David Lynch interviews Paul McCartney (Part 2) about India and Rishikesh in 1968

Transcript:

David Lynch: Did Maharishi personally teach you?

Paul McCartney: Yes, so what happened then [see part one], we went to Bangor in Wales, and we attended a seminar there.

And, as you know there were always lots of flowers around Maharishi so there was always a very... Nature was very involved, you go the feeling... he often used to carry the flowers. There was this feeling of connection with nature, that was very grounding. And then eventually we went out to Rishikesh with him, which was more sustained.

David Lynch: How long had you been meditating when you went to Rishikesh?

Paul McCartney: I am not sure of the exact times, because it was forty years ago, but I would say a month or so... roughly that.

David Lynch: When you got to Rishikesh, you went to the ashram and what was the routine like? What was the experience like in Rishikesh?

Paul McCartney: It was great, it was very straight forward, very simple. The whole place was very simple, there was nothing fancy about it.

It was great, it was very straight forward, very simple

You would wake up, then go for breakfast in the morning, a light breakfast. You socialize a bit with the other members, and get to know each other. And then you would go back for your morning meditation... Go back to your room. We had little chalets kind of thing. Each of us had little rooms, which were very simple but adequate.

And, you would just sit, and you would meditate. And, then was lunch and again you would socialize and chat and stuff. Then you would meditate in the afternoons.

Sometimes Maharishi would have a meeting every so often with you, and you could talk to him about your experiences and he would help guide you.

In the evening there was a kind of question and answer session. That was slightly more formal, that was in a hall. And we were all just be with all the students, and Maharishi would come and talk, and then he would take questions, you would just listen about people's experiences. And that was the kind - the sort of thing that happened each day.

David Lynch: How many songs did you write in Rishikesh do you think?

Paul McCartney: We wrote quite a few, between us. Yes, we had some good inspiration. And you know, and the time we weren't meditating, we had our guitars with us, so we would do quite a little bit of writing, it was inspirational. It wasn't all about meditation, it’s just you were focused.

But yeah, there was some very blissful moments, I remember one in particular, when I been meditating for a while. And I got to a really good place, and I remember the feeling was, that I was a feather. I felt like I actually was a feather floating over a hot-air pipe, a very nice feeling. And I remember that vividly. And I reported that to Maharishi, and he giggled: "Yes, this is good", such a joy!

David Lynch: Fantastic.

such a joy

"I remember having a great meditation, one of the best I ever had. It was a pleasant afternoon, in the shade of these big tropical trees on the flat roof of this bungalow. It appeared to me that I was like a feather over a hot-air pipe, a warm-air pipe. I was just suspended by this hot air, which was something to do with the meditation. And it was a very very blissful feeling. It took you back to childhood when you were a baby, some of the secure moments when you've just been fed or you were having your nap. It reminded me of those nice, secure feelings. And I thought, Well, hell, that's great, I couldn't buy that anywhere. That was the most pleasant, the most relaxed I ever got, for a few minutes I really felt so light, so floating, so complete." --Paul McCartney, from the book, 'Many Years From Now'