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The Vivekananda Vedanta Society of Chicago, established in 1930, is dedicated to bringing home the eternal message of Vedanta to humanity without discriminating about caste, culture, gender, language, nationality, or religion.

Through personal interviews, talks, lectures, seminars, inter-faith meetings, spiritual retreats, and religious celebrations we aim to translate into action the lofty philosophy of Swami Vivekananda — to make people aware of their inner divinity and to help them to manifest it in every moment of life.

We are a branch of the Ramakrishna Order. Swami Ishatmananda, a monk of the Order, is the Minister and is available for interviews by appointment.

Vedanta states that the underlying substance behind all phenomena, names, and forms is one. A few thousand years ago, the scriptures of India affirmed that Truth is one. The wise call it by different names.

Vedanta asserts that we are in essence divine — that our Real Self is that One, Eternal, Divine Spirit. In the words of Swami Vivekananda,

Each soul is potentially divine.The goal is to manifest this divinity by controlling nature, external and internal. Do this either by work, or worship, or psychic control, or philosophy - by one, or more, or all of these - and be free. This is the whole of religion. Doctrines, or dogmas, or rituals, or books, or temples, or forms, are but secondary.

Vedanta does not ask us to believe in any particular form or idea of God, or subscribe to any particular religion — it only asks that we be bold and sincere in our search for the Truth. It says that religion is not dogma or doctrine, but must be verified and experienced and that this experience of the Truth, of one's real Self, is the ultimate goal of life.

"We want to lead mankind to the place where there is neither the Vedas, nor the Bible, nor the Koran; yet this has to be done by harmonising the Vedas, the Bible and the Koran. Mankind ought to be taught that religions are but the varied expressions of The Religion, which is Oneness, so that each may choose that path that suits him best."
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Spread over 100 acres, the Vivekananda Retreat located in Ganges, Michigan, was established in 1971 as a retreat facility - a place for spiritual seekers who wish to withdraw into solitude and engage in prayer, study, and meditation.

Each month there are lectures by Swami Ishatmananda. In addition, between the months of May and October, there are spiritual retreats on various topics by monks from other Vedanta centers. The facility is also available to those who wish to organize their own events.
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