ABSTRACT

The Beatles sent pink tulips and carnations to his suite at the Plaza. The Beach Boys, long fascinated by mystic meditation, accompanied him from Los Angeles. Chic ladies and gentlemen from the fashion slicks scurried around television cables for a glimpse of the guru’s smile. The ballsier reporters squatted around a white satin couch on which the Maharishi reclined. The Maharishi makes no attempt to disguise his elitism. He considers wealth and achievement important signs of spiritual advancement. When he brought his technique to Germany, factory bosses embraced the movement after they discovered that transcendental meditation could increase production. In New York, the Maharishi wanted to meet the media. A large theatrical agency, which also handles public relations for the Ringling Brothers, Barnum & Bailey Circus, arranged his press conference, circulated in the audience with flowers in their stiff lapels, and surrounded their client like steel-gray columns.