RK Mission Swami Speaks in Chennai on 9/11 (fwd)

09-16-2002, 10:18 AM

Source: http://www.hinduismtoday.com/hpi/hpi...ami_gauta.html
CHENNAI, INDIA, September 11, 2002: On the occasion of the commemoration of
the 9/11 attacks on America, Swami Gautamananda, president of the
Ramakrishna Mission in Chennai was requested to address the gathering. His
remarks read in part, "Though we are yet to find out what all ideas worked
behind that tragedy of September 11, 2001, we can be sure that an extreme
fanatic ideology that considered all other ideologies as worth nothing and
itself as the only worth living ideology was behind the dastardly act. The
further events have revealed that this fanatic ideology was inculcated into
receptive minds of the youth who become the instruments of terror that
revealed itself at New York. Fanaticism drives away all reason and thus
persons with fanatic ideas act like robots, rather, like animals. Fanaticism
is the fuel by which the machine of terrorism works. Fanaticism has been
there in human life whenever people have been deprived of their spiritual
food. What is this spiritual food? The disciplines or values of life that
lead persons to realize their oneness with the Universe and with God and
thus come to love humanity and God. The Sages of the Vedas, the oldest
available scriptures to humanity, say that all this creation is God alone -
'Sarvam Kalvidham Brahma.' It implies that this Divinity is in every
creature as its fundamental, inalienable nature. ... When this idea of the
Divinity of man is widely taught, not only in our schools and colleges but
also in all churches, mosques, pagodas, tabernacles and temples where most
innocent minds throng in millions, then only people will get their highest
respect and regard, irrespective of their gender, wealth, intelligence,
power etc. Then only the very idea of harming anyone, be it for any cause,
would appear abhorring. Then alone can violence be radically uprooted from
society." For the complete text, click "source" above.