Sri Ramakrishna Paramhansa, subsequently disclosed, through the founding of the Belur Math and the Ramakrishna Mission, by his direct disciples, the most famous of which, Swami Vivekananda, brought up in America, participating in 1893 in the first session the famous Parliament of Religions in Chicago and presenting for the first time in the West the concept of the unity of religions and identities of mystics and spiritual paths humanity.
If you want peace of mind, do not look at the faults of others, rather than your looks. Learn to live in the world as your own. If nothing and no one will be foreign, the whole world you belong. The last years of his life, Sri Ramakrishna them devoted to education of some of his disciples, young people whose arrival and mission had guessed well before they arrived.
They were under the guidance of his wife, Sarada Devi, and the foremost disciple, Swami Vivekananda, who started the Vedanta movement known as Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission. The first is a monastic order of monks of the order of Shankara Puri which is a formal reference to the Sringeri Shankara Math while the second is a lay order, also directed by the monks of the Ramakrishna Math.
1897 began, the Ramakrishna Order was formed by a dozen monks and practically had no resource. Even today, with its 130 centers in 1000 and perhaps monks, is small when compared to Christian organizations; yet it is a name that commands respect in all over India and abroad. It should be immediately made it clear that the Ramakrishna Mission does not believe in conversion as the word is commonly understood. At most, the monks try to make the best those who already follow a spiritual address whether they are Hindus, Christians, Muslims, etc.
In other words, they encourage us to understand the roots of religion, which means trying to achieve, in one way or another, the Divine and not just talk about it. The words may be different but the purpose is the same. They do not want to introduce a new belief, but simply to draw attention to the fact that there are many things in common between the various doctrines. Their approach, as regards religion, is based on respect and understanding and for that reason you feel at ease with both the Hindus and the followers of other doctrines.
Even the latter feel at ease in the company of monks of the Order and often invite them to participate in their religious ceremonies. His ecumenism was, however, much broader in that embraced not only some denominations but all denominations of any religion.
Today the Ramakrishna Movement is a great force for peace and happiness both in this country and the world. In India, where there are different sects and religious communities, the idea of tolerance and brotherhood has a great importance. Another factor that contributes greatly to the popularity of the movement is the rational approach with which it is faced every important existential problem.
Those individuals who are receptive to the influence of Ramakrishna think that religion is a kind of science that can be studied and investigated and not something that should be accepted on trust. In fact, they state that only after being verified and found true a thing can be accepted in a definitive way: personal experience and immediate is the only evidence worthy of belief of religion.
Many people are attracted also by the fact that the Movement gives great importance to the disinterested service as a means for the realization of the Divine. Anyone can access the service that is offered, there are foreclosures due to caste, creed or language. Not only the Ramakrishna Mission, but hundreds of other institutions that have arisen across the country are now able to offer the same type of service. To find a similar situation in India should perhaps go back to the time of the Buddha. What must be emphasized is that most of these institutions bear the name of Ramakrishna and draw their inspiration from him.
The Ramakrishna Movement becomes stronger and stronger as time goes on. From all over the country come to the Mission requests and ask it to open other centers in schools, colleges, hospitals, orphanages, etc.., Since it is recognized that the service provided by the Mission and it better than anywhere else.
The requests are almost always accompanied by offers of money, land or buildings, but the Mission proceeded with caution to avoid unnecessary proliferation of centers and moving only in cases of proven need. This is because, besides the fact that it has sufficient staff, prefers to let the interested parties themselves, animated by a spirit of selfless service, to come forward and give life to these institutions. Fortunately, the current trend clearly shows that this spirit is spreading rapidly.
With the spread of the movement also changes the attitude of ordinary people towards religion. At one time religion was equated with ritual, but today people are beginning to understand that it is essentially a science deli-being and becoming, something about the inner nature of man. Habit of prayer is good, but if it is not followed by an improvement of their nature does not have much value. Another change that today you may notice regards the fulfillment of the religion of others. Formerly the religion of others was regarded with disdain but today there is more humility, a desire to understand and even reverence.
There must be a lot of truth in this statement, otherwise it would be difficult to explain the influence of Ramakrishna and the monks that bear his name have exerted on people all over the world. The strength of the movement is not the effect of money, but of men, or organization of ideas of which it is the bearer. These ideas are rapidly spreading and spreading everywhere have a strong impact. Quietly, but surely, they are changing the minds of those who incorporate the influence by acting as a catalyst in the transformation of their consciousness.
The Order that was formed after the death of Sri Ramakrishna in order to keep alive his ideals, now includes 133 locations in India and in other countries; the head office is located at Belur Math near Kolkata in West Bengal. From a legal standpoint, the organization is divided into two distinct areas the Ramakrishna Math and the Ramakrishna Mission. The distinction is however not rigid, often the activities performed by its altitude ranges overlap so it is more theoretical than real.
The Math and the Mission are closely related because the governing body of the Mission is made by the directors of the administrative work of the Math and Mission is mainly done by the monks of Math. Even if the origin of both structures dating back to the monastery of Baranagar, the Math has been registered as Foundation only in 1901, and the Mission, a Registered Society, in 1909, twelve years after being founded by Swami Vivekananda 1 May 1897, however, the two structures are usually referred to by the name of Ramakrishna Mission.
Both the Math Mission held that the charitable and philanthropic activities with the difference that the Math puts emphasis on the spiritual development of the people while the Mission is engaged in works of social assistance. The motto that the two organizations look the same, what Swami Vivekananda gave them átmano moksártham jagaddhitáya ca: doing good works for the world in a spirit of dedication is preparing the way for their own salvation. The following paragraphs describe briefly how the Math and the Mission put into practice the ideal of Swami Vivekananda.
