The Secret of the Mantras

by Richard Blakely

Fleeing the country in its headlong rush to war in Vietnam, a young American drops out of school and goes to Paris to write. After a year and a half, he realizes that if you have to work to live there, Paris is a lot like any other city, except that it’s full of Americans who came there to write. One night he and a friend go to the Paris Hilton to attend a lecture on a “great new movement that is sweeping the world.” A month later the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi invites him to India to attend a three-month teacher-training course on Transcendental Meditation. Based on journals Blakely kept at the time, the second half of this book is an eye-witness account of that gathering on the banks of the Ganges in the spring of 1968, which Blakely describes as “a lot like Woodstock but without all the people and the noise, and lasting a lot longer.” While this book is primarily a personal journey, coming to terms with a crucial period in the author’s life, it also provides a close-up portrait of the Maharishi, from someone who caught a glimpse of the wizard behind the curtain. In addition, it contains vignettes of other people who also happened to attend that course in Rishikesh---including George Harrison, John Lennon, Mia Farrow, and Mike Love---that readers will find entertaining and informative.

322 pages, Paperback

First published March 22, 2013

Reviews

[Piper Templeton · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Secrets of the Mantras" is an exceptionally-written first-hand account of author Richard Blakely's three-month teacher training course in Transcendental Meditation with the Maharishi Yogi in India in the late sixties. The book starts out in Paris where the author is a young American making a living by teaching English while he pursues his writing dreams. After attending a lecture by the Maharishi, he finds himself invited as a guest to attend the course in India.

It is written in a clear, conversational way. The descriptions are vivid: "What we could see were the lights of Rishikesh in the distance, with a few others twinkling nearby, and straight above us an array of stars that looked like fireworks frozen in midair."

For people seeking an unpretentious look at the attitudes and vibe of the late sixties, this book is a must. While it deals with heavy issues—people seeing a deeper spiritual connection, the angst of falling in love, disillusionment, deep set abandonment issues—it never loses its sense of humor. Surrounded by many who are probably taking everything too seriously, the author's sense of humor and skepticism serve(d) him and the book well.

A bonus for Beatles fans: Mr. Blakely was in India at the same time the Beatles were. Fans will relish the first-hand encounters with the Beatles and members of their entourage. The anecdotes about those encounters are seamlessly woven into the narrative so as not to dominate or shift the book's direction to the famous musicians

Some people are gifted story tellers, and this book reads like an evening listening to one of those gifted story tellers spin interesting, exciting, meaningful tales of a time in his or her life.

[Paula · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting book, especially for those of us in the Boomer generation. This was a particularly turbulent time in our history, a time when Eastern practices were introduced to the West. A time of turbulence in other parts of the world that I was not even aware of because I was safely home having babies. An interesting follow-up would be how this experience and TM training effected the rest of Mr. Blakely's life. How did he integrate this experience and has it had a positive impact in our world?

[Mary Ann Merlin · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is absolute nonsense.

You would expect a book titled secret of mantras would have much to say about mantras. Right ?? I didn't expect long winded stories that hold no meaning for me. For serious mediators this book is worthless. Please look elsewhere. THUMB DOWN!!!