IN DEFENCE OF RAMAKRISHNA MISSION ... 13
Considering the decadence of present day society, I am of the opinion that the Ramakrishna Mission remains the great hope yet of a spiritual revival of humanity. The way materialism is spreading its tentacles all across human society and reducing moral values to the dust augurs not well for man and all efforts should be made to help those organisations that are working in earnest for the genuine welfare of human society. The Ramakrishna Mission stands preeminent among these spiritual organisations in terms of the ideals it represents and practises and in terms of the body of welfare work it does in the diverse fields of life. Therefore, it must be supported on all counts instead of being criticised for perceived and not real lapses hither and thither.
Swami Vivekananda had said, "Three things are necessary to make every man great, every nation great :
1. Conviction in the powers of goodness.
2. Absence of jealousy and suspicion.
3. Helping all who are trying to be and do good."
These three attributes are worth cultivating instead of being the victim of their absence in our lives.
We often hear that goodness has no value in today's world, that the world is being run by rogues and that they are doing best in life who have sacrificed all sense of virtue and are resorting instead to vice of all kinds. But Swamiji says the opposite. He exhorts us to repose faith in goodness.
It is true that we Indians fight over petty things too easily and too much and for too long, so much so that we cannot combine force for any worthwhile project for any length of time. We are prone to lording over others although the Anti-Zamindari Act has long been passed prohibiting such action. This must go and we must sacrifice petty self-interest in the larger interests of our society. Individuals may do good work but organisation perpetuates it despite the odd lapse here and there happening. Thus, the prime need of the hour for our country at least is the founding of stable and well-functioning organisations that will conduce to human good. One such already exists -- the Ramakrishna Mission. Let us not unduly criticise it and create hindrances in its smooth functioning by bewildering the public as to its intents and purposes and modes and means of execution of work.
The philanthropic spirit is diminishing in our country by the day as the struggle for survival is intensifying and as western materialism, consumerism, capitalism et al are flooding the system. Gone are the days of keeping aside something from the kitchen reserves everyday by way of provisions for alms-giving to the mendicant monk or the beggar who might chance to visit one's doorstep. Now it is self-survival above all and in its wake the inevitable consequence of selfishness. We have forgotten our famed charity that has been the hallmark of our spiritual tradition and have become more and more self-centred and critical of such organisations that are yet holding on to our core national values.
To sum up then, we need to once more remember what Swamiji had enunciated as the three principles for achieving greatness. We must have faith in the powers of goodness, knowing for certain that virtue triumphs over vice, even if belatedly, and that good begets good. So, we ought to practise goodness and spread goodness around by dint of good and virtuous living. We must not be sceptical anymore to think that in this age goodness is a bygone virtue and has no practical relevance whatsoever. Rather, we ought to repose perfect faith in the powers of goodness as being potentially capable of overcoming and defeating evil and so setting man and society on the path of righteousness, virtue and eventual enlightenment. Swamiji was never tired of saying that we must combine the forces of goodness to overcome the forces of ignorance and evil.
The next quality we ought to cultivate is to be free of jealousy and suspicion, that is, we ought to eschew meanness of all sorts and must feel happy in others' achievements and must not suspect others unduly of having evil intentions that may harm us. We must be magnanimous in our attitude and must have the breadth of outlook and the heart thereof to rejoice in others' triumphs instead of harbouring ill feelings at their growth and empowerment in life.
Finally, Swamiji has exhorted us to help all those who are trying to be and do good. His principle aim in life was to manufacture real men out of shadow selves, men who would have muscles of iron, nerves of steel and a well-intelligent brain, men who would have the moral fibre and strength of character to be able to sacrifice their all for the common weal.
In his own life, despite his meteoric career, Swamiji faced tremendous hardship in establishing the Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission on an adequate basis, not in philosophical or spiritual terms but in practical terms, in financial terms where he hardly received much help from his countrymen. His parental family starved and his national family starved as well and Swamiji had not the means to redress the situation for either. India, dependent and despoiled, subject to alien occupation, could hardly help him in any appreciable manner but even the feeling for his work among many of his countrymen was not there, men who put every hindrance in his way to destroy him and his mission on earth. But Swamiji fought on to set up his cherished seat for his Master on the bank of the Ganga in his homeland. Help there was scarce at home. Help came more from abroad for his fledgling mission. The great supporters of the cause in Surendranath Mitra and Balaram Bose were no more and now it was the turn of Swamiji's American and English disciples and devotees to actively support the cause with their philanthropy.
...unfinished...
Written by Sugata Bose
Considering the decadence of present day society, I am of the opinion that the Ramakrishna Mission remains the great hope yet of a spiritual revival of humanity. The way materialism is spreading its tentacles all across human society and reducing moral values to the dust augurs not well for man and all efforts should be made to help those organisations that are working in earnest for the genuine welfare of human society. The Ramakrishna Mission stands preeminent among these spiritual organisations in terms of the ideals it represents and practises and in terms of the body of welfare work it does in the diverse fields of life. Therefore, it must be supported on all counts instead of being criticised for perceived and not real lapses hither and thither.
Swami Vivekananda had said, "Three things are necessary to make every man great, every nation great :
1. Conviction in the powers of goodness.
2. Absence of jealousy and suspicion.
3. Helping all who are trying to be and do good."
These three attributes are worth cultivating instead of being the victim of their absence in our lives.
We often hear that goodness has no value in today's world, that the world is being run by rogues and that they are doing best in life who have sacrificed all sense of virtue and are resorting instead to vice of all kinds. But Swamiji says the opposite. He exhorts us to repose faith in goodness.
It is true that we Indians fight over petty things too easily and too much and for too long, so much so that we cannot combine force for any worthwhile project for any length of time. We are prone to lording over others although the Anti-Zamindari Act has long been passed prohibiting such action. This must go and we must sacrifice petty self-interest in the larger interests of our society. Individuals may do good work but organisation perpetuates it despite the odd lapse here and there happening. Thus, the prime need of the hour for our country at least is the founding of stable and well-functioning organisations that will conduce to human good. One such already exists -- the Ramakrishna Mission. Let us not unduly criticise it and create hindrances in its smooth functioning by bewildering the public as to its intents and purposes and modes and means of execution of work.
The philanthropic spirit is diminishing in our country by the day as the struggle for survival is intensifying and as western materialism, consumerism, capitalism et al are flooding the system. Gone are the days of keeping aside something from the kitchen reserves everyday by way of provisions for alms-giving to the mendicant monk or the beggar who might chance to visit one's doorstep. Now it is self-survival above all and in its wake the inevitable consequence of selfishness. We have forgotten our famed charity that has been the hallmark of our spiritual tradition and have become more and more self-centred and critical of such organisations that are yet holding on to our core national values.
To sum up then, we need to once more remember what Swamiji had enunciated as the three principles for achieving greatness. We must have faith in the powers of goodness, knowing for certain that virtue triumphs over vice, even if belatedly, and that good begets good. So, we ought to practise goodness and spread goodness around by dint of good and virtuous living. We must not be sceptical anymore to think that in this age goodness is a bygone virtue and has no practical relevance whatsoever. Rather, we ought to repose perfect faith in the powers of goodness as being potentially capable of overcoming and defeating evil and so setting man and society on the path of righteousness, virtue and eventual enlightenment. Swamiji was never tired of saying that we must combine the forces of goodness to overcome the forces of ignorance and evil.
The next quality we ought to cultivate is to be free of jealousy and suspicion, that is, we ought to eschew meanness of all sorts and must feel happy in others' achievements and must not suspect others unduly of having evil intentions that may harm us. We must be magnanimous in our attitude and must have the breadth of outlook and the heart thereof to rejoice in others' triumphs instead of harbouring ill feelings at their growth and empowerment in life.
Finally, Swamiji has exhorted us to help all those who are trying to be and do good. His principle aim in life was to manufacture real men out of shadow selves, men who would have muscles of iron, nerves of steel and a well-intelligent brain, men who would have the moral fibre and strength of character to be able to sacrifice their all for the common weal.
In his own life, despite his meteoric career, Swamiji faced tremendous hardship in establishing the Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission on an adequate basis, not in philosophical or spiritual terms but in practical terms, in financial terms where he hardly received much help from his countrymen. His parental family starved and his national family starved as well and Swamiji had not the means to redress the situation for either. India, dependent and despoiled, subject to alien occupation, could hardly help him in any appreciable manner but even the feeling for his work among many of his countrymen was not there, men who put every hindrance in his way to destroy him and his mission on earth. But Swamiji fought on to set up his cherished seat for his Master on the bank of the Ganga in his homeland. Help there was scarce at home. Help came more from abroad for his fledgling mission. The great supporters of the cause in Surendranath Mitra and Balaram Bose were no more and now it was the turn of Swamiji's American and English disciples and devotees to actively support the cause with their philanthropy.
...unfinished...
Written by Sugata Bose
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