Swami Chinmayananda's encounter as a youth with Ramana Maharshi; Swami Chinmayananda 1984 interview with Australian academics on Hinduism, Vedanta etc.
Fascinating video for 'who am i' inquiry and meditation type folks like me (at least it fascinated me); around 7 mins; Swami Chinmayananda meeting Ramana Maharshi, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D-tWecVxm1o.
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I enjoyed this 1984 interview of Swami Chinmayananda in Australia by three Australian academics (perhaps Humanities stream academics). The interview, the video says, "will be part of the Religious Systems course in the School of Humanities at Deakin university". Around 40 mins, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OrxGTXadYpE.
In the second half of the interview, one of the Australian academics asks about rationalism in the context of teaching Hinduism and Vedanta in modern times (especially to Western world people). I found that Swami Chinmayananda answered that part very well (as per my current understanding of Vedanta).
The academics do not hesitate to put difficult questions about Hinduism in the context of India in the 1980s, to Swami Chinmayananda, and the Swami answers those questions without trying to dodge them. Perhaps the Swami's answers about social justice related issues in Hindu caste system (casteism as per the Swami), where he said that they are all being swept away (or are swept away), may not be accepted by social scientists today. I mean, social scientists will argue that social justice issues within Hindu society in India, which even today is largely caste based, continue to be there even today. But overall, I think the Swami did a great job of answering the sometimes difficult questions posed to him by the Australian academics.
I should also say here that I have had the privilege and blessing of having darshan of Swami Chinmayananda (when I was a college student in the early 1980s, if I recall correctly), and have visited his ashram in Mumbai. I have also read some of his or his mission's books on Upanishads and Bhagavad Gita. They certainly contributed, along with books on these topics from other Hindu mission leaders, to my understanding of these topics. Most, if not all of this, was before I came to know of Sathya Sai in early 1990s.
I offer my gratitude to Swami Chinmayananda and others in his mission for the knowledge they imparted to me through their books that I had read, and for their general work in re-invigorating Hindu religion, especially its philosophical base of Vedanta.
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I enjoyed this 1984 interview of Swami Chinmayananda in Australia by three Australian academics (perhaps Humanities stream academics). The interview, the video says, "will be part of the Religious Systems course in the School of Humanities at Deakin university". Around 40 mins, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OrxGTXadYpE.
In the second half of the interview, one of the Australian academics asks about rationalism in the context of teaching Hinduism and Vedanta in modern times (especially to Western world people). I found that Swami Chinmayananda answered that part very well (as per my current understanding of Vedanta).
The academics do not hesitate to put difficult questions about Hinduism in the context of India in the 1980s, to Swami Chinmayananda, and the Swami answers those questions without trying to dodge them. Perhaps the Swami's answers about social justice related issues in Hindu caste system (casteism as per the Swami), where he said that they are all being swept away (or are swept away), may not be accepted by social scientists today. I mean, social scientists will argue that social justice issues within Hindu society in India, which even today is largely caste based, continue to be there even today. But overall, I think the Swami did a great job of answering the sometimes difficult questions posed to him by the Australian academics.
I should also say here that I have had the privilege and blessing of having darshan of Swami Chinmayananda (when I was a college student in the early 1980s, if I recall correctly), and have visited his ashram in Mumbai. I have also read some of his or his mission's books on Upanishads and Bhagavad Gita. They certainly contributed, along with books on these topics from other Hindu mission leaders, to my understanding of these topics. Most, if not all of this, was before I came to know of Sathya Sai in early 1990s.
I offer my gratitude to Swami Chinmayananda and others in his mission for the knowledge they imparted to me through their books that I had read, and for their general work in re-invigorating Hindu religion, especially its philosophical base of Vedanta.
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