A GLOBAL DIRECTORY OF INDOGENIC SPIRITUAL ORGANISATIONS OUTSIDE INDIA www.disoa.org An Appeal This project is a very important step towards unification of all spiritual traditions which have their roots in India and it will give new strength and vigour to the mission started by Swami Vivekananda.Following the footsteps of Swamiji many spiritual masters from India have propounded the Vedantic truths all over the world. This Directory will be a very important compilation to record the impact of the works of these great masters in the world. SWAMI RAMDEV (in his appreciation)
THE GLOBAL VISION AND MISSION OF SWAMI VIVEKANANDA, AND HOW IT INSPIRED THE INDIAN SPIRITUAL THRUST WORLD-WIDE * An Appeal for a Global Directory of Indogenic Spiritual Organisations Outside India Swami Vivekananda is looked upon by an informed Indian as a person who enshrined in himself all that is true and noble of the spiritual heritage of Bharat. His vision to make everyone see the beauty of oneness, love and harmony, backed by his tireless efforts to actualize it, is getting unfolded all over the world not only through the Mission and Order he founded but also through various other individuals and institutions who owe to Swamiji s vision for their inspiration. SWAMI DAYANANDA SARASWATI India s Gift to the World Swami Vivekananda, the great Hindu Monk of India, made the world aware of the Vedic Wisdom that respected and accepted all spiritual traditions. His global vision and mission inspired India s spiritual thrust world-wide. As the initiator of the global spiritual awareness of the ancient Dharma tradition, Swamiji projected the universal vision of spirituality (adhyatma vidya) as India s rare gift to the world; his global * This is a brief summary of our detailed 32-page informatory booklet (of the same title) about the Directory Project, downloadable at www.disoa.org 2
mission, he said, was the expression of the Divine Will, and his one dream was to conquer the world with an ennobling spiritual vision. India s gift to the world is the light spiritual he pointed out and exhorted, The whole world requires light. It is expectant! India alone has the light of the highest spiritual truth The mission given to us is to conserve, to preserve, to accumulate as it were into a dynamo, all the spiritual energy of the race and that concentrated energy is to pour forth in a deluge on the world whenever circumstances are propitious Indian Spiritual Thrust into The World Vivekananda saw his global mission as the will of the Divine reassuring that India would send hundreds like him overseas to continue the Indian spiritual thrust into the world. That I went to America was not my doing or your doing he declared, but the God of India who is guiding her destiny sent me, and will send hundreds of such to all the nations of the world. No power on earth can resist it. You must go out and preach your religion, preach it to every nation under the sun, and preach it to every people. It was in fulfillment of this exhortation that the Vedanta movement and other spiritual movements came into existence in the West and in several other countries. Vivekananda s Vision Unfolding Worldwide The impact of Vivekananda s spiritual mission in the West and on its several intellectuals through the continuing influence of the principles of Sanatana Dharma is reflected in 3
many recent developments. Following in Vivekananda s footsteps, the Vedanta Centers have been doing great work in disseminating the Vedic Wisdom in the West. Swamiji s vision is also getting unfolded all over the world through many individuals and institutions inspired by his universal spiritual vision. The 150th Birth Anniversary of Vivekananda (2013) spurred us on to reflect on his global vision and mission and its impact in inspiring the various spiritual movements of India to spread universally. In this context, we regard it as an ideal effort to compile the data of such organisations and great men who have taken the Indian spiritual vision and mission far and wide, providing the life-transforming wisdom of India world-wide. The proposed Directory is a humble effort to gauge the extent to which the dream of Swamiji is getting unfolded the world over. Documentation of Indian Spiritual Thrust Worldwide Despite the pervading influence of Sanatana Dharma through the several masters and their organisations, unfortunately, comprehensive information is not available in the public domain about the great Indian spiritual thrust in the West and about the work of great Indian spiritual masters and organisations world-wide. The great minds who have taken to different countries the message of India s spirituality (adhyatma vidya), the multitude of Indogenic spiritual organisations founded by them and their huge and powerful reach, call for a comprehensive documentation in a Directory of the services of the Indogenic spiritual organisations and the masters who spread universally the light of ancient 4
Dharma, functioning outside India, and influencing the world. We are on a serious effort to gather the available information from various quarters of the world where such activities connected with the thoughts and truths proclaimed by the seers and sages of India are taking place, in the form of a comprehensive country-wise Directory of the many Indogenic spiritual organisations functioning outside India and influencing the world. No doubt this would be a stupendous task to be backed by determination and lot of painstaking efforts. Only with these sustained efforts we can gauge and understand as to what extent the dream of Swami Vivekananda is getting unfolded, the world over. This project will be one of the greatest services that can be rendered to the hallowed memory of our venerable ancestors. The co-operation and involvement of the already existing many of the world-wide organizations would be of immense value in fulfilling this noble mission. When the Directory sees the light of the day, it is bound to have far-reaching impact. We therefore present the Directory as a dynamic medium for the various categories of participants, and seek your help and cooperation for the early completion of the project. Convener of the Project This project is an initiative of the Vivekananda Kendra (www.vkendra.org), Kanyakumari -- the Land s End of India, where stands on a mid-sea rock, the magnificent Rock 5
Memorial to the hallowed memory of that great Son of Modern India, who made history 124 years ago, when he addressed the World s Parliament of Religions at Chicago, with his endearing words exuding the divine aroma of Universal Love and Brotherhood, himself firmly grounded in the Reality of the Oneness of all Existence, thus endowed with a universal vision that beheld the Divine in everyone and everything. The Convener s Preface presents the details of the endeavour, with the blessings of several important spiritual and cultural organisations, both in India and abroad (see page 7-10 of our 32-page booklet). Appeal to All Indogenic Spiritual Organisations All Indogenic spiritual organisations functioning outside India are invited to be a part of this historic Directory. We appeal to all the dharmaabhimaanis to all those who love and value the ancient Dharma, to participate in the this Directory Project, and look forward to receiving the required particulars. We also seek their help and cooperation in contacting and following up with the various categories of institutions known to them, in their respective areas. (A separate informatory booklet of 32 pages, downloadable at www.disoa.org, provides more details about the project). We once again appeal to all Indogenic spiritual organisations working outside India to help build a directory of their work, which may eventually be improved into an online encylopedia of adhyatma vidya outside India, continent-wise, with subdivisions country-wise, and so on. 6
Should you need more details, or any clarification about this project, please feel free to contact us. Swami Jyotirmayananda COORDINATOR coordinator@disoa.org * * * i) Scope of the Directory To cover: a) All Indogenic Dharma Traditions including the Hindu, Jain, Bauddha, Sikh, Lingayat, and b) Others with their roots outside India, and dedicated to the Universal Wellbeing (sarvajana hitaya). ii) Categories of Participants Monastery (Ashram / Vedanta Center), Place of Worship (Temple / Gurudwara / Vihara / Derasar), Yoga Center, Indic Academic Institution, NGO (Volunteer Organisation / Foundation / Trust / Association), Individual Mahatma, and Miscellaneous (organisations other than that of the preceding categories). iii) Registration & Data Submission On registration at www.disoa.org, the organisation concerned will receive a verification mail on its email ID, and after due verification thereof, it will be able to fill up the required particulars. Once approved by the admin., it will be published in the Directory. The following are the particulars to be submitted (in brief), through the Submission Form at www.disoa.org: 7
Name, address, contact info, and website link, if any. History/tradition, aims and ideals. Present leadership. Activities/programs, and publications, if any. Involvement of the public in the activities/programs, and its impact on the society. Future plans, if any. Other useful information, if any. Future Plan To organise, in due course, a Global Conference of all the Heads of the institutions whose particulars are incorporated in the Directory. Contact the Coordinator Swami Jyotirmayananda, the coordinator of the project, can be reached by E-mail at: coordinator@disoa.org. His mailing address: (In U.S.A.): i) Arsha Vidya Gurukulam, P. O. Box 1059, Saylorsburg, PA 18353. (Ph: 347-776-1946) ii) 13 East 7th Street, Mail Box 220, New York, NY 10003. (Ph: 347-776-1946) (In India): Anandashram, P.O. Anandashram, Ramnagar, Kanhangad, Kerala 671531. (Ph: 91-854-769-2626). 8