The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1896-04-05
THE YOGI PHILOSOPHY
TEACHINGS OF SWAMI vIvEKANAN-
DA WHICH MADE CONVERTS.
The Hindu Religion of Work and Duty
With Highest Power Shown In
NOnresistance to Evil.
New York Herald.

New York Herald.
Zines schickt SIGH NIGHT fur ALE; Allies
schickt SIGH NIGHT fur Einen." lone thing is
not fit for all; everything is not fit for one"
This maxim of Goethe is the rule to which
the great Hindu preacher Swami Vivekanan-
da strictly adheres in his propagation of the
Yogi philosophy in this country, ard to
which he owes the success he achieved In
gaining followers.
According to the Hindu preacher the great
est misfortune to befall the world would be
If all mankind were to recognize and accept
but one religion, one universal form Of wor-
ship, one standard of morality. This wouc
be the death blow to all religious and spir-
itual progress. Instead of trying to hasten
this disastrous event by inducing persons,
through good or evil methods, to conform
to our own highest ideal Of truth. We ought
rather to endeavor to remove all obstacles
which prevent men from developing in 40
cordance with their own highest ideal, and,
instead of making the vain attempt to es-
tablish one universal religion, we ought rath-
er to favor the splitting up of the existing
religions into as many creeds and sects as
possible, until every individual will have a
religion of his own and be free to live in
accordance with it's dictates.
The ultimate goal of 81 mankind, the aim
and end of all>religion. Is but one-reunion
with God. or. what amounts to the same.
with the divinity which is every mans true
nature. But while the aim is one. the meth
cd of attaining may vary with the different
temperaments Of men.
Both the goal and the methods employed
or reaching 1t are called Yogi, word de-
rived from the same Sanscrit root as the
English yoke, meaning Ito join," to join us
to our reality. God. There are various sucn
yogas or methods Of union-every religion, in
fact. represents one-but the chief ones are
Karma, Bhakti, Raja and Gnana Yoga.
TEACHINGS OF SWAMI.
The following extract from one of Swamrs
recent class lectures on Karma Yogi or the
religion Of work and duty. will best illus
trate how the great Hindu preacher apple.
this maxim to ethics:
Human society is an organism in which
there are different grades and states. We
all know about morality and about duty, ana
az the same time we find that morality in
various countries differs greatly. What is
regarded as moral in one country, in an
other may be regarded as immoral. For
instance. in one country cousins can marry,
ry their sisrer-in-law, In another it is re-
garded as immoral; in one people can marry
but once, In another many times, and so
forth.
$50. in all departments of morality, we find
this variation OF the standard. Take, tor in
stance. the idea. of duty, which varies so
greatly among the different variety OF ma
| tions. In one country If man does not do
certain things people will say ne acted
| wrongly, and II the same thing should be
done in another country people will still say
that his action was wrong, and yer we knew
/ that there are universal duties. In the same
way. one class of society regards certain
q dufv- while Qn0fhor GO
be Mortified II 1t did the same, thing.
Two ways are left TO us-eitner the way
| of the Ignorant. who imagine that only the
standard of morality is the true one, and ell
the rest are wrong; the other thai OF the
wise. who admit that. according to the men,
tai constitution. or rhe different plane OF ex>
! istence In which we are. duties and morality
may vary. So the important thing is to
know that there are gradations OF duty and
| morality: that what Is the duty Of one state
| OF life. In one state Of circumstances, will
not be that Of another
The following example viii serve to IL
] luxtrate: Al great teachers have taught