Vedanta is the culmination of the religion and philosophy of the Vedas, which form the most ancient and most authoritative body of the Hindu scriptures, whose composition dates back to 4,000 B.C. The word “Vedanta” means “the concluding portion of the Vedas,” and also “the supreme spiritual knowledge.” The portions of the Vedas that comprise Vedanta are known as the Upanishads, which consist of the accumulated knowledge of God, soul, and the world, as derived from the spiritual experiences and discoveries of generations of India’s sages.
As revealed in these sacred books, Vedanta holds that our real nature - our real Self - is pure, luminous, immortal, and free - a manifestation of the Infinite Divine Reality or Godhead. The aim of our life on earth is to realize this divinity. To help us achieve this goal, Vedanta teaches various methods suited to each individual’s needs and capacities, by which this divine perfection of the Self can be actually experienced.
The spiritual and philosophical wisdom of Vedanta is not dogmatic or dependent on the authority of any person or persons. According to Vedanta, Truth is one, and the different religions of the world are so many paths leading to the same goal. Vedanta reveals the eternal and universal spiritual truths underlying all religions and helps all men and women in their spiritual unfoldment, regardless of their religious affiliation and beliefs. Thus, Vedanta stands for universal religious harmony. It does not seek to convert, but to support aspirants in their own spiritual paths.
RAMAKRISHNA ORDER AND VEDANTA IN THE WEST
Ramakrishna (1836-1886) is one of the greatest mystic saints of India. He realized God first in Hinduism and then practiced Christianity and Islam. After realizing God in different religions, he proclaimed, “As many faiths, so many paths.”
Although Vedantic teachings have influenced prominent Western thinkers for centuries, the formal Vedanta movement in the West was initiated in 1893 by Swami Vivekananda (1863-1902). The swami was the chief disciple of Ramakrishna. Vivekananda represented Hinduism at the Parliament of Religions held at the 1893 World’s Fair in Chicago and then disseminated the teachings of Vedanta throughout the United States and Europe.
Since then the message of Vedanta has continued to spread in the West under the leadership of the swamis of the Ramakrishna Order of India, a monastic institution with headquarters at Belur Math near Calcutta. The Ramakrishna Order is an important religious and philanthropic organization with branches all over India and permanent Vedanta centers in the United States, Canada, Europe, South America, Australia, Africa, Japan, and other countries. The Order’s spiritual lineage is the ancient Vedantic order of sannyasins (monks) which from the earliest time has existed in India in an unbroken line of teachers and disciples.
In America, the twelve Vedanta societies promote the study, practice and teaching of the philosophy and religion of Vedanta, especially as expounded by Sri Ramakrishna and his disciple Swami Vivekananda and demonstrated in their lives.