The Ramakrishna-Vivekananda Center of New York, on 17 East 94th Street, is an accredited branch of the Ramakrishna Order of India. It was incorporated into the Order in 1933 as a non-profit religious organization under New York State laws. There is a temple located in New York City and another at the summer cottage at Thousand Island Park, New York.
The Center is a self-sustaining unit that looks to the Ramakrishna Order for spiritual guidance. Its Swami (Minister), is a monk of the Order. The Center bases its teachings on the System of Vedanta, which combines religious and philosophical ideas of the Hindus.
Vedanta teaches that every soul is potentially divine, and that its divinity can be manifested through worship, contemplation, unselfish work, and philosophical discrimination. Truth is universal and all humankind and existence are one. Vedanta also preaches the unity of ultimate Reality and accepts every faith as means for its own followers to realize the Truth.
The Center seeks to stimulate the growth of the individual’s innate spirituality through lectures, discourses, publications, and individual guidance.
Founder, Swami Vivekananda, taught that true religion results in transformation of character. He said, “Religion is the idea which is raising the brute unto man, and man unto God.” When we have no higher goal of life, our divine nature remains veiled from us. All great teachers have declared that manifestation of divinity is the goal of life and our greatest challenge; to rid our thoughts and actions of selfishness.