Mystics: Soothsayer for Everyman

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What do Shirley MacLaine, the Beatles, Mia Farrow and the Rolling Stones have in common? The answer, as any tabloid reader knows by now, is a starry-eyed devotion to Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, a bearded Indian guru who preaches a method of "transcendental meditation" that might be summed up as how to succeed spiritually without really trying.

India, of course, has countless yogis, swamis, mystics and meditators who variously expound Hinduism's belief that ultimate reality can be known not through reason, but only through the soul's intuition of itself. Though some of these holy men have managed to get a hearing outside their own country, none has done so well in modern times as the Maharishi (Great Sage), who had a considerable following even before he met and conquered the Beatles last August while on a lecture tour of England.

Peace Without Penance. Son of a government revenue inspector, the Maharishi discovered his concept of transcendental meditation during two years of seclusion in the Himalayan mountain village of Utar Kashi. The Great Sage's explanation of his message is a trifle opaque: "When the conscious mind expands to embrace deeper levels of thinking, the thought wave becomes more powerful and results in added energy and intelligence." In a word, some skeptics have suggested, "Think." All that is required to achieve this state of "pure being," says the guru, is a little reflective thought, preferably half an hour at a time for beginners.

The Maharishi has been sharply criticized by other Indian sages, who complain that his program for spiritual peace without either penance or asceticism contravenes every traditional Hindu belief. His critics are also upset by the Maharishi's claim that the Bhagavad Gita, Hinduism's epic religious poem, has been wrongly interpreted by most previous commentators. The Maharishi contends that its real lesson is that "any man, without having to renounce his way of life, can enjoy the blessings of all these paths" by simply following his own meditative technique.

Perhaps because of its comfortable teachings, the Maharishi's "Spiritual Regeneration Movement" has spread quickly outside India. Transcendental meditation is now practiced by an estimated 100,000 followers in 35 countries from Denmark to New Zealand. Headquarters of the spiritual empire is the Maharishi's academy on a shaded, 15-acre site overlooking the sacred Ganges River at Rishikesh, 130 miles north of New Delhi. When the guru, a bachelor, is not proselytizing about the globe, he resides at Rishikesh in a simple, red brick bungalow, where he often meditates for 20 or 30 days at a stretch. His bedroom is air-conditioned.

Calm & Insight. Last week the academy was being spruced up in preparation for the arrival of the Beatles. The Liverpool boys are particularly enthusiastic about the convenience of the Maharishi's method, since they can be regenerated without interrupting their schedule. "You can close your eyes in the middle of Piccadilly and meditate," exults George Harrison. The Beatles, who now meditate at least once a day, are convinced that the guru's guidance has endowed them with greater calm and insight.