Water Dissolves Water. . . Live

Last evening, Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, pictured above dueting on "A Little Help From My Friends," reunited for the "Change Begins Within" benefit concert at Radio City Music Hall.  The benefit was for the David Lynch Foundation to promote the teaching of Transcendental Meditation to school children.



Many well-known figures from the world of entertainment participated.  Here's Ben Harper (left) and Eddie Vedder (right) performing together.



Participants were not limited to rock musicians.  Above are director David Lynch ("Blue Velvet," "Twin Peaks") and actress Laura Dern.  I had not known that the intelligent Ms. Dern meditated, but it does not surprise me that Lynch has rubbed off on her, considering the number of projects they've worked on together ("Blue Velvet," "Wild At Heart").



Here's your obligatory photo op, featuring McCartney, Lynch, Starr, Bettye LaVette, and, umm, who's that human troll doll on the right?  OMG!  It's Donovan, the 60s troubadour and flower child, having a bad hair day and offering evidence that the benefits of TM do not extend to fashion consciousness. Other stars gathered at the event and promoting meditation included the Beach Boys' Mike Love, Sheryl Crow, Jerry Seinfeld, and Howard Stern (of all people).

This is a good thing, and I'm glad to see the glitterati's enthusiasm over meditation.  TM is not the same as Zen - although both are structured on the practice of meditation, the forms of meditation are different.  It can even be said that zazen isn't true meditation, as there is no "object" which the subject contemplates; for this reason, zazen has sometimes been called "objectless meditation."  And although there are many benefits of meditation, Zen takes the practice deeper, into an inquiry on the very nature of the self ("what is it that meditates?").  Having said that, I have absolutely no dispute with TM, and wish the David Lynch Foundation the very best.