Swami Vivekananda - Report Example

Swami Vivekananda Through the history of religion and Hinduism, I believe that the life and works of Swami Vivekananda is most important. In reading his teachings, it became apparent how his are the ones that holds true and significant even through the passage of time. What Swami Vivekananda preached is universal and unbiased. It is not merely based on the traditions and culture of the common society, but based on what he actually saw happening in the world. A Brief Biography Born to an affluent family in Kolkata on January 12, 1863 Narendra Nath Datta is now more commonly remembered as Swami Vivekananda, a strong influential figure that helped shape the history of Hinduism. As his father was a successful attorney and his mother bestowed with strong character, Narendra was as well a bright and talented boy always displaying signs of being a natural leader (Belur Math, 2008; Pettinger, 2005). In Calcutta University, Narendra was described as handsome, muscular, and agile (Nikhilananda, 1953). He took courses in music and gymnastics, but he esecially stood out in his studies in the courses Western Philosophy and History in Calcutta University (Belur Math, 2008). As this boy at a tender age was drawn to western thinking and philosophy and disappointed with religious superstitions, Narendra joined the Brahmo Samaj, a modern Hindu movement that sought to revive life and spirituality in India through rationalism (Pettinger, 2005). At the ripe age of adolescence, Narendra underwent an internal spiritual crisis when doubts regarding the existence of God bombarded him. Narendra felt a very strong yearning to actually “see God” (Pettinger, 2005). Hearing about Sri Ramakrishna from one of his professors, Narendra sought him out at the Kali Temple in Dakshineshwar on November 1881 (Belur Math, 2008). Upon seeing Sri Ramakrishna, Narendra immediately asked if he had seen God. The master then answered him briefly, with “Yes, I have. I see Him as clearly as I see you, only in a much intenser sense. God can be seen. One can talk to him. But who cares for God? People shed torrents of tears for their wives, children, wealth, and property, but who weeps for the vision of God? If one cries sincerely for God, one can surely see Him.” (Belur Math, 2008; Nikhilananda, 1953). Apart from these remarks, Sri Ramakrishna impressed Narendra because despite his simple way of life, within him lay a deep spirituality that Narendra so aspired to possess (Pettinger, 2005). Thus began a five-year relationship of master and disciple, wherein Narendra experienced the actual surrendering to the Divine Mother and realised his spirituality (Pettinger, 2005). Upon the death of Sri Ramakrishna in 1886, with the strong leadership skills of Narendra, Sri Ramakrishna’s disciples founded a new monastic order (Belur Math, 2008). In 1887, after taking their formal vows of sannyasa, they assumed new names (Belur Math 2008). Narendra then became what we now know him to be as Swami Vivekananda. Under his constant guidance and supervision, Vivekananda pushed his followers to “renounce the world and seek communion with God” (Pettinger, 2005). This, however, failed to satisfy the spiritual thirst of this great man. It seems that he had a calling for a personal mission to discover India and help his people. Vivekananda thought about Sri Ramakrishna and his message in relation to India and the world (Belur Math, 2008). He thus decided to explore India and was hence able to discover the sufferings of his people. In January of 1891, he set out for Delhi and assumed the name of Swami Vividishananda, (Nikhilananda, 1953). Vivekananda was deeply moved by what he saw. Left and right, people suffered from poverty and many other hardships (Pettinger, 2005). He also noticed that people also suffered from spiritual distress and degradation (Nikhilananda, 1953). This made him raelize that through serving humanity, he is serving God (pettinger, 2005). In Delhi, Vivekananda was able to grasp the real cause of the people’s poverty: due to neglect of the masses and centuries of oppression, the people have lost faith in their individual capacities for improvement (Belur Math, 2008). “Everything that can weaken us as a race we have had for the past thousand years. It seems as if during that period the national life had this one end in view, viz., how to make us weaker and weaker, till we have become real earthworms crawling at the feet of everyone who dares to put his foot on us” (Thus Spake Vivekananda, 2001). Despite this, Vivekananda also realized that “the masses clung to religion, but they had never been taugh the life-giving, ennobling pronciples of Vedanta and how to apply them in practical life” (Belur Math, 2008). Thus began Vivekananda’s realization of his mission. In Vivekananda’s thirty-nine years of his life on this world – ten of which were dedicated to service to humanity – he was able to leave four classics that have since shaped Hinduism as what we know it today: Jnana- Yoga, Bhakti – Yoga, Kharma – Yoga, and Raja-Yoga (Nikhilananda, 1953). Aside from this, Vivekananda also left teachings that have inspired many people to seek their personal spiritualities. Influence on Religious Views Several factors may be noted to have influenced Vivekananda’s views and philosophy, and eventually his teachings. First is his childhood background. It has been mentioned that as a boy, Vivekananda has already had spiritual experiences. Growing up wth an intellectually gifted father, and having a saintly woman for a mother, He was always being reprimanded and disciplined accordingly. His mother also played a very big role in the shaping of Vivekananda’s personality and values. One day, Vivekananda went home and told his mother how he was unjustly treated in school. At this, she replied: “my child, what does it matter if you are in the right? Always follow the truth without caring about the result. Very often you may have to suffer injustice or unpleasant consequences for holding to the truth; but you must not, under any circumstances, abandon it” (Nikhilananda, 1953). Another remarkable experience as a boy that has influenced his teachings was that of the story of Rama and Sita (Nikhilananda, 1953). As a boy he has always adored this story, and even obtained images and pictures, and adorned them with flowers. However, a time came when he heard someone denounce marriage passionately and described it as a “terrible bondage” (Nikhilananda, 1953). At this, he abandoned Rama and Sita as they were unworthy of worship and replaced them with the image of Siva, the god of renunciation (Nikhilananda, 1953). Siva later on became the ideal for the Yogis. The second influential factor is his educational background. His knowledge on Eastern and Western Cultures has shaped his rational thinking. With his open-minded or liberal way of thinking, Vivekananda had a lot of questions or queries, that he never stopped seeking answers to. His doubts regarding the existence of God made him seek for personal spirituality. His thirst for answers made him the great man that he is known to be. As Vivekananda was a product of Western education, he adopted the pervasive interest in reconciling science and religion. He aimed to bridge the gap between the acquisition of knowledge in both science and religion. He was mainly concerned that some religious issues such as the actual existence of God could never be satisfactorily established by any logical reasoning (Rambachan, 1990). As follows, Vivekananda describes the nature of Samadhi as a source of knowledge using three gradations of mental activity: instinctive behaviour; reason; and the superconscious state of mind (Rambachan, 1990). This is similar to Freud’s id, ego, and superego. Vivekananda thus presented the Samadhi as a means of knowing oneself, for without knowing oneself, one cannot gain the full realization of spirituality (Rambachan, 1990). Third, and probably most important of all, is the influence of Sri Ramakrishna in his quest for personal spirituality. Vivekananda was trained and taught by Sri Ramakrishna for almost five years (“Thus Spake Vivekananda”, 2001). During this time, Vivekananda absorbed the wisdom coming from the great teacher. He admired Sri Ramakrishna so much that Vivekananda held his teachings of great value. A great part of what he put in his writings and teachings came from what he learned from this man. The first few meetings between Sri Ramakrishna and the boy Narendra did not go well. Always rationale, logical, and scientific, Vivekananda was, in fact, doubtful of the beliefs and teachings of his master, and would always ridicule his visions, saying that they were mere hallucinations (Nikhilananda, 1953). However, as time passed, and through careful observation, Vivekananda understood the essence of Ramakrishna’s existence and teachings. The relationship between the loving and patient guru and the stubborn student progressed to a more intimate one, as Sri Ramakrishna was able to meet the intelligence of Vivekananda and never once asked him to abandon reason in exchange for faith in god (Nikhilananda, 1953). “When Narens reasoning failed to solve the ultimate mystery, the teacher gave him the necessary insight. Thus, with infinite patience, love, and vigilance, he tamed the rebellious spirit, demanding complete obedience to moral and spiritual disciplines, without which the religious life can not be built on a firm foundation.” (Nikhilananda, 1953) Lastly, his journey through India provided him a different perspective and understanding of the world (Nikhilananda, 1953). What he has witnessed through his wanderings taught him more than he ever learned in school or in books. Through these experiences, he was able to immerse himself in the lives of the poor, experiencing firsthand their joys and hopes, sorrows, pains, and frustrations (Nikhilananda, 1953). Through different aspects of his teachings, it is apparent how the wisdom of Vivekananda surpassed that of other Hindu philosophers and prophets. His views on religion are always innovative and never fail to seek beyond what is there. Regarding his view on the Vedanta for instance, Vivekananda believes and argues that the Vedanta does not accept the credibility of merely one text nor does it disprove the validity of another text (Rambachan, 1994). Furthermore, Vivekananda refuses to compromise with the idea that any one text can consume all the truths about “ultimate reality” (Rambachan, 1994). Vivekananda stresses that the vedas, much like any scripture, are just mere recordings of the spiritual experiences and accounts of other human beings, that need to be personally discovered and realized by every individual before they become the truth for them (Rambachan, 1994). “The text, therefore, is only an indication of the way to the discovery of certain facts. The proof of truth is the direct knowledge of the individual, not the fact of its embodiment in any text. The individual verifies and must verify the text. This verification is likened to ordinary direct perception and constitutes the ultimately valid knowledge: the proof, therefore, of the vedas, is just the same as the proof of this table before me, direct perception. This I see with the senses, and the truths of spirituality we also see in a superconscious state of the human soul.” (Rambachan, 1994). In Viveka Sutras, Vivekananda proposes, “each soul is potentially divine” (Thus Spake Vivekananda, 2001). In this writing, Vivekananda claims that the goal of divinity is to control internal and external natures by worship, philosophy, or any other form in order to be free (Thus Spake Vivekananda, 2001). Furthermore, he teaches that temples, dogmas, or texts, are just secondary, as long as freedom is found within divinity. In conclusion, the teachings and writings of Vivekananda not only apply to Hindus. They apply to all religions. It is amazing how Vivekananda is able to reconcile in his teachings all the religions of the world in saying that there is only one god. We may have different gods, practices, or cultures, but in the end, there is only one divinity, and it is the faith in this divinity that people hold on to. It is only a matter of realizing this spirituality. There may be different cultures and laws across the lands, but in reality, all peoples across the world aim for the greater good. To sum it up, is an excerpt from one of Swami Vivekananda’s poems quoted from “Thus Spake Vivekananda” (2001): Truth never comes where lust and fame and greed Of gain reside Let go your vain reliance on knowledge. Let go your prayers, offerings, and strength, For Love selfless is the only resource; Lo, the insects teach, - embracing the flames Formulas of worship, control of breath, Science, philosophy, system, varied, Relinquishment, possession, and the like, All these are but delusions of the mind; - Love, Love - thats the one thing, the sole treasure. References Belur Math. (2008). Swami Vivekananda: Life and teachings. Retrieved November 19, 2008, from http://www.belurmath.org/swamivivekananda.htm Nikhilananda, S. (1953). Vivekananda: A Biography. New York: Ramakrishna Vivekananda Center. Pettinger, R. (2005). Biography – Swami Vivekananda. Writespirit.com. Retrieved November 19, 2008, from http://www.writespirit.net/authors/swami_vivekananda/biography-swami-vivekananda/ Rambachan, A. (1990). Swami Vivekananda’s Use of Science as an Analogy for the Attainment of Moksa. Philosophy East & West, 40. Rambachan, A. (1994). The limits of scripture: Vivekananda’s reinterpretation of the Vedas. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press. Thus Spake Vivekanada. (2001). Mayavati Pithoragarh Himalayas: President Advaita Ashrama. Read More