Vivekananda: Chicago Addresses

Swami Vivekananda made an unforgettable impression upon religious minds in America at the Parliament of Religions held in Chicago in 1893. He spoke of the harmony of religions and the innate divinity of every human soul. The swami taught that true harmony of religions is based on the spiritual oneness of existence. There is one life that pulsates in the whole universe. Spiritual oneness transcends the limitations of race, culture, creed, and dogma. Swami Vivekananda said that the further we move away from God, the greater will seem the differences between one religion and another. The nearer we move to God, the closer we shall feel to other religions. When Swami Vivekananda spoke of all religions being different denominations of one universal religion, the religion of God-consciousness, people realized that he was a world teacher. All religions belong to one and the same family of God. Swami Vivekananda (1863 – 1902) has been recognized as India’s first cultural ambassador to America and the West. His words have the power to inspire weary souls and strengthen our faith in ourselves. This book offers a short introduction by Swami Adiswarananda (1925 – 2007). The introduction explains the essential teachings of Yoga and Vedanta as taught by Swami Vivekananda, especially the idea of the divinity of the soul. By following religious practices such as meditation and service to our fellow human beings, we do not generate or acquire divinity, but gain faith in ourselves. We gain faith in the reality of God, and we recognize the divinity in every one of us and all of nature.