Encyclopedia of India–China Cultural Contacts v1.c7.s9.t8.1

v1.c7.s9.t8.1

Swami Vivekananda (1863-1902 CE) was an Indian modern philosopher, religious reformer, and pioneer of Indian nationalism. His name was paraphrased to be "Identification of Joy" and transliterated as Swami Vivekananda. He was born in the Kshatriya caste in Calcutta in 1883. He graduated from Calcutta Provincial Academy, and in the following year he was transferred to the City College of Calcutta, where continued his studies in law. In college, Vivekananda once had keen interest in Western philosophy and had read the works of Hegel, Kant, Descartes, Spencer and others. After graduation, due to social influence, he gave up his dream of being a judge and followed Ramakrishna, the Hinduism reformer, as his guide and was determined to throw himself into the Indian religious reform movement. Since 1888, he spent five years in the identity of mendicant monk, roaming all over India and extensively contacting the masses to understand their needs. In 1893, he broke the canon of Hinduism forbidding Hindus travelling overseas and went alone to Chicago,in the United States of America. Here, he attended the World Conference of Religions. At the meeting, his excellent speeches won the attention of the meeting attendants on this young Hinduism scholar. After the meeting, he was employed by Harvard University, Columbia University as a lecturer of Eastern philosophy and made dozens of speeches regarding Indian Vedanta philosophy throughout the United States of America, which were popular in the American intellectual circles. Here, he also published a number of papers on Indian philosophy, such as *Vedanta Philosophy*, *Karma Yoga*, *Raja Yoga*, and so on. In 1896, he established in New York a “Vedanta Society” and began to spread Vedanta thought to the United States of America. In the same year, he paid a visit to Europe, England, Germany, Switzerland and other countries, and had speaking tour. In 1897, he returned to his motherland and welcomed by all circles in India. On May 1st of the same year, he founded in Calcutta Ramakrishna Mission Association named after his teacher. This organisation later became one of the most influential religious reform communities in India. In 1899, Vivekananda created at the foothills of Himalaya an “Advaita Vedanta Academy”, with the purpose to study and reform the traditional Vedanta philosophy. In June of the same year, he again went abroad to the United States and gave academic lectures, then went to France to participate in the World Religions History Conference. Vivekananda died in 1902 at the age of 39.