Swami Vivekananda
Teachings of Swami Vivekananda by Topic
The three essentials of Hinduism are belief in God, in the Vedas as revelation, in the doctrine of Karma and transmigration. If one studies the Vedas between the lines, one sees a religion of harmony. One point of difference between Hinduism and other religions is that in Hinduism we pass from tru
Meditation - Teachings of Swami Vivekananda by Topic
First, meditation should be of a negative nature. Think away everything. Analyse everything that comes in the mind by the sheer action of the will. Next, assert what we really are — existence, knowledge and bliss — being, knowing, and loving. Meditation is the means of unification of the subject
The Reality and Shadow - Teachings of Swami Vivekananda by Topic
That which differentiates one thing from another is time, space, and causation. The differentiation is in the form, not in the substance. You may destroy the form and it disappears for ever; but the substance remains the same. You can never destroy the substance. Evolution is in nature, not in the
Meat-eating and Vegetarianism - Teachings of Swami Vivekananda by Topic
About vegetarian diet I have to say this - first, my Master was a vegetarian; but if he was given meat offered to the Goddess, he used to hold it up to his head. The taking of life is undoubtedly sinful; but so long as vegetable food is not made suitable to the human system through progress
On Karma Yoga - Teachings of Swami Vivekananda by Topic
Isolation of the soul from all objects, mental and physical, is the goal; when that is attained, the soul will find that it was alone all the time, and it required no one to make it happy. As long as we require someone else to make us happy, we are slaves. When the Purusha finds that It is free,
Karma Yoga by Swami Vivekananda
Based on lectures the Swami delivered in his rented rooms at 228 W 39th Street in December, 1895 and January, 1896. The classes were free of charge. Generally the Swami held two classes daily- morning and evening.
On Jnana Yoga - Teachings of Swami Vivekananda by Topic
All souls are playing, some consciously, some unconsciously. Religion is learning to play consciously. The same law which holds good in our worldly life also holds good in our religious life and in the life of the cosmos. It is one, it is universal. It is not that religion is guided by one law an
The Cosmos and the Self - Teachings of Swami Vivekananda by Topic
Everything in nature rises from some fine seed-forms, becomes grosser and grosser, exists for a certain time, and again goes back to the original fine form. Our earth, for instance, has come out of a nebulous form which, becoming colder and colder, turned into this crystallised planet upon which
Teachings of Swami Vivekananda by Topic: The Cause of Illusion
The question — what is the cause of Mâyâ (illusion)? — has been asked for the last three thousand years; and the only answer is: when the world is able to formulate a logical question, we shall answer it. The question is contradictory. Our position is that the Absolute has become this relative o
On Language - Teachings of Swami Vivekananda by Topic
Simplicity is the secret. My ideal of language is my Master's language, most colloquial and yet most expressive. It must express the thought which is intended to be conveyed. The attempt to make the Bengali language perfect in so short a time will make it cut and dried. Properly speaking, it has
Hindu and Greek - Teachings of Swami Vivekananda by Topic
Three mountains stand as typical of progress — the Himalayas of Indo-Aryan, Sinai of Hebrew, and Olympus of Greek civilisation. When the Aryans reached India, they found the climate so hot that they would not work incessantly, so they began to think; thus they became introspective and developed
Teachings of Swami Vivekananda by Topic
Mary Tappan Wright was the wife of Harvard Professor of Greek, John Henry Wright, who was a good friend of Vivekananda. As a faculty spouse, she attended the swami 's talk at Radcliffe and recorded the following in her journal: