Former Beatles Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr perform at the Change Begins Within Concert Saturday night in New York City. (Stephen Chernin/Associated Press)

Surviving Beatles Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr reunited onstage in a rare public performance for the David Lynch Foundation in New York City.

The two were part of a star-studded roster at the benefit concert Saturday night at Radio City Music Hall. The foundation, created by the American director of Blue Velvet and the TV series Twin Peaks, provides transcendental meditation training to children all over the world.

The Beatles helped popularize Transcendental Meditation in 1968 when they ventured to India seeking spiritual guidance from guru Maharishi Mahesh Yogi.

"It started for us when we met the Maharishi in India and it's going to get bigger and bigger and rule the world," McCartney said after playing his solo hit Jet.

After doing a range of songs from his Beatle days — Let it Be, Lady Madonna and Blackbird — to his work with Wings and as a solo artist, McCartney cheekily introduced Starr as "Bill Shears," the imaginary singer from Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.

The Beatles drummer launched into a version of With a Little Help from My Friends, sharing a microphone with McCartney and embracing him afterwards.

Starr performed It Don't Come Easy, Yellow Submarine and Boys. The pair — who last shared a stage in 2002 when they played a tribute concert in London to honour George Harrison — also joined together for I Saw Her Standing There.

McCartney had a treat for those in attendance, unveiling a song, Cosmically Conscious — an excerpt of which appeared as a hidden track in his 1993 release, Off the Ground.

He revealed that he wrote it during the Beatles' visit to India: "Maharishi would always say that he wanted everyone to be cosmically conscious and he'd do his little giggle," remarked the 66-year-old songwriter.

McCartney was also backed by Donovan, who had joined the Beatles on their Indian sojourn.

Other performers at the Change Begins Within event included Sheryl Crow, Eddie Vedder, Moby, Ben Harper and Beach Boys singer Mike Love.

Established in 2005, the Foundation has helped more than 100,000 at-risk young people, teachers and parents in 30 countries to learn Transcendental Meditation.