January 8, 2018

Hero, Warrior, Sannyasin



There is no other teacher but your own soul.
- Swami Vivekananda




Vivekananda

Sri Ramakrishna's life-breath,
Sri Ramakrishna's supreme gift to mankind,
Sri Ramakrishna's victory-song all-where!
The victory-world's delight you were;
Lo, the cyclone-valour of the Absolute!
You awakened your slumbering India,
You awakened humanity's sleep.
In you blossomed the Form Universal.
O hero-warrior sannyasin,
In the core of the creation,
Sleeplessly shall burn
The incense of your self-offering.
- Sri Chinmoy





Swami Vivekananda taught of distinct 
spiritual paths and practices 
suited to four basic personality types:

For the Emotional:
Bhakti-Yoga or Yoga of Devotion

For the Active: Karma-Yoga or Yoga of Unselfish Work

For the Intellectual:
Jnana-Yoga or Yoga of Discriminating Knowledge

For the Meditative:
Raja-Yoga or Yoga of Mind-Control





“Vedanta claims that there has not been one religious inspiration, one manifestation of the divine man, however great, but it has been the expression of that infinite oneness in human nature; and all that we call ethics and morality and doing good to others is also but the manifestation of this oneness. There are moments when every man feels that he is one with the universe, and he rushes forth to express it, whether he knows it or not. This expression of oneness is what we call love and sympathy, and it is the basis of all our ethics and morality. This is summed up in the Vedanta philosophy by the celebrated aphorism, Tat Tvam Asi, ‘Thou art That’. To every man, this is taught: Thou art one with this Universal Being, and, as such, every soul that exists is your soul; and every body that exists is your body; and in hurting anyone, you hurt yourself, in loving anyone, you love yourself. As soon as a current of hatred is thrown outside, whomsoever else it hurts, it also hurts yourself; and if love comes out from you, it is bound to come back to you”  - Swami Vivekananda




Swami Vivekananda and the Parliament of Religions
Lecture by Swami Mahayogananda






“Sannyas means courage more than anything else, 
Because it is a declaration of your individuality, 
A declaration of freedom, 
A declaration that you will not be any more part of the mob madness, 
The mob psychology. 
It is a declaration that you are becoming universal; 
You will not belong to any country, 
To any church, to any race, to any religion.”

- Osho