[ramakrishna] Fw: Status of the Ramakrishna Mission

[Guest guest]

Dear Sharat,

You have really initiated an important point.

As I have understood Rama Krishna Mission is not disowning its essentially

Hindu identity.The interpretation might be to win some legal issues.

The Mission is trying to put forth its foundation in much broader outlook,

whereupon such fighting of Hindu or no hindu doen not arise.Sprituality is

more emphasised than the religion.When you talk about Sat-Chit Ananda then it

is not in the domain of Hindu or any other religion.Sw Vivekananda has said

let there be thousands of sects, let each person form his own sect, because

sprituality can not be defined by mathematical equations. It is a process of

self realization.We are all part of Sanatan Dharma, Hindiuism may be a part of

it.Of course there is a Hindu way of life exists, which need not be followed

by all those who beleive in Ramakrishna.The essential thing which we know from

Sri Ramakrishna is that only God is real and nothing else.To understand this

simple thing I think no religion is neccesary even not the Hinduism.If we look

at the life of Sri Ramakrishna then all such things get clearer.

I feel Sri Ramkrishna is more important then Ramakrishna Mission.Ramakrishna

Mission may claim any thing and can interpret any thing, but that neccesarily

donot always reflect about Sri Ramakrishna.

I would request you to more concentrate on Sri Ramakrishna

With best wishes

Pranab

 

 

 

 

 

 

>===== Original Message From Ramakrishna =====

>-

> " Sharatkumar M Variyar " <sharat

><drcssha; <vivekananda

>Thursday, May 24, 2001 08:35

>Status of the Ramakrishna Mission

>

>

>

> Respected Sirs,

>

> I am initiated devotee of Shri Ramakrishna working as an engineering

>consultant in Bangalore.

>I am 30 yrs old and am married. I have been following your postings

>as member of the Ramakrishna mailing group since the last two years with

>occasional breaks.

>

>I do feel you will be aware of all the happenings within the Ramakrishna

>Mission.

>

>I request you to please share any information you can pass on the

>following issue.

>

>There has been a Supreme Court ruling which dismissed the Ramakrishna

>Mission's plea for Minority Status.

>

>After that what has been the position of the Mission in this regard.

>Did it issue any clarification confirming its Hindu Identity.

>Pl. share with me if there has been any clarification from the Mission

>after this ruling.

>

>Is the Ramakrishna Mission a Hindu Organisation today only under legal

>compulsion?

>

>There is a lot of confusion and conflict about the Mission disowning

>its essentially Hindu identity and trying to form a sect of

>Ramakrishnites. Even senior monks like Swami Premeshanandaji and others

>did not want to have a sect.

>

> Having come to hear of this now, I feel very uncomfortable and dont want

>to bury my head like an ostritch, but want to know more.

>

> This is taking all the more relevance in the light of the present

>developments in India.

>

> Please do not forward this mail as-is to the Ramakrishna mailing list.

>I am trying to get information purely from non-monastic devotees of Shri

>Ramakrishna.

>

>Any information you share will be welcome

>

> With sincere regards,

>Sharat

>

>=========

>

>Dear Sharat

>

>I am forwarding this email to our mail list to see what we can

>learn.

>

>jay

>

>

>

>

>

>Sri Ramakrishnaye Namah

>Vivekananda Centre London

>http://www.vivekananda.co.uk

>

>

[Guest guest]

My info says that the chapter was closed with the Supreme Court ruling and no

further development took place on this front. The Order was in for a lot of

embarrassment, following this instance. But, we also must appreciate the

Mission's extraordinary predicament that influenced this painful decision. I

understand that it was only a legal umbrella that the Mission was seeking, to

save one of its pristine institutions from destruction. The intent was nowhere

close to abandoning Hinduism. However, the charter of the Mission describes it

as an organisation promoted to disseminate the universal ideas of Sri

Ramakrishna. The word 'Hinduism', to my knowledge, is nowhere to be found and it

is understandable because Swami Vivekananda always insisted on the term

'Sanatana Dharma'. But, I am sure, the belongingness to the Hindu faith is

implicit in the language and explicit in the conduct of the Mission's monastic

members.

 

But, Sharat, I don't quite understand what you mean by this issue assuming great

'relevance in the light of the present developments in India'? Are you

indicating at the rise of the 'Hindutva forces'?

 

Kind regards,

Debajit

 

--

 

On Thu, 24 May 2001 09:47:49

Vivekananda Centre wrote:

>

>-

> " Sharatkumar M Variyar " <sharat

><drcssha; <vivekananda

>Thursday, May 24, 2001 08:35

>Status of the Ramakrishna Mission

>

>

>

> Respected Sirs,

>

> I am initiated devotee of Shri Ramakrishna working as an engineering

>consultant in Bangalore.

>I am 30 yrs old and am married. I have been following your postings

>as member of the Ramakrishna mailing group since the last two years with

>occasional breaks.

>

>I do feel you will be aware of all the happenings within the Ramakrishna

>Mission.

>

>I request you to please share any information you can pass on the

>following issue.

>

>There has been a Supreme Court ruling which dismissed the Ramakrishna

>Mission's plea for Minority Status.

>

>After that what has been the position of the Mission in this regard.

>Did it issue any clarification confirming its Hindu Identity.

>Pl. share with me if there has been any clarification from the Mission

>after this ruling.

>

>Is the Ramakrishna Mission a Hindu Organisation today only under legal

>compulsion?

>

>There is a lot of confusion and conflict about the Mission disowning

>its essentially Hindu identity and trying to form a sect of

>Ramakrishnites. Even senior monks like Swami Premeshanandaji and others

>did not want to have a sect.

>

> Having come to hear of this now, I feel very uncomfortable and dont want

>to bury my head like an ostritch, but want to know more.

>

> This is taking all the more relevance in the light of the present

>developments in India.

>

> Please do not forward this mail as-is to the Ramakrishna mailing list.

>I am trying to get information purely from non-monastic devotees of Shri

>Ramakrishna.

>

>Any information you share will be welcome

>

> With sincere regards,

>Sharat

>

>=========

>

>Dear Sharat

>

>I am forwarding this email to our mail list to see what we can

>learn.

>

>jay

>

>

>

>

>

 

 

Get 250 color business cards for FREE!

http://businesscards.lycos.com/vp/fastpath/

[Guest guest]

Dear Sharat

 

If I am not mistaken you are the same Sharat that I knew in IIT Madras as

co-founders of the Vivekananda Study Circle there. How are you?

(Apologies to the list for this personal greeting)

 

You asked if the Ramakrishna Mission a Hindu Organisation today only under

legal compulsion?

 

My understanding of the issue is that they want to be non-Hindus just for

legal purposes and Hindu for everything else. Let me explain this strange

statement. I remember reading a detailed article on this issue which had

extracts of the Spreme Court's judgement as well as interviews with senior

monks of the Ramakrishna Mission.

 

The Govt is interfering in the way the Mission conducts its schools,

appointments of teachers/principals, salaries and benefits paid etc. This is

simply ridiculous. The Govt does not interfere in schools run by Christian

Missionaries. It is acts like this that give rise to feelings of " Minority

Appeasement " among the majority Hindus in India. Anyway, such interference

gives rise to politically affiliated unions / incompetent or even anti-hindu

teachers. The Mission is understandably not adept at dealing with such

issues.

 

So, just get yourself quietly recognised as a minority " Ramakrishnaism " (the

name that the mission suggested)and, Voila...the Govt can no longer

interfere and the Mission can continue to function in spirit and appearance

just as at present. I suspect the Mission did not expect it to blow-up into

a big controvesy.

 

The Supreme Court, in its verdict, has quoted extensively from Swami

Vivekananda. In his famous " Sisters and Brothers of America " address, he

says, " I welcome you all in the name of millions and millions of Hindu

people of all classes and sects " (some words maybe wrong). The court opined

that Swamiji's Utterances make it beyond doubt that he was a Hindu, though

he may prefer to call it Sanatana Dharma.

 

I have not personally asked a monk of the order for his feelings on the

issue, though. I would be interested to know if other list members have

spoken to swamis of the mission.

 

Swami

 

 

> " Vivekananda Centre " <vivekananda

>Ramakrishna

><sharat, " list " <Ramakrishna >

>[ramakrishna] Fw: Status of the Ramakrishna Mission

>Thu, 24 May 2001 09:47:49 +0100

>

>

>-

> " Sharatkumar M Variyar " <sharat

><drcssha; <vivekananda

>Thursday, May 24, 2001 08:35

>Status of the Ramakrishna Mission

>

>

>

> Respected Sirs,

>

> I am initiated devotee of Shri Ramakrishna working as an engineering

>consultant in Bangalore.

>I am 30 yrs old and am married. I have been following your postings

>as member of the Ramakrishna mailing group since the last two years with

>occasional breaks.

>

>I do feel you will be aware of all the happenings within the Ramakrishna

>Mission.

>

>I request you to please share any information you can pass on the

>following issue.

>

>There has been a Supreme Court ruling which dismissed the Ramakrishna

>Mission's plea for Minority Status.

>

>After that what has been the position of the Mission in this regard.

>Did it issue any clarification confirming its Hindu Identity.

>Pl. share with me if there has been any clarification from the Mission

>after this ruling.

>

>Is the Ramakrishna Mission a Hindu Organisation today only under legal

>compulsion?

>

>There is a lot of confusion and conflict about the Mission disowning

>its essentially Hindu identity and trying to form a sect of

>Ramakrishnites. Even senior monks like Swami Premeshanandaji and others

>did not want to have a sect.

>

> Having come to hear of this now, I feel very uncomfortable and dont want

>to bury my head like an ostritch, but want to know more.

>

> This is taking all the more relevance in the light of the present

>developments in India.

>

> Please do not forward this mail as-is to the Ramakrishna mailing list.

>I am trying to get information purely from non-monastic devotees of Shri

>Ramakrishna.

>

>Any information you share will be welcome

>

> With sincere regards,

>Sharat

>

>=========

>

>Dear Sharat

>

>I am forwarding this email to our mail list to see what we can

>learn.

>

>jay

>

>

>

>

 

_______________________

Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com.