Vedanta and Vivekananda

My notes from ‘Vedanta: Voice of Freedom” – a selected compilation from the Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda.

Highlights reproduced below:

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In nondualistic Vedanta, Brahman is the Ultimate Reality, ExistenceKnowledge— Bliss Absolute. The world is shown to be nothing but name and form, all of which is apparent, not real, having only a relative existence. But from the absolute standpoint, everything is Brahman— one without a second. The individual soul is nothing but Brahman. Name and form evolve and dissolve, but the Self, the real nature of every being, is immortal and unchanging. After realizing one’s identity with Brahman through meditation, a person then sees Brahman, or God, in everything.

Vivekananda learned from his Master the synthesis of knowledge and devotion, the harmony of religions, the true purport of the scriptures, and the worship of God in man.

The first step in getting strength is to uphold the Upanishads, and believe: “I am the Soul.” “Me the sword cannot cut; nor weapons pierce; me the fire cannot burn; me the air cannot dry; I am the Omnipotent, I am the Omniscient.” So repeat these blessed, saving words. Do not say we are weak; we can do anything and everything. We all have the same glorious soul. Let us believe in it.

As he continued his travels, his teaching, his observations, writing, and meditation, Vivekananda’s belief in the effectiveness of Vedanta grew. He saw it not as a mere religion or philosophy, but rather as a means by which science and religion could become reconciled, and material prosperity and spirituality blended. He noticed how the East was strong in noble religious and spiritual traditions even though it suffered from grinding poverty, while the West, for all its technological advancements and affluence, suffered from spiritual poverty.

It was his experience that an ideal character could be formed by combining the four yogas— the paths of action, knowledge, devotion, and meditation— and he trained the monks accordingly.

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