Chinmaya Mission
Formation1951
FounderChinmayananda Saraswati
TypeSpiritual organization[1]
Legal statusTrust
PurposeSpirituality, Vedanta
HeadquartersMumbai, Maharashtra, India
Location
  • International
Area served
Worldwide
Headed By
Swami Swaroopananda
Main organ
Central Chinmaya Mission Trust
Websitechinmayamission.com

The Chinmaya Mission is a Hindu religious and spiritual organization that disseminates Vedanta, the science of the self as said in the Vedas, particularly the Upanishads, and other Hindu scriptures such as the Bhagavad Gita.[2][3] The devotees of the renowned Vedanta teacher Swami Chinmayananda Saraswati established the Chinmaya Mission in India in 1953.[4]

The mission was headed by Swami Tejomayananda and is now headed by Swami Swaroopananda. There are over 313 mission centres all over India and abroad. North America had more than 30 centres.[5] It is currently administered by Central Chinmaya Mission Trust (CCMT) in Mumbai, India, headed by Swami Swaroopananda.[6]

The motto of the Chinmaya Mission is "to give maximum happiness to maximum people for maximum time". It claims it does not seek to convert other religious practitioners.[6]

History

Foundation

Swami Chinmayananda Saraswati,[7] the founder of Chinmaya Mission, was born in the city of Ernakulam in present-day Kerala, India.[8] Doubting the teachings of the sages in the Himalayas, Balakrishna Menon met Swami Sivananda (Divine Life Society), who taught him in spiritual studies and then placed him under the tutelage of Swami Tapovanam (Tapovan Maharaj), with whom he pursued spiritual studies. He eventually came to share this Vedantic knowledge with the masses, in the form of the dynamic teacher known as Swami Chinmayananda.[9]

After Chinmayananda

After Chinmayananda died in 1993, his disciple Swami Tejomayananda (known as Pujya Guruji and previously known as "Sudhakarbhai Kaitwadeji") became the global head of Chinmaya Mission. Under Tejomayananda, projects such as the Chinmaya International Foundation and the Chinmaya International Residential School were taken up.

In January 2017, Swami Tejomayananda assigned the headship of Chinmaya Mission Worldwide to Sri Swami Swaroopananda.[10][11]

Activities

The following activities are conducted at mission centers on a weekly basis.

Bala Vihar

Bala Vihar is a program in which children from age five to eighteen meet on a weekly basis to learn about Hindu culture, customs, and philosophy. Bala Vihar is a program that is conducted throughout the world, not just in India, but also in countries such as the United States, UK, and Australia.[12][13] Some centers also have a version called Sishu Vihar, which is meant for children aged 2 to 4.

Chinmaya Yuva Kendra

Chinmaya Yuva Kendra, known as CHYK, is the global youth arm of the Chinmaya Mission. It is meant for youth aged 18–30 and its motto is "Harnessing Youth Potential through Dynamic Spirituality".[14] CHYK conducts many camps and sessions throughout the world. CHYK West is a similar organization that operates in the west.

Other activities

  • Study groups for adults
  • Chinmaya Vanprastha Sansthan for senior citizens (India and UK)

Medical 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
  • Children Welfare Centre – 1
  • Goshalas – 4
Pallavur Chinmaya Vidyalaya, Palakkad, Kerala

Educational field

  • Chinmaya Vishwavidyapeeth, a liberal University focused on promoting Indian Knowledge Systems, Indian traditions, Indic parampara and interdisciplinary research. They have established three campuses in Pepathy, Pune, and Warriam Road. Widely known for its interdisciplinary research, cultural studies, immersive programs, CVV stands to merge the academic rigour with the traditional Indian parampara.
  • Chinmaya College of Arts, Commerce and Science, Tripunithura
  • 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
  • Chinmaya Academy for Civil Services - https://www.chinmayaias.com

Rural development

A meeting of CORD, at Siruvani, Coimbatore

Chinmaya Mission undertakes activities of Rural Development via its wing Chinmaya Organisation for Rural Development (CORD)

Chinmaya Mission, Sikkim Centre has established CHINMAYA SMRITI VANAM at Bulbuley, Gangtok, Sikkim, India in 1995 and have planted till now more than 10,000 ( ten thousand ) trees sapling most of which have grown now into full trees.

Studies in Indology

Cultural field

Imparting knowledge of Indian scriptures in English and regional languages (Free two years residential course, for college graduate students) – 6

  • Seminars on public speaking for Youth
  • Leadership and personality development for youth and adults
  • Centre for World Understanding – 1

Areas served

The Chinmaya Mission has influence in whole of India as well as in many foreign communities in Australia, England, New Zealand, Nigeria,[15] South Africa, the United States and other countries.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Chinmaya Mission". Chinmaya Mission Of Los Angeles. Chinmaya Official Website. Archived from the original on 21 April 2017. Retrieved 30 April 2017.
  2. ↑ "Chinmaya Mission | CMLA". chinmayala.org. Archived from the original on 21 April 2017. Retrieved 30 April 2017.
  3. ↑ "History of Chinmaya Mission". cseweb.ucsd.edu. Retrieved 30 April 2017.
  4. ↑ "Chinmayananda | Indian spiritual thinker | Britannica". www.britannica.com. 4 May 2023. Retrieved 2 June 2023.
  5. ↑ today it has over 300 centres across the world.. Times of India, December 25, 2001.
  6. 1 2 "The Mission". Chinmaya Mission Worldwide. Retrieved 21 June 2020.
  7. ↑ "8 May 1916: Chinmayananda Saraswati, Indian spiritual leader, was born". www.mapsofindia.com. Retrieved 1 May 2017.
  8. ↑ "His Holiness Sri Swami Chinmayananda Saraswati Maharaj – The Divine Life Society". Retrieved 2 June 2023.
  9. ↑ "Swami Chinmayananda |". Retrieved 21 June 2023.
  10. ↑ "Official handover by Swami Tejomayananda on 19 January 2017 – watch the live stream Chinmaya Mission UK". www.chinmayauk.org. Retrieved 25 July 2017.
  11. ↑ "Pujya Guruji Swami Tejomayananda hands over the reins of Chinamaya Mission to Shri Swami Swaroopnanadaji on January 19, 2017 | The Indian Down Under". www.indiandownunder.com.au. Retrieved 25 July 2017.
  12. ↑ "Balvihar | Chinmaya Mission Worldwide". Chinmaya Mission Worldwide. Retrieved 25 July 2017.
  13. ↑ "Training Teachers for a Fulfilling Bala Vihar at Chinmaya Mission | Indo American News". www.indoamerican-news.com. Retrieved 25 July 2017.
  14. ↑ "Chinmaya Yuva Kendra | Chinmaya Mission Worldwide". Chinmaya Mission Worldwide. Retrieved 25 July 2017.
  15. ↑ "Chinmaya Mission - Nigeria - Chinmaya Foundation Trust". lagosmart.net. Archived from the original on 14 August 2016. Retrieved 1 May 2017.
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