A mystic of the highest order, Vivekananda had a direct and intuitive experience of Reality. He derived his ideas from that unfailing source of wisdom and often presented them in the soul stirring language of poetry.
The Ramakrishna Mission (Ceylon Branch), from the day of its inception in Sri Lanka in 1930, has been maintaining a cordial relationship with the people of all faiths and the successive Governments as well. Our sole motto is spiritual growth, which is stimulated by meditation inwardly, and by work done in a spirit of service outwardly to the needy without any distinction. Harmony of all faiths and creeds is our ideal.
The Ramakrishna Math & Ramakrishna Mission is dedicated to the twin ideals of - Realizing God Within- Serving God In Man.
In 1893, Swami Vivekananda Introduced universal spirit of Hinduism - soul that is everyday realizing its oneness with the Brahman, a heart, that is every moment expanding to reach oneness with the Universal.
His famous speech that began with the words "Sisters and brothers of America.
Swami Vivekananda was a global leader with a global vision and a global mission.
Swami Vivekananda was a global leader with a global vision and a global mission.
Former Director General of UNESCO in his speech in 1993 (during the centenary celebration by UNESCO of the participation of Swami Vivekananda in the World's Parliament of Religions held in Chicago in 1893,) said, "I am indeed struck by the similarity of the constitution of the Ramakrishna Mission which Vivekananda established as early as in 1897 with that of UNESCO drawn up in 1945.
Federation-ground of Universal religious ideas.
Swami Vivekananda spoke the following of the SCOPE & IDEALS on the CONSECRATION of the Ramakrishna Math
“Know for certain that so long as His name shall inspire His followers with His ideals of purity, holiness and loving spirit of charity to all men…. It should be a centre in which would be recognized and practiced a grand harmony of all creeds and faiths as seen in the life of Sri Ramakrishna, and only life-giving ideas of religion in its universal aspect would be preached”
Ramakrishna Paramahamsa belonged to no sector denomination or to put it in another way, he belonged to all sects and denominations both Indian and non-Indian. He was a true Universalist. Swami Vivekananda preached the message of universal brotherhood.
Swami Vivekananda was offered academic positions in two American universities - one for the chair of Eastern Philosophy at Harvard University and another similar position at Columbia University - which he declined since such duties would conflict with his commitment as a monk. The University of Chicago recently established a new visiting professorship in Indian studies.
Ramakrishna Mission stands for the promotion of Universal Brotherhood in all time and in all countries.
by Ramakrishna Mission,
Colombo
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COSMIC VISION
The Jivanmukta beholds the one Reality or God everywhere and in all things. For him there is no distinction between a rogue and a saint, gold and stone, honour and dishonour. He actually feels that all is himself only, that snakes, scorpions, tigers, bears, and lions are as much part of himself as his own eyes, nose, ears, hands, and feet. He is one with the flower, ether, sun, ocean, mountain, and sky. He has cosmic vision and cosmic feelings.
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Unity, The Goal of Religion – Swami Vivekananda
“This universe of ours, the universe of the senses, the rational, the intellectual, is bounded on both sides by the illimitable, the unknowable, the ever unknown. Herein is the search, herein are the inquiries, here are the facts; from this comes the light which is known to the world as religion. Essentially, however, religion belongs to the supersensuous and not to the sense plane. It is beyond all reasoning and is not on the plane of intellect. It is a vision, an inspiration, a plunge into the unknown and unknowable, making the unknowable more than known for it can never be “known”. This search has been in the human mind, as I believe, from the very beginning of humanity. There cannot have been human reasoning and intellect in any period of the world’s history without this struggle, this search beyond. In our little universe, this human mind, we see a thought arise. Whence it arises we do not know; and when it disappears, where it goes, we know not either. The macrocosm and the microcosm are, as it were, in the same groove, passing through the same stages, vibrating in the same key.” - Swami Vivekananda
"All differences in this world are of degree, and not of kind, because oneness is the secret of everything."
Vivekananda proved that man and his true nature is already divine. But that divinity is hidden. Therefore, the realization of that divinity is the purpose of life; that is the religion. To realize that religion, man should have to practice four yogas. Those are the yoga of knowledge or control of mind, or of selfless work, or of love of God. That is the realization of religion. Therefore, religion is the main essence of human life and it has the great motive power to life. Accordingly to him, religion is a value oriented concept too.
His formation of new ideal on universal religion, we can call as universal love or universal brother-hood. It is given an equal value for all of religions of the world, as it is exists with truth. His identification of truth is not only absolute truth but also scientific. And his religion can be practice by each and every body. To understand that it is not necessary deep literacy knowledge, but the practice, it is very much needed. Therefore, it can be applied for all nations, all societies and individuals. It is the harmony of the all religions, so that it is one of best solutions for the prevalent religious conflicts in the world.
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Be Ever Ready for New Truths
Mind is an instrument in the hand of atman just as body is an instrument in the hand of mind. Matter is motion outside, mind is motion inside. All change begins and ends in time. If the Atman is unchangeable, It must be perfect: if perfect, It must be infinite; and if It be infinite, It must be only One; there cannot be two infinities. So the Atman, the Self can be only One. Though It seems to be various. It is really only One. If a man were to go toward the sun, at every step he would see a different sun, and it would be the same sun after all.
Asti, ‘isness’, is the basis of all unity and just as soon as the basis is found, perfection ensues. If all color could be resolved into one color, painting would cease. The perfect oneness is rest; we refer all manifestations to one Being. Taoists, Confucianists, Buddhists, Hindus, Jews, Mohammedans, Christians and Zoroastrians, all have preached the golden rule and in almost the same words; but only the Hindus have given the rationale, because they saw the reason: man must love others because those others are himself. There is but One.
Of all great religious teachers the world has known only Laotze, Buddha and Jesus transcended the golden rule and said, ‘Do good to your enemies’, ‘Love them that hate you’.
Principles exist; we do not create them, we only discover them……. Religion consists solely in realization. Doctrines are methods, not religion. All the different religions are but applications of the one religion adapted to suit the requirements of different nations. Theories only lead to fighting; thus the name of God that ought to bring peace has been the cause of half the bloodshed of the world. Go to the direct source. Ask god what He is. Unless He answers, He is not; but every religion teaches that He does answer.
Have something to say for yourself, else how can you have any idea of what others have said? Do not cling to old superstitions; be ever ready for new truths. ‘Fools are they who would drink brackish water from a well that their forefathers have digged and would not drink pure water from a well that others have digged’. Until we realize God for ourselves we can know nothing about Him.
Each man is perfect by his nature; prophets have manifested this perfection, but it is potential in us. How can we understand that Moses saw God unless we too see Him? If God ever came to anyone He will come to me. I will go to God direct; let Him talk to me.
I cannot take belief as a basis that is atheism and blasphemy. If God spoke to a man in the deserts of Arabia two thousand years ago, He can also speak to me today, else how can I know that He has not died? Come to God any way you can; only come. But in coming do not push anyone down.
The knowing ones must have pity on the ignorant. One who knows is willing to give up his body even for an ant, because he knows that the body is nothing.
Excerpts from ‘Inspired Talks’ By Swami Vivekananda (P196)
The Role of Mythology
Language evolves along with our worldview. It will be proper to say that the worldview evolves because the mind evolves and unfolds itself. The two main view of the mind are: one, material and the other, psychic. Through what does the mind evolve? The answer is, through knowledge. And to the invariable question that follows this: what is its goal? The answer is again knowledge.
Swami Vivekananda opens his Karma Yoga with: ‘The goal of mankind is knowledge’. Sri Ramakrishna also says: the aim of human life is to realize God (the essence of knowledge). Matter is insentient, sentiency belongs to the mind, as it were, and this struggle to work itself out on matter. To another question: does every type of knowledge help? The answer is, yes; but specifically religious knowledge.
Religion has been the greatest force that has impelled humanity towards its goals. It is not to be understood as narrow, fanatical or sectarian but as the essence of searching and discovering truth. ‘Science and religion are both attempts to help us out of the bondage; only religion is more ancient, and we have the superstition that it is more holy. In a way it is, because it makes morality a vital point and science does not….. This purity of the heart will bring the vision of God. It is the theme of the whole music of the universe.’
‘Now in every religion there are three parts: philosophy, mythology and ritual. Philosophy is of course the essence of every religion; mythology explains and illustrates it by means of more or less legendry lives of great men, stories and fables of wonderful things and so on; ritual gives to that philosophy a still more concrete form….’.
Take up any Hindu scripture and one will be amazed to see at how mythology and philosophy or metaphysics have blended perfectly with each other. Even some of the purely philosophical treatise illustrate their points with the help of mythology, for it is found effective in orienting philosophical thought.
To Hindus there is no dichotomy between philosophy and mythology and rituals. Can there be a dichotomy between the superconscious, subconscious and conscious aspects of the mind? Never! There cannot be any compartmentalization between thoughts, feelings, intuitions, instincts, supernal visions, etc.
Man is growing all the time; that does not mean a person disowns the stages of childhood and youth after growing out of them. We cannot disown our past but we build on it. This is one of the reasons why Hindus as a race are not iconoclasts. Do parents pull away toys from the hands of a child? A growing mind needs supports; similarly a mind growing in spirituality needs mythology.
-Excerpts from ‘How to Organise Life-A Vedanta Kesari Presentation’ (P180)
UNIVERSAL RELIGION OF SWAMI VIVEKANANDA AND ITS IMPORTANCE
The Concept of Religion according to Swami Vivekananda
R. A.N.FERNANDO,
Lecturer in Philosophy, Department of Pali and Buddhist Studies, University of Sri Jayawardenepura.
Swami Vivekananda’s Scientific Cosmology
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