IN DEFENCE OF THE RAMAKRISHNA MISSION ... 3
A spiritual organisation that engages in massive philanthropic activity cannot cut itself off from the society it caters welfare to. As such, it has to maintain distant but sufficient contact with the sources of revenue and the corridors of power to be able to keep its philanthropic programmes going full-steam. This does not necessarily mean that it ought to compromise on its essential ethical and spiritual principles in its bid to serve society. An honourable stance of mutual respect may be maintained between the organisation and the government without servility of any kind marring the relation. And that is exactly the way the Ramakrishna Mission has ever operated right since pre-independence times till today. However, in a world much politicised these days between warring factions of the polity seeking their increasingly selfish political ends and in an age of abundant communication through technology when every move of public personalities and reputed institutions becomes the focal point of debate and revenue generation thereof, it has become increasingly hazardous for reclusive monks to deal with the difficulties that arise out of interaction with politicians, especially, when some such are so unrestrained in their modes and manners even at such a hallowed site as the Belur Math and on such a hallowed occasion as Swami Vivekananda's 125th anniversary celebrations of his historic inaugural Chicago address. Lessons need to be learnt from these unfortunate incidents but how on earth would Belur Math know in advance that any such fiasco would result thus?
End of Part 3
To be serialised...
Written by Sugata Bose
Photo source : Internet
Attached below is the facebook link to Sri Rantidev Sengupta's original post that is at the heart of this controversy.
https://www.facebook.com/
A spiritual organisation that engages in massive philanthropic activity cannot cut itself off from the society it caters welfare to. As such, it has to maintain distant but sufficient contact with the sources of revenue and the corridors of power to be able to keep its philanthropic programmes going full-steam. This does not necessarily mean that it ought to compromise on its essential ethical and spiritual principles in its bid to serve society. An honourable stance of mutual respect may be maintained between the organisation and the government without servility of any kind marring the relation. And that is exactly the way the Ramakrishna Mission has ever operated right since pre-independence times till today. However, in a world much politicised these days between warring factions of the polity seeking their increasingly selfish political ends and in an age of abundant communication through technology when every move of public personalities and reputed institutions becomes the focal point of debate and revenue generation thereof, it has become increasingly hazardous for reclusive monks to deal with the difficulties that arise out of interaction with politicians, especially, when some such are so unrestrained in their modes and manners even at such a hallowed site as the Belur Math and on such a hallowed occasion as Swami Vivekananda's 125th anniversary celebrations of his historic inaugural Chicago address. Lessons need to be learnt from these unfortunate incidents but how on earth would Belur Math know in advance that any such fiasco would result thus?
End of Part 3
To be serialised...
Written by Sugata Bose
Photo source : Internet
Attached below is the facebook link to Sri Rantidev Sengupta's original post that is at the heart of this controversy.
https://www.facebook.com/
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