Transcendental Meditation
Is It For You?
by M.H. Reynolds, Jr.
©Fundamental Evangelistic Association
TRANSCENDENTAL
MEDITATION is sweeping the country. Its proponents claim that it is the wave of the
future. Its well-financed publicity campaigns, fortified by testimonials from well-known
figures in the sports, entertainment and political world, lead unsuspecting souls to
believe that Transcendental Meditation is the panacea for all of the world's individual
and collective needs.
Transcendental Meditation has an understandable appeal to
people who live in this sin-sick, worry-filled world. Expand your mind! Relax your body!
Relieve your tensions! Transform your life! Put an end to all wars! And, do all of this
without effort! Sounds very attractive, doesn't it?
But what about the facts? Is Transcendental Meditation a
blessing or a curse? Is it a religion or a science? Is it Christian or Pagan? Should you
try it or have nothing to do with it?
Let's take a look at the facts, gathered from the writings
of the founder and from books approved and recommended by his organizations, and compare
them with the Bible, God's Holy Word. (Transcendental Meditation source materials are
numbered and listed at the end of this pamphlet).
T. M. - A Pagan Religion
Transcendental Meditation claims that it is not a
religion, but it is in fact a pagan, anti-Christian religion! Its founder, the Maharishi
Mahesh Yogi, says plainly, "Transcendental Meditation is a path to God." (2,
p. 59). The Maharishi says, "The Lord Khrishna declares that realization of the state
of all knowledge (T.M.) is the only way to salvation and success in life: there is
no other way." (5, p. 228). These statements surely classify it as a religion. The
fact that it is a false religion is seen in a comparison of the Maharishi's statements
with the Bible. Jesus Christ says, "I am the way, the truth and the life: no man
cometh unto the Father, but by me. "John 14:6.
Originally, the Maharishi made no effort to conceal the
religious foundation and nature of Transcendental Meditation. In fact, one of the names
under which Transcendental Meditation is promoted is The Spiritual Regeneration Movement.
However, when the Maharishi brought Transcendental Meditation to America, he found it
could not be promoted in and through public educational institutions if it were religious,
so it promptly took on two other names: Students International Meditation Society and
American Foundation for the Science of Creative Intelligence. Now, T.M. is being promoted
as "SCIENCE," not religion.
T.M. - Not A Science
Is Transcendental Meditation really scientific as it
claims to be? Psychology Today for April, 1974, not only questions the validity of
T.M.'s scientific claims and points out its misuse of data, but it also astutely observes
that, "The Science of Creative Intelligence (another name for T.M.) ... is clearly a
revival of ancient Indian Brahmanism and Hinduism. Its origins lie in the ancient
texts-Vedas, Upanishads Bhagavad-Gita, the teachings of the Buddha and the synthesis of
these traditions by Shankara. It has been simplified for modern Western consumption."
The History of T.M.
A brief history of Transcendental Meditation is important
because of its claim to be scientific and not religious. For 13 1/2 years, the founder of
Transcendental Meditation, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, was a disciple of Swami Brahmananda
Saraswati, the Jagadguru Bhagwan Shankaracharva, or Guru Dev (divine teacher), one of the
four major religious leaders of India. Supposedly commissioned by his "ascended
master" to evolve a simple form of meditation, the Maharishi spent two more years in
seclusion in the Himalayas before introducing Transcendental Meditation in 1956. Failing
to attract much interest in India, the Maharishi exported his teachings to England and
America, striking it rich when the infamous Beatles became his converts. Later, the
Beatles became disillusioned and Transcendental Meditation suffered a drop in popularity.
However, it is back once again, stronger than before-better organized, better financed-a
new "scientific" program with big name converts.
How can Transcendental Meditation claim to be scientific
when it depends completely upon the repetition of a pagan, secret, Sanskrit word called a mantra
and requires participation in a pagan religious ritual before this secret word is
given? At the very heart of the T.M. program is the initiation ceremony in which the
candidate is given his own secret Sanskrit word (mantra) to meditate on after being
involved in an act of heathen worship. Transcendental Meditation leaders deny that the
candidate is a participant-"just an observer" they say. But accounts of the
initiation ceremonies given in T.M. approved books speak of the candidate and teacher
going into an incense-filled room; standing (some speak of kneeling) before a candle-lit
picture of the Guru Dev (divine teacher); and making a symbolic offering of three pieces
of fresh, sweet fruit, 6-12 fresh flowers and a new, white handkerchief, all of which must
be brought by the candidate.
As detailed by one initiate: "My teacher briefly
explained to me what the ceremony consisted of.... Then we both stood in front of the
portrait and she sang, quite softly, some lilting sentences in Sanskrit.... The flowers
were representative of life; the fruit, the seed of life; the handkerchief, the cleansing
of the spirit .... After concluding the chanting, which included the names of many of the
'masters' who have kept the technique intact for thousands of years, my instructor turned
to me and asked me to repeat a two-syllable word after her. This was to be my
mantra." (4, p. 47)
Is this initiation ceremony just a simple observance of
tradition or is it a significant act of pagan worship? Listen now to the words of the
Maharishi as to the significance and importance of this ceremony and other Hindu rites and
rituals:
"Every rite and ritual is basically founded on the
principle of these vibrations. There are specific chantings which go along with specific
rites. All that we do, we make our offerings TO OUR MASTER and how to make offerings so
that we get maximum out of the offering. When we offer a flower, we say something; when we
offer some water, we say something; when we make offerings of handkerchief, we say
something. All these rites and rituals are meant to supplement the effect of the hymns or
the mantras or the vibrations or the sound waves that we emit through these particular
mantras to have the atmosphere purified. This has very, very great meaning." (2, p.
39). Beyond any doubt, this is heathen idolatry.
It has been discovered that the "puia" of the
initiation ceremony is not just a simple observance of tradition but actually involves a
formal "bowing down" to the key deities of the Hindu religion. It has been
further revealed that the "mantras" used in Transcendental Meditation are not
just meaningless sounds but are actually words from the Hindu Vedic scriptures and some of
these mantras refer to Hindu gods and goddesses.
Selling T.M. To The Public
The Maharishi Mahesh Yogi has found a way, through
Transcendental Meditation, to "sell" the Western world a pagan, Hindu approach
to God and world peace. And sell it he does! T.M. is not a gift. New candidates pay fees
of $125, $65 and $55 for adults, college and high school students respectively.
T.M. is
now big business and goes under the following organizational titles:
- Students Int'l Meditation Society (SIMS)
- American Foundation for the Science of
- Creative Intelligence (AFSCI)
- Spiritual Regeneration Movement (SRM)
- International Meditation Society (IMS)
- Maharishi International University (MIU)
- World Plan Executive Council (WPEC)
All of these organizations are designed to promote
Transcendental Meditation throughout the world with a goal of 3600 training centers and
one T.M. teacher for every 1000 persons in the world.
In 1983, the U.S. Dept. of Education made a quarter
million dollar grant to the Maharishi's International University in Fairfield, Iowa, where
all the students, faculty and staff practice the TM program and where one of the courses
is in "levitation." A University spokesman explained that they offer a course
called the TM-SIDHI program for developing specific abilities, one of which is levitation
or "what we call flying." The expensive, imposing, so-called Golden Domes of
Pure Knowledge constructed on this T.M. university campus have made it a tourist
attraction but few are aware of the pagan teachings which take place inside.
In the State of California, hundreds of thousands of
dollars of tax money have been spent on the work of the California Task Force to
Promote Self Esteem. One of the so-called "creative approaches" used by this
task force was Transcendental Meditation. The completed work of this Task Force is being
promoted as a wonderful new model for effective education throughout the USA and around
the world. One of it's attractive educational packages is called, "A World Safe for
Children," yet its basic tenets are founded upon humanistic psychology and pagan
philosophies such as promoted by T.M.
One of the Maharishi's latest programs involves the
setting up of what he calls, "Cities of Immortals" which he says will be open,
not only to those who practice T.M., but to all who want to live in a "heaven on
earth." Projected locations in California include Sacramento, San Jose and San
Geronimo Valley.
So cleverly and under so many deceptive titles has T.M.
been foisted upon an unsuspecting public, that millions of people have already been
brainwashed without even realizing it. The multifaceted T.M. programs and seminars are
indoctrinating people of all ages and in every walk of life with its deadly doctrines.
Seminars for educators, health professionals, business and government leaders, members of
the armed forces, housewives, young people and children are filling countless minds and
hearts with Satanic substitutes for God's full provision for every temporal and spiritual
need, now and throughout eternity.
It should be recognized that almost anything can be sold
to the public these days through massive promotional campaigns with testimonials from
satisfied users. Thousands of young people have become hooked on drugs because of
testimonials from others that it would expand their mind. Many people have become involved
in false cults and religions because of testimonials from others concerning
"miracles," "hearings" and "financial prosperity." People
fail to consider where the road ends when they start out on their journey. Yet, God warns,
"There is a way which seemeth fight unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways
of death. " Proverbs 14:12. Because Transcendental Meditation is based on a
pagan, anti-Christian philosophy, it can never meet the need of sinful men or provide
lasting help to anyone. Those who testify to the "immediate results" of
T.M. are
deceived, having fallen under satanic deception masquerading as a path to God.
The Maharishi’s Teachings Unbiblical
It is not difficult to prove conclusively that the
Maharishi's teachings are contrary to the Bible and therefore, contrary to Biblical
Christianity. Of dozens of examples, we cite the following:
THE MAHARISHI SAYS: "The great practical
wisdom of the Bhagavad-Gita is the highest divine wisdom ever revealed to man." (1,
p. 319).
THE BIBLE SAYS: "... for Thou hast
magnified Thy Word (the Bible) above all Thy name." Psalm 138:2b.
THE MAHARISHI SAYS: "It does not matter
whether they call themselves Christian, Mohammedan, Hindu or Buddhist-any name will be
significant." (1, p. 254).
THE BIBLE SAYS: "Neither is there salvation
In any other, for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must
be saved." Acts 4:12.
THE MAHARISHI SAYS: "Fortunately for our
generation, there has come to us an easy method to make the life pure. This realization of
transcendental pure consciousness amounts to gaining absolute purity of life." (1, p.
64).
THE BIBLE SAYS: "Unto Him [Jesus
Christ] that loved us, and washed us from our sins in His own blood."
Revelation 1:5b.
THE MAHARISHI DENIES the reality of Hell, "The
true spirit of religion is lacking when it counts only what is right and wrong and creates
a fear of punishment and hell and the fear of God in the mind of man." (1, p. 251).
JESUS CHRIST SAID: 'And fear not them which kill
the body, but are not able to kill the soul.- but rather fear him which is able to destroy
both soul and body in Hell." Matthew 10:28.
THE MAHARISHI SAYS: "I don't think Christ ever
suffered or Christ could suffer." (2, p. 1 23).
THE BIBLE SAYS: "For Christ also hath once
suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God.... " 1
Peter 3:18.
The Maharishi slavishly follows all the philosophies of
Hindu paganism-a false religion that has been a blight to India and all other countries
where it has predominated. The Maharishi believes in evolution, re-incarnation,
universalism and bluntly states that, "EVERYBODY HAS IT-HAS HIS OWN GOD WITHIN
HIM." (2, p. 65). ;
By every Biblical standard, the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi
is shown to be a false prophet.
Limited space prevents a more extensive examination of the
Maharishi's anti-Christian, anti-Biblical philosophy and teaching. He may have revealed,
however, more of his true purpose than he intended when he wrote, "Through this
meditation, transcendental system of meditation, people are going to become much, much
more refined and BROADER IN THEIR OUTLOOK, and some will get into INVESTIGATION OF THE
VEDIC (HEATHEN) TEACHINGS and truth and will bring it out and the whole wisdom of
integrated life will be available for all.... The knowledge of the Vedas is eternal and
deals with creation and with dissolution. It is eternal knowledge." (2, p. 43).
T.M. fits in beautifully with the ecumenical, one-world
church. The Maharishi says, "Let it [T.M.] be adopted by the peoples of all
religions, and let them enjoy it while being proud of their faiths." (1, p. 253).
Also, T.M. promises to relieve tensions and conflicts among peoples and nations. This
makes communism, for example, more readily accepted by one whose mind is thus opened to
radicalism. It is true that many tensions and conflicts need to be eliminated-but not the
battle against Satan, false doctrine, sin, and godless communism.
It is claimed that over 600,000 Americans have already
become Transcendental Meditators with 15,000 new enrollees every month. This makes it a
force to be reckoned with, both numerically and financially. Of further concern is the
Maharishi's WORLD PLAN which is now offering to, "local, state and national
governments of all countries, concrete proposals to implement the WORLD PLAN"-and
note this "and eliminate the age-old problems of mankind in this generation."
(3, p. 54). This World Plan also includes pushing T.M. through the public
institutions-jails, hospitals, the armed services, and so forth.
If you wish to remain silent while this pagan Hindu
philosophy infiltrates your home, school and nation, that, of course, is your privilege.
If you do not wish to remain silent, we urge you to join us in opposing and exposing this
false religion which is being offered to people in the name of science. Everyone should
know its true nature and goals!
The true wisdom of God peace of mind ' cleansing from sin and hope for the future
cannot be found in T. M. It can only be found through faith in Jesus Christ. Accept the
invitation of Christ who says, "Come unto Me, all ye that labor and are heavy
laden, and I will give you rest " Matthew 11:28. Christ says, "Peace I
leave with you, My peace I give unto you, not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let
not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid." John 14:27. There is no
initiation fee Jesus paid it all. You will not be turned away empty for Christ says, ",..him
that cometh to me, I will in no wise cast out." John 6:37.
THE BIBLE SAYS: "For God so loved the world
that He gave His only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but
have everlasting life. " John 3:16.
THE BIBLE SAYS: "Blessed is the man that
walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth
in the seat of the scornful But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in HIS LAW doth
he meditate day and night." Psalm 1: 1-2.
For the peace that passeth understanding, accept Christ as your Saviour and meditate
in His Word-the Bible-daily!
SOURCE MATERIALS:
- (1) Transcendental Meditation, by Maharishi Mahesh
Yogi (former title-The Science of Being and Art of Living).
- (2) Meditations of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi (a key to
understanding Transcendental Meditation in the famous prophet's own words).
- (3) Fundamentals of Progress - a T.M. publication
(1975-the year of fulfillment for the World Plan).
- (4) Tranquility Without Pills - Jahn Robbins &
David Fisher (all about Transcendental Meditation).
- (5) Maharishi Mahesh Yogi - On the Bhagavad-Gita.
- M. H. REYNOLDS, EDITOR, FOUNDATION MAGAZINE
