Editorial

Vedanta Way of Life

Pronoy Chatterjee

There is a renewed interest on Vedanta in modern time, primarily due to its underlying relationship to the practice of meditation and yoga, which indicated to have certain unique medical benefits. Let’s see how Vedanta, a deep philosophy, is translated in simple terms to reflect what it is for modern day life.

We learned this ancient spiritual philosophy through Shankarcharya’s scripture. It is the essence of Vedic Upanishads that developed over a span of thousands of years. It is considered the foundation of Hinduism. Vedanta teaches monism, all in one and that is the “Consciousness.” Everything in this universe and beyond, all objects and abstracts, are the manifestation of the “One,” the Consciousness. God and I are the same, “One,” that appears different in different frame of mind.
 
This is a philosophy, but we can’t take a philosophy unless we can relate it to our on going life. How does this philosophy help in leading our lives is a million dollar question. Let’s see, through the minds of great people, how does Vedanta philosophy help us in improving our lives?

Swami Vivekananda said, “Vedanta is the voice of freedom.” What it means is, if I don’t feel that I am an individual entity, but I am a part of the whole, I would overcome the fear of falling into a trench, because that trench is also a part of me. Happiness and miseries are all the same and we can realize it if we truly comprehend Vedanta. Therefore, believing Vedanta philosophy, we overcome the fear of perils in our lives and thus achieve the ultimate freedom of our souls.  Gautam Buddha didn’t specifically mention about Vedanta anywhere in his doctrine, but he was revered as a living Vedanta, but why? He didn’t talk about God or preached any intricate spiritual philosophy; all that he said was that how we could free ourselves to achieve “Nirvana” by overcoming our addiction to attachments, that Vivekananda interpreted as “Ultimate freedom.” Buddha was revered as a “Living Vedanta”, because he showed us a positive approach to life; be happy and tranquil by remaining unattached. Sri Ramkrishna was also considered as a living Vedanta, but he never directly preached Vedanta philosophy. However, he also told us how we could free ourselves from “Sansara,” the “illusion of attachment” and gain tranquility by devoting ourselves to “God consciousness,” and that is also Vedanta.

All these great people propounded the same philosophy at different times with different practical approaches to benefit life. Now we need to relate this great philosophy of Vedanta and the teachings of these great people to our modern day environment. We must look at Vedanta in a way that can be easily related to our lives and can be translated to our next generations.

In modern time, Vedanta is interpreted as the way of life that is positive. Any action, any thought or any approach toward life which is positive in nature is Vedanta. Good habits, positive thinking, physical and cultural exercises, creative works, learning and teaching, helping people, all encompass the Vedanta philosophy, because all of these lead to happiness, better life and mental freedom. This interesting concept of Vedanta is being propagated by “Vedanta Today” (www.vedantatoday.com), a non-profit organization. As defined by Dr. Indranill Basu Ray, the CEO of Vedanta Today, “Any positive action that advances the humanity, is Vedanta.” It’s not just an esoteric philosophical concept. This is a modern interpretation of Vedanta that enlightens us on the concept in a more tangible way. Hence, this literary culture, “Reflections,” where you will find creative expressions of thoughts that stimulate our minds, holds an important place in Vedanta Today.

Acknowledgement:

Courtesy of the management of Ananadalipi, Ananda Sangbad and Kallol Patrika
of New Jersey in procuring certain articles for this issue is gratefully acknowledged.