CONTEMPORARY RESEARCH IN INDIA (ISSN 2231-2137): VOL. 5: ISSUE: 2
MANIFESTATIONS OF SECULAR DIVINITY: SWAMI
VIVEKANANDA AND THE FOURTEENTH DALAI LAMA
Dr. Khem Raj Sharma, Assistant Prof., Dept. of English & European Languages School of
Humanities & Languages, Central University of Himachal Pradesh, Dharamshala, Dist. Kangra
In the modern-world, the secularization of
God’s functions in the world is exceedingly
significant. Swami Vivekananda and the 14th Dalai
Lama, the foremost and contemporary exponents of
Hinduism and Buddhism, are manifestations of
secular divinity. Vivekananda was a true reformist
who worked for the welfare of hapless humanity
through his spiritual perfection, thereby making his
temporal life a perfect embodiment of the life divine.
He not only roused his countrymen against foreign
rule but also strove to create a harmonious world. In
fact, his entire life epitomized his eternal journey to
quench his quest for truth. Similarly, the 14th Dalai
Lama, the exiled spiritual and temporal leader of
Tibet, has been guiding mankind and making them
to believe in simple secular ethics based religion
wherein the heart and mind of a man is the temple in
which kindness prevails.
Despite religious pluralism, Vivekananda and
the Dalai Lama are the embodiments of religion,
whose rhetoric on the secular religion has been
instrumental in establishing peace in almost every
part of the world. While Vivekananda is considered
as the supreme energizer of the cosmic
manifestation; the Dalai Lama champions secular
ethics in the interest of humanity. These spiritual
leaders of India and Tibet, thus, have been able to
propagate and preserve the culture of peace and nonviolence in the world. Both stress on education based
on ethics, character building and inter-religious
harmony. Both address the gatherings as “My sisters
and brothers”, and have played a vital role in
presenting the west the wisdom of east. They both
believe that religion and science are complementary
and supplementary to each other. This frees religion
from superstition, dogmatism, priest-craft and
intolerance, and makes religion the pursuit of
supreme Freedom, Knowledge and Happiness.
This paper seeks to study the reflection of
secular divinity in Swami Vivekananda and the
fourteenth Dalai Lama, and to bring out the role of
these two in maintaining religious harmony in the
world. It would also be seen how these philosophers
and in fact, practitioners of religion based on secular
thought, do not simply reflect ideas but also allow
them to enter into human’s psyche thereby
transforming them completely.
In religious terms, divinity or godhead is the
state of things that come from a supernatural power
or deity, such as a god, Supreme Being, Creator god
or spirits, and are therefore regarded as sacred and
holy. The root of the word "divine" is literally
"godly" (from the Latin deus, cf. Dyaus, closely
related to Greek Zeus, div in Persian and deva in
Sanskrit), but the use varies significantly depending
on which deity is being discussed. Such things are
regarded as "divine" due to their transcendental
origins, and/or because their attributes or qualities
are superior or supreme relative to things of the
Earth. (Wikipedia n.p.) Divine things are regarded as
eternal and based in truth, while material things are
regarded as ephemeral and based in illusion. Divinity
always carries connotations of goodness, beauty,
beneficence, justice, and other positive, pro-social
attributes. “Plato invented a new idea of God
working within the world as love, which is a kind of
power, but not the power of brute force. God is no
longer a creator who shapes the whole thing from
outside. Rather, God is involved in, caught up with
the process of cosmogenesis and spatiotemporal
becoming, such that the world is as necessary for the
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nature of God as God is for the nature of the
World…” (Segall 1)
With the progressive secularization of
religion, which began with French Revolution,
Industrial Revolution, etc., religion came to be
identified with humanistic concerns. As a
consequence, religious conflicts in modern times are
not over doctrinal differences, but over social,
economic and political issues. India has remained a
land of religious harmony from very ancient times till
the country attained independence. Religious
freedom, toleration and harmony have formed the
characteristic texture of Indian ethos. However, after
independence, especially in recent years, communal
unrest, desecration of places of worship,
assassination of religious leaders etc have become
quite common.
In modern times, Swami Vivekananda
reinterpreted the ancient scriptures in the light of Sri
Ramakrishna’s experiences. His ideas helped to
establish intra-religious harmony within Hinduism,
and have given shape to the modern integral
Hinduism which stresses interreligious harmony as a
basic tenet. Now a days, secular divinity has much
credence as it ties humanity with humility to other
fellow human beings, the mother nature and the
universe through a clear sense of self-guided
consciousness and quest for the truth; duties toward
family and community, ethics and rationales,
aesthetics and tranquility, love and affection,
sympathy and compassion, humility and empathy,
logic and facts, and justice and empirical evidence
then become the hallmarks of life.
Swami Vivekananda has been called the
‘Hindu Patriotic Monk’ and the ‘Cyclonic Monk of
India’, who introduced the Indian philosophies of
Vedanta and Yoga to the Western world. He has
been credited with raising the interfaith awareness,
and bringing Hinduism to the status of a major world
religion during the late 19th century. His famous
words “Arise! Awake! And Stop Not Till the Goal is
Reached!” has roused the sleeping soul of India more
than a hundred years ago. His understanding of the
religion based on secular ethics and its propagation
has earned him the status of a true embodiment of
secular divinity. He is the youth icon of the century.
He is the prominent figure of religious tolerance,
interfaith and national spirit. He has communicated
to the entire world the Indian philosophy of
spirituality wherein he conveyed the message of
universal peace and compassion to humanity which
is suffering from the spiritual turmoil in the present
era of machine and materialism. During his lifetime,
many people in America, Europe and in India have
been deeply influenced by the divine exuberance of
this prophet of modern age.
During the last decade of 19th century, when
Swami Vivekananda was active in spreading the
message of Vedanta to the world, the scientific
discoveries and inventions of the time, the attempt to
introduce modern methods in education, the impact
of 'progressive' materialism, and contempt of religion
as the 'opium of masses', such and similar concepts
created confusion in the minds of thousands of
educated youths of India and the world around. That
there is a larger dimension to human consciousness
was not thought of. The only aim was to treat and
accept sense-comfort as the fulfillment of life. The
truth that manifestation of Divine Consciousness is a
natural and logical culmination of human endeavor
was about to be forgotten in the din and bustle of
modernism.
Vivekananda is a builder is the scientific
temper. His knowledge of the Vedas and science has
been instrumental in building a faith in spirituality
that has the capacity to engage man. It is the mix of
logic and reason in spirituality that has grounded
man’s faith in spirituality. Swami Vivekananda has
propagated the idea of universal brotherhood and
religious tolerance.
His vision about the service to mankind as
the service to God has been instrumental in changing
the perception of man and nations towards his fellow
beings as well as their neighbours. Vivekananda feels
that the manifestation of the perfection is already in
man for which there is so much of hue and cry
across the world. He convincingly maintained that
we should become broad in our outlook and try to
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see religion as a process or a method to reach the
goal of experiencing inner Divinity. 'Religion is
realization,' he was never tired of repeating this truth.
Realization of our nature as divine is true religion.
Spirituality was not the only concern of
Vivekananda. He spent a major part of his life in
travelling, which undoubtedly had an influence over
his world view. He was particularly sensitive about
poverty and criticized the inhuman caste practices
prevalent in India. Although, caste is omnipotent in
Indian society but he discarded it without any
hesitation. As a social revolutionist, the Swami
denounced the evils of caste, the sophistication, the
arrogance and wickedness of the upper-classes of the
Indian society. He even has prophesized that one
day, the Shudra would rule.
Vivekananda has also contributed a religious
or spiritual theory of nationalism. He believed in the
divinity of the nation vis-à-vis nation as a
manifestation of God and also a divine inspiration.
He opined that each nation occupies a definite
territory and has a purpose of its own under divine
dispensation. For him, nationalism is not opposed to
universalism; rather nationalism finds its fulfillment
in universalism. India as a nation with its spiritual
foundations has something valuable to tell to the
west. Vivekananda emphasized that the Vedantic
spiritualism can save Western humanity from
excessive materialism. He stood for universal
religious spirit, universal love and brotherhood.
Some critics question whether Swami
Vivekananda was secular or not? The answer,
undoubtedly, is yes, and he is surely the most secular
person of all. As we know that Vivekananda
propagated Hinduism all over the world, and
Hinduism believes in diverse gods and goddesses
alongwith respect for all religions, hence, he believed
that “It is good that there are many faiths. Because
there are many faiths, there will be many paths to
god.” (The Complete 269) Also, he stated that “If one
religion be true, then all the others must be true.
Thus the Hindu faith is as much yours as it is mine.”
Swami Vivekananda preached that religion was just
the manifestation of divinity already present within
man. You need not find an external god to justify
your religion. As such, whatever your religion, as
long as you are actively working towards that goal,
the religion is irrelevant.
It is true, that Vivekananda praises the pros
of Hinduism (actually, he prefers Vedantism) and
also point out the evils that prevailed during his time.
He was the disciple of Sri Ramakrishna
Paramahamsa, who had actually followed Islam,
Christianity and of course Hinduism, and
experienced the same state of Bliss through all the
three paths. He had declared that all paths lead to the
same light. Hence, Vivekananda was quite logical and
critical about religion where alongwith its advantages,
there is many disadvantages also. He knows that
diversity of religions is one of the main causes of
wars and communal riots all through human history.
Even in normal, peaceful society, many people
harbor prejudice and ill-will towards followers of
religions other than their own. More than a hundred
years ago, Vivekananda has said:
And thus we find that, though there is nothing
that has brought to man more blessings than
religion, yet at the same time, there is nothing
that has brought more horror than religion.
Nothing has made more for peace and love than
religion; nothing has engendered fiercer hatred
than religion. Nothing has made the
brotherhood of man more tangible than
religion; nothing has bred more bitter enmity
between man and man than religion. Nothing
has built more charitable institutions, more
hospitals for men and even for animals, than
religion; nothing has deluged the world with
more blood than religion. (The Complete 360)
Scholars from the West have recognized
three main inter-religious attitudes: Exclusivism,
Inclusivism and Pluralism. However, Swami
Vivekananda has added another attitude to these
three which is the concept of Universalism. The
central idea in his life and teachings was religious
universalism. He saw the entire universe as a
manifestation of the absolute one. He believed that
no religion was superior to another. He stood for
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social harmony and inter-faith dialogue. He said “We
want to lead mankind to the place where there is
neither Vedas, nor Bible, nor Quran; yet this has to
be done by harmonizing all three. We need to learn
that religions are but varied expressions of The
Religion, which is oneness, so that each may choose
a path that suits him the best.” (Kundu 1) He was a
devoted Hindu, passionately involved in bringing
about cultural and spiritual welfare of the people.
The Swami was a firm believer in Buddhism, and its
diktats. As the religion teaches that desire is the root
cause of all evil, Swami Vivekananda renounced
physical pleasures and led a monastic life – travelling
from place to place spreading knowledge and
wisdom, and living on the alms that he and his
disciples begged for. Hence, we can say that Swami
Vivekananda was a true manifestation of secular
divinity.
These ideas of the Swami are akin to those of
His Holiness, the 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gytso.
The Dalai Lama is also an exponent of secular
divinity. An exile from Tibet and a stateless refugee
in India, he is a secular and ethics based religious
leader—a kind of common sense prophet. He is the
spiritual and temporal leader of all the Tibetans
scattered across the globe. As a spiritual leader, he is
an embodiment of the God for his people, and even
in his exile in India, people across the world
recognize and respect him as the reincarnation of
Lord Buddha.
Since his escape from the land of snows,
alongwith millions of his countrymen to India, The
Dalai Lama has been able to establish a place and
respect for himself and his people. It is his institution
of the Dalai Lama, which has kept people in faith of
achieving the independence of their country from the
clutches of the dragon. For this, they have been
running a parallel government in Dharamshala in the
name of “Tibetan Government-in-exile” which has
been instrumental in posing a peaceful resistance to
the People’s Republic of China for the freedom of
their land. The Dalai Lama’s rhetoric on spiritual
discourse has since then been guiding the entire
world about a new secular and spiritual approach to
universal ethics as he believes that the time has come
for people to think about spirituality and ethics that
is ‘beyond religion.’
Being the reincarnation of Lord Buddha, the
Dalai Lama quite categorically emphasizes that
“Modern India has a secular constitution and prides
itself on being a secular country.” (Beyond Religion 6)
He further defines ‘secular’ in Indian context which
“actually implies a profound respect for and
tolerance toward all religions. It implies an inclusive
and impartial attitude which includes nonbelievers.”
(BR 6) Like Swami Vivekananda, the Dalai Lama,
also speaks to the Western world about a rationality
based religion, which he preaches by exemplifying
many Indian personalities like Mahatma Gandhi,
Ashoka, Bhim Rao Ambedkar, Lal Krishan Advani,
etc. Buddhism has originated from Indian soil, and
he considers himself, in a sense, a son of India. His
ultimate goal is “to fine a genuinely sustainable and
universal approach to ethics, inner values, and
personal integrity—an approach that can transcend
religious, cultural, and racial differences and appeal
to people at a fundamental level.” (BR 47) He
strongly believes that “separating ethics from religion
is a great mistake in itself, and indeed a source of
many social and moral problems of modern
society—the breakdown of families, growing
numbers of abortions, alcoholism, drug addiction
and so on.” (BR 66)
The Dalai Lama is a first rate scientific
practitioner and philosopher, especially concerned
with the discovery of the nature of reality and the
fostering of the human ability to evolve through
education, to develop, change and grow logically. He
believes that the aim of humanity is to build a “more
compassionate and more peaceful world.” (BR 71)
By compassionate, he intends to convey that the
“essence of compassion is a desire to alleviate the
suffering of others and to promote their well-being.”
(BR 97) He has firm faith in religion and says that
“we should seek inner values from religion [as it ] …
has helped millions of people in the past, helps
millions today, and will continue to help millions in
the future.” (BR 119) The Dalai Lama promulgates
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The same has been taught and practiced by the Dalai
Lama. Despite religious pluralism, these two are the
manifestations of secular divinity as they consider
science and logic as important as philosophy of religion
is for humans. Both stress on education based on
ethics, character building and inter-religious harmony.
Both address the gatherings as “My sisters and
brothers”, and have played a vital role in presenting the
west the wisdom of east. Vivekananda roused his
countrymen against foreign rule but also strove to
create a harmonious world wherein he emphasized on
the philosophy of secular religion for the entire West
including America and other countries of the world. In
fact, his entire life epitomized his eternal journey to
quench his quest for truth. Similarly, the 14th Dalai
Lama too believes in simple religion wherein the heart
and mind of a man is the temple in which kindness
prevails. They both believe that religion and science are
complementary and supplementary to each other. This
frees religion from superstition, dogmatism, priest-craft
and intolerance, and makes religion the pursuit of
supreme Freedom, Knowledge and Happiness. Hence,
if religion is one of the causes for war and disturbance
in the entire world, it is also true that only religion has
the capacity to bind the people and countries together.
Following Swami Vivekananda and the Dalai Lama, we
can say that the only solution for this multi-cultural and
multi-religious world is to adhere to the concept of
universal and ethics based secular religion thereby
accepting religious pluralism. This global vision can
form the foundation for peaceful co-existence of all in
the world.
that “as the peoples of the world become ever more
closely interconnected in an age of globalization and in
multicultural societies, ethics based on any one religion
would only appeal to some of us; it would not be
meaningful for all.” (BR 131) The only answer that he
gives for accepting the religion to all people of the
world is the practice of “secular ethics.”
The Tibet question is closely related to the
strategies of the Dalai Lama. Whether he practices and
preaches nonviolence and ethics based secular religion,
the Chinese never view him as a religious figure and
projects him as a threat to the integrity of their country.
Even in such scenario, the Dalai Lama unwaveringly
continues with his rhetoric on secular religion and
universal responsibility. This has even been
acknowledged when he was awarded the Nobel Peace
Prize in 1989 for his “constructive and forward-looking
proposals for the solution of International conflicts,
human rights issues, and global environmental
problems.” The Nobel Committee emphasized that the
Dalai Lama in his struggle for the liberation of Tibet
consistently advocated peaceful solutions based upon
tolerance and mutual respect.
To sum up, Swami Vivekananda and the 14th
Dalai Lama, the true and foremost exponents of
Hinduism and Buddhism, are manifestations of secular
divinity. While Lord Buddha manifested twice before
Vivekananda to bless him, the Dalai Lama himself is
the incarnation of that adorable being, on whose
teachings, Buddhism was found. Vivekananda believed
that “The Buddha is not a person but a (state of)
realization to which anyone can attain.” (Mathur 1).
Works Cited
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http://www.sanskritimagazine.com/gurus/spiritual-universalism-of-swami-vivekananda/
Lama, Dalai, the Fourteenth. Beyond Religion: Ethics for the Whole World. London: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2012. Print.
Lama, Dalai, the Fourteenth. Toward a True Kinship of Faith: How the World’s Religions Can Come Together. New York:
Doubleday, 2010. Print.
Mathur, Pulkit. “How Lord Buddha Suddenly Appeared before Swami Vivekananda.” The Spiritual Bee. Web.
http://www.spiritualbee.com/posts/buddha-appeared-before-swami-vivekananda/
Segall, Matthew David. “World Religion in Deleuze and Whitehead: On the Possibility of a Secular Divinity.” 18
December 2012. Web. https://matthewsegall.files.wordpress. com/ 2012/12/final-paper-deleuze-whitehead-secularizegod2.pdf
The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda. Kolkata: Advaita Ashrama, 1993 (Vol. 2). PDF.
Wikipedia. “Divinity.” Web. < http://en.wikipedia.org/wiksi/Divinity>
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