- Chinmaya Mission
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Chinmaya Mission
Keep SmilingMotto To give maximum happiness to the maximum number for the maximum time[1] Formation 1953 Type NGO Legal status Trust Purpose/focus Spirituality, Vedanta Headquarters Mumbai Location India Headed By His Holiness Swami Tejomayananda[2] Website http://www.chinmayamission.com/
Chinmaya Mission was founded in 1953 by the devotees of Swami Chinmayananda to 'give organizational structure and cohesiveness to the work and activities initiated by Swami Chinmayananda' [3]. It is administered from Central Chinmaya Mission Trust, Mumbai. There are over 300 mission centres all over India and Abroad [4].Contents
Founder
Swami Chinmayananda, founder of Chinmaya Mission, taught spirituality as the art of living. Through jnana yoga (the Vedantic path of spiritual knowledge), he emphasized the balance of head and heart, pointing out selfless work, study, and meditation as the cornerstones of spiritual practice.
Not satisfied by worldly aspirations or his degrees in literature and law, Balakrishna Menon pursued spiritual studies for nine years in the Himalayas, under the guidance of Swami Sivananda (Divine Life Society) and the tutelage of Swami Tapovanam (Tapovan Maharaj). He eventually came to share this Vedantic knowledge with the masses, in the form of the dynamic teacher known as Swami Chinmayananda.
Swamiji is renowned worldwide as a spiritual master and one of the foremost teachers of Shrimad Bhagavad Gita. He is credited with the renaissance of spirituality and cultural values in India, and with the spreading of the ageless wisdom of Advaita Vedanta, as expounded by Adi Shankaracharya, throughout the world.
Mission statement
To provide to individuals, from any background, the wisdom of Vedanta and practical means for spiritual growth and happiness, enabling them to become a positive contributor to the society.
Mission Motto
To give the maximum amount of happiness to maximum number of people for the maximum amount of time.[1]
Chinmaya Mission Pledge
We stand as one family Bound to each other with love and respect.
We serve as an army Courageous and disciplined Ever ready to fight against all low tendencies And false values, within and without us.
We live honestly The noble life of sacrifice and service Producing more than what we consume And giving more than what we take.
We seek the Lord's grace To keep us on the path of virtue, courage and wisdom. May Thy grace and blessings flow through us To the world around us.
We believe that the service of our country Is the service of the Lord of lords And devotion to the people Is the devotion to the Supreme Self.
We know our responsibilities Give us the ability and courage to fulfill them.
Activities
File:Bala Vihar kids, inside their classroom, a village near Coimbatore.jpgThe following activities are conducted at mission centers on a weekly basis:
- Balvihar for children 5 to 12
- CHYK – Chinmaya Yuva Kendra
- Junior CHYK for teenagers 13–15
- CHYK for the age group of 16 to 24
- Senior CHYK for youth aged 25–30
- Study Groups for Adults
- Chinmaya Vanprastha Sansthan for Senior Citizens (India and UK)
Religion & Spirituality
Chinmaya Mission has 24 temples in India and 7 or more abroad.
Social Field
- In the medical field, Chinmaya Mission has many health care facilities:
- Hospital – 1
- Nurses Training Centre – 1
- Diagnostic Centre – 14
- Eye camp in the rural areas – 1
- Adoption of villages for providing social and medical relief – 120
- Senior Citizen Homes – 8
- Income generating schemes for downtrodden women – 1
- Rural Development Project – 1
- Children Welfare Centre – 1
- Goshalas – 4
- In the Educational Field, Chinmaya Mission has:
- Schools (Regular) – 70
- Chinmaya International Residential School – 1
- Harihar Schools (Free education & vocational training for downtrodden children for self sufficiency) – 3
- Colleges – 4
- Degree College – 1
- Chinmaya Institute of Higher Learning – 1
- Chinmaya Heritage Centre – 1
- Value based Vision Programme for schools (Regularly conducted in various parts of India)
- Institute of Management – 1
Cultural Field
- Sandeepany Sadhanalaya
Imparting knowledge of Indian Scriptures in English & Regional languages (Free two years residential course, for college graduate students) – 6
- Seminars on Public Speaking for Youth
- Leadership & Personality Development for Youth & Adults
- Kala Mandir – 2
- Centre for World Understanding – 1
- Research on Indian Scriptures
Area of Influence
Chinmaya Mission has influence in India especially in Southern, Northern & Western India and among Indian as well as many foreign communities in the US, the UK, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and other countries.
Efforts are being made to spread the wings of the Mission to the East of India in the seven sisters especially.
See also
- Survey of Hindu organisations
References
- ^ a b http://www.chinmayauk.org/Seva/Marathon07.htm
- ^ http://www.chinmayamission.com/chinmayamission.php
- ^ The Vision of Life, Central Chinmaya Mission Trust, December 2001, p.45.
- ^ today it has over 300 centres across the world.. Times of India, December 25, 2001.
External links
Categories:- Survey of Hindu organisations
- Religious organizations established in 1953
- Hindu movements and organizations
- Religious organisations based in India
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