Swami Vivekananda and the World Parliament of Religion
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Questions and Answers

What is the ultimate goal of the Hindu system?

  • To attain perfection and become one with Brahman (correct)
  • To see God and become divine
  • To obtain pleasure and happiness in the world
  • To live a life of infinite bliss

    • What is the common religion of all the sects of India?

  • The pursuit of perfection and unity with Brahman (correct)
  • Worship of the divine in nature
  • The practice of yoga and meditation
  • Belief in multiple gods and goddesses

    • What happens to a man when he attains perfection?

  • He becomes a ascetic or a hermit
  • He gains omniscience and omnipotence
  • He lives a life of infinite bliss (correct)
  • He becomes a saint or a guru

    • What is the nature of the absolute?

    <p>It is absolute and cannot be two or three</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the result of a soul becoming perfect and absolute?

    <p>It becomes one with Brahman</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the ultimate reality of the existence?

    <p>The existence absolute</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the significance of the phrase 'losing of individuality'?

    <p>It means becoming one with Brahman and losing individuality</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the relationship between the individual and Brahman?

    <p>The individual is identical with Brahman</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the ultimate goal of the individual in Hinduism?

    <p>To become one with Brahman</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the nature of the bliss experienced by the individual who attains perfection?

    <p>It is infinite and perfect</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Study Notes

    Swami Vivekananda's Speeches at the World Parliament of Religions

    Response to Welcome (September 11, 1893)

    • Swami Vivekananda thanks the audience in the name of the ancient order of monks, the mother of religions, and millions of Hindus of all classes and sects.
    • He is proud to belong to a religion that has taught the world tolerance and universal acceptance.
    • Hindus believe in universal toleration and accept all religions as true.
    • India has sheltered the persecuted and refugees of all religions and nations of the earth.

    Why We Disagree (September 15, 1893)

    • Swami Vivekananda tells a story about a frog in a well who is unaware of the sea's existence.
    • The frog represents individuals who are limited by their own perspectives and believe their way is the only way.
    • He thanks America for attempting to break down barriers and hopes for unity in the future.

    Addressing the Final Session (September 27, 1893)

    • Swami Vivekananda thanks the organizers and participants of the Parliament of Religions.
    • He emphasizes the importance of unity and not trying to destroy others in the name of religion.
    • Every religion has its own law for growth, and individuals should preserve their individuality.
    • The goal is to "help and not fight" and live in "harmony and peace".

    Key Points

    • Swami Vivekananda is proud to belong to a religion that has taught the world tolerance and universal acceptance.
    • Sectarianism, bigotry, and fanaticism have hindered human society's progress.
    • Idols or temples are mere supports for spiritual growth, and individuals must progress beyond them.
    • Hinduism consists of both ceremonial and spiritual aspects, with the spiritual portion studied by monks.
    • There is no caste in the spiritual aspect of Hinduism.

    Paper on Hinduism (September 19, 1893)

    • Hinduism has survived tremendous shocks throughout history due to its internal strength.
    • The Vedas are considered without beginning or end, containing spiritual laws discovered by different persons in different times.
    • The Rishis, or discoverers of these laws, are considered perfected beings.
    • Some of the greatest Rishis were women.
    • The Vedas teach that creation is without beginning or end, similar to the concept that the sum total of cosmic energy is always the same.### The Existence of God
    • If God is sometimes potential and sometimes kinetic, then God is mutable
    • If God is mutable, then God is a compound, and compounds undergo destruction
    • Therefore, if God is mutable, then God would die, which is absurd
    • Thus, there never was a time when there was no creation

    Creation and the Creator

    • The creator and creation are two lines, without beginning and without end, running parallel to each other
    • God is the ever-active providence, by whose power systems after systems are being evolved out of chaos, made to run for a time, and again destroyed

    The Soul and the Body

    • The soul is spirit living in a body
    • The body will die, but the soul will not die
    • The soul was not created, for creation means a combination that means a certain future dissolution
    • If the soul was created, then it would die, but since it is eternal, it must have existed before birth

    Past Lives and Karma

    • The soul's tendencies and actions in past lives determine its circumstances in this life
    • The soul's karma from past lives affects its present life
    • The present is determined by our past actions, and the future is determined by our present actions

    Reincarnation and Spiritual Evolution

    • The soul will go on evolving from birth to birth and death to death
    • The soul's goal is to become perfect, to become divine, to reach God and see God
    • Perfection is attained when the soul is free from the bonds of matter and imperfection

    The Relationship Between the Soul and God

    • The soul is a circle whose circumference is nowhere, but whose centre is located in the body
    • The soul is free, unbounded, holy, pure, and perfect
    • The soul's relationship with God is one of love and devotion
    • The soul's heart is to God, and its hands are to work

    Worship and Devotion

    • The soul is to be worshipped as the one beloved, dearer than everything in this and the next life
    • The prayer is to love God without the hope of reward, to love unselfishly for love's sake
    • The soul's nature is to love the grand, the beautiful, and the sublime, and therefore it loves God

    The Goal of Hinduism

    • The goal of Hinduism is to reach God, to see God, and to become perfect even as the Father in Heaven is perfect
    • The goal is to attain Mukti, or freedom from the bonds of imperfection and death
    • The goal is to become one with Brahman, and to realise the Lord as the perfection, the reality, of one's own nature and existence

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    Test your knowledge about Swami Vivekananda, his role in promoting Hinduism, and his notable achievements, including his representation at the World Parliament of Religion in Chicago.

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