Maharishi Me

Susan Shumsky is a successful author in the human potential field. But in the 1970s, in India, the Swiss Alps, and elsewhere, she served on the personal staff of the most famous guru of the 20th century—Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. Maharishi died in 2008 at age ninety, but his influence endures through the spiritual movement he founded: TM (Transcendental Meditation). Other books have been written about him, but this spellbinding page-turner offers a rare insider's view of life with the guru, including the time the Beatles studied at his feet in Rishikesh, India, and wrote dozens of songs under his influence. Both inspirational and disturbing, Maharishi and Me illuminates Susan's two decades living in Maharishi's ashrams, where she grew from a painfully shy teenage seeker into a spiritually aware teacher and author. It features behind-the-scenes, myth-busting stories, and over 100 photos of Maharishi and his celebrity disciples (the Beatles, Deepak Chopra, Mia Farrow, Beach Boys, and many more). Susan's candid, honest portrayal draws back the curtain on her shattering, extreme emotional seesaws of heaven and hell at her guru's hands. This compelling, haunting memoir will continue to challenge readers long after they turn its last page. It dismantles all previous beliefs about the spiritual path and how spiritual masters are supposed to behave. Susan shares: “Merely by being in his presence, we disciples entered an utterly timeless place and rapturous feeling, and, at the same time, realized the utter futility and insanity of the mundane world.” Susan's heartfelt masterwork blends her experiences, exacting research, artistically descriptive and humorous writing, emotional intelligence, and intensely personal inner exploration into a feast for thought and contemplation. Neither starry-eyed nor antagonistic, it captures, from a balanced viewpoint, the essence of life in an ashram.

Forty years ago, in May of 1959, His Holiness Maharishi Ma-hesh Yogi first visited the United States of America. It seems only fitting to bring out a commemorative edition of the book written by my mother in 1967 wherein she described the adventures of Maharishi's first summer in this country. It is a book so like Maharishi, a tender story told simply about a great man with a superhuman goal. During these forty years, I have had the opportunity to quietly witness this great man going about the manifestation of a phenomenal vision-a vision based on the principle that everyone should naturally and innocently live 200 percent of life: one hundred percent inner spiritual joy along with one hundred percent outer material satisfaction. Maharishi wanted to bring humankind out of suffering and restore to us our rightful human dignity. He envisioned a world in which its citizens could enjoy a life free from problems-an ideal life based in good, useful and virtuous thoughts, words and actions; where we could enjoy the blessings of spontaneous good health, excellent and effective systems of education for our children, increased economic prosperity, and improved social well-being on all levels of society; where the spiritual ideals of all religions could be realized and lived in daily life; and, most importantly, where we could live in lasting world peace and real friend-ship with one another. And Maharishi offered a simple, powerful solution for realizing that goal-an easy, natural, mental technique that he called Transcendental Meditation, which allows anyone to develop his or her full potential while simultaneously nourishing the surrounding environment.....

The first edition of A Symphony of Silence: An Enlightened Vision was inspired by the desire to share with humanity, through multiple voices, the ineffable beauty we experience in our lives when the veil of ignorance is pulled back and the wonder of our essential nature is revealed.. The voices emerging from these pages add vitality and validity to our shared experience of the silence of the transcendent. It is not something beyond our reach, but a reality that has always been with us, quietly awaiting an opportunity to unfold. In this second edition of A Symphony of Silence, several new voices are added to the chorus of the first edition. A Catholic priest tells us of using TM as part of his inspired vision of the power of love to transform the lives of abused and destitute children from the streets of South America. The founding director of an orphanage and school in Uganda, who likewise brings TM to children in need, describes to us his compassionate resolve to eradicate suffering within his community. A poet expresses for us in verse the joy of a seeker reaching for the light. A scientist and his colleagues show us the power of TM to reduce stress and alleviate PTSD in the field of law enforcement. An actor, director, producer, and entrepreneur, explores with us his innovative projects for inner city students through “Edutainment.” Women, who for decades dedicated themselves to introducing the TM program to their multicultural community, share with us delightful and very personal stories. A pioneering social activist brings us into the conversation he had with Maharishi in 1968 at a conference in Squaw Valley, California. He talked candidly with Maharishi about the need to introduce TM as a tool to bring inner freedom to the inner cities, helping to fulfill the quest for true civil rights. The voices in A Symphony of Silence create a glimpse into the vast impact that Maharishi has on many lives throughout the world.

An oral history of The Beatles from never-before-seen interviews. All You Need Is Love is a groundbreaking oral history of the one of the most enduring musical acts of all time. The material is comprised of intimate interviews with Paul McCartney, Yoko Ono, George Harrison, Ringo Starr, their families, friends and business associates that were conducted by Beatles intimate Peter Brown and author Steven Gaines in 1980-1981 during the preparation of their international bestseller, The Love You Make, which spent four months on the New York Times bestseller list in 1983 and remains the biggest selling biography worldwide about the Beatles Only a small portion of the contents of these transcribed interviews have ever been revealed. The interviews are unique and candid. The information, stories, and experiences, and the authority of the people who relate to them, have historic value. No collection like this can ever be assembled again. In addition to interviews with Paul, Yoko, Ringo and George, Brown and Gaines also include interviews from ex-wives Cynthia Lennon, Pattie Harrison Clapton, and Maureen Starkey, as well as the major social and business figures of the Beatles’ inner circle. Among other sought-after information the interviews contribute definitively as to why the Beatles broke up.

This Element provides a comprehensive overview of the Transcendental Meditation (TM) Movement and its offshoots. Several early assessments of the as a cult and/or new religious movement are helpful, but are brief and somewhat dated. This Element examines the TM movement's history, beginning in India in 1955, and ends with an analysis of the splinter groups that have come along in the past twenty-five years. Close consideration is given to the movement's appeal for the youth culture of the 1960s, which accounted for its initial success. The Element also looks at the marketing of the meditation technique as a scientifically endorsed practice in the 1970s, and the movement's dramatic turn inward during the 1980s. It concludes by discussing the waning of its popular appeal in the new millennium. This Element describes the social and cultural forces that helped shape the TM movement's trajectory over the decades leading to the present and shows how the most popular meditation movement in America distilled into an obscure form of Neo-Hinduism.

Transcendental Meditation (TM) is a simple, natural method of allowing the mind to go beyond thoughts and gain access to the silent inner field of creativity, energy, peace, and happiness that is our own essential nature, our Self. Widely known and prescribed by physicians for its powerful stress-reducing effects, TM is much more than that. Maharishi Mahesh Yogi (1918–2008), who brought TM to the West, said that TM offers any individual not only a gateway to the highest spiritual unfoldment (Enlightenment), but also "sound physical and mental health, greater ability in action, a greater capacity to think clearly, increased efficiency in work, and more loving and rewarding relationships with others." Five million TM practitioners around the world and more than 360 published, peer-reviewed scientific studies have consistently corroborated these lofty claims. Described as "a great book, by far the most comprehensive on the TM Program" when it was a bestseller in its original version, Jack Forem’s study of TM became a much-loved classic. This updated edition contains all the features of the original plus much more. Clear, easy-to-read diagrams explain scientific research showing TM’s beneficial effect on the brain and a broad spectrum of contemporary concerns, from health, self-actualization, and development of intelligence to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and much more. In these pages: · Oprah Winfrey tells how she has offered TM to everyone on her staff. · Dr. Mehmet Oz explains the benefits of TM for heart health. · School principals describe the dramatically positive effect on their students when TM is introduced in the classroom. Interviews with celebrities as well as men and women of every age, background, and religion provide a lively testimonial to the efficacy of TM in making anyone’s life happier, healthier, and more creative.

Written decades before Eat, Pray, Love, this inspiring memoir details one woman’s incredible journey through India to bring Eastern spirituality to the Western world. Even before she arrived at the ashram of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, founder of Transcendental Meditation, in Rishikesh, India, a city at the foothills of the Himalayas along the banks of the Ganges River, in 1962, Nancy Cooke de Herrera lived a lifetime of adventure. During the 1950s, she traveled the globe as a goodwill ambassador of the US State Department, giving lectures on American fashion, culture, and customs. But when her beloved husband, Luis, died, de Herrera sought a life of greater meaning. The Maharishi became her guru, mentor, and friend, and in return she served as his publicist, spreading his message of peace and love wherever she went. In this remarkable autobiography, with a foreword by Deepak Chopra, de Herrera recounts not only her international escapades but also her inner journey to spiritual enlightenment. Trained by the Maharishi, she returned home and taught meditation to troubled youth, HIV/AIDS patients, and celebrities such as Madonna, Sheryl Crow, and Greta Garbo. Her publicity efforts led to the explosion of interest in meditation, yoga, and Eastern spirituality in America. Rich in endearing anecdotes about life at the ashram with famous visitors, including the Beatles, Mia Farrow, and Mike Love, and pieces of timeless wisdom, All You Need Is Love reveals a life lived with compassion, open-mindedness, and the belief that one person can change the world.

The hidden meanings of the Beatles’ most esoteric lyrics and sounds are revealed by a rare insider who spent two decades with the man who made “meditation,” “mantra,” and “yoga” household words: Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. “I absolutely love this book. Between the stories and the pictures, many I’ve not seen before, this is truly a spiritual journey.” —Chris O’Dell, author of Miss O’Dell, My Hard Days and Long Nights with The Beatles, The Stones, Bob Dylan, and the Women They Loved The spiritual journey of the Beatles is the story of an entire generation of visionaries in the sixties who transformed the world. The Beatles turned Western culture upside down and brought Indian philosophy to the West more effectively than any guru. The Inner Light illumines hidden meanings of the Beatles’ India-influenced lyrics and sounds, decoded by Susan Shumsky—a rare insider who spent two decades in the ashrams and six years on the personal staff of the Beatles’ mentor, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. “With clarity, depth, and impeccable research, an exceptionally comprehensive book filled with engaging tales and fresh insights that even diehard Beatles fans will find illuminating.” —Philip Goldberg, author of American Veda: From Emerson and The Beatles to Yoga and Meditation, How Indian Spirituality Changed the West This eye-opening book draws back the curtain on the Beatles’ experiments with psychedelics, meditation, chanting, and Indian music. Among many shocking revelations never before revealed, we discover who invented "raga rock" (not the Beatles), the real identity of rare Indian instruements and musicians on their tracks, which Beatle was the best meditator (not George), why the Beatles left India in a huff, John and George’s attempts to return, Maharishi’s accurate prediction, and who Sexy Sadie, Jojo, Bungalow Bill, Dear Prudence, Blackbird, My Sweet Lord, Hare Krishna, and the Fool on the Hill really were. “This book reminds us in illuminating fashion why Susan is the premier thinker about India’s key influence upon the direction of the Beatles’ art. In vivid and stirring detail, she traces the Fabs’ spiritual awakening from Bangor to Rishikesh and beyond.” —Kenneth Womack, author of John Lennon 1980: The Last Days in the Life Half a century later, the Beatles have sold more records than any other recording artist. A new generation wants to relive the magic of the flower-power era and is now discovering the message of this iconic band and its four superstars. For people of all nations and ages, the Beatles’ mystique lives on. The Inner Light is Susan Shumsky’s gift to their legacy.