 Donovan taught Lennon a guitar finger @-@ picking technique that he passed on to Harrison . The technique was subsequently implemented by Lennon on the Beatles songs " Julia " and " Dear Prudence " . The latter was composed by Lennon to lure Prudence Farrow out of her intense meditation . Lennon later said : " She 'd been locked in for three weeks and was trying to reach God quicker than anyone else " . Another inspiration was hearing for the first time Bob Dylan 's newly released album , John Wesley Harding . The stay at the ashram turned out to be one of the group 's most creative periods . According to Lennon he wrote some of the " most miserable " and some of his " best songs " while he was in Rishikesh . Both Lennon and McCartney often spent time composing rather than meditating , and even Starr wrote a song , " Don 't Pass Me By " , which was his first solo composition . Plans were made for a concert in Delhi to feature the Beatles , the Beach Boys , Donovan , and Paul Horn . Harrison complained that more time should be spent on meditating , saying , " We 're not here to talk about music . We 're here to meditate . " Lennon commented on Harrison 's commitment to meditation by saying : " The way George [ Harrison ] is going , he 'll be flying a magic carpet by the time he 's forty . " 
