(RNS) — The first that the vast majority of turn-of-the-20th-century Americans heard of Swami Vivekananda was the speech the 30-year-old Hindu delegate gave at the Parliament of the World’s Religions in 1893 in Chicago. Vivekananda captivated his audience, addressing them as his “sisters and brothers,” and spoke about Hinduism’s teachings of the “oneness of existence” — heralding a spiritual revolution in the West.
It wouldn’t be the last Americans heard of the Indian monk and disciple of the guru Ramakrishna. Seven years later, Vivekananda would return, traveling exclusively on the West Coast to deliver lectures to thousands of Californians. His evangelism would come to an end with his untimely death at 39, in 1902.
But his stamp is still felt in the state where, he explained in his writings, “he gave his best.”
“He is our brand,” said Swami Prasannatmananda, swami-in-charge of the Vedanta Society of Berkeley. “His name is enough.”
On Saturday (Feb. 22), the Vedanta Society of Berkeley, in partnership with the Indian consulate in San Francisco, will kick off a yearlong celebration of Vivekananda’s impact 125 years after his visit. The inaugural event, a discussion among various faith leaders, will be held at …