JULY 2016 - Volume 14 Number 07

The Vedanta Kyokai Newsletter

NEWS, UPDATES AND MISCELLANY FROM THE VEDANTA SOCIETY OF JAPAN

AUGUST Calendar z z Birthdays Thus Spake

Swami “ Remain strong and steadfast in thy own faith, but eschew all bigotry Ramakrishnananda and intolerence.” Wednesday, 12 August - Sri (mistakenly posted July)

Swami “In whatever way men worship Me, in the same way do I fulfill their Niranjanananda desires, it is My path that men tread in all ways.” Saturday, 29 August - Sri Krishna

Kyokai Events

Bhagavad Gita Class 6th Saturday 14:15-16:00 Public Celebration: Sunday, July 10, 2016 Indian Embassy / Bring ID 153rd Birth Anniversary The Vivekananda Cultural Centre of the Indian Embassy Tokyo Hamamatsu Satsanga 7th Sunday / contact Ms Kato 090-8475-9864 The Vedanta Society of Japan (Nippon Vedanta Kyokai) held its an- nual public birth anniversary celebration of Swami Vivekananda Yoga Asana Sessions (Swamiji) at the Indian Embassy of Japan’s Vivekananda Cultural Sundays Zushi Centre Centre (VCC) in Tokyo on July 10 from 1:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. in coop- Hanari 090-6702-2308 eration with the Society’s Celebration Committee and the Indian Embassy of Tokyo. In keeping with the theme of this year’s Public Gospel Class Celebration, ‘Selfless Service,’ the gallery section of the large 9th Tuesday 14:00-16:30 basement complex at the Embassy’s VCC, held a photo exhibition Zushi Centre of “Relief Works” of the and the International Red Cross, as well as earthquake relief from both the Japanese Upanishad Class 20th Saturday 14:15-16:00 Red Cross and the Vedanta Society of Japan. (con’t page 2) Indian Embassy / Bring ID

Zushi Monthly Retreat • Thanks to Earthquake Donors Krishna Birth Celebration In this Issue: ... page 5 21st Sunday 10:30-16:30 LIVE STEAMING 10:50 JST • Deputy Chief Amit Kumar Welcome ... page 5 • Thus Spake … page 1 Imabari Satsanga •Thought of the Month … page 7 27th~28th / contact • Monthly Calendar … page 1 Shioji 090-9542-1477 • Swami Vivekananda Public Birth • Service Activities of the Ramakrishna Celebration at Indian Embassy Mission by Swami Bodhasarananda August Nara Narayan … page 1 … page 8 CANCELLED • Welcome Address • Photos … page 13 by Swami Medhasananda

nnn ... page 4 • Story to Remember … page 15

The Vedanta Kyokai Newsletter - JULY 2016 / Volume 14 Number 07 Page 1 of 15 153rd Birth Celebration (from page 1) The programme began with a Sanskrit ‘In- Swami Vivekananda (1863-1902) was a vocation’ led by Swamis Medhasanandaji prophet of Modern India. He was a lover of President of the Vedanta Society of Japan, humanity, a preacher of Universal Religion Guest Speaker Swami Bodhasaranandaji, and a protagonist of internationalism. Assistant General Secretary, Ramakrishna Learned people of both Eastern and West- Math and Mission, and two Japanese de- ern heritages hold Vivekananda in high es- votees. Swami Medhasananda then asked teem for his universal outlook, holistic ap- the assembly to stand and follow him as proach and soul-stirring messages. He he led them in a universal prayer for bless- founded the Ramakrishna Mission, an in- ings followed by a few moments in silent ternational spiritual organisation, in 1897 prayer for the victims of the recent Ku- with the objective of realising the Self and mamoto earthquake. serving humanity in a spirit of worship. Swami Bodhasarananda was then called The purpose of the Vedanta Society of Ja- upon to offer a flower bouquet at the feet pan’s annual programme is to pay tribute of a life-sized framed photographic image to the great swami, to highlight the various of Swamiji. Assisted by Swami Medhasan- facets of his personality and deliberate on anda, both swamis then prostrated before his message, which not only helps us to this photo of Swamiji. Medhasananda then solve the problems we face at different offered a brief ‘Welcome Address’ in Eng- levels, but also elevates us to a higher lish (see page 4) with the Japanese trans- state of consciousness. (con’t page 3)

Invocation Bouquet

The Vedanta Kyokai Newsletter - JULY 2016 / Volume 14 Number 07 Page 2 of 15 153rd Birth Celebration (from page 2) cords and more recently its efforst in the Statute of the International Criminal Court. lation projected across the back of the stage. This format has been adopted for all Mr. Kenichi Mitamura, Secretary, Vedanta celebration events; talks in English are Society of Japan, gave brief ‘Vote of projected in Japanese, while those in Ja- Thanks’ before announcing a 30-minute panese were projected in English, since refreshment break before the start of the interpreter translations are time consuming Cultural Programme (presented in the Au- and can both interrupt a speaker’s delivery gust Issue of TVK). The programme MCs rhythm and audience attention. were Mr. Ranjan Gupta (English) and Ms. Satsuki Yokota (Japanese), who encour- Sri Amit Kumar, Deputy Chief of Mission, aged everyone to partake in the refresh- Indian Embassy, was then called upon to ments offered in the auditorium’s large release this year’s Special Issue of the So- foyer where the Vedanta Society’s Japan- ciety’s ‘Universal Gospel.’ Next Guest ese and English publications were on sale. Speaker Mr. Tadateru Konoe, President, International Federation of Red Cross and The refreshment packet was a lovely sam- Red Crescent Societies and Japanese Red osa, a sweet, and piping hot chai offered Cross was asked to officially release the this year as well by Mr. J. S. Chandrani, Society’s new publication, ‘Meditation and founder of Tokyo’s Indian Restaurants, Spiritual Life’ by Swami Yatiswarananda, ’Spice Magic Calcutta’. The nice weather Japanese translation Volume 2. made it easy to find spots outdoors, too, to eat and chat. This was followed by Deputy Chief Sri Amit Kumar reading a brief message from the The Cultural Programme began a little after Embassy’s Ambassador Sujan R. Jinoy, 4pm with Ms. Shanti Izumida on a key- noting his pleasure that the Vedanta Soci- board leading a group of 8 devotees in an ety of Japan was holding a public celebra- original Japanese composition. They were tion at the Embassy’s Vivekananda Cultur- followed by a large contigent of the Yoga al Centre; and praising both Vivekananda’s School Kailas of Yokohama who sang an- role in giving colonial India a sense of con- other composition. Then both groups fidence and his service to the masses in joined in on the last number with Ms. expounding his concept of ‘selfless ser- Shanti providing accompanyment and solo vice’ and . Deputy Chief Ku- on violin. mar then offered his own address in praise of Swamiji and his timeless, universal The featured cultural performance was an message (see page 5). exceptional dance drama depicting events in Swami Vivekananda’s life by a Nupurnad Swami Bodhasarananda then addressed group from India. the celebration’s theme with a brief outline of the ideals behind the establishment of As every year, each attendee was given a and Ramakrishna Mis- large envelope containing the 153rd Birth sion’s humanitarian and social service Anniversary Programme Guide, the Special activities. He then briefly discussed each Issue of ‘Universal Gospel’, the Society's of these activities and services (see page Bookstore Catalogue, a brochure on the 8). Nippon Vedanta Kyokai and its activities, and a questionnaire to provide impres- Mr. Tadateru Konoe then presented a sions of this event and possible sug- lengthy and historical account of the gestions for the next event. founding in World War I and the growth and development of regional and national With some 300 people having attended, affiliates worldwide thoughout the years the programme ended most successfully (presented in the August Issue of TVK). with a ‘Vote of Thanks’ given by Mr. J. S. Konoe-san detailed the Red Crosses role Chandrani, as Secretary of the Organising in establishing the Geneva Convention Ac- Committee. •

The Vedanta Kyokai Newsletter - JULY 2016 / Volume 14 Number 07 Page 3 of 15 Public Celebration: Sunday, July 10, 2016 Swami Vivekananda 152nd Birth Anniversary The Vivekananda Cultural Centre of the Indian Embassy Tokyo Welcome Address by Swami Medhasananda, President, Vedanta Society of Japan

Distinguished guests and dear friends,

May I offer a hearty welcome to you all to t h e p u b l i c c e l e b r a t i o n o f S w a m i Vivekananda’s 153rd birth anniversary being held in the auditorium of the Vivekananda Culture Centre of the Indian Embassy here in Tokyo. We have been holding such public celebrations since 1994, and this year marks our 22nd annual event.

We are honoured that the Honourable Sri Amit Kumar, Deputy Chief of Mission, will grace this occasion as the President of this meeting. Our other guests of honour are Swami Bodhasaranandaji, Assistant General Secretary of the Ramakrishna Mission, a world- wide spiritual and philanthropic organisation headquarted in India, and Mr. Todateru Konoe, President of the Japanese Red Cross, and also President of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, which do not need any introduction.

Swami Vivekananda (Swamiji), as many of you know, was decidedly the prophet of peace, harmony and goodwill to all walks of life in this Modern Age. Though he lived more than one hundred years ago, his soulful messages have become a source of tremendous inspiration to those who want a world of harmony, peace and goodwill.

Swamiji was also a staunch advocate of ‘selfless service’ which is the theme of today’s ad- dresses. Today’s programme offers us a rare opportunity to hear about this topic and be in- spired to practice it in our own lives from key executives of both the Ramakrishna Mission and the Red Cross; both of which have distinguished themselves over many years in the field of ‘selfless service.’

Dear guests and friends, again, may I offer a most cordial wel- come to you all for attending this august programme. •

The Vedanta Kyokai Newsletter - JULY 2016 / Volume 14 Number 07 Page 4 of 15 THANKS TO ALL EARTHQUAKE DONORS

Dear All,

Our appeal for “Contributions for the victims of the recent Kumamoto earth- quake” was uploaded to our homepage on April 28th. Our heartfelt thanks and gratitude go to those who kindly responded to that appeal and sent donations from within and outside of Japan.

Donations received so far are being and will continue to be utilised for the sup- port of the earthquake victims under the supervision of “Mother’s Group” (A group of our devotees in Kumamoto).

We now would like to withdraw our appeal for Kumamoto donations effective June 30th, as the situation is no longer dire. Please also be informed that our appeal for donations for the victims of Nepal and East Japan earthquakes are also withdrawn effective June 30th.

Swami Medhasananda President, Vedanta Society of Japan

Swami Vivekananda 152nd Birth Anniversary The Vivekananda Cultural Centre of the Indian Embassy Tokyo

Welcome Address by Sri Amit Kumar, Deputy Chief of Mission, Indian Embassy, Tokyo

Cross, Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, good afternoon!

Friends, let me begin by reading out the message of Ambassador Mr. Sujan R. Chinoy:

1. I am very pleased to note that the Nippon Vedanta Kyokai is organizing an event to commemorate the 153rd Birth Anniversary of Swami Vivekananda on 10 July, 2016 at the Vivekananda Cultural Centre of the Em- ‘Universal Gospel’ Release bassy of India. 2. Swami Vivekananda was one of the great “Swami Bodhasaranandaji, Assistant Gen- visionaries of modern India. He left an in- eral Secretary, Ramakrishna Math and Mis- delible influence on Indian society despite sion, Mr. Tadateru Konoe, President, Inter- having departed at an early age. His national Federation of Red Cross and Red thoughts and philosophy enthused our Crescent Societies and Japanese Red people and infused them with a sense of (con’t page 6) The Vedanta Kyokai Newsletter - JULY 2016 / Volume 14 Number 07 Page 5 of 15 Deputy Chief Kumar (from page 5) confidence at a time when India was under colonial rule. His enduring appeal is a testi- mony to the timelessness and universality of his message.

3. Swami Vivekananda had visited Japan on his way to the Chicago Congress of World’s Religions in 1893. He was deeply impressed by many virtues of the Japanese people such as patriotism, hard work, power of as- similation, cleanliness and keen sense of aesthetics, prompting him to urge the Indian youth to visit Japan at least once in their On the Hindu religious practices at the time, lifetime. He in turn also left a deep impres- he said, “the present religion of the Hindus sion on the many Japanese friends and ad- is not in the Vedas, nor in the Puranas, nor mirers who interacted with him. in Bhakti, nor in Mukti”; he also added that the religion has degenerated into a state 4. The theme for this event “Selfless Ser- which is neither the path of knowledge nor vice” is particularly relevant in contemporary that of reason; it the path of “Don’t times as well as very apt in light of Swami touchism”. He rationally questioned how Vivekananda’s own conception of a service- those who could become impure at the oriented philosophy expounded through breath or touch of others purify others. Karma Yoga, the path of selfless action, and organization of large-scale social service for Swami Vivekananda’s speeches at the Par- the masses. liament of Religions in Chicago in 1893 cre- ated a sensation. With his simple words de- 5. I convey my best wishes to the Organiz- livered with fierce intensity he argued that ing Committee of the Nippon Vedanta Ky- religion is about self-realization; not talk, not okai on this occasion. doctrine, nor theories, however captivating they may be. It is about being and becom- Friends, I continue now with my own ing, not hearing or acknowledging. For him, thoughts on this occasion: religion was the manifestation of the Divinity already in man. Swami Vivekananda, contemporary of Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore and Mahatma It was this belief about the manifestation of Gandhi, was one of the great visionaries the Divinity in every man that led him to from modern India. All these three leaders, formulate a definite philosophy of service all coincidentally born in the decade of expounded through Karma Yoga. He said, “I 1860s, went on to shape and influence the have understood this as the real truth -- god destiny of India in many ways. is present in every Jiva; there is no other God besides that. `Who serves Jiva, serves Swami Vivekananda did not live long but God indeed’.” had a remarkable influence on Indian soci- ety. At that time, his philosophy transformed Swami Vivekananda drew upon the ancient the society and helped the nation regain its wisdom contained in the Bhagwad Gita, confidence. At the time when the self-es- which advocates the path of Karma Yoga. teem of our people was low and many Indi- salvation though the path of selfless action. ans looked at the West for idols and role He particularly quoted the following verse, models, Swami Vivekananda infused self- which is perhaps the single most referred confidence and pride in them. verse from this book:

Swami Vivekananda blended deep spiritual- ity with an intense spirit of critical inquiry. (con’t page 7) The Vedanta Kyokai Newsletter - JULY 2016 / Volume 14 Number 07 Page 6 of 15 Deputy Chief Kumar (from page 6) the masses. He held the neglect of the masses and inferior position of women in Karmanye vadhikaraste society as the two causes of India’s down- Ma Phaleshu Kadachana, fall. For him, mass mobilisation of people for Ma karmaphalaheturbhurma service to others was a way to uplift the so- Te Sangostvakarmani. ciety.

The meaning of the verse is— Swami Vivekananda deeply influenced the You have the right to work only, leaders of the Indian freedom movement. but never to its fruits. Pandit Nehru acknowledged that many of Let not the fruits of action be your motive, his generation were powerfully influenced by nor let your attachment be to inaction. him. His advocacy of large scale selfless service did indirectly prepare the Indian The original verse was used by Lord Krishna masses when Gandhiji started his work of to address self-doubts plaguing the mind of mass political mobilisation in India. the mighty warrior Arjuna as he faced his cousins and uncles on the battle field. Lord What explains the timeless relevance of Krishna urged him to discharge his respons- Swami Vivekananda’s message? They re- ibilities for the good of his country and the main relevant today because they dealt with society moving beyond one’s immediate fundamental matters and aspects of prob- circle of family and friends. lems facing us, the society and the world. For example, the importance of service in While the context of this verse was guiding today’s world can hardly be downplayed. an individual in doing the right thing for Indeed, we all can and should contribute greater good without worrying or being at- individually or jointly to the betterment of the t a c h e d t o t h e o u t c o m e s , S w a m i people and society around us in innumer- Vivekananda expanded this concept to ser- able ways. And more often than not, this re- vice. To him Karma meant either service to quires small steps. We are perhaps limited humanity or preaching. To do real preach- by our own lack of imagination and initiative ing, none has the right except the Siddha in this respect. Purusha, i.e. one who has realised the Truth. Since very few can become Siddha Pur- Swamiji was also a great nationalist as well usha, the rest or most people must devote but not in the narrow sense of the word. He themselves to service of humanity. Indeed, was open to critical inquiry. And therein lies he said, “to service, everyone has the right, the universality of his message. He did not and not only so, but everyone is under ob- accept something just because it was Indian ligation to serve others, so long as he is ac- or reject something just because it was cepting service from others.” Western; he responded to various influences judiciously, accepting what was good and He thus explained the role of selfless service rejecting that was deleterious.” as a service which is rendered in the spirit of offering to God that is without the fruits of Thank you for your kind attention and for action, where the thought that 'I am doing joining us on this occasion. • this' is absent. The service is to be rendered without the desire for name or fame. He also advocated that Selfless service needs to be done in an organized way so as to reach out • Thought of the Month • to many, to bring and involve those who want to help out, to learn to be part of the “The best way to find yourself bigger ‘I’ and to make it sustainable. is to lose yourself While Swami Vivekananda kept away from in the service of others.” politics, he regularly stressed the import- ance of liberty and equality, and raising of - Public Celebration: Sunday, July 10, 2016

The Vedanta Kyokai Newsletter - JULY 2016 / Volume 14 Number 07 Page 7 of 15 Swami Vivekananda 152nd Birth Anniversary The Vivekananda Cultural Centre of the Indian Embassy Tokyo

Service Activities of the Ramakrishna Mission A talk by Swami Bodhasaranandaji Assistant General Secretary, Ramakrishna Math and Mission

The Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna in the modern idiom by Swami Vivekananda Mission are worldwide, non-political, non- and thus made available to all people all sectarian, spiritual organizations which have over the world without any distinctions of been engaged in various forms of humanit- caste, creed or race. arian, social service activities for more than a century. The spiritual power generated by Sri Ra- makrishna through his unprecedented spir- Inspired by the ideals of renunciation and itual practices got transmitted to different service, the monks and lay devotees of the parts of the world through his direct dis- Math and Mission serve millions of men, ciples. At the moment Ramakrishna Math women and children, without any distinction and Ramakrishna Mission have 186 centres. of caste, religion or race, because they see Out of these 140 centres are in India and 46 the living God in them. centres are outside India. In foreign coun- tries Ramakrishna Mission centres are gen- The organizations were brought into exist- erally known as Vedanta Societies. Besides, ence by Sri Ramakrishna (1836-1886), the there are more than 1200 unaffiliated great 19th century saint from Bengal who is centres which are working on similar ideals regarded as the Prophet of the Modern Age, as the Ramakrishna Mission. Thus the mes- and Sri Ramakrishna's chief disciple, Swami sage and power of Sri Ramakrishna has Vivekananda (1863-1902), one of the fore- been spreading in ever widening circles to most thinkers and religious leaders of the form what may be termed the Ramakrishna present age, who is regarded as 'one of the Movement. main moulders of the modern world', in the words of an eminent Western scholar, A.L. The Ramakrishna Order does not believe in Basham. conversion, nor does it indulge in the occult or the sensational. The Order places utmost Although Ramakrishna Math and Ra- importance on personal spiritual unfoldment makrishna Mission are legally and financially and selfless service. Inspired by the idea of separate, they are closely inter-related in the harmony of all faiths, its centres encour- several ways and are regarded as twin or- age adherents of different faiths to meet in a ganisations. These twin organisations have spirit of friendship and mutual appreciation, set in motion a non-sectarian, universal spir- and to learn from one another without hav- itual movement which has been silently ing to give up one's own faith. In the words working for more than a hundred years to of Sri Ramakrishna: "God has made differ- catalyse the spiritual regeneration of hu- ent religions to suit different aspirants, lives manity. and countries ... all doctrines are only so many paths; but a path is by no means God The chief catalyst in this ongoing transform- Himself. Indeed one can reach God if one ation is India's ancient religious philosophy follows any of the paths with whole-hearted known as Vedanta. Although several other devotion." systems of philosophy arose in India at dif- ferent times, they were confined to small Sri Ramakrishna himself set the goal for this groups. Vedanta alone has remained the organisation. One day, while the concept of dominant philosophy of India's religious tra- compassion according to Vaishnava tenants dition from Vedic times to the present day. was being discussed, Sri Ramakrishna, In modern times this ancient system of emerging from ecstasy, burst out: “Com- thought has been purified, unified and ener- passion for creatures! You fool! An insigni- gised by Sri Ramakrishna, and expounded (con’t page 9)

The Vedanta Kyokai Newsletter - JULY 2016 / Volume 14 Number 07 Page 8 of 15 Service Activities (from page 8) worshipped through a clay image, then why not through a man?’ The motto of the twin ficant worm crawling on earth, you to show organisations given by Swami Vivekananda compassion for others! Who are you to is Atmano mokshartham jagad hitaya show compassion? No, not compassion for cha,“For one’s own salvation and for the others, but rather the service of man, recog- welfare of the world”. nising him to be a veritable manifestation of God.’ The main sources of inspiration behind our service activities are two important incidents Everyone present there heard those words, in the life of Sri Ramakrishna where we find but it was Vivekananda who alone under- that he himself initiated the welfare activities stood the profound significance of this rev- and set a model before us. The first incident elation. Outside the room he said to others: is when Sri Ramakrishna, on his pilgrimage to Varanasi and other holy places, reached ”What a wonderful light I have discovered in Deoghar, he became overwhelmed when he these words of the Master! How beautifully saw the miserable condition of the local he has reconciled the ideal of Bhakti with people. He said to Mathur Babu: ‘Give these the knowledge of the Vedanta…. It is God people sufficient oil to cool their heads and alone who has manifested Himself as the each a piece of cloth to wear and feed them world and the created beings. Serving man to their fill once.’ At first Mathur was a little knowing him to be hesitant. He felt if all the manifestation of t h e m o n e y w a s God purifies the spent in serving the heart and acceler- poor, then they will ates the aspirant’s not be able to con- progress towards tinue their pilgrim- the goal.” a g e . S r i R a- makrishna was not Another day when satisfied with his Sri Ramakrishna reply. There was an asked Naren (earlier incessant flow of n a m e o f tears from his eyes Vivekananda) what to see the misery of he wanted, Naren Swami Bodhasarananda the villagers. ‘You said he wished to rascal, I will not go remain in Samadhi, to your Varanasi. I once in while coming down to the sense will remain here with them, they have none plane to eat a little food. There upon the to call their own; I will not leave them behind Master exclaimed: ‘Shame on you! Don’t be and go.’ Mathur Babu had to buy the ne- such a small-mined person. You should be cessary things and distribute them as asked like a banyan tree affording shade and shel- for. ter to thousands.’ Here again the idea of service to fellow men as the means of real- Another instance is to the point. Sometime isation was stressed. in 1870, Mathur Babu, while going out to visit one of his estates for collection of rent, Vivekananda thus understood that a Jnani took Sri Ramakrishna with him. His tenants, must become a Vijnani. A jnani realises that at that time, were passing through a crisis. Brahman alone is real, so he gives up the For two consecutive years the harvest had world. But the Vijnani takes the further step. failed, and this had brought the people of Having known that there is nothing apart the locality to the verge of starvation. Ra- from Brahman, he realises that it is Brahman makrishna’s tender heart was shocked by who is manifested as the world and its be- the sight of appalling poverty around them. ings. So instead of running away from one’s fellow beings, one must worship them by He asked Mathur Babu to feed the tenants serving them—shiva jnane jiva seva. Sri and help them financially instead of de- Ramakrishna used to say, ‘If God can be (con’t page 10) The Vedanta Kyokai Newsletter - JULY 2016 / Volume 14 Number 07 Page 9 of 15 Service Activities (from page 9) Spiritual and Cultural Services manding his dues from them. Swami Vive- Swami Vivekananda wanted to deluge the kananda also saw with his own eyes the ut- world with spiritual ideas and also uplift the ter poverty and helplessness of the poor masses. He was of firm opinion that just as masses during the course of his travels all we should be physically and intellectually over India as a wandering monk. He saw, as strong; we must also strengthen our spiritual says, ‘God struggling in foundation so that the so-called economic humanity.’ He decided to dedicate his life to development does not destroy our moral uplift their condition. One of the main reas- fibre. With that end we have published a lot ons for his going to the West was to seek of literature on Sri Ramakrishna - funds for his work in India. Vivekananda and Indian cultural heritage in various languages. We also conduct lec- After a year after the Ramakrishna Mission tures both within and outside our centres. was founded on 1 May 1897, Calcutta was We have published about 3500 titles in struck by an epidemic of plague. Swami many languages through our various public- Vivekananda was in Darjeeling at the time, ations centres. resting. But when he heard the news, he asked his brother monks to start nursing Education for the Masses and caring for the sick. They did so, even at the risk of their own lives. Swamiji himself Swami Vivekananda’s aim in starting various supervised the work. Besides the monks, educational institutions was to teach the so also nursed the sick, and so called secular subjects like modern sci- did the college students. The Mission ences, technology, vocational oriented sci- needed money for the work but there was ences, arts, English, etc. on the one hand, none. Swamiji then declared he would sell and the so called spiritual subjects like the the newly purchased land at in ancient Upanishads, Vedic literature, order to get the needed funds. Fortunately Sanskrit, etc. on the other hand, was to cre- money came and the land had not to be ate a complete human being fully developed sold. in head, heart and hand. He wanted that Be- lur Math should ultimately blossom into a Sometimes the Mission is mistaken for a full-fledged university. The Math and Mis- social-welfare organisation. It is engaged in sion run one University with five off-campus extensive social service, no doubt. But, ba- faculty centres, 12 colleges, including one sically, it is a spiritual organisation. Its object Sanskrit college, 507 schools of different is to help people attain God-realization and grades, two schools of languages, four also to help uplift human beings. The Mis- polytechnics, six junior technical and indus- sion has some remarkable features. The trial schools, 79 vocational training centres, most important of them is that it is open to 100 hostels, six orphanages, two centres for all—to Hindus, Buddhists, Muslims, Christi- the disabled, one school of Vedic education, ans, and so on. It does not matter what and 129 non-formal education centres. The name you give your religion. What the Mis- total expenditure incurred on these activities sion emphasises is that one should be truly was about 288 crore rupees during 2014-15. religious and respect all religions as the A few lakh of students are being benefited same. every year through the above institutions. One of the fundamental characteristics of The service activities of the Mission can be the Ramakrishna Mission institutions im- classified into the following categories: parting education is the active involvement and dedicated service of a large number of 1. Spiritual and Cultural Services monks. 2. Education for the Masses 3. Medical Services Medical Services 4. Relief and Rehabilitation 5. Rural and Tribal Development Seeing the suffering of the ailing monks at 6. Welfare Work (con’t page 11)

The Vedanta Kyokai Newsletter - JULY 2016 / Volume 14 Number 07 Page 10 of 15 Service Activities (from page 10) travelling as a wandering monk, reached Murshidabad, he was shocked to see the Hardwar and Rishikesh, Swami Vivekananda misery and utter helplessness of the local c o m m i s s i o n e d h i s d i s c i p l e S w a m i people due to famine. Though a penniless Kalyanananda to go and look after them. monk, he prayed to Sri Ramakrishna every Another characteristic is that both sacred, day with tears in his eyes to enable him to as well secular. education is imparted to the s e r v e t h o s e p o o r p e o p l e . S w a m i students. Vivekananda encouraged him and sent him Rs. 150 with the instruction to start the work Living on alms, Swami Kalyanananda and immediately. Thus began the first relief work his able assistant Swami Nishchayananda of the Ramakrishna Mission and it marked a opened a two-room dispensary at Kankhal new phase in the Ramakrishna-Vivekananda (a place in Hardwar) and attended not only Movement. to monks but also to other ailing poor people. Often the Swamis had to carry the The next most important relief work was patients on their back and clean their bod- when the plague first broke out in Kolkata in ies. The orthodox monks hated them. They the year 1898 and then it reappeared in called them scavenger monks but now they 1899. The people panicked and started are respected in high esteem. In course of moving out of the city. Swami Vivekananda time this dispensary became a very big was then resting in Darjeeling. Hearing the hospital. Later the Mission started many tragic news, he rushed to Kolkata and star- hospitals at Varanasi, Brindavan, Mayavati, ted relief service. Kolkata, Lucknow, Trivandrum. During 2014- 15 the Math and Mission had 14 hospitals Over the last century, various relief opera- (with 2332 beds), 113 outdoor dispensaries, tions were conducted whenever calamities and 59 mobile dispensaries. The hospitals occurred. Relief services are generally un- and dispensaries are situated in cities, dertaken by the Mission whenever there is towns, and even in little villages in the Him- any calamity. Calamities are of two types: alayas and are meant primarily for the poor. natural and man-made. Flood, famine, More than 81 lakh patients were treated in drought, earthquake, cyclone, tidal wave, these medical centres in 2014-15. Besides forest fire, etc. constitute natural calamities, these, a considerable number of medical while riots, communal disturbances, arson, camps are organised, mostly in rural areas, accidental fire, etc. fall under the category of where thousands of patients are treated and man-made calamities. As soon as the news more than 11,000 operated on for cataract of a calamity is heard over the media, the free of cost. The Math and Mission run 7 Mission immediately sends a team to the nurses’ training centres where about 700 affected area to assess the extent of dam- students are trained in nursing every year. 3 age and determine the exact requirement of Old age homes are also maintained. During the affected people. 2014-15 a sum of about 187 crore rupees was spent on medical service. Relief work is generally conducted in 3 phases: Primary relief, Rehabilitation, and Relief and Rehabilitation Follow-up programmes. When large number of dwelling houses has been devastated by The history of the Ramakrishna Mission’s the calamity, steps are taken to rehabilitate relief services is as old as that of the Mis- at least the worst affected people. Some sion itself because its first organised relief major relief and rehabilitation operations w o r k w a s c o n d u c t e d b y S w a m i conducted by the Mission are: Kurukshetra Akhandananda hardly two weeks after the Mission was founded in May 1899 by Refugee Relief and East Pakistan Refugee Swami Vivekananda. Swami Akhandananda Relief when Partition of India took place in drew inspiration for his humanitarian ser- 1947, Burma Evacuees’ Relief in 1948, vices from his teacher, Sri Ramakrishna who Bangladesh Evacuees’ Relief in 1971, used to say, ‘If God can be worshipped Andhra Pradesh Cyclone Relief and re- through a clay image, then why not through (con’t page 12) a man?’ When Swami Akhandananda while The Vedanta Kyokai Newsletter - JULY 2016 / Volume 14 Number 07 Page 11 of 15 Service Activities (from page 11) cultivation and also provided with agricul- tural inputs and financial help. Projects habilitation in 1977-78, Gujarat Earth- such as construction of toilets and pucca quake Relief in 2001, etc. Relief and Re- (high quality construction) houses, waste- habilitation work has not been confined to land development, holding farmers’ fairs; India alone. Whenever occasions arose, soil testing, planting of fruit and forest relief services were extended to Sri Lanka, trees, etc., are undertaken. Drinking water Nepal, Bangladesh. Primary relief work is provided by digging borewells and tube was also done in Russia in 1992, in Japan wells. during Tsunami and recently in Fiji. Lot of money is spent for the purpose every year. Welfare Work

Rural and Tribal Development Both the headquarters and its branches provide scholarships and stipends to a In India the tribal people generally live in large number of students, medical aid to secluded places, like forests and hills, poor patients and monetary help to aged away from the advanced sections of soci- and destitute men and women. In 2014-15 ety. Around 1966, a new field for the Mis- a sum of Rs. 16.6 crore was spent for sion’s tribal service opened up when an these purposes. This was in addition to invitation came from the Government of the huge sums spent by our educational India to start centres in Arunachal Pradesh institutions for the benefit of poor students on the borders of China and Japan. In that and by the hospitals and dispensaries for inaccessible place Ramakrishna Mission the treatment of poor patients. The twin started 3 centres, viz at Along, Narottam organisations serve women through the Nagar and Itanagar, the first two being maternity sections of their hospitals, old educational and the third, a hospital age homes for women, schools of nursing, centre. The Mission is doing commend- self-help groups and vocational training able work there. centres for rural women and providing monthly allowance to widows. With this valuable experience, the Ra- makrishna Mission now ventured into a If the Ramakrishna Math and Mission have new field of tribal work. In the Narainpur attained to its present stature, it is need- district of Madhya Pradesh, Abujhmarh less to say, it is because of love, sympathy (meaning unknown hills) is a hilly tract and benevolence of lakhs of devotees. spread over an area of 25,000 square The large-hearted public and also bene- kilometres. Here lives a particular tribe volent institutions at home and abroad over the last 800 years, totally unaware of form the major sources of finance for the civilisation. When the government felt Mission’s service activities. Both Central helpless in trying to reach there through and State Governments also help us to their government machinery, they reques- some extent in running some educational ted Ramakrishna Mission to take up this institutions by way of giving grants. I am challenging work. The area is infested with sure we will continue to serve the needy Maoists. The Mission is carrying on edu- people for centuries with your help and cation, medical and agricultural work in good wishes. the area, which has won many awards for us. Thank you. •

For rural and tribal people, the Math and Mission run 2 institutes of agriculture and 8 rural development institutes. Besides, farmers are taught improved methods of

The Vedanta Kyokai Newsletter - JULY 2016 / Volume 14 Number 07 Page 12 of 15 Embassy Gate Announcement Foyer Receiption and Bookstore

Relief Works Exhibition Kumamoto Victims Remembered

‘Meditation & Spiritual Life’ Release In the Green Room

Serving Refreshments Enjoying Recess

The Vedanta Kyokai Newsletter - JULY 2016 / Volume 14 Number 07 Page 13 of 15 Swamis Seeing Off Mr. Konoe Devotees Sing

Kailas Yoga Group Sings Combined Group Sings

Nurpurnad Group Dances

The Vedanta Kyokai Newsletter - JULY 2016 / Volume 14 Number 07 Page 14 of 15 • A Story to Remember •

The Old Carpenter

An elderly carpenter was ready to retire. He told his employer-contractor of his plans to leave the house building business and live a more leisurely life with his wife enjoying his extended family. He would miss the paycheck, but he needed to retire. They could get by. The contractor was sorry to see his good worker go and asked if he could build just one more house as a personal favor.

The carpenter said yes, but in time it was easy to see that his heart was not in his work. He resorted to shoddy workmanship and used inferior materials. It was an unfortunate way to end his career.

When the carpenter finished his work and the builder came to inspect the house, the contractor handed the front-door key to the carpenter. “This is your house,” he said, “my gif to you.”

What a shock! What a shame! If he had only known he was building his own house, he would have done it all so differently. Now he had to live in the home he had built none too well.

So it is with us. We build our lives in a distracted way, reacting rather than act- ing, willing to put up less than the best. At important points we do not give the job our best effort. Then with a shock we look at the situation we have created and find that we are now living in the house we have built. If we had realized that we would have done it differently.

Think of yourself as the carpenter. Think about your house. Each day you hammer a nail, place a board, or erect a wall. Build wisely. It is the only life you will ever build. Even if you live it for only one day more, that day deserves to be lived graciously and with dignity. The plaque on a wall says, “Life is a do-it- yourself project.” Your life tomorrow will be the result of your attitudes and the choices you make today.

- Vivekananda Study Circle

Issued by: The Vedanta Society of Japan (Nippon Vedanta Kyokai) 4-18-1 Hisagi, Zushi-shi, Kanagawa-ken 249-0001 JAPAN Phone: 81-46-873-0428 Fax: 81-46-873-0592 Website: http://www.vedanta.jp / Email: [email protected]

The Vedanta Kyokai Newsletter - JULY 2016 / Volume 14 Number 07 Page 15 of 15