Ramakrishna Mission
Ramakrishna Mission ( RKM ) is a religious and spiritual organization that forms the core of a worldwide spiritual movement known as the Ramakrishna Movement or Vedanta Movement .
development
The Ramakrishna Mission was founded on May 1, 1897 by the monk Vivekananda in Kolkata . Later it was organizationally divided into the ' Ramakrishna Order' (Sri Ramakrishna Math) as a monastic order and the 'Ramakrishna Mission' as a service organization for the population. The aim of the organization is not only to spread the teachings of the Master, but also to do cultural and especially social work through the construction of schools, hospitals, orphanages, clubs and libraries. Differences in caste , religion or nationality play a role neither within the order nor among the employees or those cared for, since every person is considered a manifestation of the divine.
This mission is made up of numerous lay workers, but the leadership is in the hands of the swamis (monks) of the Ramakrishna order. Today there are over 110 centers across India. The main focus is on West Bengal and Tamil Nadu . These are missions, monasteries ( math ), ashrams , hospitals and schools. The headquarters of the mission is Belur Math in Haora , not far from Dakshineshwar , where Ramakrishna lived and died.
The Ramakrishna Mission wants to be the first Indian religious organization to spread the Vedanta teachings outside of India. Today it is represented by over 40 (smaller and larger) centers abroad. The center in England was founded in 1948, the one in France in 1935. The German center, founded in 1933, was closed in 1938. A new one was founded in 1996. The Ramakrishna mission regards other religions as equally valid paths to divine truth. However, Advaita Vedanta (pure monism ) is preferred as a spiritual explanatory basis. In India, the Ramakrishna Mission is committed to the renewal of Hinduism , also through the publication of magazines.
For Swami Vivekananda, however, social work took precedence over religious agitation, since in his opinion it makes no sense to teach people about religion until their poverty and suffering have been resolved. The attitude that every religion can be a preliminary stage to the understanding of the highest truth justifies the tolerance of the Ramakrishna Mission towards Christianity and Islam . In 1997 the organization was awarded the Gandhi Peace Prize of the Indian government.
emblem
Emblem of the RKM by Swami Vivekananda explained in his own words:
“The wavy waters in the picture are symbolic of Karma; the lotus, of Bhakti; and the rising-sun, of Jnana. The encircling serpent is indicative of Yoga and the awakened Kundalini Shakti, while the swan in the picture stands for Paramatman (Supreme Self). Therefore, the idea of the picture is that by the union of Karma, Jnana, Bhakti and Yoga, the vision of Paramatman is obtained. "
“The undulating water in the picture symbolizes karma ; the lotus of Bhakti ; and Jana's rising sun. The surrounding serpent indicates yoga and the awakened Kundalini Shakti , while the swan in the picture stands for Paramatman (Supreme Self). Hence the idea of the picture is that through the union of karma, jnana, bhakti and yoga, the vision of Paramatman is achieved. "
Web links
- Ramakrishna Mission Institute of Culture website
- Addresses and links to the websites of the Ramakrishna Mission in Europe
Individual evidence
- ↑ center-vedantique.fr: The Ramakrishna Movement . November 26, 2011.
- ↑ vedantanc.org: Ramakrishna Movement . 15th July 2017.
- ↑ books.google.de: Education to the cosmopolitan: Rabindranath Tagore's philosophy and pedagogy, pp. 59–60 . 18th December 2017.
- ↑ srkv.org: Belur Math: The Headquarters of Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission - Ramakrishna Mission Vidyalaya, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India . 18th December 2017.
- ↑ deutschlandfunkkultur.de: Those who want to perfect their knowledge . 4th July 2009.
- ↑ hinduismtoday.com: Monks With a Mission August 1999
- ↑ en.wikisource.org: The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda .