The Smiley Smile Message Board

Hey everyone. New member here, I've been scoping out these boards a couple weeks now but have been a fan of the Beach Boys for about 7-8 years.

Anyhow, I was wondering if there was any info on how much the band was really into TM? I know Mike was obviously the most vocal about it (I think he still touts the benefits to this day) and I believe I read somewhere that Dennis was the first of the guys to meet the Maharishi. Brian is given sole credit for TM Song from 15 Big Ones too and from the things he said he seems to be a really "spiritual" guy, or at least was. So, how intense were the guys in their meditation habits? Were Carl, Al and Bruce at all into TM?

Just thought it might be an interesting thread since the guys were so often regarded as "unhip" in the late 60s and early 70s, which is odd considering just how counterculture some of their music is--I'm thinking in particular of tracks like "Little Bird" and "All I Wanna Do" from Friends and Sunflower respectively. And add to this their interest in meditation, etc and it seems like they were very "hip".

I remwember reading somewhere that "Meant for You" was the first track Mike cut vocals to when he returned from his trip to India,  I dont have a reference so I'm not sure how true it is. 

Their hipness was so unconventional and counterintuitive to what was generally considered hip at the time that it was seen as unhip. After all, the Beatles rejected 
Maharishi so how could he be hip?

All but Bruce were into him to a certain degree. Mike especally. Even in the seventiies I heard Dennis say nice things about Maharishi in a couple of interviews though I understand he thought Mike was a little hypocritical about it. I agree they were hip in that 67-73 era. When they were considered cool again is when they became unhip.

I'm pretty sure Brian has been a devotee of TM the longest of the Beach Boys by a couple of years at least.

My wife and I looked into taking the TM courses as a form of stress-relief. We had no idea it cost so much to learn to close your eyes and talk to yourself. Guess I'll be sticking with a cold beer and a left handed cigarette as therapy.

errr... longer than Mike (1967-2009 and counting) ?

Yeah, I know what you mean. But apparently back before it became extremely popular in the late 60s it only cost about 50-100 dollars. Adjusted for inflation that's about 500$ which is still a bit, but nowhere near the 2000+ that it now costs. Really, you can just go with almost any basic form of "mantra" meditation and it could help with stress. Though beer and cigarettes help too!

I think so? Completed the training from Henry Lewy and his wife in the Fall of '66 and it seems to me that recently he has said in interviews that he meditates.

I cant help but agree, I think they were totally hip during that era. I think people were just too busy kissing other bands/artists a**es that they forgot about the BB's.

The Beach Boys were the counter culture to the counter culture!

There are multiple types of meditation, not just TM. For example, Carl started with TM, but moved to another form of meditation (not sure which). Bruce once told me he meditates, but didn't say what form.

Maybe so... but Mike has been a constant adherent during those years whereas Brian has undoubtedly lapsed a few times. it's the word 'devotee' I'm centering on here.  :)

This is an interesting thread as I have often thought there was a lot of parallels between Beach Boys music and meditation itself. The chanting of the smile era reminds me of Buddhist chanting (or doubtless countless other meditative practices that involve chanting).

One aspect of mediation that I have become aware of is the idea that all sounds become mantras - that when you tune in to the sounds all round you they take on a hypnotic meditative quality that brings you out of yourself. I think Brian was intuitively in this place, i.e. hyper sensitive to sound and the result of this was sessions such as woodshop, getting everyone to play the cutlery, despatching Vosse to record water noises etc. I think this is often considered to be a very intellectual, avant garde John Cage music concrete type thing but I always view it as a much more spiritual thing. Just that Brian was hyper tuned in to all sounds and really enjoyed sound for sound's sake and wanted to capture it on record.

Then of course there is the harmonising itself which also reminds me of chanting - trying to achieve a one-ness within a group of people.

So I think there are lots aspects to BB music that make it feel meditative or transcendental and it doesn't surprise me that they were so into TM as a band. I think their music is much more spiritual in this way than the Beatles which I always feel is more intellectual and cynical.

 Om-Namo-Bhagavate-Vasudevaya

 You will achieve very interesting results with this as your Chant/Mantra.......

That's somewhat counter-intuitive. (Not really--just being nonsensical).

Can you elaborate at all on the origin or meaning of this mantra, Big Bri? ???

I would agree that Mike is probably  the most devoted devotee but I still think Brian is "longest" devotee.

Mutedtrumperswan,
   Here's an excerpt from the recent Kris transcript as he gave it to us:

 KRIS: Now if you wish to begin experimenting with sound in those specific terms, we can give you one that is indeed quite potent but do not expect that it will meet your expectation in terms of sense gratification that you are accustomed to.  In your society, you get an itch and it must be satisfied now and if someone promises you an anointment that relieves the itching but it does not relieve it in the moment you apply it, you will complain, “your itch cream did not work”.  Usually because you did not put it on or did not put it on enough.  Do you follow?

JOHN: Oh yeah.

KRIS: The sound vibration that we will begin to use firstly is quite ancient and it makes references to divines.  That means that the energies of the divines is in the tone and it will begin to clear away the clouds of unconsciousness from your present clouded awareness to one of awakening.

JOHN: Lay it on me.

KRIS: Which in many respects is the beginning of human life, awakening to ones inner constitutionality.  Do you follow?

MARK: Yes.

KRIS: That particular sound vibration goes like this, “Om Namo Baghavate Vasudevaya”. (Kris spells it for us). O, m, second word, b, a, g, h, a, v, a, t, e, the last word is, v, a, s, u, d, a, v, y, a.  It is pronounced, “Om”, do forgive us there is another word between “Om” and “Baghavate”.  It is “Namo”, n, a, m, o.  Thus it is, “Om Namo Baghavate Vasudevaya”.

JOHN: “Om Namo Baghavate Vasudevaya”

KRIS: “Vasudevaya”. (Kris corrects the intonation)

JOHN: “Vasudevaya”.

KRIS: It could be an “a”, it is irrelevant. (Referring to John’s intonation)  The important point is to pay attention when you intone it from your diaphragm because it will trigger activity in the navel chakra and as you practice intoning that sound, hopefully you will do it more than for three minutes, you will begin to reflect upon the movement of energy from the navel chakra up towards the crown.  Do you follow?

JOHN: Yes.

KRIS: Any inquiry?

KRIS: And pay attention because it will have an influence in the body and into your subtler bodies.

JOHN: Wow that is fun Kris.

KRIS: And it is also interesting to know that a definite consequence is a powerful quieting of the mind and a change of the breathing patterns.  Any other inquiry?


From the recent Kris session  Transcendent Sound
July 16, 2009

Kris Chronicles
Channeled by Serge J. Grandbois and Transcribed by Jonathan Whelan
Recorded in Toronto, Canada on July 16, 2009

Copyright 2009 Kris Chronicles


 Hopefully that answers your question. I would gather that this Chant predates our particular civilization and would go back to the ancient Vedic civilization. Sounds "Sanskrit" to me.

 Cheers,
 Bri

My mantra: Snialliv DNA Seoreh Pu S'frus Slrig Ainrofilac Elims Sdnuos Tep.
Works like a dream.

Ecnessenibac Erdried!

 :lol Lufrednow! Lufrednow! Lufrednow!

(and not a satanic message in sight...)

nuf nuf nuf nuf nuf nuf nuf nuf nuf....  ;D

 :lol :lol :lol 9 times! This one is soooo, um, funny!!

 Hopefully that answers your question. I would gather that this Chant predates our particular civilization and would go back to the ancient Vedic civilization. Sounds "Sanskrit" to me.

 Cheers,
 Bri
[/quote]

Thanks for the cool info Bri. I'm not sure if it dates from the Vedic period, but it definitely is Sanskrit.

Thanks, Big Bri. Very interesting (even, dare I say, enlightening?)

Heartical, and all you others, I sense skepticism, or maybe you are all just unswerving, rabid devotees of the syoB hcaeB-nosliW nairB faith. naM eht fo rehtaF si dlihC! :)

T'nac Tiaw Litnu Remmus Esuaceb S'ti Annog A Remmus Fo Evol  :lol :lol :lol :lol

Why do BBs titles sound so Welsh when read backwards? Does Brian have ancestors in Aberystwych?

S'ti A Evol Gniht!!

I actually paid to do a TM course when I was 19, this was 16 years ago and it cost me around £100.  The only discernible difference I can see between TM and any other form of meditation (that you can do for free), is that you are given your own personal mantra. I remember being asked to take an orange, this was some kind of symbolic offering, to what or whom, I don't remember!? I'm not saying the whole thing is valueless, but I don't see what all the mystique (and money) is about, it's just the repetition of a mantra, which surely we can all do for free!?

Anyone know whatever happened to the Maharishi anyway???

He went into silence and then passed away.
His body was cremated per Vedic
tradition and dispersed into the sacred
Ganges River.

Check out this TM site, Mike Love, Paul McCartney, & Ringo Starr talk about a launch initiative to teach one million at resk youths to meditate: http://www.tm.org/

Good Vibes,
Moon

The dude was a perv from what I heard, don't know how anybody trusted him.

He died a while back though, at the age of 90, didn't exactly live forever did he  ::)

Very interesting Big Bri, thanks for posting this way back when!

I recall reading an interview in which Mike said he was headed to Switzerland to take the TM levitation course. I think that's the PT Barnum moment, when you fork out scads of $$ to meditate gravity away.
Did he ever get off the ground?

"I think that's the PT Barnum moment" - really well said Stample.

I'm totally hip to a greater consciousness of life and the world around us but as you said, the levitation class, that's the end right there.  TM can only take you so far.  An old friend of mine from high school 25 years ago has an older brother who took the levitation class and alas, he never caught any "big air."