DOCSLIB.ORG

Christian and Hindu Swami Ranganathananda Moulding Our

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Christian and Hindu Swami Ranganathananda Moulding Our 358 MARCH - APRIL 2011 Monastic Spirituality: Christian and Hindu Swami Ranganathananda Moulding Our Lives with Sri Ramakrishna’s Teachings Swami Bhuteshananda Divine Wisdom MASTER: "Once a teacher was explaining to a disciple: God alone, and no one else, is your own.' The disciple said: 'But, revered sir, my mother, my wife, and my other relatives take very good care of me. They see nothing but darkness when I am not present. How much they love me!' The teacher said: 'There you are mistaken. I shall show you presently that nobody is your own. Take these few pills with you. When you go home, swallow them and lie down in bed. People will think you are dead, but you will remain conscious of the outside world and will see and hear everything. Then I shall visit your home. "The disciple followed the instructions. He swallowed the pills and lay as if unconscious in his bed. His mother, wife, and other relatives began to cry. Just then the teacher came in, in the guise of a physician, and asked the cause of their grief. When they had told him everything, he said to them: 'Here is a medicine for him. It will bring him back to life. But I must tell you one thing. This medicine must first be taken by one of his relatives and then given to him. But the relative who takes it first will die. I see his mother, his wife, and others here. Certainly one of you will volunteer to take the medicine. Then the young man will come back to life.' "The disciple heard all this. First the physician called his mother, who was weeping and rolling on the ground in grief. He said to her: 'Mother, you don't need to weep any more. Take this medicine and your son will come to life. But you will die.' The mother took the medicine in her hand and began to think. After much reflection she said to the physician, with tears in her eyes: 'My child, I have a few more children. I have to think about them too. I am wondering what will happen to them if I die. Who will feed them and continued on the inside back cover 358 MARCH - APRIL 2011 Contents 50 Editorial: Is Buddha Relevant for Us? (cont.) 54 Monastic Spirituality: Christian and Hindu Swami Ranganathananda 64 Moulding Our Lives with Sri Ramakrishna’s Teachings Swami Bhuteshananda 74 The Art and Science of Doing Work and Service (cont.) Umesh C. Gulati 80 Leaves of an Ashrama: 36 What is Seen Outside is Mostly Projected Swami Vidyatmananda 82 God is also Mother (cont.) Hans Torwesten 89 Discipleship Swami Vivekananda 96 Programme ISSN 1355 - 6436 Editorial Is Buddha Relevant for Us (cont.) he world is like the curly tail of a dog” (Swami “TVivekananda). External circumstances may change. But the nature of man and the world remains the same through eternity. Hence Buddha remains as relevant for us today as he was in the past and will remain so for ever. So long as man remains ignorant, so long suffering is inevitable; so long Buddha remains relevant. Buddha divided his scheme of spiritual disciplines into three stages. He calls the first stage as prajna or wisdom. It consists of Right View and Right Determination. Here wisdom is more faith than realization. Right View is not the wisdom of enlightenment. This is the wisdom or indirect knowledge born of faith in a purified mind. As a result of living a dharmic or righteous life, faith dawns and makes us believe in the reality of the transcendental reality. Right View enables us to understand the truth of both the visible and the invisible worlds. This was discussed in our last editorial. Having obtained Right View one should make the Right Determination to avoid all evil and to lead a righteous life. This requires tremendous power of will. Perhaps we belong to the category of: “I can resist anything but temptation”. (Oscar Wilde) Most of us know intellectually what is good and right. But the difficulty arises when we try to put it into practise. The degree of a person's success in any field of life is commensurate with the degree of will-power he has attained. A strong will is needed to obtain success in anything. Lord Buddha himself was a great exemplar of strong determination. Once he understood samsara, the transmigratory 50 Swami Dayatmananda truth of life, correctly, he determined to follow a way of life that would put an end to it. For six years he tried hard to attain to illumination but could not succeed. At last he made a strong determination and sat down under the Bodhi tree making the mighty resolution, “Let my skin, and sinews, and bones become dry, and let all the flesh and blood in my body dry up, but never from this seat will this body stir, until I have attained the supreme and absolute wisdom!” That very night, it is said, he attained Bodhi, illumination. Sri Ramakrishna practised super-human austerities for the realization of the Divine Mother. He thought he may never be able to see the Divine Mother, and in his desperation decided to put an end to his life. That very moment he had the vision of the Divine Mother. In his view persons of weak will can never succeed in anything. He often used to say: “There are so many (people) who are soft like popped rice soaked in milk no strength within, no grit, soft and slippery.” The Upanishads also declare emphatically: “This Atman cannot be attained by the weak.” Come New Year, most of us make many resolutions. But few of us, alas, have the grit to carry them out into practice. We sincerely wish to, but we are unable to. Why is this so? Because of our past impressions, habits. Swami Vivekananda used to say that the history of the world is nothing but the story of a few persons, of great character and tremendous will power. The essence of true education is the development of will-power. Swami Vivekananda says: “What is education? Is it book-learning? No. Is it diverse knowledge? Not even that. The training by which the current and expression of will are brought under control and become fruitful is called education.” We all need this kind of education. According to Buddha after obtaining Right View one should 51 Editorial make a strong determination to put his teachings into practice. Through practice faith must be transformed into fact, into realization. It means many drastic changes must be made in life. Spiritual life is nothing but bringing about complete change in one’s life and outlook. This transformation of the worldly old man into the spiritual new man requires tremendous courage, grit, determination, and power of the will. Many of us start our spiritual life with noble intentions. But gradually our life turns into boring routine. No joy or enthusiasm is found in it. We lose hope of advancing in spiritual life. Worse, some of us turn into embodiments of negativity. Often, our very inner dissatisfaction leads into scepticism, fault-finding, slander-mongering, and constant back-biting of others. We will be the first to raise vehement objections for any thing noble. We lose the faculty of seeing good in anything. Without a strong will there will be no joy, hope or progress in life. How do we know our will is getting stronger? Below are a few hints. a. Only a man of good character can develop a strong will. Let us not forget that ‘will’ is a power of God, and the better our character the nearer we are to God. There is a misnomer that many wicked dictators we come across in history are men of strong will. Quite the contrary. The more wicked a person the weaker is his will. What appears to be a strong will is nothing but their ‘egos’ blown out of all proportion. That is the reason why such people always leave a trail of blood and destruction in their wake. True will power stems from God, and makes one truly great. The test of real will power lies in its ability to bring greater good to many for a long time. b. Only a person of strong will can look upon all events of life in a positive light; such a person alone could rise 52 Swami Dayatmananda above even most daunting experiences of life. In fact the greater the opposition the stronger grows his determination and will. c. Hope and joy would be the constant companions of a strong will. d. Only a man of iron will can have the magnanimity to forgive and forget those who oppose and even try to destroy him (and God, in His grace, provides more than enough opposition for each sincere striving soul!) e. Only a man of strong will can persist till the end, till the realization of God. Hence the need for the development of a strong will cannot be emphasised enough. We must do our best to make ourselves strong. So what is the way to develop a strong will? One wishing to strengthen his will must have definite goals. No goals, nothing to strive, hence no will power; these goals must, however, be realistic and achievable. One way to increase the will power is to watch out for activities that eat away one’s time and energy. Any wasteful activity is a dangerous enemy. The will is like a muscle. And like a muscle it grows strong with systematic exercise.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • THE LION of VEDANTA a Cultural and Spiritual Monthly of the Ramakrishna Order Since 1914
    nd Price: ` 10 YEAR OF PUBLICATION 㼀㼔㼑㻌㼂㼑㼐㼍㼚㼠㼍㻌㻷㼑㼟㼍㼞㼕 THE LION OF VEDANTA A Cultural and Spiritual Monthly of the Ramakrishna Order since 1914 Jagadamba Ashrama, Koalpara, Jayarambati, West Bengal May 2015 2 India's Timeless Wisdom Just as the farmer reaps the fruit according to the seed that he plants in the field, a man reaps spiritual merit or sin according to the acts he performed. —Traditional Saying Editor: SWAMI ATMASHRADDHANANDA Managing Editor: SWAMI GAUTAMANANDA PrintedPri and published by Swami Vimurtananda on behalf of Sri Ramakrishna Math Trustst 2 fromThe No.31, RamakrishnaV edanta KMathesari Road, ~ Mylapore, ~ MAY Chennai2015 - 4 and Printed at Sri Ramakrishna Printing Press, No.31 Ramakrishna Math Road, Mylapore, Chennai - 4. Ph: 044 - 24621110 㼀㼔㼑㻌㼂㼑㼐㼍㼚㼠㼍㻌㻷㼑㼟㼍㼞㼕 102nd YEAR OF PUBLICATION VOL. 102, No. 5 ISSN 0042-2983 A CULTURAL AND SPIRITUAL MONTHLY OF THE RAMAKRISHNA ORDER Started at the instance of Swami Vivekananda in 1895 as Brahmavâdin, it assumed the name The Vedanta Kesari in 1914. For free edition on the Web, please visit: www.chennaimath.org CONTENTS MAY 2015 Gita Verse for Reflection 165 Editorial Rowing the Boat of Life 166 Articles Down the Memory Lane—The First Centenary Celebration of Sri Ramakrishna’s Birth 174 Swami Sambuddhananda Transformation of Narendranath into Swami Vivekananda: A Snapshot 179 Asim Chaudhuri Worshipping God through Images: A Hindu Perspective 186 Umesh Gulati The School in Chennai Started by Swami Ramakrishnananda 192 A Monastic Sojourner New Find Unpublished Letters of Swami Saradananda
    [Show full text]
  • Recent Biographies of Ramakrishna – a Study
    RECENT BIOGRAPHIES OF RAMAKRISHNA – A STUDY RUCHIRA MITRA Research Scholar, PP ENG 0054 Rayalaseema University, Andhra Pradesh (INDIA) [Ex HOD, English, Shadan Degree College for Boys, Hyderabad Ex Lecturer, Post Graduate College, OU, Secunderabad] (AP), INDIA. The spiritual giants are the most tangible form of divinity through which people find solace in difficult times. Their biographies perpetuate their memory as well as promote devoutness and spirituality. Biography of saints is again becoming popular nowadays. It also throws light on the problems in writing a biography of a saint because most of the drama of a saint’s life is lived within; and charting the inner dimensions of a saint has always been a challenging task. Such studies are often inspired by veneration instead of deep understanding. On the other hand, there may be a biography written by a detractor in which sublime ideals and transcendental thoughts are trivialized. This becomes evident if we do critical appreciation of some famous biographies. Ramakrishna, who, more than a century after his death continues to dominate secular Hindu consciousness, was a key figure in what is considered to be the Hindu Renaissance of the 19th century. His biographies will be used to show the wide range of perspectives - from abjectly critical to totally objective to rank idolatry - – taken up by the authors. A big problem in interpreting a person’s character arises when the biographer belongs to a different culture. Two foreign interpreters of Sri Ramakrishna Kathamrita Malcolm McLean and Jeffrey Kripal fall under this category. In Kali’s Child Kripal takes to the hermeneutic of suspicion as he claims to reveal the secret that has been hidden for over a century: that Ramakrishna was a conflicted, unwilling homoerotic Tantric.
    [Show full text]
  • Introduction to the 'Message of the Upanishads'
    Swami Ranganathananda Introduction to The Message of the Upanishads THE CHARM AND POWER OF THE UPANI$ADS Table of Contents The Principal Upanisads...................................2 From Obscurity to Prominence...........................5 What the Upaniads Contain..............................7 Satyasya Satyam............................................8 Inquiry into the 'Within' of Nature.....................10 Science and Religion.....................................11 Sruti versus Smrti.........................................14 The Message of the Upanisads [Published by Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Mumbai] is a study, verse by verse, of three of the principal Upanisads, namely, Isha, Kena, and Katha. The first contains eighteen, the second thirty-five, and the third one hundred and nineteen verses. Though constituting a small portion of the total Upanisadic literature, they yet con- tain a lucid exposition of all the essential ideas of this im- mortal literature. Scholars are divided as to the date of the composition of the Upanisads. Many of them are agreed, however, that most of the principal Upanisads belong to the period prior to the advent of Buddha in the seventh century before Christ. There are over two hundred Upanisads, many of them sectarian in character and palpably post-Buddhistic and even post-Sank- aracarya. The Message of the Upanishads – Swami Ranganathananda The Principal Upanisads The principal Upanisads are accepted to be those which Shankaracarya (A.D. 788-820) chose to comment upon; they are ten in number and are enumerated in the Indian tradition as follows: Isha, Kena, Katha, Prasna, Mundaka, MandUkya, Taittirlya, Aitareya, Chandogya, and Brhaddranyaka. According to some scholars, Sankara also commented on an eleventh Upanisad, the Svetashvatara. In his commentary on the Brahma-Sutra, he refers to four more, namely, Kausi- taki, Jabala, Mahanarayana, and Paingala.
    [Show full text]
  • Reflections at the Intersection of Science, Religion, and Development 
    The Lab, the Temple, and the Market This page intentionally left blank THE LAB, THE TEMPLE, AND THE MARKET Reflections at the Intersection of Science, Religion, and Development Edited by Sharon Harper KUMARIAN PRESS © International Development Research Centre 2000 Published in Canada by the International Development Research Centre po Box 8500, Ottawa, on, Canada K1G 3H9 http://www.idrc.ca/books/ Published in Europe and the United States of America by Kumarian Press Inc. 1294 Blue Hills Avenue, Bloomfield, ct 06002, usa http://www.kpbooks.com/ All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publishers. All paper used in this book is recycled as well as recyclable. All inks and coatings are vegetable-based products. Canadian Cataloging in Publication Data Main entry under title: The lab, the temple and the market : reflections at the intersection of science, religion and development / edited by Sharon Harper isbn 0-88936-920-8 ccg cat. no. E97-7/2000E 1. Economic development — Religious aspects. 2. Technology — Religious aspects. 3. Religion and science. I. Harper, Sharon, 1965- . II. International Development Research Centre (Canada) HD75.L33 2000 338.9 C00-901336-9 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data The lab, the temple, and the market : reflections at the intersection of science, religion, and development / edited by Sharon Harper. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references. isbn 1-56549-116-5 (alk. paper) 1. Economic development—Religious aspects. 2. Technology—Religious aspects.
    [Show full text]
  • Sri Ramakrishna & His Disciples in Orissa
    Preface Pilgrimage places like Varanasi, Prayag, Haridwar and Vrindavan have always got prominent place in any pilgrimage of the devotees and its importance is well known. Many mythological stories are associated to these places. Though Orissa had many temples, historical places and natural scenic beauty spot, but it did not get so much prominence. This may be due to the lack of connectivity. Buddhism and Jainism flourished there followed by Shaivaism and Vainavism. After reading the lives of Sri Chaitanya, Sri Ramakrishna, Holy Mother and direct disciples we come to know the importance and spiritual significance of these places. Holy Mother and many disciples of Sri Ramakrishna had great time in Orissa. Many are blessed here by the vision of Lord Jagannath or the Master. The lives of these great souls had shown us a way to visit these places with spiritual consciousness and devotion. Unless we read the life of Sri Chaitanya we will not understand the life of Sri Ramakrishna properly. Similarly unless we study the chapter in the lives of these great souls in Orissa we will not be able to understand and appreciate the significance of these places. If we go on pilgrimage to Orissa with same spirit and devotion as shown by these great souls, we are sure to be benefited spiritually. This collection will put the light on the Orissa chapter in the lives of these great souls and will inspire the devotees to read more about their lives in details. This will also help the devotees to go to pilgrimage in Orissa and strengthen their devotion.
    [Show full text]
  • 1 EDUCATION New Dimensions PUBLISHERS' NOTE Swami
    EDUCATION New Dimensions PUBLISHERS' NOTE Swami Vivekananda declares that education is the panacea for all our evils. According to him `man-making' or `character-building' education alone is real education. Keeping this end in view, the centres of the Ramakrishna Math and the Ramakrishna Mission have been running a number of institutions solely or partly devoted to education. The Ramakrishna Math of Bangalore (known earlier as Sri Ramakrishna Ashrama) started the `Sri Ramakrishna Vidyarthi Mandiram' in 1943, as a hostel for college boys wherein the inculcating of moral and spiritual values in the minds of the inmates was given the primary importance. The hostel became popular very soon and the former inmates who are now occupying important places in public life, still remember their life at the hostel. In 1958, the Vidyarthi Mandiram was shifted to its own newly built, spacious and well- designed, premises. In 1983, the Silver Jubilee celebrations were held in commemoration of this event. During that period a Souvenir entitled ``Education: New Dimensions'' was brought out. Very soon, the copies were exhausted. However, the demand for the same, since it contained many original and thought-provoking articles, went on increasing. We are now bringing it out as a book with some modifications. Except the one article of Albert Einstein which has been taken from an old journal, all the others are by eminent monks of the Ramakrishna Order who have contributed to the field of education, in some way or the other. We earnestly hope that all those interested in the education of our younger generation, especially those in the teaching profession, will welcome this publication and give wide publicity to the ideas contained in it.
    [Show full text]
  • Reminiscences of Swami Prabuddhananda
    Reminiscences of Swami Prabuddhananda India 2010 These precious memories of Swami Prabuddhanandaji are unedited. Since this collection is for private distribution, there has been no attempt to correct or standardize the grammar, punctuation, spelling or formatting. The charm is in their spontaneity and the heartfelt outpouring of appreciation and genuine love of this great soul. May they serve as an ongoing source of inspiration. Memories of Swami Prabuddhananda MEMORIES OF SWAMI PRABUDDHANANDA RAMAKRISHNA MATH Phone PBX: 033-2654- (The Headquarters) 1144/1180 P.O. BELUR MATH, DIST: FAX: 033-2654-4346 HOWRAH Email: [email protected] WEST BENGAL : 711202, INDIA Website: www.belurmath.org April 27, 2015 Dear Virajaprana, I am glad to receive your e-mail of April 24, 2015. Swami Prabuddhanandaji and myself met for the first time at the Belur Math in the year 1956 where both of us had come to receive our Brahmacharya-diksha—he from Bangalore and me from Bombay. Since then we had close connection with each other. We met again at the Belur Math in the year 1960 where we came for our Sannyasa-diksha from Most Revered Swami Sankaranandaji Maharaj. I admired his balanced approach to everything that had kept the San Francisco centre vibrant. In 2000 A.D. he had invited me to San Francisco to attend the Centenary Celebrations of the San Francisco centre. He took me also to Olema and other retreats on the occasion. Once he came just on a visit to meet the old Swami at the Belur Math. In sum, Swami Prabuddhanandaji was an asset to our Order, and his leaving us is a great loss.
    [Show full text]
  • List of Marathi Books S.N
    LIST OF MARATHI BOOKS S.N. ITEM CODE ITEM NAME ITEM PRICE AUTHOR 1) M05210 AADHUNIK BHARAT Y9 M:10 ₹ 10.00 SWAMI VIVEKANANDA AADHUNIK MANAVALA UPANISHADANCHA SANDESH 2) M9512 ₹ 12.00 SWAMI SHIVATATTWANANDA Y4 M:12 3) M11150 ACHARYA SHANKARA Y15 M:50 ₹ 50.00 SWAMI APURVANANDA 4) M20635 ADARSH SHIKSHAN M:35 ₹ 35.00 SWAMI VIVEKANANDA 5) M13520 ADBHUTANANDANCHI ADBHUT KAHANI Y7 M:20 ₹ 20.00 NAGPUR 6) M09225 ADHUNIK BHARAT ANI R.K.-S.V. Y19 M:25 ₹ 25.00 SWAMI SHIVTATTWANANDA 7) M14130 ADHYATMA-MARGA-DIPIKA Y9 M:30 ₹ 30.00 SWAMI TURIYANANDA 8) M17425 ADHYATMIK SADHANA Y12 M:25 ₹ 25.00 SWAMI ASHOKANANDA 9) M18030 ADHYATMIK SAMVAD: SW. VIDNYNANANDA Y3 M:30 ₹ 30.00 SWAMI APURVANANDA 10) M7115 AGHORMANI VA GAURI MA Y4 M:15 ₹ 15.00 SWAMI SHIVTTWANANDA 11) M16840 AGNIMANTRA (MARATHI) Y35 M:40 ₹ 40.00 SWAMI VIVEKANANDA 12) M12625 AKHANDANANDACHNYA SAHAVASAT Y13 M:25 ₹ 25.00 SWAMI NIRAMAYANANDA 13) M09320 AMCHI MUKHYA SAMASYA ANI SRK AND SV M:20 ₹ 20.00 SWAMI SHIVATATWANANDA 14) M159150 AMHI PAHILELE S.V. M:150 ₹ 150.00 K V S BENODEKAR 15) M2085 AMRIT SANDESH M:5 ₹ 5.00 NGP 16) M246250 AMRITASYA PUTRA M:250 ₹ 250.00 SWAMI VIVEKANANDA 17) M13060 AMRUTAVANI (MARATHI) Y26 M:60 ₹ 60.00 NAGPUR 18) M10780 ANANDADHAMA KADE Y4 M:80 ₹ 80.00 SW APURVANANDA 19) M25215 APALA BHARAT APALI SANSKRUTI M:15 ₹ 15.00 SWAMI VIVEKANANDA 20) M22410 ATMABODH Y20 M:10 ₹ 10.00 SWAMI VIPAPPANANANDA 21) M04725 ATMASAKSHATKAR:SADHANA VA SIDDHI Y38 M:25 ₹ 25.00 SWAMI VIVEKANANDA 22) M16615 ATMA-TATTWA Y11 M:15 ₹ 15.00 SW VIVEKANANDA 23) M24960 ATMONNATICHE SOPAN M:60 ₹ 60.00 SWAMI
    [Show full text]
  • Newsletter Reach Jan 2021
    Reach Issue 56 January 2021 Daintree Rainforest Reach https://glampinghub.com/ Newsletter of the Vedanta Centres of Australia Sayings and Teachings IN THIS ISSUE 1. News from Australian Sri Ramakrishna on a True Teacher Centres Adelaide He alone is the true teacher who is illumined by the light of true Brisbane knowledge. Canberra Source: Great Sayings: Words of Sri Ramakrishna, Sarada Devi and Swami Melbourne Vivekananda; The Ramakrishna Mission Institute of Culture; Calcutta; page 9. Perth Sydney Sri Sarada Devi on Herself Obituary: Reflections on the Life of Late Sri Ramakrishna left me behind to manifest the Motherhood of God to the world. Dr. Amrithalingam Source: Great Sayings: Words of Sri Ramakrishna, Sarada Devi and Swami by Swami Sridharananda Vivekananda; The Ramakrishna Mission Institute of Culture; Calcutta; page 20. 2. Feature Article: Shinto Swami Vivekananda on Man Take up one idea. Make that one idea your life —think of it, dream of it, live on that idea. Let the brain, muscles, nerves, every part of your body, be full of that idea, and just leave every other idea alone. This is the way to success. Source: Great Sayings: Words of Sri Ramakrishna, Sarada Devi and Swami Vivekananda; The Ramakrishna Mission Institute of Culture; Calcutta; page 35-36. e welcome you all to the Vedanta Movement in Australia, as epitomized in the lives of Sri Ramakrishna, Holy Mother Sri Sarada Devi and Swami Vivekananda, and invite you to involve yourselves and actively participate in the propagation of W the Universal Message of Vedanta. Issue No. 56 January 2021 Page 1 Reach 1.
    [Show full text]
  • VII. the Swami Swahananda Era (1976-2012)
    Ramakrishna-Vedanta in Southern California: From Swami Vivekananda to the Present VII. The Swami Swahananda Era (1976-2012) 1. Swami Swahananda’s Background 2. Swami Swahananda’s Major Objectives 3. Swami Swahananda at the Vedanta Society of Southern California 4. The Assistant Swamis 5. Functional Departments of the Vedanta Society 6. Charitable Organizations 7. Santa Barbara Temple and Convent 8. Ramakrishna Monastery, Trabuco Canyon 9. Vivekananda House, South Pasadena (1955-2012) 1. Swami Swahananda’s Background* fter Swami Prabhavananda passed away on July 4, 1976, Swami Chetanananda was assigned the position of head of the A Vedanta Society of Southern California (VSSC). Swamis Vireswarananda and Bhuteshananda, President and Vice- President of the Ramakrishna Order, urged Swami Swahananda to take over the VSSC. They realized that a man with his talents and capabilities should be in charge of a large center. Swahananda agreed to leave the quiet life of Berkeley for the more challenging work in the Southland. Having previously been in charge of the large New Delhi Center in the capital of India, he was up to the task and assumed leadership of the VSSC on December 15, 1976. He was enthusiastically welcomed, and soon became well established in the life of the Society. Swami Swahananda was born on June 29, 1921 in Habiganj, Sylhet in Bengal (now in Bangladesh). His father had been a government official and an initiated disciple of Holy Mother. He had wanted to renounce the world and become a monk, but Holy Mother reportedly had told him, “No, my child, but from your family two shall come.” (As well as Swahananda, a nephew also later joined the Ramakrishna Order).
    [Show full text]
  • Balancing Inner and Outer
    Editorial Balancing Inner and Outer As the Holy Mother Sesquicentennial Year nears its conclusion, this is perhaps a good time to take stock of what we have learned from Holy Mother’s life and teachings. As spiritual aspirants, we gain a great deal of inspiration for our interior life from her teachings on devotion, work, knowledge, self-effort and self-surrender. From her life, we see how a person living in domestic circumstances can be pure and non-attached as well as loving and concerned. She played her part faultlessly, showing how the highest ideals can be made practical in the workaday world. In some ways her workaday world was a very different place from ours. She did not face the stress of the modern workplace or such a dizzying pace of technological change. But Holy Mother’s world did include terrorism, including state terror, political upheaval, and social stress. Great teachers do not always give us specific answers to specific external challenges. Rather, they give us examples and principles that help us to make the right decisions as we respond to our own particular challenges. We have to engage in our own struggle in our own circumstances. One thing is clear: Holy Mother never attempted to escape or run away from difficulties. Think of her life in the cramped, stuffy Nahabat, without toilet facilities, with fish for her husband’s delicate stomach splashing water all night from a pot hung from the ceiling. Think of her difficulties in Kamarpukur after the Master’s passing, with hardly enough to eat or wear and the constant criticism of her neighbors.
    [Show full text]
  • VI. Literary Works (1950-1976)
    Ramakrishna-Vedanta in Southern California: From Swami Vivekananda to the Present VI. Literary Works (1950-1976) 1. Swami Prabhavananda 2. Ida Ansell (Ujjvala) 3. Gerald Heard 4. Aldous Huxley, Alan Watts and D. T. Suzuki 5. Christopher Isherwood 6. Swami Vidyatmananda (John Yale, Prema Chaitanya) 7. Public Speakers and Film Personalities 1. Swami Prabhavananda wami Prabhavananda contributed greatly to bringing the essential message of Vedanta to the West. The sixteen books he S wrote can be grouped into five categories. A more detailed discussion of his pre-1950 works appears earlier in this book. (1) Translations of religious scripture (4): Srimad Bhagavatam: The Wisdom of God (1943); Bhagavad-Gita with C. Isherwood (1944); Crest-Jewel of Discrimination with C. Isherwood (1947); and The Upanishads: Breath of the Eternal with F. Manchester (1948). (2) Commentaries on religious scripture (3): How to Know God: The Yoga Aphorisms of Patanjali with C. Isherwood (1953); The Sermon on the Mount According to Vedanta (1963); and Narada’s Way of Divine Love: The Bhakti Sutras of Narada (1971). Prior to publication of these books, the Swami gave a series of highly praised in-depth lectures on the Sermon on the Mount and Narada’s Bhakti Sutras, as well as on the Bhagavad Gita, all of which can be purchased from Vedanta Press and Catalog. Swami Prabhavananda and Christopher Isherwood provided an invaluable service by making Eastern scripture intelligible to the Western reader. The ambiguity of many translations and commentaries had proved to be a great obstacle in spreading Vedantic ideas to readers in the West.
    [Show full text]