Brahman·Vedanta·Yoga

For India, the nineteenth century is a turbulent epoch, when the nation and it's culture, especially it's traditional religion were under severe tests. Against the background, this dissertation describes Vivekananda's thought, a prophetic figure who takes the historical task of reviving the traditional culture and religion of India. As the most glamorous personage in the first World's Parliament of Religions hold in Chicago in 1893, Vivekananda works in many places around the world for 10 years before he died at an early age of forty. His wisdom and remarkable work has made great influence to the world. Even today, his influence is still continuing.The introduction of this dissertation highlights Vivekananda's life story and the research status of him, and offers a relatively general view of the tread of his thought. The difference between the approach of this dissertation and that of many eastern and western researches is also pointed out here. It is mainly reflected in the argument of four different levels, which form the main part of this dissertation.The first part serves as a background. It demonstrates the three characteristics of Brahman, that is sat, chit and ananda. As the common spiritual source of all Indian thinkers and religious figures, Brahman is the fundamental basis of Vivekananda's religious thought and argument.also. Here this dissertation makes a new try, investigating the three characteristics of Brahman in world's three civilizations, western, Chinese and Indian civilization, in order to reveal the special wisdom tradition of India and its brilliance beyond description.The second part discusses Vedanta philosophy. Inspired by Raimon Panikkar, this part elaborates Vivekananda's thought from three dimensions that are cosmos, god and man. It is found here that deep research on each dimension leads to the touch of a mysterious substance. Therefore, the three dimensions seem to constitute a tension, but they have a common root, which is Brahman, the god-self in Indian wisdom tradition.The third part deals with yoga. Different from common contemplative philosophers, Vivekananda practices yoga for many years as all the outstanding religious figures in India. It is yoga that helps to eliminate his skepticism in early years. One of the important things he spreads in Europe and America is the ways of practicing yoga. According to Vivekananda's classification of yoga, this part introduces kama yoga, bhakti yoga, jnana yoga and raja yoga. You will find in the argument that the four kinds of yoga include numerous ways to the Divine for individuals. They constitute the practical basis of his entire philosophy, and to a certain extent form an echo with the theoretical part above. The forth part discusses Vivekananda's religious thought. As we know, when Vivekananda brings Indian spiritual wisdom to the whole world, he is feeling a strong mission of salvation. It means that he must take a pragmatic position. He claims that his four kinds of yoga have the same validity in recognizing the Divine, and his Advaita Vedanta philosophy offers a common basis for all religions, avoiding the possibility of religious conflicts in the encounters of different religions, as also seen by William James. While spreading religious thought that points to the harmonious coexistence of the whole world, he establishes sannyasin system in different places to praise mystical religious practice beyond common people's eyes, which contributes to his mysterious background.In general, the above four levels constitute two corresponding parts:the theoretical part of Brahman and Vedanta philosophy, and the practical part of yoga and the applying of philosophical theories. Metaphorically, these four levels form a path from the heavenly clouds to the earth, which means the argument of this dissertation runs from pure contemplative discussion to various approaches to the practice of theories. After all, Vivekananda is not a philosopher in common sense, for his religious practice takes him back into mystery.The conclusion of this dissertation suggests that Vivekananda has three identities, a philosophy, a practitioner and a mystic. The first two identities make up the two sides of the last one, which is thought to be his true identity. However, this point is impossible to understand only by reading books. In the end, the meaning of studying an Indian religious philosopher like Vivekananda is made clear, since it is no good for anyone to work behind closed doors and flaunt his/her living on his/her ancestors.