The 1960s were archetypical. Following the enormous destruction and inhumanity of two world wars in the first half of the 20th century, and the reactive focus on creating personal wealth for safety in the 1950s, the 60s quickly became a time of tremendous change in society, marked by a world wide upheaval between the generations

I waited for eight days. Then one day, in the early morning mist, Raghvendra came through the gate. He said I could come in now and learn to meditate, and I could spend my days in the ashram, take my meals with them and continue to sleep in the tent at night. My initiation into

The ashram sat on a small plateau among wooded hills. A narrow dirt road ran from the front gate to the back of the property, and a barbed-wire fence surrounded the property, ensuring the ashram’s privacy. Along the road, away from the cliff, behind a low chain link fence were six long, whitewashed bungalows each

The next day, I sat with the Beatles overlooking the Ganges. After chai, everyone left except George and me. Sitting alone with him I felt shy, awkward. George was quiet and intense, but friendly. He was then just a few days away from his twenty-fifth birthday. I told him I loved Norwegian Wood and asked

As George and I sat down alone in his small meditation room, he picked up his sitar and began to play. I was struck by the exquisite beauty of the instrument. Traditionally, sitars have been the dominant force in the music of India and Pakistan. It’s a long-necked, ancient South Asian stringed instrument, with a

The day after George invited me to sit with him, the Maharishi organized a group photo of all those attending the training course. Everyone dressed up, with beautiful garlands of red and saffron marigolds around their necks. While everyone was being seated, the Maharishi sat in the shade while the photographer finished setting up. He’d

Before arriving in India, I felt I had an ‘ego’ problem. For several years, I found that I had two motivating forces when deciding what I wanted to do, whether in my work, or in my relations with others. One was the desire to be constructive in society, to do ‘good’. The other was my

By the time the Beatles arrived at the ashram, the feature films they’d been in, A hard Days Night and Help, had been major successes, along with their soundtrack albums. Dennis O’Dell had been hired by the Beatles to head-up Apple Films, their new film company, after being one of the producers of A Hard

Meeting Paul, I found him to be a truly welcoming man. I later read that he had a greater need to be liked than the other Beatles. If true, Paul needn’t have worried, having a very naturally warm, likeable character and disposition. Jane Asher was the warmest, most emotionally open of any of the ‘famous

The days at the ashram passed slowly for me, in that sensuous way time unfolds when staying present in the moment. Mal joined me at the long table overlooking the Ganges as I was writing a letter. He said he was going to Delhi the next day, that Maureen, Ringo’s wife, was missing home and

After almost 6 years of exciting, high energy, at times drug-filled, touring and recording, constantly hounded by the press and screaming fans, the closed ashram gave John, Paul, George and Ringo the private, quiet retreat they needed. The Beatles’ time at the ashram was unusually productive. In all, they wrote 48 songs in Rishikesh, including 17 songs

The last time I saw John was on September 13, 1969, at Varsity Stadium in Toronto. It was the world debut of the Plastic Ono Band and they were part of a stellar rock ‘n’ roll revival with Little Richard, Chuck Berry, Jerry Lee Lewis, Fats Domino, Bo Diddley, the Doors, and Alice Cooper. John