Chinmaya Mission Fairfield :Ancient wisdom for a new generation

Ancient wisdom for a new generation
BY AUDREY ADADE, Reporter09/12/2008
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Chinmaya Mission Fairfield works to meld ancient Hindu teachings, principles which date back to thousands of years, and bridge a generational gap.
The group is a non-profit religious organization and a center of Chinmaya Mission, established in India in 1953 by followers of the world-renowned vedanta teacher, Swami Chinmayananda. There are over 250 Chinmaya Mission centers in India, and almost 50 outside of India. Administered by Central Chinmaya Mission Trust in Mumbai, India, the Mission is now headed by Swami Tejomayananda.
The Mission's goal is "to provide to individuals, from any background, the wisdom of Vedanta and the practical means for spiritual growth and happiness, enabling them to become positive contributors to society."
Following the Vedic teacher-taught tradition, or "guru-shishya parampara," Chinmaya Mission makes available the principles of vedanta, and provides the tools to realize that wisdom in one's life.
"To give maximum happiness to the maximum number for the maximum time" is the principle that drives Chinmaya Mission workers to "uplift humanity beyond selfish and sectarian attitudes and activities." Each person's aim is "personal growth, heightened efficiency, contentment, and the ability to live with others in peace and harmony." According to Swami Chinmayananda "scriptures are not mere books for intellectual studies; we must learn to assimilate these ideas and come to live them."
"Vedas are sacred books of Hindu," Mousumi Bhattacharya said.
Bhattacharya, a professor at Fairfield University's School of Business, is a secretary and parent at Chinmaya Mission Fairfield.
"Vedas are old, existing for almost 5,000 years," she said. "They have been interpreted and discussed. These used to be carried by the guru, or teacher, to the shisaya, a student. "The gurus used to go to the shisaya's home," Bhattacharya said. "That is how the vedas were taught in olden times. They were orally taught, and passed on from the guru to the student, orally."
"Somewhere around the middle ages, between 1100 and 1200 B.C., a handful of scholars started writing the vedas down," Bhattacharya said. "They are all written in Sanskrit, even until today."
The books, Bhattacharya said, were called vedantas, which are now written and translated in all languages.
"In modern times," Bhattacharya said, "we do not have the traditional learning anymore. There are a few missions, or learning centers, which have vedantas. Nowadays it is at the learning centers where you can study them. Other ways include the universities."
"Vendantas equal ways of life," she said.
Chinmaya Mission, Bhattacharya said, is based in neo-Hinduism, which began in the early 20th century by Swami, or Vivekananba.
"We believe in one god," Bhattacharya said. "He said we do not believe in a caste system, we believe in one god, manifested in many gods."
Hinduism, according to Bhattacharya, is a spiritual guide towards living your life so that you can "attain peace and happiness" and "contribute to society and bring about peace and happiness."
There are several different ways to achieve peace and happiness in Hinduism, according to Bhattacharya.
"The goal of every living being is to attain salvation," Bhattacharya said.
In Hinduism, "Moksha," or "Nirvana," is the ultimate salvation.
"We believe in one creator of the universe, Bramhan, who does not have body or form; he is omnipresent," Bhattacharya said. "He is presented in the symbol 'Om.' Every living thing comes from 'Om,' and they want to go back to 'Om,' the ultimate source of peace and happiness."
There are five ultimate ways of doing this, Bhattacharya said, and it is based in the way you live your life.
These ways of living are called yogas, which followers can combine if they choose.
Yoga, a way of maintaining your body, is the most commonly known form.
"Yoga, the path of duty, means you do your work in a righteous way without asking for reward," Bhattacharya said. "You cannot have a selfish reason for doing your work."
The five yogas, Bhattacharya said, are: Karma yoga, salvation through action or beauty, which can be either good or bad; Bhakti yoga, which means you "give up your family, social life, and ties to achieve Nirvana; Jnana yoga, the path of knowledge, which entails focusing your attention being very scientific and inquisitive to increase your knowledge; Raja yoga, which is defined as ruling in a leadership position, with well defined responsibilities because you are influencing a lot of people through your actions and words; and lastly Thyaga yoga, which entails leave everything behind and living the life of a hermit, or "rishi."
Chinmaya Mission Fairfield started in 1993 with the encouragement of Pujya Gurudev Swami Chinmayananda.
"In 1993, Padma Reddy, our president, started it in her home," Bhattacharya said.
In 2003, Chinmaya Mission Fairfield started renting classrooms to accommodate the growing number of members. Over the past few years the Fairfield affiliate has received the guidance of Acharya Swami Shantanandaji of New Jersey and has increased their activities.
In the last 10 years the Connecticut center has grown from 10 member families to 150 families, including 300 children, from the towns all over the state, including Bridgeport, Fairfield and Westport.
Chinmaya Mission Fairfield organizes two or more Sunday classes and other events with a focus on the "spiritual and cultural growth of children" and "learning for adults."
"Our main goal is education," Bhattacharya said. "People come to learn. We do not force anyone to worship."
"What I really care about is our philosophy," she said, "because 5,000 years of thought and hard practices have gone into finding the truth and principles of living life in an unselfish way and contributing to society and your own family. It is really healthy, and brings you great peace. Because the focus is not on you it is on your surroundings - society and ultimately the universe. Peace and happiness, Nirvana and Mooshka, come not from your own gratification of senses, but from living life from others and living in harmony."
Chinmaya Mission Fairfield currently meets at the Jewish Community Center, located at 4200 Park Ave. in Bridgeport. The center is looking for a permanent location within Connecticut.
To learn more about Chinmaya Mission visit www.chinmaya.org, call Mousimi Bhattacharya at (203)384-1201 or visit www.chinmayafairfield.org.




©Fairfield Minuteman 2008

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