sixties

             "Don't worry, be happy." This phrase for the most part summed up the philosophy of the hippie culture. People were to love each other, and there was happiness and bliss. The hippie philosophy, though, didn't just create itself. The hippie movement was revolutionized by Eastern influence in the areas of spirituality, music, theater, art, and drugs. The views of the East made the hippie culture more than just a small group of extremists. The power of the philosophy made the movement a revolution.
             In order to understand the role Eastern philosophy played in the hippie culture, one must first have background in the gurus and teachers of the East. Gurus are individuals who teach the world about their spiritual way of life. Meher Baba was one of many gurus who had a large following in the United States in the sixties. He preached about Eastern philosophy and was popularized with influential quotes such as "Don't worry, be happy." He was one of the first people to bring Hinduism to a large group of Americans, although was a man of few words. 1920 through 1968, Meher Baba didn't say one word, yet maintained thousands of followers (Bhairava p.210). "He took a vow of silence, claiming that words and speech was a way of expressing lack of thought." (Bhairava p.213)
             Other guru's who were influential in the Aquarian movement were Swami Satchadananda and Sri Satya Sai Baba. Satchadananda came to the United States often, and was popular with many musical groups in the 60's such as The Beatles, Jefferson Airplane, The Police (Sting in particular) and Sweet Water (Kamenetz p.44). Sai Baba was another guru with many American followers, although he never left India. He had artists, such as George Harrison, go and see him. Sai Baba became most popular for his manifestation of objects out of thin air (Krystal p.32).
             Maharishi Mahesh Yogi was among the most popular o...

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sixties. (1969, December 31). In MegaEssays.com. Retrieved 01:11, March 29, 2024, from https://www.megaessays.com/viewpaper/57401.html