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's Practical Vedanta

Lecture by Swami Sarvapriyananda

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

READ ONLINE: 
The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda

“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

What Would Vivekananda Do?

Swami Vivekananda's Practical Vedanta

Lecture by Swami Sarvapriyananda

After long searches here and there, in temples and in churches, in earths and in heavens, at last you come back, completing the circle from where you started, to your own soul and find that He, for whom you have been seeking all over the world, for whom you have been weeping and praying in churches and temples, on whom you were looking as the mystery of all mysteries shrouded in the clouds, is nearest of the near, is your own Self, the reality of your life, body and soul.
- Swami Vivekananda




READ ONLINE: 
The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda

Behold, it comes in might,

The power that is not power,

The light that is in darkness,

The shade in dazzling light.

It is joy that never spoke,

And grief unfelt, profound,

Immortal life unlived,

Eternal death unmourned.

It is not joy nor sorrow,

But that which is between,

It is not now nor morrow,

But that which joins them in.

It is sweet rest in music;

And pause in sacred art;

The silence between speaking;

Between two fits of passion --

It is the calm of heart.

It is beauty never seen,

And love that stands alone,

It is song that lives un-sung,

And knowledge never known.

It is death between two lives,

And lull between two storms,

The void whence rose creation,

And that where it returns.

To it the tear-drop goes,

To spread the smiling form

It is the Goal of Life,

And Peace -- its only home!

- Swami Vivekananda

Ocean of Love: Glimpses of Swami Vivekananda

Lecture by Swami Mahayogananda

"I do not come", said Swamiji 

on one occasion in America, 

"to convert you to a new belief.

 I want you to keep your own belief; 

I want to make the Methodist a better Methodist; 

the Presbyterian a better Presbyterian; 

the Unitarian a better Unitarian. 

I want to teach you to live the truth, 

to reveal the light within your own soul." 

Vivekananda's Life Message

Lecture by Swami Tyagananda

As soon as a man stands up and says he is right or his church is right, and all others are wrong, he is himself all wrong. He does not know that upon the proof of all the others depends the proof of his own. Love and charity for the whole human race, that is the test of true religiousness. I do not mean the sentimental statement that all men are brothers, but that one must feel the oneness of human life.

So far as they are not exclusive, I see that the sects and creeds are all mine; they are all grand. They are all helping men towards the real religion. I will add, it is good to be born in a church, but it is bad to die there. It is good to be born a child, but bad to remain a child. Churches, ceremonies, and symbols are good for children, but when the child is grown, he must burst the church or himself.

We must not remain children for ever. It is like trying to fit one coat to all sizes and growths. I do not deprecate the existence of sects in the world. Would to God there were twenty millions more, for the more there are, there will be a greater field for selection. What I do object to is trying to fit one religion to every case.

Though all religions are essentially the same, they must have the varieties of form produced by dissimilar circumstances among different nations. We must each have our own individual religion, individual so far as the externals of it go.  

A man may believe in all the churches in the world, he may carry in his head all the sacred books ever written, he may baptize himself in all the rivers of the earth, still, if he has no perception of God, I would class him with the rankest atheist.

And a man may have never entered a church or a mosque, nor performed any ceremony, but if he feels God within himself and is thereby lifted above the vanities of the world, that man is a holy man, a saint, call him what you will.   - From The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda

Purifying Fire of Austerity

The Soul That Does not Live in God is not Alive

Spring makes red and white flowers appear on the trees,

But the spring that is the origin of colors is colorless.

Understand what I have said, and give up all talk;

Run to the Origin without color and unite yourself to it.

Annihilate yourself before the One Existence

So that thousands of worlds leap out of you

And your pure existence flames out of itself

And goes on and on birthing different forms.

Of course, none of these forms will last.

Happy is the one who knows this mystery!

Happy is he who gives his life to know this!

He leaves this house for another far more radiant.

You cannot understand this mystery through reason;

The Way to Knowledge winds through suffering and torment.

If you do not feel pain, you do not look for healing.

The soul that does not live in God is not alive.

She seems like a soul, but does not deserve the name:

She has not been made alive by the Beloved.

The soul is given life by the four-elements

Like a lamp that burns through the night:

The light is from oil and wick, it is not eternal.

While the oil exists, the lamp burns, but then goes out.

The one made alive by God will never die.

He lives through God and not through gold or bread.

God is the Light, the Eternal Source of Lights.

The Light is causeless, as is His fiery radiance.

Like gold, God’s value comes from His pure, perfect essence.
- Poem by Sultan Walad (Rumi's eldest son)

Tapas
Lecture by Swami Mahayogananda

Read the Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna Online

Mastering Self-Control 
Article by Swami Adiswarananda

Swami Swahanandaji

June 29, 1921  -  October 19, 2012 

Obituary

Guru, Mantra, and Initiation 
Article by Swami Swahananda

Swami Swahananda 90th Birthday Remembered by Devotees
Thank you Kasey


Guru: Principle, Power, and Person
Lecture by Swami Mahayogananda



You have to grow from the inside out.
None can teach you, 
None can make you spiritual.
There is no other teacher but your own soul.
Swami Vivekananda

Inner Light

"You are the light of the world."
Matthew 5:14 

Illumination cannot be described in words, it must be experienced. There are many glimpses of smaller awakenings on the way towards spiritual enlightenment. The awakening of the self depends on the ripening of the perfect conditions. The seed will not sprout until the ground is prepared. Repeat your given mantra and fertilize the ground of your mind and heart. Go on repeating until you take your last breath. It may take many, many, lifetimes of being reincarnated before we experience freedom. The Vedanta Society Swami's tell us everyone will awaken one day at their own destined time into a greater consciousness. Wake up... drop all desires and experience a moment when the veil of ignorance is dissolved and suddenly the love of infinite oneness presents itself... as the breath of the Eternal.

Inner Light 
Article by Swami Shraddhananda

Waking Up

Lecture by Swami Mahayogananda

The Light Within
Lecture by Swami Tyagananda

Bring all light into the world; light, bring light! 

Let light come unto everyone; the tasks will not be finished 

Till everyone has reached the Lord. 

Bring light to the poor, and bring more light to the rich, 

For they require it more than the poor; 

Bring light to the ignorant and more light to the educated 

For the vanities of the education of our time are tremendous! 

Thus bring light to all and leave the rest unto the Lord.

– Swami Vivekananda

Death... Or is it?

Vedanta and Near Death Experience Lecture by Swami Mahayogananda

Life & Death Lecture by Pravrajika Vivekaprana

Ecology and Evolution

IN PRAISE OF MOTHER EARTH 

by Thich Nhat Hanh

Homage to you Refreshing Earth Bodhisattva

Mother of this world with its many species.

We want to turn to you with respect,

Beautiful green planet in the midst of the sky,

You who have given birth to countless species,

Produced so many wonders of life,

Loved in the ultimate sense of non-discrimination,

Embraced all species not barring a single one,

Loyal and reliable, tolerant and stable,

The mother who bears all species.

Countless bodhisattvas spring up

From your fresh green lap.

Mother you embrace and transform

Sweeping away the hatred of humans,

Creating new life day and night,

Helping the earth to bloom with the flowers of heaven.

You are open to thousands of other galaxies,

Sharing your joy with the trichiliocosm,

By seeing that your true nature is interdependence.

Conserving and protecting so that nothing is lost,

Not being, not nothing, not eternal, not annihilated,

Not the same, not different, not coming, not going.

Your love knows no limits,

Your virtues no shortcomings.

Your nature is the Four Immeasurable Minds

Like the four great oceans they never dry up.

Whenever spring returns you wear a new robe

Of red roses, the green willow, beautiful and fresh.

When summer comes the vegetation displays its bright colors,

Wholesome seeds, sweet fruits are to be found everywhere.

How brilliant are the colors of the autumn forest

Until winter comes and snowflakes fill the sky.

The afternoon tide chants like the roll of thunder

The morning sunrise paints an incomparable picture,

Making visible all the splendors of the universe.

You are the most beautiful flower of the Solar System,

The wisdom that lights up the ten directions,

The mind that is open to all places.

Mother, you are the Paradise of the Present,

Making possible the future for all species.

We come back and take refuge in you,

With nothing to run after, accepting the unfavorable as also favorable,

Seeing that you are always in us and

Seeing ourselves in you for all of time.

May we follow your good example,

And live every moment with true peace and joy.

Homage to the Refreshing Mother Earth Bodhisattva

Vedanta Ecology and Evolution

Lecture by Swami Mahayogananda

- - - 

Essay on Global Ecology and Vedanta by Pravrajika Vrajaprana

Part 1

Part 2

Meditation

Om Shivaya Song

In meditation we start learning to practice focus and sit quietly before God in love. Focusing the mind on any supreme aspect of God is true meditation. The consistent practice of meditation removes stress, anxiety and fear by eliminating the causes of our sufferings. Through meditation man becomes one with God (Brahman). Personalities are transformed and one develops physical and mental strength.

“Take up one idea. Make that one idea your life - think of it, dream of it, live on that idea. Let the brain, muscles, nerves, every part of your body, be full of that idea, and just 
leave every other idea alone. This is the way to success.” 

- Swami Vivekananda

Meditation Technique:

– Sit in a comfortable cross legged position. You may also sit on a chair or lean against a wall for this meditation.

– Elongate your spine upwards, lengthen your neck and subtly bring your chin back and in, like a soldier at attention. This will align the spine with the back of your head.

– Take 5 deep, slow breaths though the nose. Keeping the head straight this will oxygenate your blood and relax you. Try to remain as still as possible.

– Rest your hands in any comfortable position or mudra, you can place them on your knees.
Close your eyes and try to go deeply into yourself while holding this mudra. Do not strain.

– Now inhale deeply and begin to chant in a soft, slow, steady voice the manta OM (pronounced AUM). One chant of OM (AUM) Mantra should last for the entire exhalation. Its a long “Oh”, followed by a semi long “Mmmm” during each exhalation. Once all the air has been expelled, inhale fully again and begin to chant the mantra once more.

– Visualize the OM sound coming from a point in the middle of your heart and emanating throughout your entire body. Feel OM as the Infinite Pure Consciousness. It is this primordial sound vibration that expresses itself everywhere both in the microcosm and the macrocosm.

– Try to feel that every cell and molecule in your body is like a rising sun full of infinite energy, beauty, purity and bliss Absolute. Feel that every cell of your body is shining like the luminous golden rays of the sun. With your inner vision visualize the rising sun in Infinite blue space. You are that Supreme Auspiciousness.

– Feel that you breathe out only Pure Love and good thoughts. Spread this positive vibration of thought in all directions to the far corners of the universe to all beings. You may repeat OM, your personal mantra or any prayer to retain this Infinite harmony in your being. Pure Love is Pure Consciousness. Shivoham!

Lecture on Meditation by Swami Veetamohananda

Lecture on Deepening Our Meditation by Swami Mahayogananda

Guided Meditation by Swami Yogatmananda

Mahasamadhi July 4, 1902

Swami Vivekananda

Entered Mahasamadhi on July 4, 1902

His memory will never die in our hearts for his loving 

and unending service to the lives of his American and European friends. 
Jai Swamiji Maharaj ji ki jai!

I bow to Vivekananda, my spiritual guide, my object of worship, who is Lord Shiva incarnate, resplendent like the bright sun, adored alike by human beings and gods. The embodiment of the Vedas, who has completely overcome the bondage of much censured lust and greed. The lion among men, brilliant with the rays of a million suns, who wears nothing but the sannyasin's loincloth, who is dancing the energetic dance of Shiva, reverberating with the impassioned cry, "Fear not, fear not!" A mere glance of his eyes is enough to impart both enjoyment and liberation, who easily tramples the myriad hordes of vice. He is the veritable Shiva with the crescent moon on his forehead and is worshipped by Indu.

- Sarat Chandra Chakravarty -

Swami Vivekananda and Freedom Lecture - Swami Mahayogananda