Celebrated Hollywood director David Lynch is deeply influenced by Sanatan Dharma. He regularly practices Transcendental Meditation, and is a disciple of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, the Indian Spiritual Guru, who is the founder of a worldwide movement. It might come as a surprise for a man whose films expose the dark recess of the human psyche to dedicate his life in search of a deeper meaning and spiritual peace. Lynch has founded the David Lynch Foundation for Consciousness-Based Education and Peace to help students learn Transcendental Meditation.
David struggled with anger and depression before he was introduced to meditation. “I felt the suffocating rubber clown suit of negativity dissolving, and it was such a feeling of bright freedom” he says of his experience with meditation. Lynch got initiated into Transcendental Meditation in 1973, and has been an ardent follower ever since. He reveres Maharishi Mahesh Yogi and believes his movement will help spread peace in the world. David talks about expanding one’s consciousness through meditation –
“There is an ocean of pure, vibrant consciousness in each one of us. It is right at the source of thought and matter. This consciousness has qualities of peace, love, bliss, intelligence and creativity. This field of consciousness enlivens and grows, and the final outcome is called enlightenment“. He says the negative things such as anger, depression and sorrow leave the one who meditates.
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Talking about his Guru, David says – “Maharishi is an incredible master-teacher-guru. The depth of his understanding of the vedas is phenomenal. It’s all there. You just read it and it’s something that is truly infinitely deep and profound.” Maharishi Mahesh Yogi also famously inspired The Beatles to take up the path of meditation and give up drugs. Many other Hollywood celebrities such as Katy Perry and Clint Eastwood are deeply influenced by him.
He also talks about the universal laws given in the Vedas and their non-religious nature. Being deeply inspired by the Bhagavad Gita, David frequently ‘tweets’ verses from it. On the professional front, David has received three Academy Award nominations and is a recipient of Academy Honorary Award in 2019, the Palm D’Or and the Golden Lion Award for lifetime achievement.
This article is part of a series on Global Celebrities who have been influenced by Sanatan Dharma.