CHICAGO CALLING A Spiritual & Cultural Quarterly eZine of the Vivekananda Vedanta Society of Chicago No. 25, 2020 Table of Contents Page EDITORIAL 3 WHAT IT MEANS TO BE A CATHOLIC 5 FATHER THOMAS. A. BAIMA WHAT IT MEANS TO BE A PROTESTANT 7 REVEREND HERBERT MARTIN WHAT IT MEANS TO BE A JEW 10 RABBI ADIR GLICK SRI RAMAKRISHNA: BRAHMAN PERSONIFIED 8 SWAMI ISHATMANANDA INTRODUCTION TO THE COVER PAGE 13 ADVERTISEMENTS 24 Editor: Swami Ishatmananda Vivekananda Vedanta Society of Chicago 14630 Lemont Road, Homer Glen. 60491 email: [email protected] chicagovedanta.org ©Copyright: Swami-in-Charge Vivekananda Vedanta Society of Chicago NO 25, 2020 Chicago Calling 2 Editorial RELIGION MEANS KEEPING PROMISES Many of us do not know what religion is, filled with irreligious activities. Please remember although all of us very sincerely try to practice it that your ancestors all respected promises and by by visiting holy places, fasting, counting the holy that kept religion alive. If you fail to keep your beads, and giving in charity. But we still feel there promises, it will hurt religion and, following your is something lacking. We don't get the satisfaction example, future generations will be come of religion, and society doesn't get the benefit of irreligious." these practices. Rather, some people try to satisfy From this story we learn that religion is their selfish goals by using one religion against keeping our promises. another. As a result the educated younger The story of King Shibi is another example of generation is losing their faith in religion. keeping our promises at any cost. In the Purana we Then, what is religion? find the story that a just king, Shibi, took an oath to Let us go back to the Upanishads. In the Katha protect anyone who came to him for protection— Upanishad we find the conversation between a Otherwise why take the throne! Why become a father, who loves his worldly possessions too king! It so happened that Indra and Dharma much but at the same time wants to appear to be a wanted to test the sincerity of King Shibi in spiritual man. His name is Vajasravasa and his son keeping his promise. Dharma became a pigeon is Nachiketa. Once Vajasravasa promised before and Indra became a falcon. The falcon attacked the everyone that he would give all his property in pigeon, and the pigeon fled to King Shibi for his charity. In those days cows were considered to be protection. Shibi, being a great person, assured the the wealth of a householder. On the promised day pigeon that no one would harm it. In the he began distributing his cows among the poor meantime, the ferocious falcon reached the court of people. His young son, Nachiketa, noticed that his King Shibi and asked the king to give him the father in reality was cheating the people. He was pigeon. "O King, I am hungry and that pigeon is giving away the old cows, which were of not much my food." The king, Shibi, replied, "I understand use, and keeping the best cows for himself. Being a that you are hungry and you need meat, and I will pious son, Nichiketa felt sorry for his father's give you other meat, but not the pigeon. I have duplicity and wanted to save him from the bad given my word to protect him. "No, no," said the karma. He said to his father, "O father, being your falcon, " I need the pigeon or your flesh, O King. son, I am also your property. To whom will you No other meat is acceptable to me." "Well then, you give me?" When the son asked again and again, will get the same amount of my flesh as the weight Vajasravasa became angry and said, "Well, I will of the pigeon." A balance was brought and Shibi give you to Yama, the King of Death." His devoted put the pigeon on one side and his own flesh on son, Nachiketa, although a bit surprised, prepared the other. And lo, the pigeon was becoming himself to go to the kingdom of Death. Seeing his heavier and heavier, and no amount of flesh from son's seriousness, his father said, "My dear son, the king was sufficient. The king's men were don't go to death. I didn't really mean it." Now, concerned, and they requested the king to stop, from the words of Nachiketa we find the definition but the pious king said, "I cannot break my of true religion. "O Father, once you make a promise even if I die." Then the gods took their promise you must keep it at any cost. Otherwise own forms and blessed the king, saying, "O King, the whole human society will break down and be you are truly a man of religion." NO 25. 2020 Chicago Calling 3 We find the same in the life of Sri lantern, and walked to his neighbor's door. He put Ramachandra. His father, King Dasarathra, was his foot on the doorstep and said, "Hey, I kept my ready to break his promise out of love for his son, promise." Sri Ramachandra, but Sri Ramachandra persuaded Religion is keeping promises. his father to keep his promise saying, "O father, In human society you find that everyone is remember the tradition of the Raghu Dynasty that taking an oath when he assumes a position like no one of this family will break his promise even if president, minister or judge. Each and every one is it causes his death." promising to perform his duties according to the We find the same truth practiced and rule of the country. At the time of marriage the propagated by Sri Ramakrishna. His mother bride and groom take a vow before the people that promised to his newly married wife, Sarada Devi, they will love, honor and protect each other until that her son would give golden bangles to her. To death. At the time of sannyas a Hindu monk takes keep his mother's promise, Sri Ramakrishna, the vows before his religious teacher and the man of complete renunciation, arranged to collect assembled monks that he will never break the the money to purchase two golden bangles. He vows of chastity, poverty and non-violence. In the breathed a sign of relief when he found that his words of Swami Vivekananda, "From me no money was sufficient to purchase the two golden danger be to aught that lives." Catholic monks also bangles, "Ah, the promise of my mother has been take vows of poverty, chastity and obedience. kept." We find how sincere Sri Ramakrishna was to keep his word. Once he promised his neighbor that If every one of us, in our different positions, he would visit him, but for some reason he forgot. keep our promises, we will practice true religion, When he went to bed, he suddenly remembered and our human society will become a heaven on his promise. He got up from the bed, took a earth. “Common men talk bagfuls of religion but do not practise even a grain of it. The wise man speaks a little, even though his whole life is religion expressed in action.” -- Sri Ramakrishna NO 25, 2020 Chicago Calling 4 What It Means to be a Catholic Father Thomas. A. Baima (This article is based on the talk that was delivered at Vedanta Society of Chicago’s 2018 Fall Banquet) Swami Ishatmananda, President of the in the audience). Vivekananda Vedanta Society, fellow religious The origin of Christianity begins in the heart of leaders, my long-time colleague Swami God, the divine nature is love. Love is not Varadananda, dear friends! something that comes from God. Love is God and Allow me to begin this short presentation by God is love. If a Christian were to name the divine bringing you the greetings of His Eminence in the English language, he would be best served Cardinal Blase Cupich, the Archbishop of Chicago, by creating a composite word, ‘God - Love’. Within along with his good wishes for you on this God-Love, before time, came an urge to create. occasion of your annual dinner. The Cardinal was This urge is not for pleasure, since God-Love is pleased that the Hindu Community was beyond such things. Rather, as Archbishop Joseph represented in the delegation of the Council of Reyes said, “It was for the multiplication of love.” religious leaders of Metropolitan Chicago, which God created for this reason alone, that love might attended the recent Ordination of our three new grow. Divine love by its very nature shares itself. Bishops. It was affirming to the Catholic Made in the images and likeness of God-Love, Community to see the presence of nearly 20 humanity had that essential quality or condition religious leaders. This is a testimony to the 30, or which makes loving possible and that condition is 40 or 50 years of institutional engagement and free will. Some humans chose to reject the offer of relationship between our communities. I close friendship with God-Love. This rejection, emphasize the word institutional engagement which we name as sin, entered human experience deliberately. To foster harmony among peoples in and became a permanent part of it. an ad hoc approach simply does not work. Sin is a separation or a false autonomy. False Relationships cannot be invented in moments of because it’s not possible to be or exist crisis. Relationships must be there before the crisis independently of God. This false autonomy is the occurs if they are to mediate harmony.