Vedanta is a philosophy taught by the Vedas, the most ancient scriptures of India. Its basic teaching is that our real nature is divine. God, or Brahman as it is called, exists in every living being.

Religion is therefore a search for self-knowledge, a search for the divine within ourselves. We should not think of ourselves as needing to be "saved." We are never lost. At worst, we are living in ignorance of our true nature.

Vedanta acknowledges that there are many different approaches to God, and all are valid. Any kind of spiritual practice will lead to the same state of self-realization. Thus Vedanta teaches respect for all religions.

• God is one without a second, absolute and indivisible. Though impersonal, beyond name and form, God assumes various personal forms to reveal itself to us. God is our soul. We are primarily consciousness, part of the cosmic consciousness.
  
• All of the incarnations (manifestations of God on Earth) are actual embodiments of Divinity. No one incarnation can be regarded as the only manifestation of that Divinity.
• There is no accident in the cosmic universe. Human destiny is governed by the law of cause and effect.
  
• We are born on earth repeatedly to finish the unfinished work of realizing our divinity. Although we suffer because of actions, we can control ourselves and hence our destiny.
  
• There is a higher state of consciousness which can be achieved in this human birth.
  
• There are many ways to achieve union with God, through the intellect, emotions, actions, and the will. A specific path or a combination should be followed to realize the aim and objectives of life.

Bhakti Yoga
This is the cultivation of a devotional relationship with God through prayer, ritual and worship. In this practice, the human emotions are give a "Godward turn." Their energy is used in search for God within.

Jnana Yoga
This Yoga is the approach to God through discrimination and reason. The goal is freedom. All of our miseries in life are caused by seeing difference, and so the jnana yogi tries to break through this delusion by seeing God everywhere.

Karma Yoga
The path to God through selfless service to others is Karma Yoga. By working in this spirit, the God within each person is worshipped.

Raja Yoga
This is sometimes called the yoga of meditation. It is the soul of all the yogas. The emphasis here is on attuning the mind to God and truth through concentration and mediation.

All ethics are merely a means to the end of finding God within ourselves. "Right" action is action which brings us nearer to the knowledge of God. "Wrong" action leads us away from that knowledge. Our ideas of "good" and "evil" are, therefore, only relative values and must not be used as an absolute standard by which we judge others. Each of us has an individual problem and an individual path of development. But the goal is the same for all.

One of the young monks, Swami Vivekananda (1863-1902), came to America as the representative of Hinduism at the World's Parliament of religions held in Chicago in 1893. His success was so great that he was invited to remain. For three years he toured the United States lecturing and holding classes. With the help of some of his brother monks, a number of Vedanta centers were started in America.

There are 13 Vedanta Societies in the United States and 125 Centers in the world managed by the Ramakrishna Order. Over 1,000 more centers bear the names of Ramakrishna and Vivekananda.

Reprinted, with permission, from "What is Vedanta" by Vedanta Society of Southern California, copyright 1978

For a list of Vedanta Centers in the West, click here.

Go to:
Quotes from Ramakrishna
Quotes from Vivekananda
The Social Thought of Swami Vivekananda
Library of Articles

Visit the Vedanta Society of Southern California site.