Swami Vivekananda's Magical Truth: You Are Not The Body (Vedanta Explained)

[00:00:00]It's um rainy and a bit miserable outside.

[00:00:05]We were watching that beautiful magic show by Bimal Kemper and I was reminded of a hymn that Adi Shankarachara had written some 1300 years ago the Dakshina Morti stotra where he says this entire universe is produced by Brahman like a great magician shows magic magic. He uses the term mayavi mayavi like a magician shows magic.

[00:00:34]Sri Ram Krishna also uses that the magic is not real. The magician is real. So it look behind the magic and try to find the magician.

[00:00:47]Swami Viveananda was a magician.

[00:00:51]He transformed our views about ourselves.

[00:00:56]Tantine Josephine Mloud she says that I have met many great people in my life. I have met many great people in my life and she says she once met the Zar of Russia and those days they used to have Zars even now they have after a fashion.

[00:01:17]Um and she says that when I met the zar of Russia I felt how great he is and how insignificant I am. Tantine and then she says when I met Viveananda I felt how great he is and how great I am.

[00:01:37]That was Swami Viveanandanda's impact on people. He would transform people's views about themselves. our whole idea of ourselves will be transformed.

[00:01:48]And how did he do that?

[00:01:51]How did he make how did he see the extraordinary in ordinary folk? You see, we think of ourselves as limited beings.

[00:01:59]We are beings. We we are limited human beings. We are born and one day we shall die. We our bodies are so delicate.

[00:02:06]Slight changes in temperature and humidity and all. We feel all uneasy and our minds we have got so many desires. We strive to fulfill those desires throughout our lives and inevitably frustration is our lot and at the end old age, disease, death awaits us.

[00:02:27]So this is the life that we know. And what did he do to transform our views about ourselves, our idea of ourselves?

[00:02:36]You see when he came to the United States more than 100 years ago he was fond of reciting one particular verse from the opanishads a mantra from the opanishads where it is said listen ye children of immortal bliss children of immortal bliss I have know that known that infinite reality blazing forth like the sun beyond all darkness knowing that alone we go beyond death and there's no other way other than this. So he would put this forth. This was his central message to us that what we think about ourselves, what we think about ourselves, what we know about ourselves for a fact, we do not we do not really know ourselves. What we know is wrong.

[00:03:34]As Mark Twain put it in his delightful way, it's not what we do not know that gets us into trouble. It's what we know that it just ain't so. That's what gets us into trouble.

[00:03:47]Somebody said that about global warming recently. Those people who deny global warming that it just ain't so. That's what's getting us into trouble.

[00:03:58]Swami Viveananda the central message he put forth in the west and in the east also is this ancient message of vanta but he put it forth in a very vigorous modern language that we are not limited creatures of flesh and blood. We are not creatures who are born and fed to die after some time. We are not even minds subject to desires and anger and frustration and uh depression. We are not that too. We are rather creatures of light and spirit. We are immortal. Bodies are born and bodies age and bodies die. We are not born. We do not age and we do not die.

[00:04:46]We are incredibly ancient. Even the youngest one among us is incredibly ancient. We are spiritual beings going through a human experience. This is what he told us again and again. He redefined religion for us. It's so easy to understand the code of religion after Viveananda.

[00:05:04]If you just think about it, what is religion? Is a difficult question. Just a couple of days ago, a young man asked me, "So what is religion?" I no problem because I've read Viveanandha.

[00:05:14]Uh we each soul is potentially divine.

[00:05:16]We are spirit and the goal of human life is to manifest the spirit within to to realize that we are spirit.

[00:05:25]It's not wrong that we have bodies and minds. It's it's not it's not false. So Viveand says what you know is not wrong but it's very superficial. You do not know the whole truth. The whole truth about ourselves is that we are divine and the goal is to manifest this divinity and all the practices that we do in religion. The bhajan that we do in the temples, the meditation that we do in our medit on our meditation mats, the scriptures that we read and reason and philosophize and the selfless service service, the food drives that we conduct and so on. All of that these are ways in which we recognize our in inherent divinity and manifest it in life and action. And this is religion. Swami Vikandanda said this is religion. To do this and find freedom is religion.

[00:06:14]Books, temples, doctrines, churches, they're all secondary details.

[00:06:21]So this was a central message which he gave to the east and the west. And allied with this was the other message he spoke about the unity of all existence.

[00:06:33]It's not that we are individual divinities, individual spirits separated from each other. And the great German philosopher Lightnitz spoke about monads like stars in the night sky. We are all consciousnesses but separate from each other. Vanta says we are one existence.

[00:06:50]It is one consciousness.

[00:06:53]The hymn I referred to at the beginning written by Shankarachara where he speaks about a light shining forth inside a big pot a big jar. From outside if you see from the holes in the jar several rays of light are pouring out. In the same way there is one consciousness and several rays of consciousness are shining through each one of us. We are not separate at the source. Physically we are separate. Mentally we are different but at the source in our deep innermost reality we are one and the same existence. Swami Viveandanda again and again spoke of the unity of all existence, the oneness of all existence, the Brahman which is at the background of all that we see and experience. And he says that is what we are and we have to recognize that we have to realize that in life and manifest it in our daily life. Now this may seem to be a very lofty philosophy. What good is it?

[00:07:49]It is it so lofty that we cannot aspire for it? Is it something that is very difficult for for a few monks, for a few philosophers maybe? But Swami Viveanand if not anything else he was eminently practical also. He showed us that each one of us can progress and is progressing at his or her own pace in his in his or her own way. You don't have to be a guani or you don't have to be a bakta. You don't have to do image worship or you don't have to reject images.

[00:08:21]None of those are compulsory. These are all different ways in which humanity has been searching for the divine and all of them are valid. We can in fact when Swami Viveand was asked why there are so many sects in religions and he said I wish to God that there are as many sects as there are human beings. So we have nearly 7 billion people. So he would say that seven billion sects are perfectly all right. Truly speaking when we look at the the religion we believe in and we practice whatever we may label ourselves Hindu, Buddhist, Christian, humanist, whatever we we call ourselves, we'll find that each one of us has understood the religion in a in our own way. Even if you are if you follow a very narrow fundamentalist interpretation of a faith even there also you'll find each person has interpreted in his or her own way.

[00:09:10]So we really do have so many sects, so many understandings of religion. And so Viveandanda said that's perfectly all right. One of the great teachings he gave was no criticism, no negative negativity about your own religion or about especially about others. He says it is hypocritical to criticize the religion from outside.

[00:09:30]It's mischievous. He says to criticize the religion from outside that religion not a part of the tradition. Externally we look at it and criticize it. He says it's often it is mischievous to do that.

[00:09:41]He had a message for the west and for the east in India. He found this ancient civilization thousands of years old with a glorious spiritual heritage but a very sorry present. And what he did was he wanted to reawaken the country. He did not have small goats. He had about 10 years of time and he wanted to change the world.

[00:10:05]That was his the only little thing that you know to-do list.

[00:10:09]So it is uh awaken India spread vanta spiritualize uh the world spreading vanta to the west open the doors of oriental spiritual knowledge to flow to the west these are two or three todo points which he had to finish in 10 years and uh in India he saw the tamas that had come into the nation the centuries of slavery of of weakness of superstition which had overlaid the ancient religion of the oponyicads I there's a very inspiring and instructive incident where Swami Viveanand is coming to India returning to India from the west and uh with him is sister Niveita who has heard about the glories of India from Swami Viveanandanda in such glowing terms and when she first sees India with all those ideas in her mind and she likes it and she says oh Swami from the ship she sees the Indian shore from the ship And she says to Viveananda, "Oh Swami, it is so peaceful and wonderful. It is so peaceful. Looks so peaceful." And Swami Viveananda was immediately like a ton of bricks, you know, angrily he he shot her down. He said, "No, it is the piece of the grave. It is the piece of the grave. People are uneducated. People are subjugated by a foreign power.

[00:11:33]People are ill illnourished." Tamasik this is not real peace. This is a piece of the grave. So one must progress from tamas to activity to vigor to achievement to power and you know even to wealth and success in life. Then only spirituality comes real spirituality from Thomas to rajas to satwa. When he came to the west his message was different. He wanted to bring the spiritual heritage of his ancient motherland to the west. And today we know how how he has succeeded tremendously 100 years later. Yoga is a term more familiar in USA than in India.

[00:12:15]Last year the United Nations recognized yoga as international day of yoga in in June 22nd June I think and it was celebrated all over the world in 192 countries and that is again directly traceable to Swami Viveanandha. Of course, the modern practitioners of yoga and all the yoga studios all over the country, they would be shocked to know you and when they're making their getting flat abs and making their bodies trim and fit, Swami Viveandanda says to them, "We are not the body." Okay? Uh you s sit down and meditate and calm down your mind and Swami Viveandh says you're not the mind.

[00:12:57]True yoga is to show you your true identity is the spirit which is beyond the body and the mind working through the body and the mind. Of course, it's good to have a healthy body and a mind which is calm and peaceful and virtuous.

[00:13:10]So this is the message that he brought to the west and today after him followed a galaxy of spiritual teachers of all persuasions various schools of yoga of vanta different schools of Hinduism Buddhist teachers jina teachers seek teachers and they all followed and now this knowledge has spread and is spreading all over the world today I'll conclude with this Um the the the mantra which he quoted that there is an infinite reality and that is what we are to realize. And he concludes with the the mantra concludes with this you know with the cryptic saying there is no other way to go beyond the limitations of suffering and mortality.

[00:13:58]And truly in the 21st century when we look around having tried so many things in the 20th century how can we overcome suffering how can we can we attain peace and happiness?

[00:14:13]How can we have a sustainable life on this planet and 20th century is a is a 100 years of experimentation and some with sometimes horrifying results. We have experimented with communism with free market liberalism. We have experimented with fascism and Nazism. We have experimented with with genetic engineering with with mass with hyper consumerism. We have experimented with um you know medicines in various kinds and um the IT industry the the culture of consumerism and entertainment provided by our modern capitalist society in all ways trying to overcome human suffering and get some kind of permanent satisfaction and happiness. And 100 years later, last year they say it was the hottest year in history, in human history.

[00:15:09]100 years later after that, we begin to see that not only we have not succeeded, but we are actually ruining our habitat.

[00:15:20]We are actually destroying any chance of future success by our attempts to get happiness out of consumption, by our attempts to get happiness out of the external world.

[00:15:33]try to religion traditional religion is on the way out. We tried to replace it by the priest or the is replaced by the therapist and we we thought in a secular way we can take care of our problems go to a therapist and have our mental problems dealt with from from the look at the history of therapy in the in the 100 years past 100 years from the therapist's couch to the pill which we have now the proac and whatnot.

[00:16:03]Yes.

[00:16:05]And Uh it's interesting you know when people say that u in the in these countries for example here in in California or in the west in the advanced countries of the west people are slowly losing interest in religion as as communities become developed. You have all the amenities of life. you have a decent society, a working society and people are safe and they can pursue their uh their material goals and so people tend to lose interest in religion dropping attendance in churches and so and so forth.

[00:16:43]But it's also the biggest argument I feel for real spirituality because when we have got a perfect society we don't have to beg God for material wealth. You have material wealth, a very rich society. You don't have to go to go to God and begu God for health. You have got the best medical system, doctors.

[00:17:04]And I know you have a lot of doubts about the medical system here. But but still but still much much better than you see there are two kinds of problems.

[00:17:13]Problems of poverty and problems of plenty. So u in this country are the problems of plenty. But let me tell you they are real problems but always the problems of plenty are to be preferred over the problems of poverty. If uh if the push comes to shout you you have to prefer this after all this having the best possible life the best possible life that technology and money and and civil society can give us after that we are still not satisfied.

[00:17:45]People are still unhappy. People are lonely. People have this meaninglessness, a vacuum in their lives. What more can this world give us?

[00:17:53]Whatever this world could give us, the best we are experiencing here.

[00:17:57]Reasonably speaking, the best we are experiencing here in the advanced countries of the west. What more can the world give us? Nothing more than this.

[00:18:04]And at this point, if we are not at all satisfied, that is the most powerful argument for spirituality and religion.

[00:18:12]So, Swami Viveandra when he quotes that there is no other way.

[00:18:18]Today at this point there is no other way and religion and spirituality at their best at their most rational is Viveananda at their most liberal is Viveananda at their most vigorous is Viveanandanda.

[00:18:35]I have heard scholars, monks well-versed in the scriptures read shankara thoroughly but admitted to me privately that um when it comes to a question of change in life when it comes to a question of a crisis in life they get the answer from Viveananda. There is some power in those pages of the of the works of Viveanandanda. Where when we have problems we read Viveanandanda we get an answer. When we have a crisis we read Viveanandha we get strength. When we want spirituality read Viveananda and we get a breakthrough an insight. There is a power actual spiritual power shining through those pages.

[00:19:18]So in this world a small example one of the top executives of a multinational corporation Johnson and Johnson in fact um he told me that uh he used to read Viveananda but he was not spiritual in the so-called sense of going to a temple or meditating just used to read Viveandanda once in a while and he got a job in a top liquor company and he was doing very well one day in the evening he was sitting quite ly with the book of Viveandarandas in his hands and reading suddenly he was stuck struck by this thought what is the purpose of my life now working day and night for this liquor company so he says I can see clearly the purpose of my life is to get as many people drunk as much as possible then he said truly speaking I can either go on reading van and give up this job or I can do this job but I have to give up reading Viveand and I have to take a decision and he he says yet swami I don't want to become a swami. I don't want to give up everything and I want to go on leading this life. But what can I do? So what he did finally was he dropped that job to the horror of many of his friends and he took up a job in a company which was producing this um products for babies for for children. So it's a company where he doesn't clash with his conscience. So you see how reading Viveananda leads him to make a choice. And there are so many examples we can go on and on. So today 2016 in this country which Viveandanda loved and in this country in country in this state which Viveandanda loved most of all California.

[00:21:01]Uh we have been paying homage to Viveananda since this morning reading about Viveanandanda listening to talks about Viveanandanda and thinking about Viveanandanda and even looking at Viveanandanda. Oh another little example I am sorry but there's this little boy who came to a swami in a in a when the swami was giving a talk to children and said that see I have this problem. What problem?

[00:21:29]I have a talk tomorrow. I have to give a presentation tomorrow in the class and I'm very nervous. I'm scared.

[00:21:35]How do I get strength? How can I overcome my fear? You know when I stand there my knees start shaking in front of the uh students. So the swami instead of telling him to be brave and strong and all he said tomorrow when you speak forget that you are standing there imagine look at this picture. Imagine he is standing there and talking to your classmates. Just do that and it worked like magic. The boy said I'm simply all my fear went away. I'm not there. It's Viveananda talking to my friends.

[00:22:09]So I'll leave you with a little story of Viveanandas reminded me about a little this little boy whom I spoke about. I read this I was in Ramachrishna missionar and more than 100 years ago Swami Viveandanda visited Dogar more than once. So there was this little school boy who used to study in Dogar not in our school our school was not there at that time in another school in Dogar called Armitra school it is still there and this little boy he said one day our teacher came to us and said Swami Viveananda the famous Swami Viveandhand has come to town so tomorrow we going to go and meet him so put on your best uniform and clothes and all we'll go. So all these little kids they went in a queue to meet the great Swami Viveand and they found Swami Viveand was just coming out of the guest house for a walk. So he told the children let's go for a walk and this boy he had put on a new pair of shoes and he was walking next to Viveanandanda.

[00:23:06]Many years later he was a professor of philosophy in Bhagalpur University.

[00:23:10]That's when he wrote this. So he was walking next to Viveanandanda and Viveanandanda pointed out something and the he said the kid couldn't understand that actually Swami G was pointing out that his shoelaces were not tied properly. So pointed out once pointed out twice this kid couldn't understand. He looked at Viveanandha. Suddenly the great Swami Viveandha knelt down before the boy undid his shoelaces and did them properly again. And that was it. And when they went back home actually back to the hostel and that boy couldn't take off his shoes till very late in the night because people kept coming to his room to see those shoes which Swami Viveananda had.

[00:23:51]Yes. So that was Viveanandha.

[00:23:54]Um I pray to Sri Ramakrishna Masharada Swami Viveandanda Swami Brahmanandha to bless us all on this occasion. May the light that was is and will be Viveanandha shine in and through our lives. Om shan.

[00:24:11]>> So you have a grand feast on Swami Viveanand just now. So keep that ideas and thoughts in you and that will be a good food for meditation and thinking the power the strength to do something to change character to change life. We are here to do something. Not to stay in the rut in the hole in which we are born and we think about ourselves but to come out of that and to find our real dignity real essence what is within and we have as as the from the morning till now we are thinking of swami banan and banan thinking what it makes as swami g has mentioned in different ways bbean makes you great that's why there is One swami said that Bhanand is a force a dying man. If he listens to Bhanando, he'll say, "Oh, death, please wait. Let me listen."

[00:25:15]And the person who is lying down, if he listens to Swami Ban, he'll just sit up because he is unable to sit. But he will sit up with strength. And the person who is sitting, if he listens to Banandanda, he will start walking. And the man walking then the street he can run. He will run because such a force, such a power acting behind banan. So banan is a force but it is for transformation.

[00:25:41]We are to transform ourselves for our own benefit and for the benefit of our family and the benefit of our society and the benefit of the whole world.

[00:25:53]We are to remind oursel again and again what principle what principle swami van placed before us. The courage, the strength, the determination, not of arrogance, not of frustration neither in both ways, but to stand on in our inner power and how to touch that ground of our very being and how to be overwhelmed with that strength so that let people see us that we love.

[00:26:26]Let people see us that we inculcate a little bit of his love for humanity, love for fellow beings, sacrificing attitude, giving up.

[00:26:40]And Saman said the renunciation and what is the other word is the national service. Service and renunciation is the national ideal of India and not not only India of all the countries in the world.

[00:26:56]Renunciation and service.

[00:26:59]Forget the little petty self and think of the others and who in others it is me. I am in others. With this vantic perspective, Swami Banando wanted to unify the whole world. We are very fortunate that we at at least live in an atmosphere where the opportunity to hear about these thoughts, ideas if we want to absorb there are enough resource but we have to be open to that and receive the blessings which biband's message is all around us. So I today as our shahan used to always say I I also try to remind ourselves the same word that on special days of like this the birthdays and of Brahman Ramakrishna this great souls when we come and as assemble together a special grace dawn on that particular day because of whatever cosmic play goes on so that it helps our mind to be uplifted. So let us take this opportunity and bless us with the message and life and teachings of Swami Viveanandha so that we can be really a man means a human being. human being non man hush as Ramach Krishna said to be conscious about our own dignity. Okay. So I cra the blessings of Swami G today and weather has helped keep us together. No, we feel warm and cozy and happy together because it's um rainy and a bit miserable outside.

[00:29:04]We were watching that beautiful magic show by Bimal Kemper and I was reminded of a hymn that Adish Shankarachara had written some 1300 years ago the Dakshina Morti stora where he says this entire universe is produced by Brahman like a great magician shows magic magic he uses the term mayavi mayavi like a magician shows magic Sri Ram Krishna also uses that the magic is not real. The magician is real. So it look behind the magic and try to find the magician.

[00:29:45]Swami Viveananda was a magician.

[00:29:50]He transformed our views about ourselves.

[00:29:55]Tantine Josephin Mloud she says that I have met many great people in my life. I have met many great people in my life and she says she once met the zar of Russia and those days they used to have zars even now they have after a fashion.

[00:30:16]Um and she says that when I met the zar of Russia I felt how great he is and how insignificant I am. Tantine and then she says when I met Viveananda I felt how great he is and how great I am.

[00:30:36]That was Swami Viveanand's impact on people. He would transform people's views about themselves. our whole idea of ourselves will be transformed.

[00:30:47]And how did he do that?

[00:30:49]How did he make how did he see the extraordinary in ordinary folk? You see, we think of ourselves as limited beings.

[00:30:58]We are beings. We we are limited human beings. We are born and one day we shall die. We our bodies are so delicate.

[00:31:05]Slight changes in temperature and humidity and all. We feel all uneasy and our minds we have got so many desires. We strive to fulfill those desires throughout our lives and inevitably frustration is our lot. And at the end old age, disease, death awaits us.

[00:31:26]So this is the life that we know. And what did he do to transform our views about ourselves, our idea of ourselves?

[00:31:35]You see when he came to the United States more than 100 years ago he was fond of reciting one particular verse from the opanishads a mantra from the oponyishads where it is said listen ye children of immortal bliss children of immortal bliss I have know that known that infinite reality blazing forth like the sun beyond all darkness knowing that alone we go beyond death and there's no other way other than this. So he would put this forth. This was his central message to us that what we think about ourselves, what we think about ourselves, what we know about ourselves for a fact, we do not we do not really know ourselves. What we know is wrong.

[00:32:32]As Mark Twain put it in his delightful way, it's not what we do not know that gets us into trouble. It's what we know that it just ain't so. That's what gets us into trouble.

[00:32:46]Somebody said that about global warming recently. Those people who deny global warming that it just ain't so. That's what's getting us into trouble.

[00:32:56]Swami Viveananda the central message he put forth in the west and in the east also is the ancient message of vanta but he put it forth in a very vigorous modern language that we are not limited creatures of flesh and blood. We are not creatures who are born and fed to die after some time. We are not even minds subject to desires and anger and frustration and uh depression. We are not that too. We are rather creatures of light and spirit. We are immortal. Bodies are born and bodies age and bodies die. We are not born. We do not age and we do not die.

[00:33:44]We are incredibly ancient. Even the youngest one among us is incredibly ancient. We are spiritual beings going through a human experience. This is what he told us again and again. He redefined religion for us. It's so easy to understand the code of religion after Viveanandanda.

[00:34:03]If you just think about it, what is religion? Is a difficult question. Just a couple of days ago, a young man asked me, "So what is religion?" I no problem because I've read Viveananda. Uh we each soul is potentially divine. We are spirit and the goal of human life is to manifest the spirit within to to realize that we are spirit.

[00:34:23]It's not wrong that we have bodies and minds. It's it's not it's not false. So Viveand says what you know is not wrong but it's very superficial. You do not know the whole truth. The whole truth about ourselves is that we are divine and the goal is to manifest this divinity and all the practices that we do in religion. The bhajan that we do in the temples, the meditation that we do in our medit on our meditation mats, the scriptures that we read and reason and philosophize and the selfless service service, the food drives that we conduct and so on. All of that these are ways in which we recognize our in inherent divinity and manifest it in life and action. And this is religion. Swami Vander said this is religion. To do this and find freedom is religion. Books, temples, doctrines, churches, they're all secondary details.

[00:35:20]So this was a central message which he gave to the east and the west. And allied with this was the other message he spoke about the unity of all existence.

[00:35:31]It's not that we are individual divinities, individual spirits separated from each other. And the great German philosopher lightnit spoke about monads like stars in the night sky. We are all consciousnesses but separate from each other. Vanta says we are one existence.

[00:35:49]It is one consciousness.

[00:35:51]The hymn I referred to at the beginning written by Shankarachara where he speaks about a light shining forth inside a big pot a big jar. From outside if you see from the holes in the jar several rays of light are pouring out. In the same way there is one consciousness and several rays of consciousness are shining through each one of us. We are not separate at the source. Physically we are separate. Mentally we are different but at the source in our deep innermost reality we are one and the same existence. Swami Vandanda again and again spoke of the unity of all existence, the oneness of all existence, the Brahman which is at the background of all that we see and experience. And he says that is what we are and we have to recognize that. We have to realize that in life and manifest it in our daily life. Now this may seem to be a very lofty philosophy. What good is it?

[00:36:47]It is it so lofty that we cannot aspire for it? Is it something that is very difficult for for a few monks, for a few philosophers maybe? But Swami Viveanandanda if not anything else he was eminently practical also. He showed us that each one of us can progress and is progressing at his or her own pace in his in his or her own way. You don't have to be a guani or you don't have to be a bakta. You don't have to do image worship or you don't have to reject images.

[00:37:20]None of those are compulsory. These are all different ways in which humanity has been searching for the divine and all of them are valid. We can in fact when Swami Viveand was asked why there are so many sects in religions and he said I wish to God that there are as many sects as there are human beings. So we have nearly 7 billion people. So he would say that seven billion sects are perfectly all right. Truly speaking when we look at the the religion we believe in and we practice whatever we may label ourselves Hindu Buddhist Christian humanist whatever we we call ourselves we'll find that each one of us has understood the religion in a in our own way even if you are if you follow a very narrow fundamentalist interpretation of a faith even there also you'll find each person has interpreted in his or her own way so we really do have so many sects so many understandings of religion and so viveand said that's Perfectly all right.

[00:38:15]One of the great teachings he gave was no criticism, no negative negativity about your own religion or about especially about others.

[00:38:25]He says it is hypocritical to criticize the religion from outside. It's mischievous. He says to criticize religion from outside that religion not a part of the tradition. Externally we look at it and criticize it. He says it's often it is mischievous to do that.

[00:38:39]He had a message for the west and for the east in India. He found this ancient civilization thousands of years old with a glorious spiritual heritage but a very sorry present. And what he did was he wanted to reawaken the country. He did not have small goals. He had about 10 years of time and he wanted to change the world.

[00:39:04]That was his the only little thing that you know to-do list.

[00:39:08]So it is uh awaken India spread vanta spiritualize uh the world spreading vanta to the west open the doors of oriental spiritual knowledge to flow to the west these are two or three todo points which he had to finish in 10 years and uh in India he saw the tamas that had come into the nation the centuries of slavery of of weakness of superstition which had overlaid the ancient religion of the oponyicads I there's a very inspiring and instructive incident where Swami Viveanand is coming to India returning to India from the west and uh with him is sister Niveita who has heard about the glories of India from Swami Viveanandanda in such glowing terms and when she first sees India with all those ideas in her mind and she likes it and she says oh Swami from the ship she sees the Indian shore from the ship and she says says to Viveananda, "Oh Swami, it is so peaceful and wonderful. It is so peaceful. Looks so peaceful." And Swami Viveanandanda was immediately like a ton of bricks, you know, angrily he he shot her down. He said, "No, it is the piece of the grave. It is the piece of the grave. People are uneducated. People are subjugated by a foreign power.

[00:40:31]People are ill ill-nourished." Tamasik, this is not real peace. This is a piece of the grave. So one must progress from tamas to activity to vigor to achievement to power and you know even to wealth and success in life. Then only spirituality comes real spirituality from Thomas to Rajas to Satwa. When he came to the west his message was different. He wanted to bring the spiritual heritage of his ancient motherland to the west. And today we know how how he has succeeded tremendously. 100 years later, yoga is a term more familiar in USA than in India.

[00:41:13]Last year the United Nations recognized yoga as international day of yoga in in June 22nd June I think and it was celebrated all over the world in 192 countries and that is again directly traceable to Swami Viveananda. Of course, the modern practitioners of yoga and all the yoga studios all over the country, they would be shocked to know when they're making their getting flat abs and making their bodies trim and fit, Swami Viveandh says to them, we are not the body. Okay. Uh you s sit down and meditate and calm down your mind and Swami Viveandh says you're not the mind.

[00:41:55]True yoga is to show you your true identity is the spirit which is beyond the body and the mind working through the body and the mind. Of course, it's good to have a healthy body and a mind which is calm and peaceful and virtuous.

[00:42:08]So this is the message that he brought to the west and today after him followed a galaxy of spiritual teachers of all persuasions various schools of yoga of vanta different schools of Hinduism Buddhist teachers ja teachers sik teachers and they all followed and now this knowledge has spread and is spreading all over the world today I'll conclude with this we Um the the the mantra which he quoted that there is an infinite reality and that is what we have to realize. And he concludes with the the mantra concludes with this you know with the cryptic saying there is no other way to go beyond the limitations of suffering and mortality.

[00:42:57]And truly in the 21st century when we look around having tried so many things in the 20th century how can we overcome suffering how can we can we attain peace and happiness?

[00:43:12]How can we have a sustainable life on this planet and 20th century is a is a 100 years of experimentation and some with sometimes horrifying results. We have experimented with communism with free market liberalism. We have experimented with fascism and Nazism. We have experimented with with genetic engineering with with mass with hyper consumerism. We have experimented with um you know medicines in various kinds and um the IT industry, the the culture of consumerism and entertainment provided by our modern capitalist society in all ways trying to overcome human suffering and get some kind of permanent satisfaction and happiness. And 100 years later, last year they say it was the hottest year in history, in human history.

[00:44:08]100 years later after that, we begin to see that not only we have not succeeded, but we are actually ruining our habitat.

[00:44:19]We are actually destroying any chance of future success by our attempts to get happiness out of consumption, by our attempts to get happiness out of the external world.

[00:44:32]try to religion traditional religion is on the way out. We tried to replace it by the priest or the is replaced by the therapist and we we thought in a secular way we can take care of our problems go to a therapist and have our mental problems dealt with from from the look at the history of therapy in the in the 100 years past 100 years from the therapist's couch to the pill which we have now the proac and whatnot.

[00:45:02]Yes.

[00:45:03]And Uh it's interesting you know when people say that u in the in these countries for example here in in California or in the west in the advanced countries of the west people are slowly losing interest in religion as as communities become developed. You have all the amenities of life. you have a decent society, a working society and people are safe and they can pursue their uh their material goals and so people tend to lose interest in religion dropping attendance in churches and so forth.

[00:45:41]But it's also the biggest argument I feel for real spirituality because when we have got a perfect society, we don't have to beg God for material wealth. You have material wealth, a very rich society. You don't have to go to go to God and begu God for health. You have got the best medical system, doctors.

[00:46:03]And I know you have a lot of doubts about the medical system here. But but still but still much much better than you see there are two kinds of problems.

[00:46:12]Problems of poverty and problems of plenty. So u in this country are the problems of plenty. But let me tell you they are real problems but always the problems of plenty are to be preferred over the problems of poverty. If uh if the push comes to shout you have to prefer this after all this having the best possible life the best possible life that technology and money and and civil society can give us after that we are still not satisfied.

[00:46:44]People are still unhappy. People are lonely. People have this meaninglessness, a vacuum in their lives. What more can this world give us?

[00:46:52]Whatever this world could give us, the best we are experiencing here.

[00:46:56]Reasonably speaking, the best we are experiencing here in the advanced countries of the west. What more can the world give us? Nothing more than this.

[00:47:03]And at this point, if we are not at all satisfied, that is the most powerful argument for spirituality and religion.

[00:47:11]So, Swami Viveandra when he quotes that there is no other way.

[00:47:17]Today at this point there is no other way and religion and spirituality at their best at their most rational is Viveananda at their most liberal is Viveananda at their most vigorous is Viveanandanda.

[00:47:33]I have heard scholars, monks well-versed in the scriptures read shankara thoroughly that admitted to me privately that um when it comes to a question of change in life, when it comes to a question of a crisis in life, they get the answer from Viveanandha. There is some power in those pages of the of the works of Viveananda. Where when we have problems we read Viveanandha we get an answer. When we have a crisis we read Viveananda we get strength. When we want spirituality read Viveananda and we get a breakthrough an insight. There is a power actual spiritual power shining through those pages.

[00:48:17]So in this world a small example one of the top executives of a multinational corporation Johnson and Johnson in fact um he told me that uh he used to read Viveanandanda but he was not spiritual in the so-called sense of going to a temple or meditating just used to read Viveandanda once in a while and he got a job in a top liquor company and he was doing very well one day in the evening he was sitting quite ly with the book of Viveanandas in his hands and reading suddenly he was stuck struck by this thought. What is the purpose of my life now? Working day and night for this liquor company. So he says I can see clearly the purpose of my life is to get as many people drunk as much as possible.

[00:49:05]Then he said truly speaking I can either go on reading Viveanand and give up this job or I can do this job but I have to give up reading Viveand and I have to take a decision. and he he says yet swami I don't want to become a swami I don't want to give up everything and I want to go on leading this life but what can I do so what he did finally was he dropped that job to the horror of many of his friends and he took up a job in a company which was producing this um products for babies for for children so it's a company where he doesn't doesn't clash with his conscience so you see how reading Viveananda leads him to make a choice and there are so many examples We can go on and on. So today 2016 in this country which Viveandanda loved and in this country in country in this state which Viveandanda loved most of all California um we have been paying homage to Viveananda since this morning reading about Viveanandanda listening to talks about Viveanandanda and thinking about Viveananda and even looking at Viveanandanda. Oh, another little example. I I'm sorry, but there's this little boy who came to a swami in a in a when the swami was giving a talk to children and said that see I have this problem. What problem?

[00:50:27]I have a talk tomorrow. I have to give a presentation tomorrow in the class and I'm very nervous. I'm scared.

[00:50:33]How do I get strength? How can I overcome my fear? You know when I stand there my knees start shaking in front of the uh students. So the swami instead of telling him to be brave and strong and all he said tomorrow when you speak forget that you are standing there imagine look at this picture imagine he is standing there and talking to your classmates just do that and it worked like magic that boy said I'm simply all my fear went away I'm not there it's Viveananda talking to my friends so I'll leave you with a little story of Viveanandas reminded me about a little this little boy whom I spoke about. I read this I was in Ramakrishna missionar and more than 100 years ago Swami Viveandanda visited the yogar more than once. So there was this little school boy who used to study in Dogar not in our school our school was not there at that time in another school in Dogar called Armitra school it is still there and this little boy he said one day our teacher came to us and said Swami Viveananda the famous Swami Viveandanda has come to town so tomorrow we are going to go and meet him so put on your best uniform and clothes and all we'll go. So all these little kids they went in a queue to meet the great Swami Viveand and they found Swami Viveand was just coming out of the guest house for a walk. So he told the children let's go for a walk and this boy he had put on a new pair of shoes and he was walking next to Viveanandanda.

[00:52:05]Many years later he was a professor of philosophy in Bhagalpur University.

[00:52:09]That's when he wrote this. So he was walking next to Viveanandha and Viveanandanda pointed out something and the he said the kid couldn't understand that actually Swami G was pointing out that his shoelaces were not tied properly. So pointed out once pointed out twice this kid couldn't understand he looked at Vivean suddenly the great Swami Viveandha knelt down before the boy undid his shoelaces and did them properly again and that was it. And when they went back home actually back to the hostel and that boy couldn't take off his shoes till very late in the night because people kept coming to his room to see those shoes which Swami Viveananda had.

[00:52:49]Yes. So that was Viveanandha.

[00:52:53]Um I pray to Sri Sri Ramak Krishna Masharada Swami Viveandanda Swami Brahanandha to bless us all on this occasion. May the light that was is and will be Viveanandha shine in and through our lives. Om shan.

[00:53:09]>> So you have a grand feast on Swami Vanand just now. So keep that ideas and thoughts in you and that will be a good food for meditation and thinking the power the strength to do something to change character to change life. We are here to do something not to stay in the rut and the hole in which we are born and we think about ourselves but to come out of that and to find our real dignity real essence what is within and we have as as the from the morning till now we are thinking of Swami Banandanda and banan thinking what it makes as swami G has mentioned in different ways banan makes you it that's why there is a one swami said that banan is a force a dying man if he listens to bhanando he'll say oh death please wait let me listen and the person who is lying down if he listens to swami he will just sit up he is unable to sit but he will sit up with strength and the person who is sitting if he listens to banan will start walking and the man walking Then the street he can run he will run because such a force such a power acting behind banan. So banan is a force but it is for transformation.

[00:54:40]We are to transform ourselves for our own benefit and for the benefit of our family and the benefit of our society and the benefit of the whole world.

[00:54:52]We are to remind oursel again and again what principle what principle swami bean placed before us. The courage, the strength, the determination, not of arrogance, not of frustration neither in both ways, but to stand on in our inner power and how to touch that ground of our very being and how to be overwhelmed with that strength so that let people see us that we love.

[00:55:25]Let people see us that we inculcate a little bit of his love for humanity, love for fellow beings, sacrificing attitude, giving up and some said the renunciation and what is the other one is the national service. Service and renunciation is the national ideal of India and not not only India of all the countries in the world.

[00:55:54]Renunciation and service.

[00:55:58]Forget the little petty self and think of the others and who in others it is me. I am in others. With this vantic perspective wanted to unify the whole world. We are very fortunate that we at at least live in an atmosphere where the opportunity to hear about these thoughts, ideas if we want to absorb there enough resource but we have to be open to that and receive the blessings which biband's message is all around us.

[00:56:36]So I today as our Maharaj used to always say I I also try to remind ourselves the same word that on special days of like this the birthdays and of Brahman Ramakrishna these great souls when we come and as assemble together a special grace dawn on that particular day because of whatever cosmic play goes on so that it helps our mind to be uplifted. So let us take this opportunity and bless us with the message and life and teachings of Swami Viveanandha so that we can be really a man means a human being. human being non manhush as Ramach Krishna said to be conscious about our own dignity. Okay. So I cra the blessings of Swami G today and weather has helped keep us together. No, we feel warm and cozy and happy together because it's um rainy and a bit miserable outside.

[00:58:03]We were watching that beautiful magic show by Bimal Kemper and I was reminded of a hymn that Adish Shankarachara had written some 1300 years ago. The Dakshina Morti storm where he says this entire universe is produced by Brahman like a great magician shows magic magic. He uses the term mayavi like a magician shows magic.

[00:58:31]Sri Ram Krishna also uses that the magic is not real. The magician is real. So it look behind the magic and try to find the magician.

[00:58:44]Swami Viveananda was a magician.

[00:58:48]He transformed our views about ourselves.

[00:58:54]Tantine Josephine Mloud.

[00:58:57]She says that I have met many great people in my life. I have met many great people in my life. And she says she once met the Zar of Russia and those days they used to have zars. Even now they have after a fashion.

[00:59:14]Um and she says that when I met the Zar of Russia, I felt how great he is and how insignificant I am. Tantine and then she says when I met Viveanandha I felt how great he is and how great I am.

[00:59:34]That was Swami Viveanandanda's impact on people. He would transform people's views about themselves. our whole idea of ourselves will be transformed.

[00:59:45]And how did he do that?

[00:59:48]How did he make how did he see the extraordinary in ordinary folk? You see, we think of ourselves as limited beings.

[00:59:56]We are beings. We we are limited human beings. We are born and one day we shall die. We our bodies are so delicate.

[01:00:03]Slight changes in temperature and humidity and all. We feel all uneasy and our minds we have got so many desires. We strive to fulfill those desires throughout our lives and inevitably frustration is our lot and at the end old age, disease, death awaits us.

[01:00:24]So this is the life that we know. And what did he do to transform our views about ourselves, our idea of ourselves?

[01:00:33]You see when he came to the United States more than 100 years ago he was fond of reciting one particular verse from the opanishads a mantra from the opanishads where it is said listen ye children of immortal bliss children of immortal bliss I have know that known that infinite reality blazing forth like the sun beyond all darkness knowing that alone we go beyond death and there's no other way other than this. So he would put this forth. This was his central message to us that what we think about ourselves, what we think about ourselves, what we know about ourselves for a fact, we do not we do not really know ourselves. What we know is wrong.

[01:01:31]As Mark Twain put it in his delightful way, it's not what we do not know that gets us into trouble. It's what we know that it just ain't so. That's what gets us into trouble.

[01:01:44]Somebody said that about global warming recently. Those people who deny global warming that it just ain't so. That's what's getting us into trouble.

[01:01:55]Swami Viveanandanda the central message he put forth in the west and in the east also is this ancient message of vanta but he put it forth in a very vigorous modern language that we are not limited creatures of flesh and blood. We are not creatures who are born and fated to die after some time. We are not even minds subject to desires and anger and frustration and uh depression. We are not that too. We are rather creatures of light and spirit. We are immortal. Bodies are born and bodies age and bodies die. We are not born. We do not age and we do not die.

[01:02:43]We are incredibly ancient. Even the youngest one among us is incredibly ancient. We are spiritual beings going through a human experience. This is what he told us again and again. He redefined religion for us. It's so easy to understand the code of religion after Viveananda.

[01:03:02]If if you just think about it, what is religion? Is a difficult question. Just a couple of days ago, young man asked me, "So what is religion?" I no problem because I've read Viveanandha.

[01:03:12]Uh we each soul is potentially divine.

[01:03:14]We are spirit. And the goal of human life is to manifest the spirit within to to realize that we are spirit.

[01:03:22]It's not wrong that we have bodies and minds. It's it's not it's not false. So Viveandanda says what you know is not wrong but it's very superficial. You do not know the whole truth. The whole truth about ourselves is that we are divine. And the goal is to manifest this divinity. And all the practices that we do in religion, the bhajan that we do in the temples, the meditation that we do in our medit on our meditation mats, the scriptures that we read and reason and philosophize and the selfless service service, the food drives that we conduct and so on. All of that these are ways in which we recognize our in inherent divinity and manifest it in life and action. And this is religion. Swami Vandanda said this is religion. To do this and find freedom is religion.

[01:04:11]Books, temples, doctrines, churches, they're all secondary details.

[01:04:18]So this was a central message which he gave to the east and the west. And allied with this was the other message he spoke about the unity of all existence.

[01:04:30]It's not that we are individual divinities, individual spirits separated from each other. And the great German philosopher lightnit spoke about monads like stars in the night sky. We are all consciousnesses but separate from each other. Vanta says we are one existence.

[01:04:48]It is one consciousness.

[01:04:50]The hymn I referred to at the beginning written by Shankarachara where he speaks about a light shining forth inside a big pot.

[01:04:59]a big earn jar from outside. If you see from the holes in the jar, several rays of light are pouring out. In the same way, there is one consciousness and several rays of consciousness are shining through each one of us. We are not separate at the source. Physically, we are separate. Mentally, we are different.

[01:05:19]But at the source, in our deep innermost reality, we are one and the same existence. Swami Viveandanda again and again spoke of the the unity of all existence, the oneness of all existence, the Brahman which is at the background of all that we see and experience and he says that is what we are and we have to recognize that we have to realize that in life and manifest it in our daily life. Now this may seem to be a very lofty philosophy. What good is it? Is it so lofty that we cannot aspire for it?

[01:05:48]Is it something that is very difficult for for a few monks for a few philosophers maybe? But Swami Viveanandha if not anything else he was eminently practical also. He showed us that each one of us can progress and is progressing at his or her own pace in his in his or her own way. You don't have to be a guani or you don't have to be a bakta. You don't have to do image worship or you don't have to reject images.

[01:06:18]None of those are compulsory. These are all different ways in which humanity has been searching for the divine and all of them are valid. We can in fact when Swami Viveand was asked why there are so many sects in religions and he said I wish to God that there are as many sects as there are human beings. So we have nearly 7 billion people. So he would say that seven billion sects are perfectly all right. Truly speaking when we look at the the religion we believe in and we practice whatever we may label ourselves Hindu, Buddhist, Christian, humanist, whatever we we call ourselves, we'll find that each one of us has understood the religion in a in our own way. Even if you are if you follow a very narrow fundamentalist interpretation of a faith even there also you'll find each person has interpreted in his or her own way.

[01:07:07]So we really do have so many sects, so many understandings of religion. And so Viveandanda said that's perfectly all right. One of the great teachings he gave was no criticism, no negative negativity about your own religion or about especially about others. He says it is hypocritical to criticize the religion from outside.

[01:07:27]It's mischievous. He says to criticize religion from outside that religion not a part of the tradition. Externally we look at it and criticize it. He says it's often it is mischievous to do that.

[01:07:38]He had a message for the west and for the east in India. He found this ancient civilization thousands of years old with a glorious spiritual heritage but a very sorry present. And what he did was he wanted to reawaken the country. He did not have small goats. He had about 10 years of time and he wanted to change the world.

[01:08:02]That was his the only little thing that you in a to-do list.

[01:08:06]So it is uh awaken India spread vanta spiritualize uh the world spreading vanta to the west open the doors of oriental spiritual knowledge to flow to the west. These are two or three todo points which he had to finish in 10 years. And uh in India he saw the tamas that had come into the nation. the centuries of slavery of of weakness of superstition which had overlaid the ancient religion of the oponyishads. I uh there's a very inspiring and instructive incident where Swami Viveanand is coming to India returning to India from the west and uh with him is sister Niveita who has heard about the glories of India from Swami Viveanandanda in such glowing terms and when she first sees India with all those ideas in her mind and she likes it and she says oh Swami from the ship she sees the Indian shore from the ship and And she says to Viveananda, "Oh Swami, it is so peaceful and wonderful.

[01:09:10]It is so peaceful. Looks so peaceful."

[01:09:12]And Swami Viveananda was immediately like a ton of bricks, you know, angrily he he shot her down. He said, "No, it is the piece of the grave. It is the piece of the grave. People are uneducated.

[01:09:28]People are subjugated by a foreign power. People are ill illnourished.

[01:09:32]Tamasik this is not real peace. This is a piece of the grave. So one must progress from tamas to activity to vigor to achievement to power and you know even to wealth and success in life then only spirituality comes real spirituality from Thomas to rajas to satwa. When he came to the west his message was different. He wanted to bring the spiritual heritage of his ancient motherland to the west. And today we know how how he has succeeded tremendously 100 years later. Yoga is a term more familiar in USA than in India.

[01:10:12]Last year the United Nations recognized yoga as international day of yoga in in June 22nd June I think and it was celebrated all over the world in 192 countries and that is again directly traceable to Swami Viveanandha. Of course, the modern practitioners of yoga and all the yoga studios all over the country, they would be shocked to know, you know, when they're making their getting flat abs and making their bodies trim and fit, Swami Viveand says to them, we are not the body. Okay. Uh you s sit down and meditate and calm down your mind and Swami Viveand says you're not the mind.

[01:10:54]True yoga is to show you your true identity is the spirit which is beyond the body and the mind working through the body and the mind. Of course, it's good to have a healthy body and a mind which is calm and peaceful and virtuous.

[01:11:07]So this is the message that he brought to the west and today after him followed a galaxy of spiritual teachers of all persuasions various schools of yoga of vanta different schools of Hinduism Buddhist teachers jina teachers sik teachers and they all followed and now this knowledge has spread and is spreading all over the world today I'll conclude with this the Um the the the mantra which he quoted that there is an infinite reality and that is what we are to realize. And he concludes with the the mantra concludes with this you know with the cryptic saying there is no other way to go beyond the limitations of suffering and mortality.

[01:11:56]And truly in the 21st century when we look around having tried so many things in the 20th century how can we overcome suffering how can we can we attain peace and happiness?

[01:12:10]How can we have a sustainable life on this planet and 20th century is a is a 100 years of experimentation and some with sometimes horrifying results. We have experimented with communism with free market liberalism. We have experimented with fascism and Nazism. We have experimented with with genetic engineering with with mass with hyperconsumerism.

[01:12:34]We have experimented with um you know medicines in various kinds and um the IT industry the the culture of consumerism and entertainment provided by our modern capitalist society in all ways trying to overcome human suffering and get some kind of permanent satisfaction and happiness.

[01:12:59]And 100 years later, last year they say it was the hottest year in history, in human history.

[01:13:06]100 years later after that, we begin to see that not only we have not succeeded but we are actually ruining our habitat.

[01:13:18]We are actually destroying any chance of future success by our attempts to get happiness out of consumption, by our attempts to get happiness out of the external world.

[01:13:30]try to religion traditional religion is on the way out. We tried to replace it by the priest or the is replaced by the therapist and we we thought in a secular way we can take care of our problems go to a therapist and have our mental problems dealt with from from the look at the history of therapy in the in the 100 years past 100 years from the therapist's couch to the pill which we have now the proac and whatnot.

[01:14:00]Yes.

[01:14:02]And uh it's interesting you know when people say that u in the in these countries for example here in in California or in the west in the advanced countries of the west people are slowly losing interest in religion as as communities become developed you have all the amenities of life you have a decent society a working society and people are safe and they can pursue their uh their material goals.

[01:14:32]And so people tend to lose interest in religion dropping attendance in churches and so on and so forth.

[01:14:40]But it's also the biggest argument I feel for real spirituality. Because when we have got a perfect society, we don't have to beg God for material wealth. You have material wealth, a very rich society. You don't have to go to go to God and begu God for health. You have got the best medical system doctors and I know you have a lot of doubts about the medical system here but but still but still much much better than you see there are two kinds of problems problems of poverty and problems of plenty. So u in this country are the problems of plenty but let me tell you they are real problems but always the problems of plenty are to be preferred over the problems of poverty. If uh if the push comes to shout, you have to prefer this.

[01:15:30]After all this, having the best possible life, the best possible life that technology and money and and civil society can give us, after that we are still not satisfied.

[01:15:43]People are still unhappy. People are lonely. People have this meaninglessness, a vacuum in their lives. What more can this world give us?

[01:15:50]Whatever this world could give us, the best we are experiencing here.

[01:15:54]Reasonably speaking, the best we are experiencing here in the advanced countries of the west. What more can the world give us? Nothing more than this.

[01:16:02]And at this point, if we are not at all satisfied, that is the most powerful argument for spirituality and religion.

[01:16:09]So Swami Viveandra when he quotes that there is no other way today at this point there is no other way and religion and spirituality at their best at their most rational is Viveananda at their most liberal is Viveananda at their most vigorous is Viveanandanda I have heard scholars monks well-versed in the scriptures read Shankara thoroughly that admitted to me privately that um when it comes to a question of change in life, when it comes to a question of a crisis in life, they get the answer from Viveananda. There is some power in those pages of the of the works of Viveanandanda where when we have problems we read Viveanandanda, we get an answer. When we have a crisis, we read Viveanandha, we get strength. When we want spirituality readan and we get a breakthrough an insight there is a power actual spiritual power shining through those pages.

[01:17:16]So in this world a small example one of the top executives of a multinational corporation Johnson and Johnson in fact um he told me that uh he used to read Viveananda but he was not spiritual in the so-called sense of going to a temple or meditating just used to read once in a while and he got a job in a top liquor company and he was doing very well. One day in the evening he was sitting quietly with the book of Viveandas in his hands and reading. Suddenly he was stuck struck by this thought. What is the purpose of my life now? Working day and night for this liquor company. So he says I can see clearly the purpose of my life is to get as many people drunk as much as possible.

[01:18:03]Then he said truly speaking I can either go on reading Viveand and give up this job or I can do this job but have to give up reading Viveand. and I had to take a decision and he he says yet swami I don't want to become a swami I don't want to give up everything and I want to go on leading this life but what can I do so what he did finally was he dropped that job to the horror of many of his friends and he took up a job in a company which was producing this um products for babies for for children so it's a company where he doesn't doesn't clash with his conscience so you see how reading Viveananda leads him to make a choice and there are So many examples we can go on and on.

[01:18:45]So today 2016 in this country which Viveandanda loved and in this country in country in this state which Viveandanda loved most of all California um we have been paying homage to Viveanandanda since this morning reading about Viveanandanda listening to talks about Viveananda and thinking about Viveanandanda and even looking at Viveanandanda oh another little example I I'm Sorry but there's this little boy who came to a swami in a in a when the swami was giving a talk to children and said that see I have this problem what problem I have a talk tomorrow I have to give a presentation tomorrow in the class and I'm very nervous I'm scared how do I get strength how can I overcome my fear you know when I stand there my knees start shaking in front of the uh students so the swami instead of telling him to be brave and strong and all. He said tomorrow when you speak forget that you are standing there imagine look at this picture imagine he is standing there and talking to your classmates just do that and it worked like magic the boy said I'm simply all my fear went away I'm not there it's Viveandanda talking to my friends so I'll leave you with a little story of Viveanandas reminded me about a little this little boy whom I spoke about I I read this. I was in Ramachrishna mission Dhar and more than 100 years ago Swami Viveandanda visited Dogar more than once. So there was this little school boy who used to study in the yogar not in our school. Our school was not there at that time in another school in Dogar called Armitra school. It is still there. And this little boy he said one day our teacher came to us and said Swami Viveananda the famous Swami Viveandanda has come to town. So tomorrow we going to go and meet him. So put on your best uniform and clothes and all we'll go. So all these little kids they went in a queue to meet the great Swami Viveand and they spawn Swami Viveand was just coming out of the guest house for a walk. So he told the children let's go for a walk and this boy he had put on a new pair of shoes and he was walking next to Viveanandanda.

[01:21:03]Many years later he was a professor of philosophy in Bhagalpur University.

[01:21:07]That's when he wrote this. So he was walking next to Viveanandanda and Viveananda pointed out something and the he said the kid couldn't understand that actually Swami G was pointing out that his shoelaces were not tied properly. So pointed out once pointed out twice this kid couldn't understand. He looked at Viveanandha. Suddenly the great Swami Viveandha knelt down before the boy undid his shoelaces and did them properly again. And that was it. And when they went back home actually back to the hostel and that boy couldn't take off his shoes till very late in the night because people kept coming to his room to see those shoes which Swami Viveananda had.

[01:21:48]Yes. So that was Viveanandha.

[01:21:51]Um I pray to Sri Ramakrishna Mahasharada Swami Viveandanda Swami Brahmanandha to bless us all on this occasion. May the light that was is and will be Viveanandanda shine in and through our lives. Om shan.

[01:22:08]>> So you have a grand feast on Swami Viveanand just now. So keep that ideas and thoughts in you and that will be a good food for meditation and thinking the power the strength to do something to change character to change life. We are here to do something not to stay in the rut in the hole in which we are born and we think about ourselves but to come out of that and to find our real dignity real essence what is within and we have as as the from the morning till now we are thinking of Swami Banan and Banandanda thinking what it makes as Swami G has mentioned in different ways Bbecan makes you it that's why there is a one swami said that banan is a force a dying man if he listens to bhanando he'll say oh death please wait let me listen and the person who is lying down if he listens to he'll just sit up he is unable to sit but he will sit up with strength and the person who is sitting if he listens to banan will start walking and the man walking Then the street he can run he will run because such a force such a power acting behind bhan. So banan is a force but it is for transformation.

[01:23:38]We are to transform ourselves for our own benefit and for the benefit of our family and the benefit of our society and the benefit of the whole world.

[01:23:50]We are to remind ourselves again and again what principle what principle swami vive placed before us. The courage, the strength, the determination, not of arrogance, not of frustration neither in both ways, but to stand on in our inner power and how to touch that ground of our very being and how to be overwhelmed with that strength so that let people see us that we love Bikanand.

[01:24:23]Let people see us that we inculcate a little bit of his love for humanity, love for fellow beings, sacrificing attitude, giving up and some said the renunciation and what is the other word is the national service. Service and renunciation is the national ideal of India and not not only India of all the countries in the world.

[01:24:53]Renunciation and service.

[01:24:56]Forget the little petty self and think of the others and who in others it is me. I am in others. With this vantic perspective, Swami Banando wanted to unify the whole world. We are very fortunate that we at at least live in an atmosphere where is the opportunity to hear about these thoughts ideas if we want to absorb there are enough resource but we have to be open to that and receive the blessings which ban's message is all around us. So I today as a shahan used to always say I I also try to remind ourselves the same word that on special days of like this the birthdays and of Brahman Ramakrishna this great souls when we come and as assemble together a special grace dawn on that particular day because of whatever cosmic play goes on so that it helps our mind to be uplifted. So let us take this opportunity and bless us with the message and life and teachings of Swami Viveanandha so that we can be really a man. Man means a human being. human being non manush as Ramach Krishna said to be conscious about our own dignity. Okay. So I cra the blessings of Swami G today and weather has helped keep us together. No, we feel warm and cozy and happy together because it's um rainy and a bit miserable outside.

[01:27:01]We were watching that beautiful magic show by Bimal Kemper and I was reminded of a hymn that Adi Shankarachara had written some 1300 years ago the Dakshina Morti stotra where he says this entire universe is produced by Brahman like a great magician shows magic magic he uses the term mayi mayavi like a magician shows magic Sri Ram Krishna also uses that the magic is not real. The magician is real. So it'll look behind the magic and try to find the magician.

[01:27:43]Swami Viveananda was a magician.

[01:27:47]He transformed our views about ourselves.

[01:27:52]Tantine Josephin Mloud she says that I have met many great people in my life. I have met many great people in my life. And she says she once met the Zar of Russia and those days they used to have zars. Even now they have after a fashion.

[01:28:13]Um and she says that when I met the zar of Russia I felt how great he is and how insignificant I am. Tantine and then she says when I met Viveanandha I felt how great he is and how great I am.

[01:28:33]That was Swami Viveanandanda's impact on people. He would transform people's views about themselves. our whole idea of ourselves would be transformed.

[01:28:44]And how did he do that?

[01:28:47]How did he make how did he see the extraordinary in ordinary folk? You see, we think of ourselves as limited beings.

[01:28:55]We are beings. We we are limited human beings. We are born and one day we shall die. We our bodies are so delicate.

[01:29:02]Slight changes in temperature and humidity and all. We feel all uneasy and our minds we have got so many desires. We strive to fulfill those desires throughout our lives and inevitably frustration is our lot. And at the end old age, disease, death awaits us.

[01:29:23]So this is the life that we know. And what did he do to transform our views about ourselves, our idea of ourselves?

[01:29:32]You see when he came to the United States more than 100 years ago he was fond of reciting one particular verse from the oponyishads a mantra from the opanishads where it is said listen ye children of immortal bliss children of immortal bliss I have know that known that infinite reality blazing forth like the sun beyond beyond all darkness knowing that alone we go beyond death and there's no other way other than this. So he would put this forth. This was his central message to us that what we think about ourselves, what we think about ourselves, what we know about ourselves for a fact, we do not we do not really know ourselves. What we know is wrong.

[01:30:30]As Mark Twain put it in his delightful way, it's not what we do not know that gets us into trouble. It's what we know that it just ain't so. That's what gets us into trouble.

[01:30:43]Somebody said that about global warming recently. Those people who deny global warming that it just ain't so. That's what's getting us into trouble.

[01:30:53]Swami Viveanandanda the central message he put forth in the west and in the east also is this ancient message of vanta but he put it forth in a very vigorous modern language that we are not limited creatures of flesh and blood we are not creatures who are born and fed to die after some time we are not even minds subject to desires and anger anger and frustration and uh depression. We are not that too. We are rather creatures of light and spirit. We are immortal. Bodies are born and bodies age and bodies die. We are not born. We do not age and we do not die.

[01:31:42]We are incredibly ancient. Even the youngest one among us is incredibly ancient. We are spiritual beings going through a human experience. This is what he told us again and again. He redefined religion for us. It's so easy to understand the code of religion after Viveanandanda. You if you just think about it, what is religion? Is a difficult question. Just a couple of days ago, a young man asked me, "So what is religion?" I no problem because I've read Viveananda.

[01:32:10]Uh we each soul is potentially divine.

[01:32:12]We are spirit and the goal of human life is to manifest the spirit within to to realize that we are spirit.

[01:32:20]It's not wrong that we have bodies and minds. It's it's not it's not false. So why Viveand says what you know is not wrong but it's very superficial. You do not know the whole truth. The whole truth about ourselves is that we are divine. And the goal is to manifest this divinity and all the practices that we do in religion. The bhajan that we do in the temples, the meditation that we do in our medit on our meditation mats, the scriptures that we read and reason and philosophize and the selfless service service, the food drives that we conduct and so on. All of that these are ways in which we recognize our in inherent divinity and manifest it in life and action. And this is religion. Swami Vandanda said this is religion. To do this and find freedom is religion.

[01:33:10]Books, temples, doctrines, churches, they're all secondary details.

[01:33:17]So this was a central message which he gave to the east and the west. And allied with this was the other message he spoke about the unity of all existence.

[01:33:29]It's not that we are individual divinities, individual spirits separated from each other. And the great German philosopher Lightnitz spoke about monads like stars in the night sky. We are all consciousnesses but separate from each other. Vanta says we are one existence.

[01:33:46]It is one consciousness.

[01:33:48]The hymn I referred to at the beginning written by Shankaria where he speaks about a light shining forth inside a big pot a big jar. From outside if you see from the holes in the jar, several rays of light are pouring out. In the same way, there is one consciousness and several rays of consciousness are shining through each one of us. We are not separate at the source. Physically, we are separate. Mentally, we are different.

[01:34:18]But at the source in our deep innermost reality, we are one and the same existence. Swami Viveandanda again and again spoke of the the unity of all existence, the oneness of all existence, the Brahman which is at the background of all that we see and experience. And he says that is what we are and we have to recognize that we have to realize that in life and manifest it in our daily life. Now this may seem to be a very lofty philosophy. What good is it?

[01:34:45]It is it so lofty that we cannot aspire for it? Is it something that is very difficult for for a few monks, for a few philosophers maybe? But Swami Viveanandha if not anything else he was eminently practical also. He showed us that each one of us can progress and is progressing at his or her own pace in his in his or her own way. You don't have to be a guani or you don't have to be a bakta. You don't have to do image worship or you don't have to reject images.

[01:35:17]None of those are compulsory. These are all different ways in which humanity has been searching for the divine and all of them are valid. We can in fact when Swami Viveand was asked why there are so many sects in religions and he said I wish to God that there are as many sects as there are human beings. So we have nearly 7 billion people. So he would say that seven billion sects are perfectly all right. Truly speaking when we look at the the religion we believe in and we practice whatever we may label ourselves Hindu, Buddhist, Christian, humanist, whatever we we call ourselves, we'll find that each one of us has understood the religion in a in our own way. Even if you are if you follow a very narrow fundamentalist interpretation of a faith even there also you'll find each person has interpreted in his or her own way.

[01:36:06]So we really do have so many sects, so many understandings of religion. And so Viveander said that's perfectly all right. One of the great teachings he gave was no criticism, no negative negativity about your own religion or about especially about others. He says it is hypocritical to criticize the religion from outside.

[01:36:26]It's mischievous. He says to criticize religion from outside that religion not a part of the tradition. Externally we look at it and criticize it. He says it's often it is mischievous to do that.

[01:36:36]He had a message for the west and for the east in India. He found this ancient civilization thousands of years old with a glorious spiritual heritage but a very sorry present. And what he did was he wanted to reawaken the country. He did not have small goats. He had about 10 years of time and he wanted to change the world.

[01:37:01]That was his the only little thing that you know to-do list.

[01:37:05]So it is uh awaken India spread vanta spiritualize uh the world spreading vanta to the west open the doors of oriental spiritual knowledge to flow to the west. These are two or three todo points which he had to finish in 10 years. And uh in India he saw the tamas that had come into the nation. the centuries of slavery of of weakness of superstition which had overlaid the ancient religion of the opanishads I there's a very inspiring and instructive incident where Swami Viveanand is coming to India returning to India from the west and uh with him is sister Nivea who has heard about the glories of India from Swami Viveananda in such glowing terms and when she first sees India with all those ideas in her mind and she likes it and she says, "Oh Swami, from the ship she sees the Indian shore from the ship and she says to Viveanandha, "Oh Swami, it is so peaceful and wonderful. It is so peaceful, looks so peaceful and Swami Viveanandha was immediately like a ton of bricks, you know, angrily he he shot her down. He said, "No, it is the piece of the grave. It is the piece of the grave." People are uneducated. People are subjugated by a foreign power.

[01:38:29]People are ill ill nourished. Tamasik this is not real peace. This is a piece of the grave. So one must progress from tamas to activity to vigor to achievement to power and you know even to wealth and success in life. Then only spirituality comes real spirituality from Thomas to Rajas to Satwa. When he came to the west his message was different. He wanted to bring the spiritual heritage of his ancient motherland to the west. And today we know how how he has succeeded tremendously. 100 years later, yoga is a term more familiar in USA than in India.

[01:39:11]Last year the United Nations recognized yoga as international day of yoga in in June 22nd June I think and it was celebrated all over the world in 192 countries.

[01:39:23]And that is again directly traceable to Swami Viveanandanda. Of course the modern practitioners of yoga and all the yoga studios all over the country they would be shocked to know you when they're making their getting flat abs and making their bodies trim and fit.

[01:39:39]Swami Viveandra says to them we are not the body. Okay. Uh you s sit down and meditate and calm down your mind and Swami Viveandra says you're not the mind.

[01:39:53]True yoga is to show you your true identity is the spirit which is beyond the body and the mind working through the body and the mind. Of course, it's good to have a healthy body and a mind which is calm and peaceful and virtuous.

[01:40:06]So this is the message that he brought to the west and today after him followed a galaxy of spiritual teachers of all persuasions various schools of yoga of vanta different schools of Hinduism Buddhist teachers jina teachers seek teachers and they all followed and now this knowledge has spread and is spreading all over the world today. I'll conclude with this the um the the the mantra which he quoted that there is an infinite reality and that is what we have to realize and he concludes with the the mantra concludes with this you know with the cryptic saying there is no other way to go beyond the limitations of suffering and mortality and truly in the 21st century when We look around having tried so many things in the 20th century. How can we overcome suffering? How can we can we attain peace and happiness?

[01:41:09]How can we have a sustainable life on this planet? And 20th century is a is a 100 years of experimentation and some with sometimes horrifying results. We have experimented with communism, with free market liberalism. We have experimented with fascism and Nazism. We have experimented with with genetic engineering with with mass with hyper consumerism. We have experimented with um you know medicines in various kinds and um the IT industry the the culture of consumerism and entertainment provided by our modern capitalist society in all ways trying to overcome human suffering and get some kind of permanent satisfaction and happiness. And 100 years later, last year they say it was the hottest year in history in human history.

[01:42:05]100 years later after that we begin to see that not only we have not succeeded but we are actually ruining our habitat.

[01:42:16]We are actually destroying any chance of future success by our attempts to get happiness out of consumption. by our attempts to get happiness out of the external world try to religion traditional religion is on the way out. We tried to replace it by the priest or the is replaced by the therapist and we we thought in a secular way we can take care of our problems go to a therapist and have our mental problems dealt with from from the look at the history of therapy in the in the 100 years past 100 years from the therapist's couch to the pill which we have now the proac and whatnot.

[01:42:59]Yes.

[01:43:01]And uh it's interesting you know when people say that u in the in these countries for example here in in California or in the west in the advanced countries of the west people are slowly losing interest in religion as as communities become developed. You have all the amenities of life. You have a decent society a working society and people are safe and they can pursue their uh their material goals.

[01:43:31]And so people tend to lose interest in religion the dropping attendance in churches and so and so forth.

[01:43:38]But it's also the biggest argument I feel for real spirituality because when we have got a perfect society we don't have to beg God for material wealth. You have material wealth a very rich society. You don't have to go to go to God and beg God for health. You have got the best medical system. doctors and I know you have a lot of doubts about the medical system here but but still but still much much better than you see there are two kinds of problems problems of poverty and problems of plenty. So u in this country are the problems of plenty but let me tell you they are real problems but always the problems of plenty are to be preferred over the problems of poverty. If uh if the push comes to shout, you have to prefer this.

[01:44:28]After all this, having the best possible life, the best possible life that technology and money and and civil society can give us, after that we are still not satisfied.

[01:44:41]People are still unhappy. People are lonely. People have this meaninglessness, a vacuum in their lives. What more can this world give us?

[01:44:49]Whatever this world could give us, the best we are experiencing here.

[01:44:53]Reasonably speaking, the best we are experiencing here in the advanced countries of the west. What more can the world give us? Nothing more than this.

[01:45:00]And at this point, if we are not at all satisfied, that is the most powerful argument for spirituality and religion.

[01:45:08]So Swami Viveandra when he quotes that there is no other way today at this point there is no other way and religion and spirituality at their best at their most rational is Viveanandanda at their most liberal is Viveanandanda at their most vigorous is Viveananda I have heard scholars monks well-versed in the scriptures read Shankara thoroughly but admitted to me privately that um when it comes to a question of change in life, when it comes to a question of a crisis in life, they get the answer from Viveanandha. There is some power in those pages of the of the works of Viveanandanda where when we have problems we read Viveananda, we get an answer. When we have a crisis, we read Viveanandanda, we get strength. When we want spirituality, read Viveanand and we get a breakthrough an insight. There is a power actual spiritual power shining through those pages.

[01:46:14]So in this world a small example one of the top executives of a multinational corporation Johnson and Johnson in fact um he told me that uh he used to read Viveananda but he was not spiritual in the so-called sense of going to a temple or meditating just used to read Viveananda once in a while and he got a job in a top liquor company and he was doing very well one day in the evening he was sitting quietly with the book of Viveandas in his hands and reading suddenly he was stuck struck by this thought what is the purpose of my life now working day and night for this liquor company so he says I can see clearly the purpose of my life is to get as many people drunk as much as possible then he said truly speaking I can either go on reading van and give up this job or I can do this job but I have to give up reading van and I have to take a decision and he he says yet swami I don't want to become a swami. I don't want to give up everything and I want to go on leading this life. But what can I do? So what he did finally was he dropped that job to the horror of many of his friends and he took up a job in a company which was producing this um products for babies for for children. So it's a company where he doesn't clash with his conscience. So you see how reading Viveananda leads him to make a choice. And there are so many examples we can go on and on.

[01:47:43]So today 2016 in this country which Viveandanda loved and in this country in country in this state which Viveandanda loved most of all California u we have been paying homage to Viveanandanda since this morning reading about Viveananda listening to talks about Viveananda and thinking about Viveanandanda and even looking at Viveananda oh another little example I I'm Sorry but there's this little boy who came to a swami in a in a when the swami was giving a talk to children and said that see I have this problem what problem I have a talk tomorrow I have to give a presentation tomorrow in the class and I'm very nervous I'm scared how do I get strength how can I overcome my fear you know when I stand there my knees start shaking in front of the uh students so the swami instead of telling him to be brave and strong and all. He said tomorrow when you speak forget that you are standing there imagine look at this picture imagine he is standing there and talking to your classmates just do that and it worked like magic the boy said I'm simply all my fear went away I'm not there it's Viveandanda talking to my friends so I'll leave you with a little story of Viveanandas reminded me about a little this little boy whom I spoke about I read this I was in Ramachrishna mission Dogar and more than 100 years ago Swami Viveand visited the yogar more than once. So there was this little school boy who used to study in the yogar not in our school our school was not there at that time in another school in the yogar called Aritra school. It is still there and this little boy he said one day our teacher came to us and said Swami Viveananda the famous Swami Viveandanda has come to town. So tomorrow we are going to go and meet him. So put on your best uniform and clothes and all we'll go. So all the little kids they went in a queue to meet the great Swami Viveandh and they found Swami Viveand was just coming out of the guest house for a walk. So he told the children let's go for a walk and this boy he had put on a new pair of shoes and he was walking next to Viveananda.

[01:50:02]Many years later he was a professor of philosophy in Bhagavalur University.

[01:50:06]That's when he wrote this. So he was walking next to Viveananda and Viveananda pointed out something and the he said the kid couldn't understand that actually Swami G was pointing out that his shoelaces were not tied properly. So pointed out once pointed out twice this kid couldn't understand. He looked at Viveanandha. Suddenly the great Swami Viveandha knelt down before the boy undid his shoelaces and did them properly again. And that was it. And when they went back home actually back to the hostel and that boy couldn't take off his shoes till very late in the night because people kept coming to his room to see those shoes which Swami Viveananda had.

[01:50:47]Yes. So that was Viveanandha.

[01:50:50]Um I pray to Sri Sri Ramak Krishna Mahasharada Swami Viveandanda Swami Brahanandha to bless us all on this occasion. May the light that was is and will be Viveanandanda shine in and through our lives. Om shan.

[01:51:07]>> So you have a grand feast on Swami Viveanand just now. So keep that ideas and thoughts in you and that will be a good food for meditation and thinking the power the strength to do something to change character to change life. We are here to do something. Not to stay in the rut and the hole in which we are born and we think about ourselves but to come out of that and to find our real dignity real essence what is within and we have as as the from the morning till now we are thinking of Swami Viveanand and Banandanda thinking what it makes as swami G has mentioned in different ways banan makes you great that's why there As a one swami said that bhanand is a force a dying man. If he listens to bhanando he'll say oh death please wait let me listen.

[01:52:11]And the person who is lying down if he listens to some banan will just sit up he is unable to sit but he will sit up with strength and the person who is sitting if he listens to banan will start walking and the man walking then the street he can run. He will run because such a force such a power acting behind bhan. So banan is a force but it is for transformation.

[01:52:37]We have to transform ourselves for our own benefit and for the benefit of our family and the benefit of our society and the benefit of the whole world.

[01:52:49]We are to remind ourselves again and again what principle what principle swami vive placed before us. The courage, the strength, the determination, not of arrogance, not of frustration neither, in both ways, but to stand on in our inner power and how to touch that ground of our very being and how to be overwhelmed with that strength so that let people see us that we love.

[01:53:22]Let people see us that we inculcate a little bit of his love for humanity, love for fellow beings, sacrificing attitude, giving up.

[01:53:35]And Sami Vivanand said the renunciation and what is the other word in the national service. Service and renunciation is the national ideal of India and not not only India of all the countries in the world.

[01:53:52]Renunciation and service.

[01:53:55]Forget the little petty self and think of the others and who in others it is me. I am in others. With this vantic perspective, Swami Banano wanted to unify the whole world. We are very fortunate that we at at least live in an atmosphere where is the opportunity to hear about these thoughts ideas if we want to absorb there are enough resource but we have to be open to that and receive the blessings which ban's message is all around us. So I today as our Maharaj used to always say I I also try to remind ourselves the same word that on special days of like this the birthdays and of Swami Vanandanda Brahman Ramakrishna this great souls when we come and assemble together a special grace dawn on that particular day because of whatever cosmic play goes on so that it helps our mind to be uplifted. So let us take this opportunity and bless us with the message and life and teachings of Swami Viveanandha so that we can be really a man. Man means a human being. human being non manhush as Ramach Krishna said to be conscious about our own dignity. Okay. So I cra the blessings of Swami G today and weather has helped keep us together. No, we feel warm and cozy and happy together because it's um rainy and a bit miserable outside.

[01:56:00]We were watching that beautiful magic show by Bimal Kemper and I was reminded of a hymn that Adish Shankarachara had written some 1300 years ago the Dakshina Morti stora where he says this entire universe is produced by Brahman like a great magician shows magic he uses the term mayavi like a magician shows magic Sri Ram Krishna also uses that the magic is not real. The magician is real. So it look behind the magic and try to find the magician.

[01:56:41]Swami Viveananda was a magician.

[01:56:46]He transformed our views about ourselves.

[01:56:51]Tantine Josephin Mloud she says that I have met many great people in my life. I have met many great people in my life and she says she once met the zar of Russia and those days they used to have zars even now they have after a fashion.

[01:57:12]Um and she says that when I met the zar of Russia I felt how great he is and how insignificant I am. Tantine and then she says when I met Viveanandanda I felt how great he is and how great I am.

[01:57:32]That was Swami Viveanandanda's impact on people. He would transform people's views about themselves. our whole idea of ourselves would be transformed.

[01:57:43]And how did he do that?

[01:57:45]How did he make how did he see the extraordinary in ordinary folk? You see, we think of ourselves as limited beings.

[01:57:54]We are beings. We we are limited human beings. We are born and one day we shall die. We our bodies are so delicate.

[01:58:01]Slight changes in temperature and humidity and all. We feel all uneasy and our minds we have got so many desires. We strive to fulfill those desires throughout our lives and inevitably frustration is our lot. And at the end old age, disease, death awaits us.

[01:58:22]So this is the life that we know. And what did he do to transform our views about ourselves, our idea of ourselves?

[01:58:31]You see when he came to the United States more than 100 years ago he was fond of reciting one particular verse from the opanishads a mantra from the oponyishads where it is said listen ye children of immortal bliss children of immortal bliss I have know that known that infinite reality blazing forth like the sun beyond all darkness knowing that alone we go beyond death and there's no other way other than this. So he would put this forth. This was his central message to us that what we think about ourselves, what we think about ourselves, what we know about ourselves for a fact, we do not we do not really know ourselves. What we know is wrong.

[01:59:28]As Mark Twain put it in his delightful way, it's not what we do not know that gets us into trouble. It's what we know that it just ain't so. That's what gets us into trouble.

[01:59:42]Somebody said that about global warming recently. Those people who deny global warming that it just ain't so. That's what's getting us into trouble.

[01:59:52]Swami Viveananda the central message he put forth in the west and in the east also is the ancient message of vanta but he put it forth in a very vigorous modern language that we are not limited creatures of flesh and blood. We are not creatures who are born and fed to die after some time. We are not even minds subject to desires and anger and frustration and uh depression. We are not that too. We are rather creatures of light and spirit. We are immortal. Bodies are born and bodies age and bodies die. We are not born. We do not age and we do not die.

[02:00:40]We are incredibly ancient. Even the youngest one among us is incredibly ancient. We are spiritual beings going through a human experience. This is what he told us again and again. He redefined religion for us. It's so easy to understand the code of religion after Viveanandanda.

[02:00:59]If you just think about it, what is religion? Is a difficult question. Just a couple of days ago, a young man asked me, "So what is religion?" I no problem because I've read Viveananda. Uh we each soul is potentially divine. We are spirit and the goal of human life is to manifest the spirit within to to realize that we are spirit.

[02:01:19]It's not wrong that we have bodies and minds. It's it's not it's not false. So Viveand says what you know is not wrong but it's very superficial. You do not know the whole truth. The whole truth about ourselves is that we are divine.

[02:01:33]And the goal is to manifest this divinity and all the practices that we do in religion. The bhajan that we do in the temples, the meditation that we do in our medit on our meditation mats, the scriptures that we read and reason and philosophize and the selfless service service, the food drives that we conduct and so on. All of that these are ways in which we recognize our in inherent divinity and manifest it in life and action. And this is religion. Swami Vandanta said this is religion. To do this and find freedom is religion.

[02:02:09]Books, temples, doctrines, churches, they're all secondary details.

[02:02:16]So this was a central message which he gave to the east and the west. And allied with this was the other message he spoke about the unity of all existence.

[02:02:27]It's not that we are individual divinities, individual spirits separated from each other. And the great German philosopher Linitz spoke about monads like stars in the night sky. We are all consciousnesses but separate from each other. Vanta says we are one existence.

[02:02:45]It is one consciousness. The hymn I referred to at the beginning written by Shankarachara where he speaks about a light shining forth inside a big pot a big jar. From outside if you see from the holes in the jar several rays of light are pouring out. In the same way there is one consciousness and several rays of consciousness are shining through each one of us. We are not separate at the source. Physically we are separate. Mentally we are different but at the source in our deep innermost reality we are one and the same existence. Swami Vandanda again and again spoke of the unity of all existence, the oneness of all existence, the Brahman which is at the background of all that we see and experience. And he says that is what we are and we have to recognize that. We have to realize that in life and manifest it in our daily life. Now this may seem to be a very lofty philosophy. What good is it?

[02:03:43]It is it so lofty that we cannot aspire for it? Is it something that is very difficult for for a few monks, for a few philosophers maybe? But Swami Viveanandanda if not anything else he was eminently practical also. He showed us that each one of us can progress and is progressing at his or her own pace in his in his or her own way. You don't have to be a guani or you don't have to be a bakta. You don't have to do image worship or you don't have to reject images.

[02:04:16]None of those are compulsory. These are all different ways in which humanity has been searching for the divine and all of them are valid. We can in fact when Swami Viveand was asked why there are so many sects in religions and he said I wish to God that there are as many sects as there are human beings. So we have nearly 7 billion people. So he would say that 7 billion sects are perfectly all right. Truly speaking when we look at the the religion we believe in and we practice whatever we may label ourselves Hindu Buddhist Christian humanist whatever we we call ourselves we'll find that each one of us has understood the religion in a in our own way even if you are if you follow a very narrow fundamentalist interpretation of a faith even there also you'll find each person has interpreted in his or her own way so we really do have so many sects so many understandings of religion and so viveand said that's Perfectly all right.

[02:05:11]One of the great teachings he gave was no criticism, no negative negativity about your own religion or about especially about others.

[02:05:21]He says it is hypocritical to criticize the religion from outside. It's mischievous. He says to criticize religion from outside that religion not a part of the tradition. Externally we look at it and criticize it. He says it's often it is mischievous to do that.

[02:05:35]He had a message for the west and for the east in India. He found this ancient civilization thousands of years old with a glorious spiritual heritage but a very sorry present. And what he did was he wanted to reawaken the country. He did not have small goals. He had about 10 years of time and he wanted to change the world.

[02:06:00]That was his the only little thing that you know to-do list.

[02:06:04]So it is uh awaken India, spread vanta and spiritualize uh the world. Spreading vanta to the west open the doors of oriental spiritual knowledge to flow to the west. These are two or three to two do points which he had to finish in 10 years. And uh in India he saw the tamas that had come into the nation the centuries of slavery of of weakness of superstition which had overlaid the ancient religion of the oponyishads. I uh there's a very inspiring and instructive incident where Swami Viveanand is coming to India returning to India from the west and uh with him is sister Nivea who has heard about the glories of India from Swami Viveananda in such glowing terms and when she first sees India with all those ideas in her mind and she likes it and she says oh Swami from the ship she sees the Indian shore from the ship and She says to Viveanandha, "Oh Swami, it is so peaceful and wonderful. It is so peaceful. Looks so peaceful." And Swami Viveanandha was immediately like a ton of bricks, you know, angrily he he shot her down. He said, "No, it is the piece of the grave. It is the piece of the grave. People are uneducated. People are subjugated by a foreign power. People are ill ill-nourished." Tamasik this is not real peace. This is a piece of the grave. So one must progress from tamas to activity to vigor to achievement to power and you know even to wealth and success in life. Then only spirituality comes real spirituality from Thomas to Rajas to Satwa. When he came to the west his message was different. He wanted to bring the spiritual heritage of his ancient motherland to the west. And today we know how how he has succeeded tremendously. 100 years later yoga is a term more familiar in USA than in India.

[02:08:09]Last year the United Nations recognized yoga as international day of yoga in in June 22nd June I think and it was celebrated all over the world in 192 countries and that is again directly traceable to Swami Viveanandanda. Of course, the modern practitioners of yoga in all the yoga studios all over the country, they would be shocked to know, you know, when they're making their getting flat abs and making their bodies trim and fit, Swami Viveanandha says to them, "We are not the body." Okay? Uh you sit sit down and meditate and calm down your mind and Swami Viveandh says, "We're not the mind.

[02:08:51]True yoga is to show you your true identity is the spirit which is beyond the body and the mind working through the body and the mind. Of course it's good to have a healthy body and a mind which is calm and peaceful and virtuous.

[02:09:04]So this is the message that he brought to the west and today after him followed a galaxy of spiritual teachers of all persuasions various schools of yoga of vanta different schools of Hinduism Buddhist teachers ja teachers seek teachers and they all followed and now this knowledge has spread and is spreading all over the world today. I'll conclude with this the u the the the mantra which he quoted that there is an infinite reality and that is what we have to realize and he concludes with the the mantra concludes with this you know with the cryptic saying there is no other way to go beyond the limitations of suffering and mortality and truly in the 21st century when We look around having tried so many things in the 20th century. How can we overcome suffering? How can we can we attain peace and happiness?

[02:10:07]How can we have a sustainable life on this planet? And 20th century is a is a 100 years of experimentation and some with sometimes horrifying results. We have experimented with communism, with free market liberalism. We have experimented with fascism and Nazism. We have experimented with with genetic engineering with with mass with hyperconumerism.

[02:10:31]We have experimented with um you know medicines in various kinds and um the IT industry, the the culture of consumerism and entertainment provided by our modern capitalist society in all ways trying to overcome human suffering and get some kind of permanent satisfaction and happiness. And 100 years later, last year they say it was the hottest year in history in human history.

[02:11:04]100 years later after that we begin to see that not only we have not succeeded but we are actually ruining our habitat.

[02:11:15]We are actually destroying any chance of future success by our attempts to get happiness out of consumption. By our attempts to get happiness out of the external world try to religion traditional religion is on the way out. We tried to replace it by the priest or the is replaced by the therapist and we thought in a secular way we can take care of our problems go to a therapist and have our mental problems dealt with from from the look at the history of therapy in the in the 100 years past 100 years from the therapist's couch to the pill which we have now the proac and whatnot.

[02:11:57]Yes.

[02:11:59]And uh it's interesting you know when people say that u in the in these countries for example here in in California or in the west in the advanced countries of the west people are slowly losing interest in religion as as communities become developed. You have all the amenities of life. you have a decent society, a working society and people are safe and they can pursue their uh their material goals and so people tend to lose interest in religion dropping attendance in churches and so and so forth but it's also the biggest argument I feel for real spirituality because when we have got a perfect society we don't have to beg God for material wealth you material wealth a very rich society you don't have to go to go to god and beg god for health you have got the best medical system doctors and I know you have a lot of doubts about the medical system here but but still but still much much better than you see there are two kinds of problems problems of poverty and problems of plenty so u in this country are the problems of plenty but let me tell you they are real problems but always the problems of plenty are to be preferred over the problems of poverty. If uh if if the push comes to shout, you have to prefer this.

[02:13:27]After all this, having the best possible life, the best possible life that technology and money and and civil society can give us, after that we are still not satisfied.

[02:13:40]People are still unhappy. People are lonely. People have this meaninglessness, a vacuum in their lives. What more can this world give us?

[02:13:48]Whatever this world could give us, the best we are experiencing here.

[02:13:52]Reasonably speaking, the best we are experiencing here in the advanced countries of the west. What more can the world give us? Nothing more than this.

[02:13:59]And at this point, if we are not at all satisfied, that is the most powerful argument for spirituality and religion.

[02:14:07]So Swami Viveandra when he quotes that there is no other way.

[02:14:13]Today at this point there is no other way and religion and spirituality at their best at their most rational is Viveanandanda at their most liberal is Viveananda at their most vigorous is Viveananda.

[02:14:29]I have heard scholars, monks well-versed in the scriptures read shankara thoroughly but admitted to me privately that um when it comes to a question of change in life when it comes to a question of a crisis in life they get the answer from Viveanandha. There is some power in those pages of the of the works of Viveananda where when we have problems we read Viveananda we get an answer. When we have a crisis we read Viveananda we get strength. When we want spirituality read Viveanand we get a breakthrough an insight. There is a power actual spiritual power shining through those pages.

[02:15:13]So in this world a small example one of the top executives of a multinational corporation Johnson and Johnson in fact um he told me that uh he used to read Viveananda but he was not spiritual in the so-called sense of going to a temple or meditating just used to read Viveandanda once in a while and he got a job in a top liquor company and he was doing very well one day in the evening he was sitting quietly ly with the book of Viveanandas in his hands and reading suddenly he was stuck struck by this thought what is the purpose of my life now working day and night for this liquor company so he says I can see clearly the purpose of my life is to get as many people drunk as much as possible then he said truly speaking I can either go on reading van and give up this job or I can do this job but I have to give up reading van and I have to take a decision and he he says yet swami I I don't want to become a swami. I don't want to give up everything and I want to go on leading this life but what can I do? So what he did finally was he dropped that job to the horror of many of his friends and he took up a job in a company which was producing this um products for babies for for children. So it's a company where he doesn't doesn't clash with his conscience. So you see how reading Viveananda leads him to make a choice and there are so many examples we can go on and on.

[02:16:42]So today 2016 in this country which Viveandanda loved and in this country in country in this state which Viveandanda loved most of all California um we have been paying homage to Viveananda since this morning reading about Viveanandanda listening to talks about Viveanandanda and thinking about Viveananda and even looking at Viveananda. Oh, another little example.

[02:17:11]I I'm sorry, but there's this little boy who came to a swami in in a when the swami was giving a talk to children and said that see I have this problem. What problem?

[02:17:23]I have a talk tomorrow. I have to give a presentation tomorrow in the class and I'm very nervous. I'm scared. How do I get strength? How can I overcome my fear? you know when I stand there my knees start shaking in front of the uh students. So the swami instead of telling him to be brave and strong and all he said tomorrow when you speak forget that you are standing there imagine look at this picture imagine he is standing there and talking to your classmates just do that and it worked like magic that boy said I'm simply all my fear went away I'm not there it's Viveandanda talking to my friends so I'll leave you with a little story of Viveanandas reminded me about the little this little boy whom I spoke about. I read this I was in Ramachrishna mission Dogar and more than 100 years ago Swami Viveand visited the yogar more than once. So there was this little school boy who used to study in the yogar not in our school our school was not there at that time in another school in Dogar called Armitra school it is still there and this little boy he said one day our teacher came to us and said Swami Viveanandha the famous Swami Viveandh has come to town so tomorrow we are going to go and meet him so put on your best uniform and clothes and all we'll go. So all these little kids they went in a queue to meet the great Swami Viveand and they spawn Swami Viveand was just coming out of the guest house for a walk. So he told the children let's go for a walk and this boy he had put on a new pair of shoes and he was walking next to Viveananda.

[02:19:01]Many years later he was a professor of philosophy in Bhagpur University. That's when he wrote this. So he was walking next to Viveananda and Viveanandha pointed out something and the he said the kid couldn't understand that actually Swami G was pointing out that his shoelaces were not tied properly. So pointed out once pointed out twice this kid couldn't understand. He looked at Viveanandha suddenly the great Swami Viveandanda knelt down before the boy undid his shoelaces and did them properly again. And that was it. And when they went back home actually back to the hostel and that boy couldn't take off his shoes till very late in the night because people kept coming to his room to see those shoes which Swami Vivean had.

[02:19:45]Yes. So that was Viveanandha.

[02:19:49]Um I pray to Sri Sri Ramak Krishna Masharada Swami Viveandanda Swami Brahanandha to bless us all on this occasion. May the light that was, is and will be Viveanandanda shine in and through our lives. Om shan.

[02:20:05]>> So you have a grand feast on Swami Viveanand just now. So keep that ideas and thoughts in you and that will be a good food for meditation and thinking the power the strength to do something to change character to change life. We are here to do something not to stay in the rut and the hole in which we are born and we think about ourselves but to come out of that and to find our real dignity real essence what is within and we have as as the from the morning till now we are thinking of swami banan and banan thinking what it makes as swami g has mentioned in different ways banan makes you it that's why there is a one swami said that banan is a force a dying man if he listens to bhanando he'll say oh death please wait let me listen and the person who is lying down if he listens to swami he will just sit up he is unable to sit but he will sit up with strength and the person who is sitting if he listens to banani he'll start walking and the man walking Then the street he can run he will run because such a force such a power acting behind banan. So banan is a force but it is for transformation.

[02:21:36]We have to transform ourselves for our own benefit and for the benefit of our family and the benefit of our society and the benefit of the whole world.

[02:21:48]We are to remind oursel again and again what principle what principle swami van placed before us. The courage, the strength, the determination, not of arrogance, not of frustration neither in both ways, but to stand on in our inner power and how to touch that ground of our very being and how to be overwhelmed with that strength so that let people see us that we love.

[02:22:20]Let people see us that we inculcate a little bit of his love for humanity, love for fellow beings, sacrificing attitude, giving up and some said the renunciation and what is the other word in the national service. Service and renunciation is the national ideal of India and not not only India of all the countries in the world.

[02:22:50]Renunciation and service.

[02:22:54]Forget the little petty self and think of the others and who in others it is me. I am in others with this vantic perspective. Swami Bhanando wanted to unify the whole world. We are very fortunate that we at at least live in an atmosphere where the opportunity to hear about these thoughts, ideas if you want to absorb there enough resource but we have to be open to that and receive the blessings which ban's message is all around us. So I today as our shahand used to always say I I also try to remind ourselves the same word that on special days of like this the birthdays and of Brahman Ramakrishna this great souls when we come and as assemble together the special grace dawn on that particular day because of whatever cosmic play goes on so that it helps our mind to be uplifted. So let us take this opportunity and bless us with the message and life and teachings of Swami Viveanandha so that we can be really a man. Man means a human being. human being non man hush as Ramach Krishna said to be conscious about our own dignity. Okay. So I crave the blessings of Swami G today and we weather has helped keep us together. No, we feel warm and cozy and happy together because it's um rainy and a bit miserable outside.