Was Swami Vivekananda a Pragmatist—a la William James?
by Asim Chaudhuri Introduction William James When Swami Vivekananda arrived in the U.S. in 1893, “Pragmatism” was then emerging as America’s first major contribution to philosophy, with Charles Sanders Peirce (1839-1914) as its standard flag bearer, William James...
Swami Satyamayananda in Southern California — a very brief introduction
Swami Satyamayananda joined the Vedanta Society of Southern California as Assistant Minister in December of 2018. He became a member of the Ramakrishna Order at Advaita Ashrama, Kolkata in 1988. An initiated disciple of Swami Bhuteshananda (the twelfth president...
Bhuma (Cliff Johnson) left the body last fall
Bhuma was a long-time supporter of Vedanta West Communications, and a contributor to American Vedantist We are sorry to let you know about the passing of another long-time devotee and friend — Cliff (Bhuma) Johnson. Cliff was born on November 12, 1930 in Los Angeles....
Swami Vivekananda and American Transcendentalism: A Brief Review
by Asim Chaudhuri Introduction By the time Swami Vivekananda set foot on American soil, the stalwarts of the American Transcendentalism movement, which was based on an adapted-and-modified version of the “Transcendental Idealism” doctrine developed by Immanuel Kant...
The Swahananda Prizes for Short Story
The Swahananda Prizes for Short Story is a new short story competition. Our online journal, American Vedantist, is the sponsor; members of our Editorial Board will serve as judges. Entries must be received no later than Saturday, October 27, 2018. We will choose six winning stories, which will be published in late January 2019 (AV #76). To understand what we’re looking for, please read the accompanying note, What’s a “Spiritual” Story?
Swami Swahananda and His Love for Books
by Amrita M. Salm, Ph.D.
Even as a young boy, Swami Swahananda showed a love for books. At the age of eleven he began attending the Habiganj Ramakrishna Mission (formerly India; now Bangladesh). The swami often referred to the fact that within three months of daily attendance he had become the “librarian” and had read every book in their library.
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Swami Swahananda: 1921-2012
by Ann Louise Bardach
Swami Swahananda, the senior most Vedanta monk in the United States, passed away on October 19 at the age of 91. As the head of the Vedanta Society of Southern California for 36 years, Swahananda was a frequent visitor and a popular lecturer at the Santa Barbara center on Ladera Lane. As the head of the Vedanta Society of Southern California for 36 years….
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Sri Ramakrishna – English Lessons
by Dhruva
With a fresh English translation of Bengali from M.’s Kathamrita, the English words as spoken by Sri Ramakrishna are in CAPITAL LETTERS. His actual rustic pronunciation of certain words is in parentheses. The number reflects how often M. records Sri Ramakrishna saying a particular English word in the Kathamrita.
