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Today we celebrate the anniversary of the historical speech of Swami Vivekananda in the Chicago convention which he delivered on 11 September 1893. He began his speech by addressing everyone in the audience as his brothers and sisters, and that set the tone of the message he was going to deliver about Hindu religion to the West. “Sisters and Brothers of America,” were his opening words, and the thunderous applause that followed reflected how deeply it touched the audience. He started introducing Hindu religion as a religion with no doctrine and no dogma, a religion which gives you freedom to follow as per your belief and comfort, a religion which doesn’t bind you to follow certain rituals. As Vivekananda himself said in his later paper on Hinduism: “Hinduism does not consist in struggles and attempts to believe a certain doctrine or dogma, but in realizing – not in believing, but in being and becoming.” It is the religion which is built on the foundation that every living being is one with its creator, the religion which believes the soul chooses the body, not vice versa, the religion which was built on the foundation of the Vedas, which were received by great Indian sages and seers at different times thousands of years ago from the cosmic pool of knowledge, the collective unconsciousness, the akashic records. Vivekananda reminded the world that the Vedas are not books, but “the accumulated treasury of spiritual laws discovered by different persons in different times.” The religion doesn’t believe in divide, the religion which considers all divine beings from different religions as different forms of the same creation power, the divine. As Vivekananda quoted in Chicago: “As the different streams having their sources in different places all mingle their water in the sea, so, O Lord, the different paths which men take, through different tendencies, various though they appear, crooked or straight, all lead to Thee.” It is the religion which believes the divine sits in every human being’s heart, and all you need is to find it by conducting a high moral and spiritual life. The religion has given the framework to connect with divinity, to experience the oneness with the divine by following different paths of conduct called yoga, and it doesn’t bind people to any of them. You could choose any path you want, and a Hindu doesn’t stop a Muslim or Christian from following those paths. Vivekananda declared: “I am proud to belong to a religion which has taught the world both tolerance and universal acceptance.” In fact Hindus imported the ancient wisdom and yoga to the whole world in order to raise the consciousness of all universal beings without even interfering in what religion they practice. Hinduism is not about doctrine, it was always about love. It doesn’t embrace divides, it doesn’t tolerate dogmas, it believes in nonviolence, it believes in oneness, it believes in peace and love for all living beings. “Sectarianism, bigotry, and its horrible descendant, fanaticism,” Vivekananda warned, “have long possessed this beautiful earth. They have filled the earth with violence, drenched it often and often with human blood… Had it not been for these horrible demons, human society would be far more advanced than it is now.” That’s the Hinduism the world was introduced to by Swami Vivekananda in the West at the end of the 19th century. That’s the Hinduism I believe in, and I am proud of being a Hindu who believes in the universal language of love and compassion. At the same time, I also feel sad to see the definition of Hinduism losing its ground in recent times, looking at how politicians have exploited “Hinduism” for vote banks, spreading doctrines, dogmas, and hate for other religions. Hindu religion always went through series of reforms in past centuries, but the core of the Hindu religion has always made a strong comeback whenever it felt like losing itself to people who wanted to alter it for their own idea of religion. Vivekananda himself said at Chicago: “If the Parliament of Religions has shown anything to the world it is this: It has proved to the world that holiness, purity and charity are not the exclusive possessions of any church in the world.” And I believe Hindu spirituality and philosophy will eventually help the world find peace in the darkest times in the near future.

RT @TheMoonCarl: The next 3 months could change your life. Hold strong. Choose wisely. 🚀

There was a time in my life when I woke up in a different country almost every month, in a new spot every week, and experienced ten new things every single day. In just 1.5 years, I saw 15 countries, living on a budget of max. $1,500 a month for two people and a dog. Back home, I paid more for just myself, but lived poorer, with more stress, and far less time to truly live. Your dream life doesn’t have to be expensive. What makes it expensive are your addictions to material things, to comfort, and to the illusion of safety. I’m in building mode now, but the time to roam will come again.

The biggest blessing is a healthy body, a peaceful mind, and the right people in your life.