Swami Dayananda : Talks on Accepting others Jan 28, 2007 12:16 am 406 Views Vedanta is a teaching about oneself in which one discovers that the real meaning of the word 'I', the Self who remains unchanged from childhood to youth to old age, and whose nature is pure awareness that is absolute contentment and love, free from any sense of limitation. To appreciate yourself as such, you require a mind that is prepared for assimilating such knowledge. For the one with an unprepared mind, Vedanta becomes like calculus for a person still learning addition and subtraction. In Vedanta the preparation required is a mind that has in relative measure what it seeks to discover in the absolute. If the Self is absolute contentment, then the mind of the seeker must be relatively content. If the Self is absolute love, then the seeker must be a relatively loving person, who happily accepts people and things as they are. To gain such a mind means to develop certain values and attitudes and to be clear about them in terms of understanding their importance. Accommodating others in such a value. In fact your anger is due to lack of accommodation. You want the entire world to behave according to your desires. It is your own expectation of others that brings anger to you. You want the world to follow your dictates. Better understand one thing to help you develop a value for accommodating others: the other person behaves in a given manner because he cannot behave differently. How should you expect a behaviour other than the one he has? That is all he is capable of. "He could have done better", you say; then he would have done so. What right do you have to demand that the other person act differently, in the manner you want him to? Does he not also have the right to ask you to behave in a different manner; because if you change, then he need not change, he has the right to ask you to let him live as he is. At least he doesn't want you to change; he wants you to let him live as he lives. What is wrong in that? In fact only by accommodating others, allowing them to be what they are, you gain a relative freedom in your day to day life. If you analyse it, everyone interferes in everyone's life. Everyone causes a global disturbance by his actions. You only need a large computer to figure it all out. Ordinarily you just look at things from a small perceptive, and you find one person looming large before you whose influence seems to be so much. In fact you are never free from anyone's influence nor from all the forces in the universe in so far as your physical body is concerned. Nor can you do an action without affecting someone. You cannot even make a statement and get away without affecting another. Therefore no one is really free, we are all inter-related. Even the Swami is not free. Once I went to the zoo here and passed two people. One said to the other, "Did you see the new one?" People always make comments. I try not to disturb people, but I disturb them even by my dress. I wear these clothes because in my country they are the traditional dress of a renunciate, and so I want to appear the same in this country also. I have made a decision, and that decision definitely will affect someone. If I get disturbed by other's comments, I allow them to disturb me; and then I gain only that much freedom which they grant to me. But if I reverse the process and give them the freedom to be what they are and think what they think, as long as they don't step on my toes,then I am free in this world. To the extent that you give freedom to others to be what they are to that extent you are free. I just see myself as free, and I give you the freedom to have your problems. Therefore I don't fight with you. My freedom is only the amount of freedom that I give to you to have any opinion you have about me. When a person sees my clothes and asks, "What is all this?" I smile away. I say to him, "Halloween has come early this year". I need not change his opinion, even though it may be wrong. I give him the freedom to be what he is. It doesn't disturb me; that is the only freedom I have. Thus you should accommodate people as they are. If someone makes a comment about you, allow him to have his comment. If the comment is not true, you usually try to justify your actions and prove his wrong. That is silly. If you are objective, you can see if there is any validity in his criticism of you. If he has put your down for his own security, give him the freedom to do so; and then you are free. What tightening can you do to a bolt when the threads are not there? By changing yourself totally in this way, you gain the relatively abiding contentment and freedom that everyone wants. Thus you have come to terms with yourself psychologically; that is what we call yoga-sadhana. You cannot circumvent psychology; you have to come to terms with yourself as a personality. It is not an exhaustion of vasanas or impressions; it is just understanding certain problems that are there. Look back in your life and see what were the situations, the people and events, that had really disturbed you. What you find are not mere memories but leftovers of reactions. A reaction is not what you do consciously. You cannot consciously gent angry, for anger is not an action but a reaction that takes place because you have no say over the matter. These reactions create a great impact on you and become part of your psyche. They are the things that create a personality out of a person. In fact they are false, born because of a lack of alertness on your part and having no real roots in the mind. Memory alone is not unpleasant. Unpleasantness is there only because of the leftover reactions which have become as though real. People might have caused some disturbance in you. Or you had disturbed some people for which you carry around a certain guilt. In the seat of meditation recall them all and let them be as they are. Thereby you free yourself form all the reaction that you have had. When you look at the blue sky or the stars, or the birds and mountains, you have no complaints about them; and you are pleased and happy. You see the rocks on the riverbed; they did not do anything to please you. Yet you are happy because youdon't want them to be different. You accept them as they are, and therefore you are pleased. The river flows in its own way; it doesn't bother you. You don't want the volume of water to be greater or the flow to go in a different direction. In fact you seek out natural spots because they do not invoke the displeased person that you seem to be, the angry, hard-to-please person. The demanding chord in you is not struck by them. You are one with the situation, an accommodating Self, without the world doing anything to please you. Thus you are a pleased person with reference to a few things. See how pleased you are, and bring that person to bear on all the situation and people that had displeased you and whom you had displeased at one time or another. Then look at yourself just as you would when you look at the birds and the mountains. Accept others as you accept the stars. Pray for a change if you think they need to change, or do what you can to help them change. But accept them first. Only in this way can you really change as a total person. Otherwise you can study any amount of Vedanta, but it won't work. You will only have a feeling that there is something underneath. You want to change others so that you can be free, but it never works that way. Accept others totally, and you are free; then you discover love, which is yourself. 0 Comments

++++ Love or Accept ? ++++ Jan 28, 2007 12:14 am 383 Views "Do not accept people as they are; Love people as they are !" -Sri Sri Ravishankar 0 Comments

Veda is scientific? Jan 24, 2007 4:33 am 384 Views We often hear that Veda is scientific. Is this true? The Veda as a whole is looked upon as a means of knowledge in the Vedic tradition of learning. Being an independent means of knowledge, the subject matter of Veda has got to be one which is beyond the scope of other means of knowledge and it has to be meaningful as well. It talks about a heaven, punya, papa, duties, rituals with their results to be experienced here or in the hereafter. This subject matter is certainly beyond the scope of the means of knowledge like perception, inference and so on which a human being commands. It does not expect any corroboration from other sources of knowledge, much less the subject matter revealed by the Veda is subject to contention on the basis of other means of knowledge. Any contention is only with reference to a subject matter within the domain of perception, inference etc. Science is a body of knowledge gained by one's perception and inference. Any scientific theory is therefore subject to contention. An error is committed when one makes a statement that the `Veda' is scientific. Neither a scientist can accept the declaration nor one who knows the tradition can stand it. Proper it would be to say that the Veda is not illogical inasmuch as its area is independent of perception and inference. When the last portion of the Veda, that is, Vedanta talks about the truth of oneself, does it reveal totally an unknown Self? If it does, the Self would be like heaven, which exists without any possibility of immediate knowledge in this life. If it talks about a Self which is self-evident, then the Self cannot be the subject matter of the Veda, it being already evident. Vedanta, therefore, cannot be a part of the Veda since it reverses its status of being an independent means of knowledge. It will have no subject-matter to be looked upon as one solely revealed by the Veda. A human being employs various means of knowledge including the Veda to know. Every piece of knowledge becomes evident to the person through a relevant means of knowing. This person does not come to be evident through any means of knowing. Employing a means of knowledge presupposes the presence of the person who employs. Naturally the person is self-evident. So, existence of oneself does not depend upon any evidence born of any employed means of knowing. Self-evident existence of oneself is revealed when one says: "I am". So the Veda does not need to reveal the existence of the Self. If this Self is Brahman, the cause of the entire world, which is non-dually one, then there is no way of knowing that Reality by the individual, whose existence is no doubt self-evident but is taken to be the knower other than the known and who is subject all forms of limitation. Vedanta, in this area, is a means of knowledge to free oneself from the error. So it has a subject matter to be included in the Veda. Here, in Vedanta, the subject-matter being myself, the knowledge unfolded by its sentences has got to be immediate. If any intellect raises any objection to the way in which the advaita-sampradaya presents the meaning of the sentences like "tat tvam asi"--that you are, we employ reason along with the texts of the sruti and smrti to see the fallacy in the arguments raised by the one who objects or differs. If the non-dual vision is contented on the grounds of a given form of reasoning and experience, again the fallacy is shown in the arguments advanced. Thus reason and experience are meaningfully employed by the teaching tradition. When the doubts and errors are cleared, the vision of Vedanta that "I am Brahman", the whole stays without any blemish, proving that Vedanta is a means of knowledge, independent of perception and inference. So the subject-matter of the whole Veda is not within the domain of science. Of course there are a lot of statements about things empirically true. They can be scrutinised by the scientists to find out how far they are true. SWAMI DAYANANDA 0 Comments

Swami Dayananda -The great teacher Jan 21, 2007 3:54 am 411 Views Sri Swami Dayananda Saraswati is a distinguished, traditional teacher of Vedanta. His depth of understanding and nuanced appreciation of Western culture make him that rare teacher who can communicate the vision of non-duality to modern listeners. He is able to make one see, with immediacy, the truth of oneself as the whole. Swami Dayananda has been teaching Vedanta in India for more than four decades, and around the world since 1976. In his public talks abroad, Swamiji has spoken at many of the most prestigious American universities, and has addressed international conventions, UNESCO and the United Nations, where he participated in the Millennium Peace Summit. A teacher of teachers, Swami Dayananda designed and taught six resident in-depth Vedanta courses, each spanning 30 to 36 months.Four were conducted in India, and two in the United States. Each course graduated about 60 qualified acharyas, teachers, who are now teaching around the world. More than one hundred are now swamis and are highly respected as scholars and teachers throughout India and abroad. Under Swami Dayananda’s guidance, numerous centers for Vedic teaching have been founded around the world. The two main centers in India are the Arsha Vidya Ashram in Rishikesh and the Arsha Vidya Gurukulam in Coimbatore. In the U.S., the main center is the Arsha Vidya Gurukulam at Saylorsburg, Pennsylvania. At present there are at least sixty centers in India and abroad that carry on the same tradition of Vedantic teaching. In addition to teaching, Swami Dayananda has initiated and supported various philanthropic efforts. The All India Movement (AIM) for Seva, inaugurated in November, 2000, brings medical, educational, nutritional and infrastructure assistance to villagers in the remote areas of India. This movement enjoys the blessing of all traditional Hindu spiritual leaders who have united as a single body, the Acarya Sabha, through the coordinating efforts of Swami Dayananda. In November 2001, Swami Dayananda convened the first World Congress for the Preservation of Religious Diversity in Delhi, inaugurated by the Dalai Lama and the then Prime Minister Mr.A.B.Vajpayee. An important outcome of the Congress is the formation of a Global Commission for the Preservation of Religious Diversity, spearheaded by Swami Dayananda. The Commission had its inaugural meeting in Bangkok in June, 2002. Swami Dayananda was also active in forming and participating in the Women’s Global Peace Initiative, which convened at the United Nations in Geneva in October 2002. Pujya Swamiji's Gurukulam in Saylorsburg,USA,Jan 21 Sun - Panchadasi Ch1 with Swami Tattvavidanandaji - 10 am to 11 am; Bhagavad Gita Chapter 6 - 11:15 am to 12:30 pm; Lunch 12:30 to 1:15 pm; Satsang 1:15 pm to 2:15 pm. Feb 3 Sat - Meditation Workshop 10 am to 12:30 pm with Swamini Ramanandaji Amaikatti .,India , Rishikesh North india.,He has year round courses and talks in these centres and around the world. 0 Comments

Andrew Cohen interviews Swami Dayananda Jan 16, 2007 5:26 am 430 Views Andrew Cohen: In the last twenty years or so there has been great interest in Advaita in the West, as you know, and it's my impression that there has also been a lot of confusion about this teaching, that it has been very misunderstood and even abused in some cases. We wanted to speak with you so that we could present an authoritative traditional view. So, to begin, could you please explain what the philosophy of Advaita Vedanta is? Swami Dayananda: The word "advaita" is a very important word. It's a word that negates dvaita, which means "two." The "a" is a negative particle, so the meaning would be "that which is nondual." And it reveals the philosophy that all that is here is One, which means that there is nothing other than that One, nor is it made up of any parts. It's a whole without parts, and That they call "Brahman" [the Absolute], and That you are—because the nondual cannot be different from you, the inquirer. If it is different from you, then it is dual; then you are the subject and it is the object. So it has got to be you. And therefore, if you don't recognize that, you'll miss out on being the Whole. AC: Can you please explain the historical background? SD: The Vedas [sacred Hindu scriptures] are the most ancient body of knowledge we have in humanity. And the tradition looks upon the Vedas as not having been authored by any given person, but given to the ancient rishis [seers] as revealed knowledge. It is considered that the Vedas are traced ultimately to the Lord as the source of all knowledge, and it is this body of knowledge that is the source of Advaita. The Upanishads [the concluding portions of the Vedas] talk about God realization—and they not only talk about it, they methodically teach it. What I am doing today is what is taught in the Upanishads. The Upanishads themselves are a teaching and also a teaching tradition. And it's a communicable tradition—there's nothing mystical about it. But I don't think advaita is only in the Vedas; I think it's everywhere—wherever there is the idea, "You are the Whole." That is advaita, whether it is in Sanskrit, Latin or Hebrew. But the advantage in Vedanta is that it can be taught and it is taught. We have created a teaching tradition, and it has grown. Whereas in America, when suddenly people turn vegetarian, for example, all that they have is tofu and alfalfa and a few other things, because there's no tradition of vegetarian cooking. It takes time. You can't create a tradition overnight! AC: Who are considered to be the foremost exponents of the Advaita teachings? SD: There have been a lot of teachers who have maintained this tradition whose names we don't know. But from the Upanishads down we can say: Vyasa, Gaudapada, Shankara, Suresvara—these are the names we repeat every day. But Shankara occupies a central position because of his written commentary. It is the written commentary that gives you the tradition of teaching and the method of teaching, and the method is very important in this tradition: How do you teach? There are a lot of pitfalls in this process, and one of them is the limitation of the language—the linguistic limitation. But the teaching has to be conveyed through words, which means that you must have a method—a method by which you can be sure that the student understands, because the enlightenment takes place as the teaching takes place and not afterwards. That's the tradition. So Shankara occupies an important place because of his commentaries, because he left written commentaries on palm leaves for us. But I wouldn't say that the other teachers were any less important. AC: Before Shankara there were no written commentaries? SD: There were some. In fact, what I'm teaching every morning now is a commentary on one of the Upanishads, by Shankara's own teacher's teacher, Gaudapada. There are a few others also—Vyasa's sutras. These sutras are analytical works in a style of literature that has very brief statements, one after the other, so that you can memorize them. But these, again, are part of the tradition of teaching, so they are always backed up. You write the sutra and then you teach it to a group of people, and these together are what is handed down. Then, when you recite the sutra, you remember what we call "the Tradition." In fact, the whole of Advaita Vedanta is analyzed in the sutras. The Self is already present in all experience 0 Comments

THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE IN THE WORLD Jan 15, 2007 1:34 am 437 Views Q:You are on record having said that the biggest challenge in the world is terrorism. Can terror be combated with love ? Is Gandhi relevant in today's environment? Anly through love It can be combated, Only through love and understanding.If you see what has happened to the mighty superpowers, all pounced in Iraq but they could not contain anything. See what's happening there today!- Sri Sri Ravishankar in a Q&A with the Indian Express. Can brain save the world ? Can the world save the brain? Due to the dimness of the brain war breaks out;70,000 people in Iraq died. 43 People from Iraq took the ART OF LIVING Course in Bangalore. -Sri Sri Ravishankar in a Q&A session in Pollachi,TN,INDIA 0 Comments

WANT TO BE A buttERFLY ? Jan 15, 2007 1:33 am 438 Views butterfly, when it moves it's wings in South America, there would be a corresponding vibration in the clouds which creates rain in China !. Says a research Like that , If we medidate together as a large gathering, there would be vibrations, which would benefit people in various parts of the World.. Let us now have a requisition that there would be peace in Sri lanka. -Sri Sri Ravishankar in a Q&A session in Pollachi,TN,INDIA 0 Comments

+++ Jallikatu Bull Fight during Harvest festival of India +++ Jan 14, 2007 4:58 am 437 Views Jallikatu Bull Fight On the 4th day of Harvest Festival of India in Tamil Nadu , Kanya Pongal, coloured balls of the pongal are made and are offered to birds. A kind of bull-fight, called the 'Jallikattu' is held in Madhurai, Tiruchirapalli and Tanjore in Tamil Nadu and several places in Andhra Pradesh. Bundles containing money are tied to the horns of ferocious bulls, and unarmed villagers try to wrest the bundles from them. Bullock cart races and cock-fights are also held. In Andhra Pradesh, every household displays its collection of dolls for three days. Community meals are held at night with freshly harvested ingredients. Ballads, folk dances, dramas and songs have rich cultural heritages, 'Jallikattu' or bull fight' played in Madurai, Trichy areas are more ferocious than the bull fight which is the beloved sport of Latin speakers in Europe and south America. Myths and legends, festivals and ceremonials have helped to fashion an exquisitely charming type of handicrafts. The products of tamilnadu workmen cater to as much beauty as to utility, which include metal-ware, wood carving, pottery, leather goods, carpets, pith work, palam left products, etc. handloom textiles both cotton and silk have won global appreciation. Cattle are decorated with garlands, their horns coloured, and mango leyes hung round their necks. Then they are led about in procession exempted from all labour, and virtually, if not actually, worshipped. On this occasion the Jallikattu (bull fight) is held in Al1angunal1ur, near Chennai. Cattle are decorated with garlands, their horns are coloured and mango leave~re hung round their necks. They are led in a procession. 0 Comments

+++Harvest Festival of India - Makar sankaranti -Pongal +++ Jan 14, 2007 4:55 am 408 Views According to the lunar calendar, the sun moves from the Tropic of Cancer to the Tropic of Capricorn, or from Dakshinayana to Uttarayana, in the month of Poush in mid-January. This end of the winter solstice also coincides with the harvest season and cessation of the northeast monsoon in South India. The movement of the earth from one zodiac sign into another is called Sankranti, and is celebrated as Makar, or Uttarayana, Sankranti, or Lohri, in the North, and as Pongal in the South. The word pongal, in both Telugu and Tamil, signifies the boiling over of the rice in the cooking pot. Though little is known about the origin of Pongal, it is probably a Dravidian harvest festival that has survived for millennia.The Sankranti season ends with Ratha Saptami, the seventh day of the bright half of Magha, when the sun and his golden chariot are honoured. Pongal is a three-day festival. On the first day, Bhogi Pongal, celebrations are confined to the house. Evil spirits are driven out of the home and burned in bonfires, and the house is whitewashed. The second day, Surya Pongal, honours the Sun god. Members of the family wear new clothes and cook - on a new stove and in new pots - a dish with the newly harvested rice, jaggery and moong dal. Sugarcane stalks characterise this festival, as do til, and sweets made from jaggery and peanuts. The third day is Maattu Pongal, honouring cattle. Cows and bullocks are washed, decorated, and worshipped for their role in ensuring a good harvest. Punjab celebrates Lohri In Gujarat and other western states, people observe Uttarayana, when the winds change, by flying kites. In Maharashtra, people dress in new clothes and distribute sesame sweets. Assam celebrates the paddy harvest in winter with Magha or Bhogali Bihu. At Ganga Sagar, where the Ganga enters the sea, a grand fair is held. The festival is also called Til Sankranti or Kichri Sankranti, after its main ingredient or preparation. In Thanjavur, Madurai, and Thiruchirapalli, in Tamil Nadu, Pongal is marked by jallikattu, or bull fights. A money bag is tied to the horns of a bull, and the man who succeeds in tethering the beast to the tree gets the money and a prize. Makar Sankranti 2007: Makar Sankranti will fall on 15th of January on Friday in 2007. 0 Comments

+++VIVEKANANDA - CHICAGO ADDRESSES+++ Jan 11, 2007 7:18 am 396 Views Swami Vivekananda [1863-1902] JANUARY 12 TH INDIAN NATIONAL YOUTH DAY- BIRTH DAY OF SWAMI VIVEKANANDA ADDRESSES AT THE PARLIAMENT OF RELIGIONS RESPONSE TO WELCOME At the World's Parliament of Religions, Chicago 11th September, 1893 Sisters and Brothers of America, It fills my heart with joy unspeakable to rise in response to the warm and cordial welcome which you have given us. I thank you in the name of the most ancient order of monks in the world; I thank you in the name of the mother of religions; I thank you in the name of millions and millions of Hindu people of all classes and sects. My thanks, also, to some of the speakers on this platform who, referring to the delegates from Orient, have told you that these men from far-off nations may well claim the honor of bearing to different lands the idea of toleration. I am proud to belong to a religion which has taught the world both tolerance and universal acceptance. We believe not only in universal toleration, but we accept all religions as true. I am proud to belong to a nation which has sheltered the persecuted and the refugees of all religions and nations of the earth. I am proud to tell you that we have gathered in our bosom the purest remnant of the Israelites, who came to Southern India and took refuge with us in the very year in which their holy temple was shattered to pieces by Roman tyranny. I am proud to belong to the religion which has sheltered and is still fostering the remnant of the grand Zoroastrian nation. I will quote to you, brethren, a few lines from a hymn which I remember to have repeated from my earliest boyhood, which is every day repeated by millions of human beings: "As the different streams having their sources in different places all mingle their water in the sea, sources in different tendencies, various though they appear, crooked or straight, all lead to Thee." The present convention, which is one of the most august assemblies ever held, is in itself a vindication, a declaration to the world of wonderful doctrine preached in the Gita: "Whosoever comes to Me, through whatsoever form, I reach him; all men are struggling through paths which in the end lead to me." Sectarianism, bigotry, and its horrible descendant, fanaticism, have long possessed this beautiful earth. They have filled the earth with violence, drenched it often and often with human blood, destroyed civilization and sent whole nations to despair. Had it not been for these horrible demons, human society would be far more advanced than it is now. But their time is come; and I fervently hope that the bell that tolled this morning in honor of this convention may be the death-knell of all fanaticism, of all persecutions with the sword or with the pen, and of all uncharitable feelings between persons wending their way to the same goal. WHY WE DISAGREE 15th September, 1893 I will tell you a little story. You have heard the eloquent speaker who has just finished say, "Let us cease from abusing each other", and he was very sorry that there should be always so much variance. But I think I should tell you a story which would illustrate the cause of this variance. A frog lived in a well. It had lived there for a long time. It was born there and brought up there, and yet was a little, small frog. Of course the evolutionists were not there then to tell us whether the frog lost its eyes or not, but, for our story's sake, we must take it for granted that it had its eyes, and that it every day cleansed the water of all the worms and bacilli that lived in it eith an energy that would do credit to our modern bacteriologists. In this way it went on and became a little sleek and fat. Well, one day another frog that lived in the sea came and fell into the well. "Where are you from?" "I am from the sea." "The sea! How big is that? Is it as big as my well?" and he took a leap from one side of the well to the other. "My friend", said the frog of the sea, "how do you compare the sea with your little well?" Then the frog took another leap and asked, "Is your sea so big?" "What nonsense you speak, to compare the sea with your well" "Well, then," said the frog of the well, "nothing can be bigger than my well; there can be nothing bigger than this; this fellow is a liar, so turn him out." That has been the difficulty all the while. I am a Hindu. I am sitting in my own little well and thinking that the whole world is my little well. The Christian sits in his little well and thinks the whole world is his well. The Mohammedan sits in his little well and thinks that is the whole world. I have to thank you of America for the great attempt you are making to break down the barriers of this little world of ours, and hope that, in future, the Lord will help you to accomplish your purpose. ADDRESS AT THE FINAL SESSION 27th September, 1893 The World's Parliament of Religions has become an accomplished fact, and the merciful Father has helped those who labored to bring it into existence, and crowned with success their most unselfish labour. My thanks to those noble souls whose large hearts and love of truth first dreamed this unfearful dream and then realised it. My thanks to the shower of liberal sentiments that has overflowed this platform. My thanks to this enlightened audience for their uniform kindness to me and for their appreciation of every thought that tends to smooth the friction of religions. A few jarring notes were heard from time to time in this harmony. My special thanks to them, for they have, by their striking contrast, made general harmony the sweeter. Much has been said of the common ground of religious unity. I am not going just now to venture my own theory. But if anyone here hopes that this unity will come by the triumph of anyone of the religions and the destruction of others, to him I say, "Brother, yours is an impossible hope." Do I wish that the Christian would become Hindu? God forbid. Do I wish that the Hindu or Buddhist would become Christian? God forbid. The seed is put in the ground, and earth and air and water are placed around it. Does the seed become the earth, or the air, or the water? No. It becomes a plant, it develops after the law of its own growth, assimilates the air, the earth, and the water, converts them into plant substance, and grows into a plant. Similar is the case with religion. The Christian is not to become a Hindu or a Buddhist, not a Hindu or a Buddhist to become a Christian. But each must assimilate the spirit of the others and yet preserve his individuality and grow according to his own law of growth. If the Parliament of Religions has shown anything to the world it is this: It has proved to the world that holiness, purity and charity are not the exclusive possessions of any church in the world, and that every system has produced men and women of the most exalted character. In the face of this evidence, if anybody dreams of the exclusive survival of his own religion and the destruction of the others, I pity him from the bottom of my heart, and point out to him that upon the banner of every religion will soon be written, in spite of resistance: "Help and not Fight", "Assimilation and not Destruction," "Harmony and Peace and not Dissension." ------------------------------------------------- Courtesy: ©The Ramakrishna Mission Institute of Culture 0 Comments

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