 By the time of the Maharishi 's death in 2008 , more than 5 million people had learned Transcendental Meditation , and his world @-@ wide movement was valued in the billions of dollars . The ashram , built on land belonging to the Rajaji National Park , was reclaimed by the government in the mid @-@ 1990s after the lease expired in 1981 , and fell into disrepair . After the Maharishi died , McCartney said : " my memories of him will only be joyful ones . He was a great man who worked tirelessly for the people of the world and the cause of unity " . Starr said in 2008 , " I feel so blessed I met the Maharishi – he gave me a mantra that no one can take away , and I still use it " . In 2009 , McCartney , Starr , Donovan , and Horn reunited at a concert held at New York 's Radio City Music Hall to benefit the David Lynch Foundation , which funds the teaching of Transcendental Meditation in schools . A 2008 article in Rolling Stone magazine reported Yoko Ono as saying : " John would have been the first one now , if he had been here , to recognize and acknowledge what Maharishi has done for the world and appreciate it " . Author Gary Tillery wrote in 2010 that Lennon " benefited from the experience " and " for the rest of his life he often turned to meditation to restore himself and improve his creativity . " 
