Contemporary Vivekananda (part 1)

[Guest guest]

Further to an earlier email we sent asking for 'Relevance of Swami Vivekananda

for Contemporary Hinduism'. We have received an interesting article from

Abhijit. As the article is long we are sending it to the list in

instalments.........jay

 

" sam43_1999 " <sam43_1999

Tue Aug 26, 2003 2:58pm Re: Vivekananda - mainstream Hinduism?

 

Dear Jay,

IMHO I feel one should approach with what a westerner can well appreciate in the

present times. Russel Frank Atkins, a spiritual scholar from Australia in his

article summerizes exactly what appeals of Swamiji in the 21st century. I am cut

pasting the article from the following link

http://www.midcoast.com.au/~russat/ramakrishn.htm

 

Abhijit

 

RAMAKRISHNA, VIVEKANANDA AND THE 21st. CENTURY.

 

 

By Russell Frank Atkinson

 

Shri Ramakrishna died in 1886. Swami Vivekananda died in 1902. Few westerners

know anything about their amazing lives or of the catalyzing effect they have

had on world culture. Millions now honor their birthday celebrations. The

Calcutta monastery founded by Vivekananda may be visited by as many as 800.000

people on Ramakrishnas birthday each year and each year the numbers grow.

 

Perhaps the same might be true in the west, if Vivekananda had preached the

divinity of Ramakrishna instead of the principles of the " Sanatana Dharma " The

Eternal Religion- also known as Vedanta.

 

He is recorded as saying that if he had preached Shri Ramakrishna the world

would worship at Ramakrishnas feet, but he did not want to inspire another

religion. Instead he blazed the trail with a

brilliant interpretation and exposition of Hindu philosophy, Yoga and Vedanta,

as nobody else had done before, or has done since. Shri Ramakrishna was his

inspiration, his Guru, his life breath. But

Vivekananda was a lion among men, not a meek follower.

 

" The power that emanated from this mysterious being was so great that one all

but shrank from it. " It was overwhelming. It threatened to sweep everything

before it. It was a mind so far transcending

other minds, even those who rank as geniuses, that it seemed different by its

very nature. Its ideas were so clear, so powerful, so transcendental that it

seemed incredible that they could have

emanated from the intellect of an ordinary human being " later some of us found

that our minds were transformed " Wrote Christine Greenstidel who later became

his disciple.

 

One of the fascinating aspects of the history of Ramakrishna and Vivekananda is

the radical difference of their personalities. Their wonderful relationship is

part of the fascinating history of

the spiritual renaissance that began with the birth of Shri Ramakrishna in 1836.

This timing is one of the amazing plays in the drama of life, for it took place

not far from the capital city of British India, where Ramakrishna later lived

and taught, and as scientific rationalism and materialism began to dominate the

world. By the time he reached adolescence the influence of western culture

looked to the destruction of almost everything the Hindu culture stood for. Few

could have anticipated the cultural reversal that followed.

 

A salient feature of His advent is the detailed family history and the records

kept of His life and teachings and the many anecdotes of contemporaries,

devotees and disciples. They leave little room for speculation, fanciful

interpretations, controversy or doubt. The many biographies of Ramakrishna and

Vivekananda and the other direct disciples of Shri Ramakrishna are available

from Vedanta centers around the world or specialty bookshops, as are the many

works of

Vivekananda.

 

..........to be continued.