Question: I have a few of questions to ask you concerning Vedanta:
1. Many times in his life did Ramakrishna have visions of the Divine Mother? But what were these visions really? Was it a glimpse of Brahman meaning that the vision was Reality, or on the contrary, was the vision only Maya and imagination (a vision is only illusion)?
2. What separates Brahman and Maya? Is Maya part of Brahman (since Brahman is everything) or is Brahman the opposite of Maya (as Truth and Reality opposes itself to illusion)?
3. What is the place of Vedanta in Sanatana Dharma? Is Vedanta taking the best things of Hinduism and leaving out the negative points (such as the status of low caste people)?
4. Could Hinduism be classified as an animist religion (the belief that every natural thing contains a spirit and is therefore living)?
5. I plan to travel to India next year and study in the Belur Math for a couple of months (to start with) as it’s the best place for mastering Vedanta. I wanted to know two things:
6. Is it possible to become a monk only temporary (for a few years) or must one take a monastic vow for life?
7. Does the Ramakrishna order organize volunteering services during summer? I would be interested to volunteer in any way to help society and community.
Answer: Glad to know that you are interested in Vedanta and Sri Ramakrishna. Your questions are such that it needs long discussion involving different systems of philosophy. It will be advisable to have personal discussion in the matter. You may contact Swami Dayatmanandaji who is in-charge of our London centre. The address is given below:
Ramakrishna Vedanta Centre
Unity House, Blind Lane
Bourne End,
Buckinghamshire SL8 5LG, England
Cable: VEDANTA
Phone: 44-162-852-6464
E-mail: vedantauk@talk21.com
Web Site: www.vedantauk.com
You can fix an appointment with him over phone and meet him during mutually convenient time.