 Philip Goldberg , in his book American Veda : From Emerson and the Beatles to Yoga and Meditation , How Indian Spirituality Changed the West , wrote that the Beatles ' trip to Rishikesh , " may have been the most momentous spiritual retreat since Jesus spent those forty days in the wilderness " . Despite their temporary rejection of the Maharishi , they generated wider interest in Transcendental Meditation , which encouraged the study of Eastern spirituality in Western popular culture . Chopra credits Harrison with spreading TM and other Eastern spiritual practices to America almost single @-@ handedly . 
