Knowledge of this strange “oneness” with God, however, is not attainable by normal intellectual processes. Instead, it comes “by an ecstatic flash of certitude in the midst of deep meditation,” according to Professor Noss. A classic Hindu text, the Bhagavad-Gita (the Lord’s Song), describes such a meditation procedure in these words attributed to the god Krishna:

“A devotee should constantly devote himself to abstraction, remaining in a secret place, alone, . . . remaining steady, looking at the tip of his own nose, . . . he should restrain his mind and concentrate it on Me . . . a devotee whose mind is restrained attains that tranquillity which culminates in final emancipation and assimilation with Me.”

This procedure is related to “the Yoga system” of Hinduism. According to another Hindu writing, Yoga can bring about “a trance in which the mind, now emptied of all content and no longer aware of either object or subject, is absorbed into the Ultimate, and is one with the One.” A person who gets to this point may experience feelings of tranquillity or even ecstasy. Superhuman mental and physical powers, such as clairvoyance and levitation, have been known to result from this special type of meditation.

A school of Chinese Buddhists that stressed such a practice pronounced the Sanskrit word for meditation (dhyana) as “ch’an,” and in Japan it became “zen.” Have you heard of the popular practice of “transcendental meditation” (TM) today? This, too, is related to the aforementioned Hindu views.

As to the practices of Yoga-type meditation, and bhakti-style dancing and chanting, keep in mind that they are based on the fundamental Hindu belief that man has within him an invisible “soul” that can both transmigrate and be “absorbed into the Ultimate.” But does that teaching represent the truth?

Considerable scientific investigation has been made to prove whether humans have a spiritual soul that departs from the body at death or not. But in spite of diligent efforts and much expenditure of money, no scientific evidence of the departure of such a soul has yet come forth. When a person dies, it still appears that he dies completely, with nothing automatically surviving.

Interestingly, the Bible agrees with this. Did you realize that the Scriptures never speak of man as having an immortal soul that separates from the body at death? On the contrary, the Bible declares that the human soul is the whole person. (Gen. 2:7; Ex. 1:5; 1 Pet. 3:20; 2 Pet. 2:14) When a person dies, therefore, the soul dies. (Ezek. 18:4, 20) And, according to the Scriptures, “the dead . . . are conscious of nothing at all.”​—Eccl. 9:5.

The idea of gaining “oneness” of the soul with a transcendental reality through meditation or any other mystic practice, therefore, is simply not true. There is no separate soul in humans to achieve such oneness. Could you benefit lastingly from a procedure that is based on a religious lie?

The Scriptures warn of the existence of “wicked spirit forces in the heavenly places,” and urge people to resist them by putting on “the complete suit of armor from God.” (Eph. 6:11, 12) To succeed in that type of warfare requires that one serve God with one’s “whole mind” and with one’s “power of reason.” (Matt. 22:37; Rom. 12:1) Could you heed that counsel by engaging in a practice that represses normal consciousness? Might not that open you up to possible influence by demonic forces? Under hypnosis, for example, an individual becomes subject to the control of another intelligent person, the hypnotist. And, according to the Encyclopædia Britannica (1974 edition), the initial step toward being hypnotized is for a person “to relax in comfort and to fix his gaze on some object.” Is that not the same as the initial stages of Hindu meditation?

The Bible definitely associates clairvoyant powers, such as are possessed by advanced practitioners of Yoga, with demons. (Acts 16:16-18; Deut. 18:10-12) Would it be wise to devote even brief periods of time each day to procedures that in more developed stages lead to demonic influence? Surely these are not ways truly to satisfy your spiritual needs.