Inspiring Thoughts of

Swami Vivekananda

on Religion and Ethics ~

Part - 1

Submitted by Prof. V. Viswanadham

Inspiring Thoughts of

Swami Vivekananda

on Religion and Ethics ~

Part - 1

Religion is the idea which is

rising the brute unto man, and man unto God.

Inspiring Thoughts of

Swami Vivekananda

on Religion and Ethics ~

Part - 1

The definition of God and man: Man is an infinite circle

whose circumference is nowhere, but the centre is located

in one spot; and God is an infinite circle

whose circumference is nowhere, but whose centre

is everywhere.

Inspiring Thoughts of

Swami Vivekananda

on Religion and Ethics ~

Part - 1

The difference between God and the devil is in nothing except

in unselfishness and selfishness. The devil knows as much as God,

is as powerful as God; only he has no holiness – that makes him a devil.

Apply the same idea to the modern world: excess of knowledge and power,

without holiness, makes human beings devils.

Inspiring Thoughts of

Swami Vivekananda

on Religion and Ethics ~

Part - 1

Virtue is that which tends

to our improvement, and vice

to our degeneration.

Inspiring Thoughts of

Swami Vivekananda

on Religion and Ethics ~

Part - 1

Man is made up of three qualities – brutal, human, and godly.

That which tends to increase the divinity in you

is virtue, and that which tends to increase brutality in you

is vice.

Inspiring Thoughts of

Swami Vivekananda

on Religion and Ethics ~

Part - 1

You must kill the brutal nature and become human,

that is loving and charitable. You must transcend that too

and become pure bliss,

Sachchidananda, fire without burning, wonderfully loving,

but without the weakness of human love, without the feeling of misery.

Inspiring Thoughts of

Swami Vivekananda

on Religion and Ethics ~

Part - 1

Unselfishness is God. One may live on a throne,

in a golden palace,

and be perfectly unselfish; and then he is in God.

Another may live in a hut and wear rags,

and have nothing in the world; yet, if he is selfish,

he is intensely merged in the world.

Inspiring Thoughts of

Swami Vivekananda

on Religion and Ethics ~

Part - 1

The first sign that you are becoming religious is that you are becoming cheerful.

When a man is gloomy, that may be dyspepsia, but it is not religion. …

Misery is caused by sin, and by no other cause. What business have you with clouded faces?

It is terrible. If you have a clouded face, do not go out that day, shut yourself up in your room.

What right have you to carry this disease out into the world?

Inspiring Thoughts of

Swami Vivekananda

on Religion and Ethics ~

Part - 1

Do you not know from the history of the world

where the power of the prophets lay? Where was it? In the intellect?

Did any of them write a fine book on philosophy,

on the most intricate ratiocinations of logic? Not one of them.

They only spoke a few words.

Inspiring Thoughts of

Swami Vivekananda

on Religion and Ethics ~

Part - 1

Feel like Christ and you will be a Christ;

feel like Buddha and you will be a Buddha. It is feeling that is the life, the strength, the vitality,

without which no amount of intellectual activity can reach God.

Inspiring Thoughts of

Swami Vivekananda

on Religion and Ethics ~

Part - 1

Just one word please!This is Part - 1 of the Inspiring Thoughts of Swami Vivekanandaon a very significant topic, Religion and Ethics. Whatever be the religion, and I feel, even if one does not seriously believe in any particular religion, Yet, some good idea of what is religion, what is its relationship with ethics, etc. constitute important issues. This is very necessary in the modern materialistic world. Please do read, all the parts, and then make up your mind, of course, for the better. Thank you for your patient reading.