Swami Vivekananda's Message -Modern Perspective
-Dr. Mahesh Mehta

In 1893, the First Parliament of World Religions was held in
Chicago.  An unknown Hindu monk from India addressed this august
assembly on September 11, 1893.  For reasons beyond comprehension,
the young Swami's opening words, "Brothers and Sisters of America"
electrified the audience.  A thunderous applause reverberated the
walls of the hall.

     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.  l 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; and I thank you in the
     name of the millions and millions of Hindu people of all
     classes and sects. (1)

The essence of Swamiji's message was "UNIVERSAL RELIGION".  Romain
Rolland summed up Swamiji's contribution to the Parliament, "Each
time he repeated with new arguments but with the same force of
conviction his thesis of Universal Religion without limit time or
space, uniting the whole credo of the human spirit, from the
spirit, from the enslaved fetishism of the savage to the most
liberal creative affirmations of modern science.  He harmonized
them to a magnificent synthesis which, far from extinguishing the
hope of a single one, helped all hopes to grow and flourish
according to their own proper nature.  There was to be no other
dogma but the divinity inherent in man and his capacity for
indefinite evolution." (1)

It was a message of UNIT IN DIVERSIT.  The message was to unity
the religious vision of humanity.  It aroused a wave of new thought
in the Western world causing it to be conscious of the East and its
contrasting thought.

In the language of Hon. Mr. Merwin-Marie Snell, President of the
scientific section of the Parliament if Religions: "One of its (the
Parliament's) chief advantage has been in the great lesson which it
has taught the Christian world, especially for the people of the
United States, namely, that there are other religions more
venerable than Christianity, which surpass it in philosophical
depth, in spiritual intensity, in independent vigor of thought and
in breadth and sincerity of human sympathy while not yielding to
its single hair's breadth in ethical beauty and efficiency . . ."
(2)

Let me digress for a while from the message to paint a bigger
picture.

In 1880, the population of the United States was 50 million and by
1900, it had grown to 76 million with an influx of immigrants (3). 
In 1990 census this population is reported to be 248.7 million. 
Moreover the composition of the society is changing as shown by the
fastest growing group of Asia-Pacific Islanders 2.9% and the
Hispanics 9% (4).

In 1878, the United States entered a period  of prosperity after
the long depression of the mid-seventies,  The industrial
revolution was beginning to shape the new American society.  At the
tail end of the 20th. century the technological revolution had
completely transformed the world.

During the first visit of Swami Vivekananda to the United States,
the Americans had not been exposed to any other religions.  At the
present, the United States is home to many easter religions.  The
Parliament of World Religions was an unacceptable experiment to the
Archbishop of Canterbury as he could not understand how the
equality of other religions to Christianity can be accepted. (1)
Today, many interfaith groups are organized to provide a common
forum for discussions and dialogues amongst interested people.

In the 20 th. century, human life has been greatly transformed by
developments in the fields of science and technology.  In today's
world of supersonic jets, telecommunications, space explorations,
molecular and generic engineering, the world has acquired a new
status of GLOBAL VILLAGE.

Religion and Science

Inquisitiveness about the mystery of creation and the creator has
been the pursuit of religion.  For the great Eastern philosophers
and mystics the answers to these questions were to be found in the
Inner Search, the search of the human mind.  For them the search of
the infinite consciousness was the field of God Realization, the
creator of the cosmos.  Thus mind was the laboratory where the
spiritual scientists worked and mind was the tool that was applied
to conduct the experiments.  The search revealed the existence if
dual forces in the field of mind.  The feelings of love and hate,
sacrifice and greed, detachment and ament are constantly
challenging the human being.  The spiritual scientists, therefore,
developed techniques to control, to concentrate the mind.  The
objective was to purify the mind, the work place and the tool for
Realization of God.

In the past two thousand years religion was cast into organization,
exploited as a force by the state and used to deluge the world with
blood.  This mingling of religious organization with the state
caused havoc in human society.  The primary objective of the
religion, namely, the search of the Ultimate truth, was twisted to
control the external behavior of human beings in conforming. 
Instead of spiritual enlightenment, the followers were locked up in
the darkness of dogmatic thinking.  Religion earned a very bad name
over past several centuries.

Another development during the same period was the progress of the
scientific approach to understand the forces of nature.  The
intuitive methods of religions were replaced by the experimental
methods of science, followed by objective observations and rational
conclusions.

The momentum of science was greatly accelerated by technological
innovations giving tremendous control over natural forces which in
the past kept human beings as helpless creatures.  This new power
acquired with the aid of science put religion totally our of
fashion with modern man.

The paths of science and religion became two parallel tracks with
no meeting point.  Religion got identified with everything that was
antique, backward, non-progressive, inflexible and dogmatic. 
Science acquired the status of modern, forward looking,
progressive, flexible and rational.  The left brain of human beings
gained a special status compared to the right brain.  Intuitive
experience did not get any attention from the scientific community.

The early concept of the atom as the smallest indivisible particle
of matter and the development of the ideals of individualism as the
ultimate expression of life has parallels with a resulting impact
on the family and social life everywhere.

The new world views expressed by the theory of relativity and
quantum theory emphasize the need to consider the cosmos as an
undivided whole.  These new developments are leading to the
convergence of the objectivity of science and the subjectivity of
spirituality. (5)

Universal Religion

The message of Swami Vivekananda delivered on the eve of the 20 th,
century need to be re-examined in the light of new knowledge
gathered in the fields of science, and the socio-political,
economic and religious lives of the nations in the 20 th. century.

Swamiji talked about Universal Religion.  In propounding his theory
he examined the three major ingredients of all religions, viz., the
philosophy, the mythology and the rituals.  With his penetrating
logic he ruled out the possibility of having any common philosophy,
any common mythology or any common rituals acceptable to all the
human  beings everywhere.  He said, "I know there is an abstract
humanity which is common to all.  I may not find it when I try to
grasp it, to sense it and to actualize it, yet I know for certain
that it is there." (7)  he concluded that this element existing
everywhere is God.  That Universal Existence is  God, the ultimate
unity in the universe.

The Universal Religion does not preach uniformity.  Trying to do
away with differentiation is trying to go against the laws of
nature.  What then is the ideal of Universal Religion?  Swamiji
said, "Just as we have recognized unity by our very nature, so we
must also recognize variation.  We must learn that truth may be
expressed in a thousand ways and that each of these ways is true as
far as it goes." (7)

In recognition that our realities are colored by our own world view
(theories) is proven to be the case not only in the subjective
experiences of religion but even in the objective view of science. 
The same facts are interpreted by different people based on their
prior experience. (8)  So is the case with God.  The Universal
Religion must satisfy the variations of the human mind.  Each human
being is equipped with three ways to acquire knowledge: instinct,
reason and intuition.

Amongst billions of people on the earth there appear to be of four
major types: People disposed to constant activity, those who are
driven by some inner urge to achieve something in life.  The second
group of people is capable of high emotions.  These are the people
who love sublime and beautiful aspects of life, nature and God. 
There is a third type who tend to analyze the working of their
minds and how to work with their minds.  The fourth type of people
want to weigh everything with reason.

The problem with the current religious groups lies in their
suitability to deal with only one of the four types.  The people
who have accepted an particular religious method are unable to see
the inner needs of a person with a different disposition of mind. 
Furthermore, these groups tend to humiliate, reject or even destroy
those who do not meet the criteria of their belief systems.

The recognition of the diversity of human nature requires a well
balanced development of a religion that will accept human beings as
they are.

The tall talks of universal brotherhood presented by some religions
lack the necessary ingredient of openness for people of diverse
nature.

In the Vedantic Vision for Universal Religion, the technique to
help each of these types is called oga.

A New Dimension

For the future generations of mankind the message has to reach all
walks of life.  If one comprehends the full meaning of the
development of thought processes and scientific discoveries, the
need for an integral view of the life becomes very obvious.  The
great challenge before the leaders of the modern world is to create
a grand all-inclusive vision of life on the earth.

The role of the family in the growth of human beings does not need
a great evaluation.  The acceptance of the existence of God or a
unifying force of our vision leads to the unseen thread binding the
entire creation as one big family.

The family is not conceived as a unit without any conflicts.  The
strength of the family lies in the acceptance by all members of the
needs of each individual growth.  The family will need to develop
a vision in which each individual finds personal freedom without
taking away the freedom of joy of others in the family.  The value
system within the family has to give due importance to the
stability of family.

Furthermore, each family in the new world order will promote a
value of belonging to the whole creation.  This value will enhance
the character of individuals to consider the impact of their
actions on the surroundings, both in their near vicinity and in far
off distances.

According to Swami Vivekandnada, "To the worker it is union between
men and the whole of humanity; to the mystic, between his lower
self and higher self; to the lover, union between himself and the
God of love; and to the philosopher it is the union of all
existence."

The practice recommended for the active worker are the Karma oga,
for the lover the Bhakti oga, for the mystic the Raj oga and for
the philosopher, the Jnan oga.

On a larger scale the global vision for the next century and beyond
has to address the development of systems which promote the new
world order.  For the realization of the ideals, major systems of
education, politics, business and industries will need a complete
transformation.  The unhindered consumption of resources by the
few, the environmental pollution, the exploitation of human beings,
the exploitation of human beings, the alienation of human societies
will be addressed by a vision having systems promoting human beings
to strive for excellence, cooperation and unfolding of divinity.

References

1. The Gift Unopened, Eleanor Stark, Publisher Peter E. Randall,
1988
2. The World Almanac, 1992
3. Encyclopedia Britanica, Vol. 22, 1970.
4. The Life of Swami Vivekananda, by Eastern and Western Disciples,
Advaita Ashrama, 1965.
5. The Tao of Physics, by Fritjot Capra, Bantam Books, 1975.
6. Wholeness and the Implicate Order, by David Bohm, Ark Paper
Backs, 1983.
7. The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, by Stephen R.
Covery, Simon and Schuster, 1990.