Swami Vivekananda's birthday

[Guest guest]

Dear Friends

 

Today we celebrate Swami Vivekananda's birthday. The best way to celebrate

is by emphasising what Swami Vivekananda stood for.

 

Invoking Strength. The source of our strength is our spiritual dimension. It is

by

focusing on the fact that we are not the mind or the body but the Self - we

invoke

the greatest strength.

 

The tools he would recommend we use are:

 

Buddhi. The best tool to invoke strength is the use of our rational faculties.

If

in the name of religion we are offered ideas that defy our common sense then

we must move away from such ideas. Rationality and Religion are not at odds

or have never been at odds. (at some stage religion may ask us to transcend

rationality but that is not the same as accepting or adopting irrational views).

 

Brahmacharya: A tool a very few modern 'gurus' would dare promote.

At best these gurus would say 'as long as you are in a loving relationship with

a partner

sex is fine' : ). Ramakrishna would say, "If you have to, then get married,

have

one or two children and then quickly move on to a celibate lifestyle." Who wants

to

listen to such an old fashioned message? Today the religion of Indians is not

Hinduism;

it is called "Bollywood" - lust set to music. Best way for a nation to drool and

fritter

away its strength.

 

Let us invoke these higher ideals of Bal, Buddhi and Brahamacharya in our

nation.

 

jay

Vivekananda Centre London