ref> According to Roy Ascott, MVS also explains the potential for every human being to experience the infinite nature of transcendental consciousness, also defined as Being or Self, while engaged in normal activities of daily life.<ref name="Ascott">Template:Cite book</ref> Once this state is fully established, outer aspects of existence no longer influence an individual and perceives pure consciousness in everything.<ref name="Ascott" /> MVS includes two aspects: the practical aspect of the Transcendental Meditation technique and the TM-Sidhi program and the theoretical aspect of how MVS is applied to day-to-day living.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> These applications include programs in: Maharishi Vedic Approach to Health (MVAH);<ref name="Sharma&Clark">Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Maharishi Sthapatya Veda, a mathematical system for the design and construction of buildings;<ref name="Argus">Welvaert, Brandy, "Vedic homes seek better living through architecture", Rock Island Argus, (5 August 2005) Template:Webarchive</ref><ref name="Spivack">Template:Cite news</ref> Maharishi Gandharva Veda,<ref>Wallace, pp. 99–102</ref> a form of classical Indian music; Maharishi Jyotish (also known as Maharishi Vedic Astrology),<ref name=Sharma&Clark /><ref>Wallace, pp. 107–109</ref> 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.<ref name="RomeNewsTribune">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="TheVictoriaAdvocate">Template:Cite news</ref> 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.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

Publications

The Maharishi wrote more than twenty books on the Transcendental Meditation technique and Maharishi Vedic Science.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

The Beacon Light of the Himalayas

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, but Transcendental Meditation is not mentioned in the book's text.<ref name="paulmason.info">Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref name="Humes 2005 77">Humes, p. 77</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Russell, p. 75</ref> The book is dedicated to Maharshi Bala Brahmachari Mahesh Yogi Rajaram by his devotees of Kerala and contains photographs, letters and lectures by numerous authors, which appear in various languages, such as English, Hindi and Sanskrit.<ref name="paulmason.info" />

Science of Being and Art of Living

In 1963, the Maharishi audiotaped the text of the book Science of Being and Art of Living, which was later transcribed and published in fifteen languages.<ref name="van den Berg" /><ref>Maharishi Mahesh Yogi (1986) p. 459, "There was not much time for writing a book, so Maharishi said, 'I'll speak it out on tape, and then you'll get it printed.'"</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref> K.T. Weidmann describes the book as the Maharishi's fundamental philosophical treatise, in which its author provides an illustration of the ancient Vedic traditions of India in terms that can be easily interpreted and understood by the scientific thinking of the Western world.<ref name="Dehsen" /> In the Science of Being, the Maharishi illustrates the concepts of relative existence as the experience of everyday reality through one's senses, absolute reality as the origin of being, and the source of all creative intelligence.<ref name="Caveat">Template:Cite book</ref> The Maharishi describes this absolute reality, or Being, as unchanging, omnipresent, and eternal. He also identifies it with bliss consciousness. The two aspects of reality, the relative and the absolute, are like an ocean with many waves.<ref name="OlsonC">Template:Cite book</ref> The waves represent the relative, and the ocean beneath is the foundation of everything, or Being. Establishing oneself in the field of Being, or unchanging reality, ensures stability.<ref name="OlsonC" />

In his Science of Being, the Maharishi introduced an additional concept: that of fulfillment viewed as something to be obtained not through exertion or self-effort but through the progressive settling of the mind during the practice of TM.<ref name="Caveat" /><ref name="Science">Template:Cite book</ref> This was the first complete systematic description of the principles underlying the Maharishi's teachings.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

Bhagavad-Gita: A New Translation and Commentary: 1967

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."<ref name="gita20-21">Template:Cite book</ref> According to Peter Russell, the Bhagavad-Gita deals with the concept of loss of knowledge and subsequent revival, and the Maharishi himself brings this out in the introduction.<ref name="Russel">Russell, p. 134</ref> In the Preface, the Maharishi writes: "The purpose of this commentary is to restore the fundamental truths of the Bhagavad-Gita and thus restore the significance of its teaching. If this teaching is followed, effectiveness in life will be achieved, men will be fulfilled on all levels and the historical need of the age will be fulfilled also."<ref name="gita17">Yogi, Maharishi Mahesh (1969) page 17</ref>

A second concept, that of freedom, presented as the antithesis of fear, is also prevalent in the book, according to Jack Forem.<ref>Forem, p. 274 (2012)</ref> Forem states that in his interpretation of the Gita, the Maharishi expressed several times that as man gains greater awareness through the practice of Transcendental Meditation, he gradually establishes a level of contentment which remain increasingly grounded within him and in which the mind does not waver and is not affected by either attachment or fear.<ref>Forem, p. 275 (2012)</ref>

Characterizations and criticism

The Maharishi was reported to be a vegetarian,<ref name="Una Kroll" /> an entrepreneur, a monk, and "a spiritual man who sought a world stage from which to espouse the joys of inner happiness."<ref name=Koppel /> He was described as an abstemious man with tremendous energy who took a weekly day of silence while sleeping only two hours per night.<ref name="Una Kroll" /> He did not present himself as a guru or claim his teachings as his own. Instead, he taught "in the name of his guru Brahmananda Saraswati"<ref name="Humes 2005 61" /> and paid tribute to him by placing a picture of Saraswati behind him when he spoke.<ref name="Una Kroll" /> He was on a mission to bring the ancient techniques of TM to the world.<ref name="Hunt" /> Scientist and futurist Buckminster Fuller spent two days with the Maharishi at a symposium at the University of Massachusetts in 1971 and said, "You could not meet with Maharishi without recognizing instantly his integrity."<ref>Mason (1994), p. 221: "What makes Maharishi beloved and understood is that he has manifest love. You could not meet with Maharishi without recognizing instantly his integrity. You look in his eyes and there it is."</ref> Authors Douglas E. Cowan and David G. Bromley write that the Maharishi did not claim any "special divine revelation nor supernatural personal qualities".<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Still others said he helped to "inspire the anti-materialism of the late 60s" and received good publicity because he "opposed drugs".<ref name=Hudson /><ref name="Religion in Amer">Template:Cite book</ref> According to author Chryssides, "The Maharishi tended to emphasize the positive aspects of humanity, focusing on the good that exists in everyone."<ref name="Chryssides">Template:Cite book</ref>

According to The Times, the Maharishi attracted skepticism because of his involvement with wealthy celebrities, his business acumen, and his love of luxury, including touring in a Rolls-Royce.<ref name=Times0882 /> A reporter for The Economist calls this a "misconception," saying: "He did not use his money for sinister ends. He neither drank, nor smoked, nor took drugs. ... He did not accumulate scores of Rolls-Royces, like Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh; his biggest self-indulgence was a helicopter. "<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Mason (1994), p. 221: "Other popular misconceptions are that he amassed a huge fleet of Rolls-Royce cars and private aeroplanes, but, people easily confuse him with other Indian teachers, such as Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh and Guru Maharaj Ji."</ref> When some observers questioned how his organisation's money was being used, the Maharishi said, "It goes to support the centres, it does not go on me. I have nothing."<ref name="Times obituary">.Maharishi Mahesh Yogi Guru of transcendental meditation who used his association with the Beatles to create a hugely profitable global movement Template:Webarchive, The Times, 7 February 2008</ref> However, when the Maharishi died in 2008, he left behind an estate worth an estimated $300 million (U.S.). He was survived by four nephews, who inherited 12,000 acres of land in India, and Tony Nader, a Lebanese neuroscientist whom he had anointed as his successor in the movement.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Since his death, several memoirs have been written by former followers and their children who described the Maharishi as a cult leader who could be controlling, and his Centers a financial business.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

He was often called the "Giggling Guru" because of his habit of laughing during television interviews.<ref name="Guru-Vy">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="Honigsbaum">Template:Cite news</ref> Slightly over five feet tall, the Maharishi often wore a traditional cotton or silk, white dhoti while carrying or wearing flowers.<ref name=Koppel /> He often sat cross-legged on a deerskin and had a "grayish-white beard, mustache and long, dark, stringy hair".<ref name=Koppel /><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> Barry Miles described the Maharishi as having "liquid eyes, twinkling but inscrutable with the wisdom from the East".<ref name="Barry2">Template:Cite book</ref> Miles said the Maharishi in his seventies looked much younger than his age.<ref name="Friend">Template:Cite magazine</ref> He had a high pitched voice and in the words of Merv Griffin, "a long flowing beard and a distinctive, high pitched laugh that I loved to provoke".<ref name="MG & DB 177" /><ref name=Friend />

Biographer Paul Mason's website says that Swami Swaroopananda, one of three claimants to the title Shankaracharya of Jyotir Math, is "an outspoken critic" of the Maharishi. According to Swaroopananda, the Maharishi "was responsible for the controversy over Shankaracharyas" because he gave Shankaracharya Swami Shantanand encouragement and assistance in fighting the court case which challenged Shantanand's inheritance of the title.<ref>Mason, Paul. The Last Instruction, paulmason.info</ref> In a review of the documentary film David Wants to Fly, Variety magazine reported Swaroopananda's assertion that "as a member of the trader caste" the Maharishi "has no right to give mantras or teach meditation".<ref name="Simon">Template:Cite news [Swami Swaroopanand, successor to Guru Dev, in a village near Tibet. The swami tells Sieveking that the Maharishi, from a trader caste, was merely Guru Dev's bookkeeper and, besides, he notes, "Gurus don't sell their knowledge, they share it."]</ref> According to religious scholar Cynthia Humes, enlightened individuals of any caste may "teach brahmavidya"<ref name="Humes 2005 57">Humes, p. 57</ref> and author Patricia Drake writes that "when Guru Dev was about to die he charged Maharishi with teaching laymen ... to meditate".<ref>Drake, Patricia Hemingway(1975) The Transcendental Meditation Primer. David Mckay Company. p. 17. Template:ISBN</ref> Mason says Shantanand "publicly commended the practice of the Maharishi's meditation"<ref>Mason (1994), p. 57: "On Tuesday, 30 May 1961, eight years to the day after his master's death, the Shankaracharya of Jyotir Math, Swami Shantanand Saraswati graced the teacher training course with his presence and was received with all due ceremony. Arriving at the site where the new Academy was being built, he addressed the Maharishi and the gathered meditators . . . . He commended the practice of the Maharishi's meditation, describing it as a 'master key to the knowledge of Vedanta' and added, 'There are other keys, but a master key is enough to open all the locks.'"</ref> and sociologist J.R. Coplin says that Shantanand's successor, Swami Vishnudevanand, also "speaks highly of the Maharishi."<ref name="Kalambakal">Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Coplin, pp. 61–63: "Maharishi, though a devoted and favored disciple, was not eligible to become Shankarachaharya due to his caste background (non-brahmin). Nonetheless, he shares with the last two Shankaracharya of Jyotir Math (who succeeded Brahmanand Saraswati) a brotherly relationship known as "guru-bhais." Even today, Swami Vishnudevanand (the current Shankaracharya of Jyotir Math) speaks very highly of Maharishi and sees his teaching as a reflection of their master's. Both he and Swami Shantanand (his immediate predecessor) are frequent guests of Maharishi's both in India and abroad, personally endorsing his mission.".... "When Maharishi began teaching during his South Indian tour in the mid-1950s, he arrived as an informal representative of the Shankaracharya of Jyotir Math, being a 'great disciple of Shri Swami Brahmananda Saraswati (former Shankaracharya)'".</ref>

In popular culture

The British satirical magazine Private Eye ridiculed him as "Veririchi Lotsamoney Yogi Bear".<ref name=Leigh /> The Maharishi was also parodied by comedians Bill Dana and Joey Forman in the 1968 comedy album The Mashuganishi Yogi,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> by actor Cash Oshman in the film Man on the Moon, by comedian Mike Myers in the film The Love Guru,Template:Citation needed and in the BBC sketch show Goodness Gracious Me.<ref>Dunphy, Grahme & Emiq, Rainer, Rodopi (2009) Hybrid Humor: Comedy in Transnational Perspectives. p. 184. Template:ISBN</ref> He was portrayed by actor Gerry Bednob in the 2007 film Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story.

Controversies

Allegations of sexual advances

While the Beatles were in Rishikesh, rumors of sexual advances by the Maharishi in his ashram were circulated, though no sexual misconduct suits were filed and some of the participants later denied that anything untoward had occurred.<ref name=Koppel /> John Lennon later cited a rumour that the Maharishi made sexual advances on Mia Farrow and "a few other women" during their time at the ashram,<ref name="Wenner 2000 27" /> later writing the Beatles' song "Sexy Sadie", in which he characterized the Maharishi as a fraud.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> George Harrison and Cynthia Lennon later denied that the Farrow event took place and stayed within the TM movement,<ref name="The Beatles Anthology" /> while, in her autobiography, Farrow gives a detailed explanation of what happened with Maharishi:

We settled ourselves in the lotus position to meditate. After twenty or so minutes, we were getting on our feet, still facing each other, but as I'm usually a little disoriented after meditation, 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 apologising all the way. I flew out into the open air, and ran as fast as I could to Prudy's room, where she was meditating of course. 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 man after meditation, a tradition." Furthermore, at my level of consciousness, if Jesus Christ Himself had embraced me, I would have misinterpreted it.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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In the 2010 documentary David Wants to Fly, a former personal assistant and "skinboy"Template:Efn of the Maharishi recounts bringing women to the Maharishi's room, claiming he has "no question in my mind that he had sex with the women." In the same film, another assistant, Judith Bourque, describes the relationship she had with Maharishi over the course of two years—with instructions including "don't tell anyone" and, in the case of her becoming pregnant, to "get married quick"—before he moved on to other women. She also added: "I didn't in any way feel invaded and I was never forced in any situation with him."<ref>Template:Cite AV media</ref> Bourque later elaborated her claims with photos, notes and dated letters purportedly from the Maharishi in the autobiographical book Robes of Silk, Feet of Clay (2018),<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> including additional allegations:

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Pseudoscience

Since early in the TM movement, the Maharishi made claims of pseudoscientific supernatural abilities (called "sidhis" or the TM-Sidhi program) that can be obtained through TM meditation, including levitation (yogic flying), invisibility, and invulnerability.<ref name="randi.org">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The "magical claims" of the TM-Sidhis program and the Maharishi Effect created a crisis for the movement’s image and began a period of media controversy.<ref name=Thursby /> In 2014, a meta-analysis of meditation research found "insufficient evidence that mantra meditation programs [such as TM] had an effect on any of the psychological stress and well-being outcomes".<ref name=Rohrlich>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> However, a different meta-analysis study, also published in 2014 by David Orme-Johnson of the TM-affiliated Maharishi University of Management, found that "TM practice is more effective than treatment as usual and most alternative treatments, with greatest effects observed in individuals with high anxiety."<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>

Despite the Maharishi's claims that his movement was not a religion but "scientific", TM initiation since his time has begun with a Hindu puja worship ritual performed by the teacher<ref name=Bainbridge /><ref>Template:Cite book</ref> and his movement has received criticism from Hindus for selling "commercial mantras" of the Sanskrit names of Hindu-Vedic gods.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Sociologist William Sims Bainbridge writes that the Maharishi taught a "highly simplified form of Hinduism, adapted for Westerners who did not possess the cultural background to accept the full panoply of Hindu beliefs, symbols, and practices."<ref name=Bainbridge>Template:Cite book</ref>

On top of criticism that TM is a "form of Hinduism that doesn't acknowledge its roots", a 1978 federal court ruling in New Jersey declared TM to be a religion.<ref name=Fox2005>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Further allegations state that the Maharishi presented TM as areligious so that it could be taught in US public schools and other tax-funded institutions.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

World government

Since the 1970s, the Maharishi began planning a new world government based on his TM teachings,<ref name="Thursby">Template:Citation</ref> including meetings with world leaders such as Canadian prime minister Pierre Trudeau to discuss his plans.<ref>[1] "Maharishi says Trudeau 'Receptive'", Canadian Press, The Windsor Star, 1975-03-22. Retrieved on 2010-10-21.</ref><ref>The Gazette, March 22, 1975, "PM and TM leader"</ref><ref>The Citizen, March 22, 1975, "Trudeau "intelligent man" guru says after long talk".</ref> On Larry King Live, the Maharishi made anti-democratic statements and announced plans for a monarchic world government, including, "I believe in God. And I believe in the custody of God vested in kings" and "I want to establish a government in every country [...] I used to say 'damn the democracy' because it's not a stable government."<ref>Template:Cite AV media</ref>

The Maharishi crowned key members of his movements as the "rajas" (kings) of his Global Country of World Peace, including Tony Nader as the "maharaja" (great king) and "First Sovereign Ruler of the Global Country of World Peace."<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> It has been reported that the "rajas" of the TM movement must pay $1 million to receive "spiritual dominion" over a country in accordance with "natural law".<ref name=Rohrlich2>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In 1992, the Maharishi's Natural Law Party was listed on the presidential ballot in several states in the USA, with physicist and "raja" John Hagelin as the presidential nominee.<ref name=Thursby />

Other initiatives, projects and programmes

{{#invoke:Labelled list hatnote|labelledList|Main article|Main articles|Main page|Main pages}} Maharishi International University (renamed Maharishi University of Management (MUM) in 1995), the first university the Maharishi founded, began classes in Santa Barbara, California, in 1973. In 1974 the university moved to Fairfield, Iowa, where it remains. The university houses a library of the Maharishi's taped lectures and writings, including the thirty-three-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 catalogue as combining modern science and Vedic science,<ref>MUM Catalog of courses 2012–2013 (Page 23) Template:Webarchive</ref> the course also defines certain higher states of consciousness, and gives guidance on how to attain these states.<ref name="King">Template:Cite thesis</ref> Though the university claims to grant PhDs, including in neuroscience and psychology, the university is not accredited by either the America Psychological Association (APA)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> or the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

MCEE School Campus at Bhopal, India

The Maharishi Vidya Mandir Schools (MVMS), an educational system established in sixteen Indian states and affiliated with the New Delhi Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), was founded in 1995 by the Maharishi.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> It has 148 branches in 118 cities with 90,000 to 100,000 students and 5,500 teaching and support staff.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

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.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="WilliamsP">Template:Cite book</ref>

The Maharishi also introduced theories of management, defence, and government<ref name=King /> programmes designed to alleviate poverty, and introduced a new economic development currency called the Raam.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In 2000, the Maharishi began building administrative and teaching centres called "Peace Palaces" around the world, and by 2008 at least eight had been constructed in the US alone.<ref name=Hamill /> The Maharishi Institute, an African university that is part of a group of schools around the world that are named after him, was founded in 2007 and uses his Transcendental Meditation technique in their teaching.<ref>Template:Usurped. Maharishi Institute</ref><ref>Anderson, Alistair (26 March 2012) "CIDA Institute may become, self funded university", Business Day</ref>

Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, in his farewell message on 11 January 2008, announced the establishment of the Brahmananda Saraswati Trust (BST), named in honour of his teacher, to support large groups totalling more than 30,000 peace-creating Vedic Pandits in perpetuity across India.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The Patron of the Brahmanand Saraswati Trust is the Shankaracharya of Jyotir Math.<ref name=GGN2008 />

Organizations and businesses

The Maharishi is credited with heading charitable organisations, for-profit businesses, and real estate investments whose total value has been estimated at various times, to range from Template:USD2 to Template:USD5 billion. The real estate alone was valued in 2003 at between $3.6 and $5 billion.<ref name="Harris">Template:Cite news</ref> Holdings in the United States, estimated at $250 million in 2008, include dozens of hotels, commercial buildings and undeveloped land.<ref name="Hamill">Template:Cite news</ref> The Maharishi "amassed a personal fortune that his spokesman told one reporter may exceed $1 billion".<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> According to a 2008 article in The Times, the Maharishi "was reported to have an income of six million pounds".<ref name=Times0882 /> The Maharishi's movement is said to be funded through donations, course fees for Transcendental Meditation and various real estate transactions.<ref>Aspan, Maria (2 July 2007), Maharishi's Minions Come to Wall Street, New York Times.</ref>

In his biography of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, The Story of the Maharishi (published 1976), William Jefferson suggests that the financial aspect of the TM organisation was one of the greatest controversies it faced. Questions were raised about the Maharishi's mission, comments from leaders of the movement at that time, and fees and charges the TM organisation levied on followers. Jefferson says that the concerns with money came from journalists more than those who have learned to meditate.<ref name="Jefferson" />

Published works

• Beacon Light of the Himalayas, Azad Printers, 1955
• Meditation: Easy System Propounded by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, International Meditation Centre, 1962
• Science of Being and Art of Living – Transcendental Meditation, Allied Publishers, 1963 Template:ISBN
• Love and God, Spiritual Regeneration Movement, 1965
• Yoga Asanas, Spiritual Regeneration Movement, 1965
• Maharishi Mahesh Yogi on the Bhagavad-Gita – A New Translation and Commentary, Chapters 1–6, Arkana 1990 Template:ISBN
• Meditations of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, Bantam books, 1968
• Alliance for Knowledge, Maharishi International University, 1974
• Creating an Ideal Society: A Global Undertaking, International Association for the Advancement of the Science of Creative Intelligence, 1976
• Results of Scientific Research on the Transcendental Meditation Program, MERU Press, 1976
• Enlightenment to Every Individual, Invincibility to Every Nation, Age of Enlightenment, 1978 Template:ISBN
• Freedom Behind Bars: Enlightenment to Every Individual and Invincibility to Every Nation, International Association for the Advancement of the Science of Creative Intelligence, 1978
• Dawn of the age of enlightenment, MVU Press, 1986 Template:ISBN
• Life supported by natural law : discovery of the Unified Field of all the laws of nature and the Maharishi Technology of the Unified Field, Age of Enlightenment Press, 1986 Template:ISBN
• Thirty Years Around the World: Dawn of the Age of Enlightenment, Maharishi Vedic University, 1986 Template:ISBN
• Maharishi's Programme to Create World Peace: Global Inauguration, Age of Enlightenment Press, 1987 Template:ISBN
• Maharishi's Master Plan to Create Heaven on earth, Maharishi Vedic University Press, 1991 Template:ISBN
• A Proven Program for our Criminal Justice System: Maharishi's Transcendental Meditation and Corrections, Maharishi International University, 1993
• Vedic Knowledge for Everyone: Maharishi Vedic University, an Introduction, Maharishi Vedic University Press, 1994 Template:ISBN
• Maharishi's Absolute Theory of Government – Automation in Administration, Maharishi Prakshan, 1995 Template:ISBN
• Maharishi University of Management – Wholeness on the Move, Age of Enlightenment Publications, 1995 Template:ISBN
• Constitution of India Fulfilled through Maharishi's Transcendental Meditation, Age of Enlightenment Publications, 1996 Template:ISBN
• Inaugurating Maharishi Vedic University, Maharishi Vedic University Press, 1996 Template:ISBN
• Maharishi's Absolute Theory of Defence – Sovereignty in Invincibility, Age of Enlightenment Publications, 1996 Template:ISBN
• Celebrating Perfection in Education – Dawn of Total Knowledge, Maharishi Vedic University Press, 1997 Template:ISBN
• Maharishi Forum of Natural Law and National Law for Doctors – Perfect Health for Everyone, Age of Enlightenment Publications, 1997 Template:ISBN
• Maharishi Speaks to Educators – Mastery Over Natural Law, Age of Enlightenment Publications, 1997 Template:ISBN
• Maharishi Speaks to Students – Mastery Over Natural Law, Age of Enlightenment Publications, 1997 Template:ISBN
• Celebrating Perfection in Administration, Maharishi Vedic University, 1998 Template:ISBN
• Ideal India – The Lighthouse of Peace on Earth, Maharishi University of Management, 2001 Template:ISBN
• Maharishi Mahesh Yogi on Bhagavad-Gita – Chapter 7, 2009, Maharishi Foundation International-Maharishi Vedic University, The Netherlands

Discography

• Deep Meditation, World Pacific Records, 1962
• The Master Speaks, World Pacific Records, 1967
• The Seven States of Consciousness, World Pacific Records, 1967

Cited sources

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External links

• Transcendental Meditation/Maharishi Template:Webarchive
• Official List of Lifetime Achievements
• Larry King interview with Maharishi 12 May 2002
• List of books by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi
• Template:Internet Archive author