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Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission are twin
organizations which form the core of a worldwide spiritual movement
(known as Ramakrishna Movement or Vedanta Movement), which aims at
the harmony of religions, harmony of the East and the West, harmony
of the ancient and the modern, spiritual fulfillment, all-round
development of human faculties, social equality, and peace for all
humanity, without any distinctions of creed, caste, race or
nationality.
RAMAKRISHNA MATH is a monastic organization for men brought
into existence by
Sri Ramakrishna (1836-1886), the great 19th
century saint of Bengal who is regarded as the Prophet of the Modern
Age.
RAMAKRISHNA MISSION is a registered society in which monks of
Ramakrishna Math and lay devotees cooperate in conducting various
types of social service mainly in India. It was founded by
Sri Ramakrishna's
chief apostle,
Swami
Vivekananda (1863-1902), one of the foremost thinkers and religious leaders of
the present age, who is regarded as 'one of the main moulders of the
modern world', in the words of an eminent Western scholar A. L.
Basham.
Although Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission are legally and
financially separate, they are closely inter-related in several
other ways, and are to be regarded as twin organizations.
The Math and the Mission together have
166
branch centres
all
over India and in different parts
of the world.
The Headquarters of these centres are situated in
Belur Math. All branch centres of
Ramakrishna Math come under the administrative control of the Board
of Trustees, whereas all branch centres of Ramakrishna Mission come
under the administrative control of the Governing Body of
Ramakrishna Mission.
The main goals and
objectives of these twin organizations, based on the principles of
Practical Vedanta, are:
To spread the idea of the potential divinity of every being and how
to manifest it through every action and thought.
To spread the idea of harmony of religions based on Sri
Ramakrishna's experience that all religions lead to the realization of the same
Reality known by different names in different religions. The Mission honours and
reveres the founders of all world religions such as Buddha, Christ and Mohammed.
To treat all work as worship, and service to man as service to God.
To make all possible attempts to alleviate human suffering by
spreading education, rendering medical service, extending help to villagers
through rural development centres, etc.
To work for the all-round welfare of humanity, especially for the
uplift of the poor and the downtrodden.
To develop harmonious personalities by the combined practice of
Jnana, Bhakti, Yoga and Karma.
The motto of
Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission is:
Atmano mokshartham jagad hitaya cha,
"For
one's own salvation, and for the welfare of the world".
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