In the Regeneration and Divinisation of Human Beings

29/12/2017 Spoken on February 11th, 1973) 17.1  We cannot know what dharma is because we cannot know what the universe is. We cannot know what the universe is because it is a blend of spirit and matter in a transcendent fashion in the Absolute. Therefore, the advice given to us is to follow the path of the great ones. Do not try to solve the mystery of dharma for ourselves. The secret of dharma is hidden within the cave, which means to say it is unknowable, very secret.  The right path for us would be the one which has been trodden by the great masters of yore. It is, “The footprints on the sands of time,” as the poet tells us of great ones. This is the supreme mystery of the cosmos. Now, is the cosmos a place or a person or a spirit or a condition? What is the universe? The Bhagavadgita gives us four definitions. Sometimes the universe is regarded as a place. 17.2 When Bhagavan Sri Krishna speaks of the Ultimate Reality as a kind of place, Loerd  calls it "d

Opinion               25/12/2017.                    1077                 All Members,          Respected family members of this great holy Nation. Everyone's idea of practical religion is according to his theory of practicality and the standpoint he starts from. There is work. There is the system of worship. There is knowledge.           VERY IMPORTANT FOR THE PRESENT DAY STUDENTS : - This article was recorded by Ida Ansell in shorthand. As, however, Swamiji's speed was too great for her in her early days, dots are put in the articles to indicate the omissions, while the words within square brackets are added by way of linking up the disconnected parts. (Delivered in San Francisco, April 5, 1900) Sub : PRACTICAL RELIGION : BREATHING AND MEDITATION - 2. Swami Vivekananda We are always talking [about] practical religion. But it must be practical in our sense. Especially [so] in the Western countries. The Protestants' ideal is good works. They do not ca

22/12/2017 Spoken on February 11th, 1973) 16. We cannot know what dharma is because we cannot know what the universe is. We cannot know what the universe is because it is a blend of spirit and matter in a transcendent fashion in the Absolute. Therefore, the advice given to us is to follow the path of the great ones. Do not try to solve the mystery of dharma for ourselves. The secret of dharma is hidden within the cave, which means to say it is unknowable, very secret.  The right path for us would be the one which has been trodden by the great masters of yore. It is, “The footprints on the sands of time,” as the poet tells us of great ones. This is the supreme mystery of the cosmos. Now, is the cosmos a place or a person or a spirit or a condition? What is the universe? The Bhagavadgita gives us four definitions. Sometimes the universe is regarded as a place. When Bhagavan Sri Krishna speaks of the Ultimate Reality as a kind of place, he calls it :- na tadbhasayant

Opinion               18/12/2017.                    1072                 All Members,          Respected family members of this great holy Nation. Everyone's idea of practical religion is according to his theory of practicality and the standpoint he starts from. There is work. There is the system of worship. There is knowledge.           VERY IMPORTANT FOR THE PRESENT DAY STUDENTS : - This article was recorded by Ida Ansell in shorthand. As, however, Swamiji's speed was too great for her in her early days, dots are put in the articles to indicate the omissions, while the words within square brackets are added by way of linking up the disconnected parts. (Delivered in San Francisco, April 5, 1900) Sub : PRACTICAL RELIGION : BREATHING AND MEDITATION - 1. 1.1 The philosopher thinks ... the difference between bondage and freedom is only caused by knowledge and ignorance. To him, knowledge is the goal, and his practicality is gaining that knowledge.... The wor

15/12/2017 Spoken on February 11th, 1973) 15.1 Jneyam yat tat pravakshyami yaj jnatvamrtam asnute, anadimat param brahma na sat tan nasad ucyate. (Gita, Ch-13, Slo-12. ) sarvatah panipadam tat sarvatokshisiromukham, sarvatah srutimal loke sarvam avrtya tishati.  ( Gita, Ch--13, Slo-13. )  sarvendriyagunabhasam  sarvendriyavivarjitam,  asaktam  sarvabhrccaiva  nirgunam  gunabhoktr ca. (Gita. Ch-13, Slo-14. ) bahir antas ca bhutanam acaram caram eva ca, sukshmatvat tad avijneyam durastham canthike ca tat (Gita, Ch-13, 15.) It is both inside and outside. What a wonder it is! -------------------------------------------------------------- This is the transcendent solution of the mystery between spirit and matter. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- We cannot understand it because it is subtler than our understanding. -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

10/12/2017 Spoken on February 11th, 1973) 14.1 Inasmuch as consciousness is undivided, there cannot be externality to it. Even a universe cannot exist outside it, but the universe exists. We are seeing it. So we have two continuities, two continuums – the universal continuum and the consciousness continuum. This double continua of consciousness and matter has led some people to imagine that there is an infinite matter and an infinite consciousness. This is the Sankhya philosophy of India, which says there is an ubiquitous and eternal matter and also an ubiquitous and eternal consciousness, Purusha. But what is that which is between the two? Nobody knows. This is a no-man’s land. As there cannot be a no-man’s land between consciousness and matter, Vedanta comes to the forefront and says, “Sankhya, you are wonderful. You have gone ahead of the scientists in positing the existence of consciousness. You have won a victory over the ignorance of the scientists. But you are also

Opinion               09/12/2017.                    1068                 All Members,          Respected family members of this great holy Nation.           VERY IMPORTANT FOR THE PRESENT DAY STUDENTS : - Sub : REASON AND RELIGION-1.16 Swami Vivekananda (Delivered in England) I. This is all the worship of the Impersonal, and what is the result? The whole life of man will be changed. Strength, strength it is that we want so much in this life, for what we call sin and sorrow have all one cause, and that is our weakness. With weakness comes ignorance, and with ignorance comes misery. It will make us strong. Then miseries will be laughed at, then the violence of the vile will be smiled at, and the ferocious tiger will reveal, behind its tiger's nature, my own Self. II. That will be the result. That soul is strong that has become one with the Lord; none else is strong. In your own Bible, what do you think was the cause of that strength of Jesus of Nazareth, that i

Opinion               02/12/2017.                    1063                 All Members,          Respected family members of this great holy Nation.           VERY IMPORTANT FOR THE PRESENT DAY STUDENTS : - Sub : REASON AND RELIGION-1.15 Swami Vivekananda (Delivered in England) 1. As we have seen, the law of reason says, the particular is only known through the general. So all these particulars, from man to God, are only known through the Impersonal, the highest generalisation. Prayers will remain, only they will get a better meaning. All those senseless ideas of prayer, the low stages of prayer, which are simply giving words to all sorts of silly desire in our minds, perhaps, will have to go. In all sensible religions, they never allow prayers to God; they allow prayers to gods. That is quite natural. The Roman Catholics pray to the saints; that is quite good. But to pray to God is senseless. To ask God to give you a breath of air, to send down a shower o

30/11/2017 Spoken on February 11th, 1973) 13. The universe contains a peculiar principle called intelligence or consciousness which is responsible for our thinking, and for our saying anything at all. Even to be a materialist, consciousness is essential. We must be a good conscious being in order that we may be a good materialist. It is the consciousness that says, “I am a materialist.” It is consciousness that says that only matter exists. Do you understand this mystery? It is consciousness that asserts that consciousness does not exist. Who makes this assertion that consciousness does not exist? Consciousness. Very interesting it is. Consciousness says that consciousness does not exist, because matter has no intelligence and cannot say this. Now I am coming to another aspect of this question which is very intimately connected with the earlier one. The universe is a continuum, an undivided being, according to physical discovery. So is consciousness. Consciousness is a co

 Opinion               25/11/2017.                    1058.                 All Members,          Respected family members of this great holy Nation.           VERY IMPORTANT FOR THE PRESENT DAY STUDENTS : - Sub : REASON AND RELIGION-1.14 Swami Vivekananda (Delivered in England)   Similarly, the sum-total of this universe is immovable, we know, but everything pertaining to this universe consists of motion, everything is in a constant state of flux, everything changing and moving. At the same time, we see that the universe as a whole is immovable, because motion is a relative term. I move with regard to the chair, which does not move. There must be at least two to make motion. If this whole universe is taken as a unit there is no motion; with regard to what should it move? Thus the Absolute is unchangeable and immovable, and all the movements and changes are only in the phenomenal world, the limited. That whole is Impersonal, and within this Impersonal are all

16/11/2017 Spoken on February 11th, 1973) 12. Then, where is consciousness? Does consciousness exist, or does it not exist? If it does exist, is it part of the universal continuum or is it outside the continuum? We cannot say that it does not exist, because who told us the universe is a continuum of forces? It is the consciousness of the scientist that tells this. The inert physics or the unconscious universe does not speak. The universe does not say, “I am a continuum.” It is the intelligence of the scientist that says the universe is an undivided continuum. Does this consciousness or intelligence of the scientist exist? Naturally, the scientist has to say it exists. Does it exist outside the continuum or inside the continuum? We cannot say that it is outside the continuum, because there is nothing external to it. If it is internal, we create a division in the continuum. It has already been accepted that the continuum is such a state of affairs that we cannot imagine a di

Opinion               15/11/2017.                    1053.                 All Members,          Respected family members of this great holy Nation.           VERY IMPORTANT FOR THE PRESENT DAY STUDENTS : - Sub : REASON AND RELIGION-1.13 Swami Vivekananda (Delivered in England) What is the effect of accepting such an Impersonal Being, an Impersonal Deity? What shall we gain? Will religion stand as a factor in human life, our consoler, our helper? What becomes of the desire of the human heart to pray for help to some being? That will all remain. The Personal God will remain, but on a better basis. He has been strengthened by the Impersonal. We have seen that without the Impersonal, the Personal cannot remain. If you mean to say there is a Being entirely separate from this universe, who has created this universe just by His will, out of nothing, that cannot be proved. Such a state of things cannot be. But if we understand the idea of the Impersonal, then t

09/11/2017 11. Now the question comes, “How is the universe conscious?” I will come to that point slowly again. The scientists’ viewpoint is that the universe is a single undivided continuum of force. Mark the word ‘undivided’, which means to say that there is nothing external to the universe, outside the universe. Even according to our top physicists of modern times, there is nothing external to the universe. The universe is one, and it is one in a very peculiar sense that it is an undivided continuum. A continuum is the nature of that particular pattern of existence wherein divisions cannot be imagined. It is like the flow of the Ganga, the mass of water in the ocean, or whatever you may regard as a suitable comparison for this state of affairs. The universe is a continuity and a pattern of flow of events which cannot be distinguished ultimately one from the other. That means to say, there is nothing outside the universe. I am repeating this again and again so

Opinion               08/11/2017.                    1048.                 All Members,          Respected family members of this great holy Nation.           VERY IMPORTANT FOR THE PRESENT DAY STUDENTS : - Sub : REASON AND RELIGION-1.12 Swami Vivekananda (Delivered in England) On the other hand, as you all know, the modern physical researches are tending more and more to demonstrate that what is real is but the finer; the gross is simply appearance. However that may be, we have seen that if any theory of religion can stand the test of modern reasoning, it is the Advaita, because it fulfils its two requirements. It is the highest generalisation, beyond even personality, generalisation which is common to every being. A generalisation ending in the Personal God can never be universal, for, first of all, to conceive of a Personal God we must say, He is all-merciful, all-good. But this world is a mixed thing, some good and some bad. We cut off what we like, and general

04/11/2017 Spoken on February 11th, 1973) 10. We generally have a give-and-take attitude. When you perform an action, put a question to yourself: “What will it bring to me? Why should I do it?” This is a question which always comes up in one’s mind whenever one is asked to do anything. The action must produce a result, which means to say we are always accustomed to perform actions with an ulterior end or motive, and never in the spirit of karma yoga. Karma yoga is action which is an end in itself because it is spirit manifesting itself. The spirit is an end, and not a means. Now I am slowly coming to the point as to why spirituality is connected with universality. If the universe is the determining factor of every conduct and action of an individual, the individual being a part of the universe, and it being clear at the same time that the fact of the individual’s bearing a relevance to cosmic existence also implies the universal determining action, then the nature of the uni

Opinion               29/10/2017.                    1043.                 All Members,          Respected family members of this great holy Nation.           VERY IMPORTANT FOR THE PRESENT DAY STUDENTS : - Sub : REASON AND RELIGION-1.11 Swami Vivekananda (Delivered in England) Thus we see that the religion of the Vedanta can satisfy the demands of the scientific world, by referring it to the highest generalisation and to the law of evolution. That the explanation of a thing comes from within itself is still more completely satisfied by Vedanta. The Brahman, the God of the Vedanta, has nothing outside of Himself; nothing at all. All this indeed is He: He is in the universe: He is the universe Himself. "Thou art the man, Thou art the woman, Thou art the young man walking in the pride of youth, Thou art the old man tottering in his step." He is here. Him we see and feel: in Him we live, and move, and have our being. You have that conception in the New Test

27/10/2017. (Spoken on February 11th, 1973) All these tests ultimately depend upon the integrality of the cosmos. I began by saying that every action bears a relation to the structure of the universe, and the structural pattern of the universe is, therefore, the determining factor of the conduct of every intelligent being. Now, the universe being an end and not a means, and every part of it being connected with it in such a way that nothing can be regarded as a means, our activities also become ends in themselves when they are spiritualised. As a matter of fact, the karma yoga doctrine of the Bhagavadgita is nothing but regarding action as an end in itself, and not as a means to some other purpose. When an action brings a result which is different from the structure of the action, then it is unspiritual and undivine. When an action is an end in itself, it need not produce a result. What we do is the purpose in itself. This is a peculiar structure of action which is promulga

Opinion               15/07/2017.                    1043.                 All Members,          Respected family members of this great holy Nation.           VERY IMPORTANT FOR THE PRESENT DAY STUDENTS : - Sub : REASON AND RELIGION-1.10 ----------------------------------------- Swami Vivekananda (Delivered in England) Ref : {1.Claiming this ( Brahmam ) superiority, religions have many times looked down, unfortunately, on all secular knowledge, and not only so, but many times have refused to be justified by the aid of secular knowledge. 1. It is wrong to say we are even physically different. Supposing we are materialists, for argument's sake, we shall have to come to this, that the whole universe is simply an ocean of matter, of which you and I are like little whirlpools. Masses of matter are coming into each whirlpool, taking the whirlpool form, and coming out as matter again.  2. The matter that is in my body may have been in y

18/05/2017. (Spoken on February 11th, 1973) 1. How do we know what action is justifiable and what is not? There are some people who have laid down a principle. If a particular character, attitude or conduct of ours can be imitated by everybody else in the world with impunity, well, we can regard it as a justifiable action. Suppose you tell a lie. Would you like everybody in the world to tell lies? If you yourself would not like it, then it is not justifiable. 2. Suppose everybody in the world is a thief, without exception. Would it be all right? We will naturally say it is not all right; therefore, theft is not justifiable. Incontinence universally practised is not justifiable. So anything that is universally applicable with impunity to everyone is often regarded as a test of dharma or justifiable action. The principle, however, ultimately is that it should be universally applicable and the law operating in the cosmos should determine action. 3. There is also a prin

Opinion               17/05/2017.                    1038.                 All Members,          Respected family members of this great holy Nation.           VERY IMPORTANT FOR THE PRESENT DAY STUDENTS : - Sub : REASON AND RELIGION-1.9 ----------------------------------------- Swami Vivekananda (Delivered in England) Ref : {1.Claiming this ( Brahmam ) superiority, religions have many times looked down, unfortunately, on all secular knowledge, and not only so, but many times have refused to be justified by the aid of secular knowledge. 1. Another idea connected with this, the manifestation of the same principle, that the explanation of everything comes from inside it, is the modern law of evolution. 2. The whole meaning of evolution is simply that the nature of a thing is reproduced, that the effect is nothing but the cause in another form, that all the potentialities of the effect were present in the cause, that the whole of creation is but an evolution and

19/04/2017. (Spoken on February 11th, 1973) If we do something to save our family, to protect our family, we are doing the dharma of our family. But suppose in protecting our family we are harming some other family; that will not be ultimately justifiable. We may pay Paul, but we cannot rob Peter for the sake of that. We cannot commit burglary for the sake of helping poor people. Helping poor people is justifiable and necessary, but we should not do it if the funds are collected by burglary. So good on one side should not imply bad on another side. We have, therefore, a concept of samanya dharma and vishesha dharma. Vishesha dharma is the conduct which is justifiable on a specific occasion, but samanya dharma is the conduct which is justifiable on all occasions. Swami Krishnananda To be continued ..

Opinion               16/04/2017.                    1033.                 All Members,          Respected family members of this great holy Nation.           VERY IMPORTANT FOR THE PRESENT DAY STUDENTS : - Sub : REASON AND RELIGION-1.8 ----------------------------------------- Swami Vivekananda (Delivered in England) Ref : {1.Claiming this ( Brahmam ) superiority, religions have many times looked down, unfortunately, on all secular knowledge, and not only so, but many times have refused to be justified by the aid of secular knowledge. This tendency you will find throughout modern thought; in one word, what is meant by science is that the explanations of things are in their own nature, and that no external beings or existences are required to explain what is going on in the universe. The chemist never requires demons, or ghosts, or anything of that sort, to explain his phenomena. The physicist never requires any one of these to explain the things he knows, nor

12/04/2017. (Spoken on February 11th, 1973) The structure of existence, the nature of the universe, is the determining factor of all activities of human life, so all life is spiritual. There is no such thing as unspiritual life. It does not exist, and it is impossible. Anything that is universally related is spiritual. You may be wondering why I am connecting spirituality with the universe; it is a very pertinent question indeed, to which I will return a little later on. Why should universality be connected with spirituality? Even physical science accepts that everything is connected with the universal whole, but it is not spiritual, so why am I connecting spirituality with the universal nature of things? This is a point we shall discuss shortly. In Indian psychology, philosophy and culture, the universal relations have been taken for granted as relevant to every activity in human life, and the duty of man was called a dharma, an obligatory attitude on the part of every indivi