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Vedanta in the West
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By the late 19th century India was completely taken over. The British had successfully walked into India and at this point conquered her from border to border with little hesitation. While history books will often teach us of how Lord Mountbatten aided in silencing the Indian population, one pivotal part that was suffocating was the Hindu spirit. With a growing trend towards identifying with Western ideals and customs, the Hindu population in India started to detach themselves from the Orthodoxy of Hinduism and began to explore other avenues of dogma – which is now known as the Hindu Renaissance. Though the Hindu Renaissance could be reached from the Bay of Bengal to the Arabian Sea, the Hindu mind in Southern California continues to seek thirst in the vast body of truth and existence.
The Hindu Renaissance could be classified into three categories: completely adopt Western practices and call for far-reaching alterations in Hinduism (known as the Brahmo Samaj movement); reject Western conceptions and call for a return to the original teachings of Hinduism (known as the Arya Samaj movement); or strongly defend Hinduism against Western attach while selectively borrowing elements from the West (known as the Ramakrishna movement). All three movements had a profound influence on the youth movement in India in the late 19th century. However, it was the Ramakrishna movement, led by Swami Vivekananda at the Parliament of Religions Conference in Chicago in 1893, that has left its greatest mark outside of India. The goal of Vivekananda’s arrival was simple – introduce Hinduism (through Vedanta) to the West.
So where does this leave the spiritually curious of Los Angeles? The religious doctrines of 1893 may satiate the intellectual curiosity within oneself, but is there any religious guidance because of it? The main tenant of Vedanta is the concept of oneness. Whether trying to butter-up the bouncer at MyHouse in Hollywood or digging for your last pennies for a homeless person on Pico and Figueroa, the concept of Vedanta is to see oneness and divinity in all existence that is infinite in nature. Vedantic thought doesn’t ask that one sees Hinduism in each existence. Rather, the notion urges each of us to seek peace and respect in all religious and philosophical outlooks. By performing these actions one will be able to see the world as equal regardless of our physical being.
Now, close your eyes. Wait, read this first and then close your eyes. Picture yourself sitting at the beach hearing the wave’s crash as the sunsets in the horizon. Or you can picture yourself mentoring a high school student during his/her high school years, providing emotional support for the child through some of his/her most conflicting moments of his/her young life. Now how do you feel? Does your soul feel calmed? At any time during the visualization did you break a smile because the sanctity of its thought was slightly overwhelming? The Vedanta thought asks us to rid ourselves of maya, or ignorance. As stated on the Southern California Vedanta website, “maya is the veil that covers our real nature and the real nature of the world around us.” Vedanta doesn’t state that by reciting hymns or performing confessions that these insufferable masks will disappear. Rather, we are asked to go through mental purification. Go out, volunteer, meditate, do yoga, talk with the elderly, hold off on buying that last round of drinks on Saturday night and donate that money to a local museum or library. Break yourself away from the daily delusions that are life and realize that there is more to be done. Treat yourself by treating others – you’ll feel much better about it!
Vedanta was brought to the West in 1893. It branched out to major cities across America and provided its followers with guidelines on how to not only become closer to God, but also how to become closer to ourselves. Ones inner being is constantly seeking higher truth and meaning. From traffic jams on the 405 to weekend trips to the beach, it’s important to remember that we can see and do more with what we have. Vedanta teaches us all to do just that -- affirm the oneness of existence, the divinity of the soul, and the harmony of religions.
For more information on Vedanta in Southern California please visit www.vedanta.org for the closest Vedanta Center.
