Forbes Magazine features Chinmaya Mission

[V Subrahmanian]

Chinmaya Mission is thrilled to announce its feature in the November-December 2023 issue of the esteemed Forbes India magazine!
🌟

📰 Titled "Chinmaya Mission: Empowerment Through Spiritual Wisdom," the article can be found on page 47 of the attached PDF.

🔖 Forbes India boasts a print run of 80,000 copies, 7,50,000 page views per month, with 43% of readers in top management positions and 90% aged between 25-55. It's an internationally recognized and respected brand.

🙏🏻 This tribute to Pujya Gurudev, published in the 108th Chinmaya Jayanti year, covers various facets of His vision and work.

📎 Please share this exciting update with all your contacts.

[dwa...@advaita.org.uk]

I have to say that I actually find this very worrying.

 

I have been recommending Chinmaya and Arsha Vidya as the only reliable sources (that I am aware of) for the teaching of traditional Advaita for many years now. I see no mention of Advaita or non-duality in this article. On the contrary, it seems that the primary aims are to improve personal quality of life and the state of the world. Is this a ‘dumbing down’ to attract those who are not (yet) spiritually motivated or what? Obviously, they are laudable aims from a vyAvahArika standpoint but what has happened to realization of the truth?

 

Maybe Sada-ji could ‘enlighten’ us as to what is going on here? And, Subbu-ji, why do you consider this to be an ‘exciting update’? I would have said ‘dismaying’!

 

Best wishes,

Dennis

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[Bhaskar YR]

they are laudable aims from a vyAvahArika standpoint but what has happened to realization of the truth?

 

praNAms

Hare Krishna

 

Self-realization can always wait 😊 vyAvahArika Jeevan what most of the people/sAdhaka-s follow, so these institutions teaching them who to lead vyAvahArika jeevana tactfully and skillfully without sacrificing the moral and ethical values.  yOgaH karma sukaushalaM 😊   who is going to attend and follow if these institutions insist to do immediate sarva karma sannyasa and do full time vedAnta sAdhana.

 

Hari Hari Hari Bol!!!

bhaskar

[V Subrahmanian]

Dear Dennis ji,

The recognition of a very popular Mission of Advaita, even if not for core Advaita purpose, is laudable.  Swami Paramarthananda ji used to say: there is one Yajna, sacrifice, called Rishi/Brahma yajna, which can be performed by at least contributing to those institutions that disseminate Atma Vidya.  And those institutions also might have wider participation in the society level which individuals can't easily do.     

regards

subbu

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[putran M]

Namaskaram Dennis-ji,

I don't know how much one can glean wrong from this article. But your point is noteworthy as a general 'warning' for all organizations committed to the message of Adi Shankara. If they resort to the Bhagavad Gita for teaching "self-help/management" etc. to eclectic audiences, the student should also be informed in full clarity that "The science of the Gita ... is aimed at emancipation; also, it sets forth the ultimate Truth that is synonymous with Vasudeva, the content of Supreme Brahman. Hence it is equipped with a specific goal, relation and content. Since its mastery yields all [purusharthas], I [Shankara] am endeavouring to explicate it." They should not, for the sake of money and fame, hide or potentially mislead away from the thrust of moksha/jnana being our ultimate true purushartha.

thollmelukaalkizhu 

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[dwa...@advaita.org.uk]

Dear Putran-ji,

 

Exactly – couldn’t have put it better myself. In fact, the use of Bhagavad Gita to teach ‘self-help/management’ is precisely why I resigned from the Advaita Academy organization over 10 years ago.

 

Best wishes,

Dennis

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[Sunil Malhotra]

The sad truth. 

[Sunil Malhotra]

Well said, and I tend to agree with Dennis. It is incumbent upon the 'Guru' to set up missionary values that keep to the original path. Leave it to successors and you find it slipping. Often it is the patronising  feeling of doing good to others that makes the ego blind to the original purpose, which in the present case is self realisation, and not worldly success.

Which is why J Krishnamurti stands out in the pursuit of truth.

Sunil

On Friday 1 March 2024 at 17:15:24 UTC+5:30 putranm4 wrote:

[Ram Chandran]

Namaskar:

Every organization starts with both a vision and a mission! The mission statement is what the organization is attempted to do to achieve the Vision.  The article presented in the Forbes Magazine focused on the current Mission Activities of Chinmaya Mission.  I agree that the article should have provided the connection between the Mission and Vision.   The mission activities are at the Vyavaharika level where as the Advaita Vision corresponds to the Paramarthica level! Dennisji’s concerns are understandable but not completing the link and connection may be an oversight!

Let us not gravely concerned by the oversight!

Let me stop here and add some of the fundamental problems in expanding the activities without paying attention to the Vision. This may also explain why Sankaramutts did not expand like the Chinmaya Mission.

Warm regards

Ram Chandran

[Ram Chandran]

https://www.chinmayamission.com/mission-and-vision/

[Indian Rediff]

Respected Advaitins,

I have thought a little bit about the article published in FOrbes and this thread. My ruminations.

Forbes is a magazine that glorifies wealth. I don't think there should be any doubt in anyone's mind about this. After all, the founder is himself a former Presidential candidate from the Republican Party, famously supporting the 'flat tax' of 17% on all earners. He tried to buy himself into the race, but failed. By extension of this focus on wealth, we can deduce that (speculation on my part), in their view, wealth is the source of all happiness.

Secondly, this particular issue was dedicated to showcasing, and ranking, the wealthiest Indians. By the principle stated by me above, this means they are also the happiest Indians.

Now why they chose to publish an article on Chinmaya Mission in this particular issue - I haven't a clue. However, what may have caught their attention (this is again speculation on my part) is the phrase 'maximum happiness to maximum people for maximum time'. That you could have an organization that provides such happiness without reference to wealth must have piqued their interest. Hence they chose to publish *selectively* from the Chinmaya Mission because of the phrase.

Forbes being an independent magazine, and this being an article therein, they have editorial control on what is published and what isn't. Hence their choice to NOT include any mention of Advaita Vedanta. Again, this is speculation on my part.

Coming to the Mission itself, here are snippets of what I see on various web sites:
https://chinmayamissionwest.com/the-mission/
To provide to individuals from any background, the wisdom of Vedanta and the practical means for spiritual growth and happiness, enabling them to become positive contributors to society.

https://www.chinmayamission.com/who-we-are/the-mission/
Our Vision: The inner transformation of individuals through knowledge of Vedanta, spiritual practices and service to society resulting in a happy world around them.
Our Mission: To provide to individuals from any background, the wisdom of Vedanta and the practical means for spiritual growth and happiness, enabling them to become positive contributors to society.

https://www.chinmayavrindavan.org/home/about-us (the center that I am associated with)
Chinmaya Vrindavan - Together for a better world:
Chinmaya Mission exists to provide individuals from any background, the universal wisdom of Vedanta and the practical means for personal growth and development, enabling them to become positive contributors to society.

So IMHO, there is no dilution of the message from the Mission itself. What a magazine publishes about them is out of their control - except to issue clarifications in cases of gross divergence of views.

Sai

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[Ram Chandran]

Namaskar:

Let us begin with the question: “What are the sages of the Upanishads seeking? We understand that the Upanishads present a VISION of an interconnected universe with a single, unifying principle behind the apparent diversity in the cosmos. The sages of Upanishads articulated the principle of non-duality (advaita philosophy) and called it as the Brahman. The underlined truth within this context is that Brahman resides in the atman, the unchanging core of the human individual (Jiva). It should be further noted that these Sanskrit teachings broke away from the Vedic Religion that was observed with the belief that rituals and ceremonies are an integral part of noble living. The Upanishads focused on reflection and contemplation emphasizing Purusartha with four key concepts – Dharma(righteousness with moral values), Artha (prosperity measured in economic values), Kama(pleasure, love and psychological values), and Moksha (liberation from materialistic values to spiritual values or Self-Realization).

The vision of the sages of the Upanishads is Self-Realization or reaching the state of the non-dual Brahman. The mission to achieve this vision is through reflection and contemplation.  The sages thoughtfully avoid institutionalizing the mission of achieving the vision.  Adi Shankara fully understood the vision and he wanted to pursue the mission to break away from the Vedic Religion of rituals and ceremonies.  He also understood that a minimal level of institutions became necessary and installed the four Mutts in North, South, East and West of India. It is my understanding that he wanted to make sure not to expand the number from four and allow them to spread the message of the Upanishads!

Swami Chinmayananda is another Visionary emerged at a different time and wanted to keep the vision of Shankara.  He wanted to focus on teachings of the sages of the Upanishads through the Chinmaya Mission.  We all are living at a different time and it became impossible to stop the expansion of Chinmaya Mission and other spiritual organizations which started with the same vision.  Swami Dayananda who started the Arsha Vidya Gurukula to a larger extent made sure not to expand the institution of Arsha Vidhya Gurukulam. I do not want to engage debating who was right and who was wrong? Instead, I want to admire all the current time sages with noble ideas and pray that they all continue with their missions to reach the ultimate vision of the Sages of the Upanishads,

With my warm regards,

Ram Chandran

Note: This is a continuation of my previous post with some additional facts.