Vedanta for All SWAMI SATPRAKASHANANDA Compiled and Edited by RAY ELLIS Sri Ramakrishna Math Chennai, India Publisher's Note Today Vedanta has become a magic word. People speak of Vedanta casually, even as they speak of the weather, however little they know about it. Many claim that what they say or do is in accordance with Vedanta, which has become almost a status symbol. To profess ignorance of Vedanta is considered akin to admitting ignorance about the computer. This is a rather recent development in the West. In India, on the contrary, Vedanta has been current coin with the masses and the classes from time immemorial. They look upon Vedanta as a lofty way of life. But with a proviso. It is pointed out that its very loftiness puts Vedanta beyond the reach of the common folk. It is a case of Bhaya-Bhakti, reverence laced with fear. If a youngster takes an interest in Vedanta the elders tell him that Vedanta is other–worldly and pursuing it must be reserved for the evening of one's life. Respect Vedanta but be cautions about practising it in everyday life. This misconception about Vedanta in the East and its near- total ignorance in the West were removed when Swami Vivekananda thundered from the platform of the Parliament of World Religions at Chicago in 1893. The brilliant trail that Swami Vivekananda brazed has been joyously followed by many renunciates and thinkers in India and abroad. Swami Satprakashananda of the Ramakrishna Order did yeoman service through his lectures, articles, and books to spread the saving message of Vedanta for more than four decades in the States. His exposition of the subtle nuances of the Vedantic approach was always charming and reader-friendly. Without compromising the Eternal Principles he could present abstruse concepts captivatingly. The present volume is a collection of his class talks on different aspects of Vedanta. In an almost conversational tone he discusses the why and wherefore of morality, the role of the spiritual teacher, the aura of meditation, the dichotomy of good and evil and the reconciliation between Divine Grace and the Law of Karma. He explores also the enigma of Maya, the interrelation between reason, volition and emotion, the use of symbols, the significance of spiritual visions, the power of mantras, and the million-dollar question of what happens after death. In fine, the book is not only ‘Vedanta for All’, but also ‘All about Vedanta’. A diligent study of this book is bound to provide satisfying solutions to all the problems of the reader, material, moral and spiritual. We are thankful to Mr. Ray Ellis, a disciple of the Swami, for compiling and editing the class talks and also donating generously to subsidize the price of the book. —Sri Ramakrishna Math, Chennai July, 2001 The Author Swami Satprakashananda was born at Dacca, Bengal, in 1888. He had the blessing to see Swami Vivekananda in 1901 when the great Swami visited Dacca. From 1905 he was instrumental in developing the work of the Ramakrishna Math & Mission at Dacca. He met Swami Brahmananda in 1908 and was initiated by him. After completing post-graduate studies from Calcutta University he joined the Order. He received Sannyasa from Swami Shivananda. He was Assoc. Editor of the Prabuddha Bharata for 3 years. He was in charge of the New Delhi Center for 6 years. In 1937 he was sent to Providence, R.I., U.S.A., where he lectured there and in Washington, D.C. In 1938 he established the Vedanta Centre in St. Louis where he remained until his passing in 1979 at age 91. Swami's scholarship and deep spirituality enabled him to write numerous learned books and articles. Some of the books include, Methods of Knowledge; The Goal & The Way; The Universe, God & God-Realization; Meditation : Its Process, Practice & culmination; Hinduism & Christianity; Sri Ramakrishna's Life & Message in the Present Age”. Some of the pamphlets are Ethics & Religion & World Peace-How?. Contents Publisher's Note The Author Chapter 1 The Way of Vedanta Chapter 2 The Moral and Spiritual Foundations of Human Life Chapter 3 The Spiritual Teacher Chapter 4 The Purpose and Practice of Meditation Chapter 5 Good and Evil Chapter 6 Divine Law and Divine Grace Chapter 7 The Mystery of Maya Chapter 8 Reason, Volition, and Emotion Chapter 9 Reincarnation and Heredity Chapter 10 The Doctrine of Karma Chapter 11 Approach to God through Symbol Chapter 12 The Power of the Word Chapter 13 The Ego and the Self Chapter 14 Death And After Chapter 15 Spiritual Visions and Ecstasies CHAPTER 1 The Way of Vedanta Vedanta is the religion and philosophy lived by the Hindus of India. The word ‘lived’ is used because Vedanta is particularly a way of life founded on philosophical knowledge and spiritual illumination. In Vedanta, religious practice, philosophical inquiry, and mystical awareness are very closely allied. It is a very complete system. It is not founded on the authority of any historical person. It is based on eternal spiritual truths which hold under all circumstances, which underlie and explain all religious doctrines and experiences. One basic urge has motivated the Hindu mind. The Vedic teachers have grappled with such fundamental questions as how to overcome death, how man can go beyond all bondages and sufferings, how to attain perfection, and to reach That by knowing which there remains nothing to know; by attaining which there remains nothing more to attain; and by loving which there remains nothing more to love. Therein, they have found Truth eternal. In the Upanishads there is a story to illustrate this: A Brahmin youth was sent to school at the age of 12. In those days the pupil used to live with the teacher in the hermitage. For twelve years he studied the Vedas and various branches of knowledge. He returned home at the age of twenty-four. His father noticed that he was very conceited, very proud of his learning. One day his father asked him the question: “Well, my boy, you seem to be very proud of your learning. True knowledge gives you humility, but it has produced in your case a different effect. Did your teacher instruct you on That by knowing which the unknown becomes known, the unheard becomes heard, the unseen becomes seen. “I have not heard such instructions. How is it possible?” “You see if you know one lump of clay you know the essential nature of all of them, because in each of these forms made out of the lump of clay is one essence. So this universe has one essence which is very fine being.” Still the boy did not understand. The father told him: “Please bring a fruit of the fig tree. When the boy brought the fig, the father told him to break it, then asked him: “What do you see?” “I see seeds, tiny seeds.” Then the father told him, “Break a seed and what do you see?” “I don't see anything inside.” “What you don't see, that is the inner essence. In the seed that inner essence is the vital principle. That enables or makes the seeds sprout and develop into a big tree. Similarly, the whole universe has one inner essence, the very being of the universe. It is the one Self of all things and beings. In that Self, in that inner essence, the whole universe is supported. That sustains and manifests the whole universe.” In fact, this whole multiplicity is permeated and penetrated through and throughout by one Reality. That Reality is not a material entity, but is of the very nature of Consciousness, Self- shining, Awareness Itself. It is the very blessedness of Existence, the innermost Essence of Existence which pervades this manifold universe, Pure Consciousness, Pure Being, Pure Bliss. This is the first truth. The second truth is that your innermost Self is identical with that Supreme Being. The Self of the universe is the Self of each and every one of you. The father told the son: “That subtle essence, the Self of the universe, the Being of each and everyone of us, that subtle essence also forms the very centre of your personality.” These are the two fundamental principles on which Vedanta is based: that Existence is One; and that that Existence is the ideal Existence. This world in which we live, however real it may appear to be, does not appeal to us as an ideal existence, or ultimate reality. Vedanta says, “Yes, there is an ideal Existence, the very Perfection of Existence, in and throughout everyone, immanent in this whole creation. That Supreme Principle, immanent in the universe is the Spiritual Principle, dwelling within you as the indwelling Spirit. Vedanta holds that these are the two principles, eternal principles, that underlie all religious doctrines and practices, and explain them all. Vedanta lays great stress on the truth that this human soul is immortal, and is one with the Divine Being, the Supreme Self. This is the very secret of life's development. Your real growth is from inside. It is the very secret of your physical strength, of your intellectual enlightenment, of your spiritual freedom. All growth is simply the unfoldment of the Perfection, of the Spirit within you. Education is, properly speaking, the manifestation of the perfection already in you, and religion is the manifestation of the Divinity already within you. You could not grow simply by taking advantage of external conditions. If you don't have the inner vitality to grow, if you do not have the quality to live, no amount of food or drugs can enable you to live and glow.