Swami Vivekananda
Swami Vivekananda (1863-1902) the disciple of Ramakrishna Pramhamsa, established the Ramkrishna Mission at Belur in 1897. He championed the supremacy of Vedantic philosophy. His talk at the Chicago (USA) Conference of World Religions in 1893 made the westerners realize the greatness of Hinduism for the first time.Wisdom & Quotes
- In the first place I would ask mankind to recognize this maxim, 'Do not destroy'. Iconoclastic reforms do no good to the world. Break not, pull not anything down, but build. Help, if you can; if you cannot, fold your hands and stand by and see things go on. Do not injure, if you cannot render help. Say not a word against any man's convictions so far as they are sincere. Secondly, take man where he stands, and from there give him a lift. If it be true that God is the centre of all religions, and that each of us is moving towards Him along one of these radii, then it is certain that all of us must reach that centre. And at the centre, where all the radii meet, all our differences will cease; but until we reach there, differences there must be. All these radii converge to the same centre.
- Do not believe a thing because you read it in a book! Do not believe a thing because another has said it so! Found out the truth for yourself.
- Freedom is the first condition of growth. What you do not make free cannot grow. ... Let men have the light of liberty. That is the only condition of growth.
- Material civilization, nay, even luxury, is necessary to create work for the poor. Bread! Bread! I do not believe in a God who cannot give me bread here, giving me eternal bliss in heaven!
- We have to learn yet that all religions, under whatever name they may be called - either Hindu, Buddhist, Mohammedan, or Christian - have the same God: and he who desires any one of these desires his own God.
- I do not believe in a religion that cannot wipe out the widow's tears or bring a piece of bread to the orphan's mouth.
- The old religions said that he was an atheist who did not believe in God. The new religion says that he is the atheist who does not believe in himself.
- It has been preached in every country, taught everywhere, but only believed in by a few, because until we get the experience ourselves, we cannot believe in it.
- Unity in variety is the plan of the universe.
Anthony Hope