(ANS - Belur Math) - "There are more similarities than differences between religions. We need an awareness of these similarities so that we can understand each other better", said Fr Maria Arokiam Kanaga, Regional Councillor for South Asia, referring to a meeting he had last August with the monks of the Ramakrisha Mission.

"This attitude can bring communities closer together and can be of great help in ending religiously motivated violence," added Fr Kanaga. He had gone to Belur Math near Calcutta, to meet with the Secretary General of the Ramakrishna Mission, Swami Suhitananda, and assistant general secretaries, Swami Suvirananda, Balabhadrananda, and Bodhsarananda.

According to the Matters India news agency, the Ramakrishna Mission was founded by Swami Vivekananda on 1 May 1897. It is named after the nineteenth century guru, the Hindu mystic Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, who preached that God is one and that people call God by different names.

Fr Kanaga wanted to meet representatives of the Ramakrishna Mission because his doctoral thesis in Philosophy at the Salesian Pontifical University in Rome was dedicated to the figure of Swami Vivekananda. "I wrote the thesis from the point of view of interfaith understanding," said the councillor. He said that he had chosen the founder of the Ramakrishna Mission as the subject of his thesis because he was very popular in his home state, Tamil Nadu, and that he had completed his studies, about a quarter of a century ago, guided by a Catholic priest who was an  expert in Indian philosophy.

The Indian publisher "Inkda Books" has decided to publish Fr Kanaga’s thesis with the title "Man without Frontiers: The Ultimate Concern of Swami Vivekananda".  Fr Kanaga gave a copy of "Man without Frontiers" to Swami Suhitananda, Suvirananda, Balabhadrananda and Bodhsarananda. They in turn gave Fr Kanaga books and DVDs on Swami Vivekananda and the Ramakrishna Mission.

After a long and friendly conversation, the Salesian Councillor also visited the complex of Belur Math, including its temples and the rooms where Swami Vivekananda lived. "It was a wonderful experience. I would like to return," said Fr Kanaga before leaving.

Published 08/09/2015