VEDANTA LINKS
To learn more about Vedanta:
There are many websites devoted to Vedanta, including those of the Vedanta centers of the Ramakrishna Order throughout the world. The two sites below allow access to these sites, as well as to others in the Ramakrishna-Vivekananda tradition of Vedanta.
www.vedanta.org
The Vedanta Society of Southern California website has information on Vedanta, Sri Ramakrishna, Swami Vivekananda, Sri Sarada Devi, the Ramakrishna Order, Vedanta publications (in both English and Spanish), and other major religions. There are links to all the Vedanta centers in the U.S., India, South America, Europe and Asia.
www.btinternet.com/~vivekananda
The Vivekananda Centre London is a proactive non-sectarian body to promote education on Hinduism. There are links to their own popular sites (such as “Hinduism for Schools” and “Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda”) as well as links to the worldwide Vedanta community that provide up-to-date information about current activities.
To visit Vedanta retreats in the U.S.:
Many Vedanta centers in the U.S have retreat facilities for their members. The two sites below are among the largest open to the public.
www.ridgely.org
The Vivekananda Retreat at Ridgely in Stone Ridge, New York, on 85 beautiful acres has a Manor House and retreat houses for women and men. Swami Vivekananda stayed at Ridgely on three occasions in the 1890s, creating a place of pilgrimage as well as of solitude and peace. Individual retreats vary from several days to several months, accommodations permitting. Monthly intensive meditation retreats (for up to 12 people) and Sanskrit classes are led by the resident swami. Please contact Swami Atmarupananda to schedule a visit or a retreat (Phone: 845-687-4574; Email: info@ridgely.org).
www.sfvedanta.or/VedantaSocietyOlemainfo.html
The Vedanta Retreat at Olema, under the auspices of the Vedanta Society in San Francisco, occupies over 2000 acres of forests and meadows on the Point Reyes Peninsula in Marin County, California. There is a Women’s Retreat House and a Men’s Retreat House, each offering a meditation room, library, kitchen, and accommodations for individuals (and occasionally groups) wishing to stay for a few days of secluded spiritual practice. Day visitors are welcome from 10 AM to 6 PM. Overnight stays require an interview with Swami Prabuddhananda (phone: 415-922-2322; Email: temple@sfvedanta.org).
To order Vedantic literature and CDs online:
Books on Vedanta published in the United States are usually available at Amazon.com. But the specialized online catalogs of the Vedanta Societies below have a comprehensive selection of books on Vedanta, Hinduism, and other major religions by subject, as well as audio- and videotapes, CDs, photographs, incense, meditation shawls, and miscellaneous gifts.
www.vedanta.com
The Vedanta Press website and catalog—the online and the mail order department of the Vedanta Society of Southern California—offers a wide selection of books, videos, audiotapes and other religious items. A user-friendly online catalog provides search by author or title as well as by subject. Visitors to the homepage can sign up for their free newsletter.
www.sfvedanta.org
The Vedanta Society of Northern California in San Francisco has published books by Swami Ashokananda and by Sister Gargi (Marie Louise Burke). A user-friendly online catalog provides search by title or author as well as by subject. Comprehensive selection of well-printed photographs
www.ramakrishna.org
The Ramakrishna-Vivekananda Center in New York publishes books translated and written by Swami Nikhilananda, such as The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna, Vivekananda: The Yogas and Other Works. Holy Mother: A Biography, the Upanishads, and the Bhagavad Gita.
www.vedanta-newyork.org
The Vedanta Center of New York publishes books by Swami Tathagatananda. Book excerpts can be read online.
www.vedantastl.org
The Vedanta Society of St. Louis publishes books and audiotapes by Swami Chetanananda and also features books by Swami Satprakashananda.
www.vedantaatlanta.org
The Vedanta Center of Atlanta publishes books and audiotapes by Swami Yogeshananda.
www.vedanta-seattle.org
Viveka Press of the Vedanta Society of Western Washington publishes books by Swami Bhaskarananda and Global Vedanta, their quarterly journal. Download the Society’s comprehensive bookstore catalog.
www.vedantasociety-chicago.org
Request a free bookstore catalog from this website of the Vivekananda Vedanta Society of Chicago, which includes the audiotapes of Hindu scriptures chanted by Swami Chidananda and most Vedantic literature.
www.vedantawest.org
Hear audio excerpts of compositions by John Schlenck, the music director of the New York Vedanta Society, and order CDs (Vedantic Arts Recordings). Download free sheet music. Other features include active projects in theater, painting, and Spanish translation of Vedantic books.
www.advaitaonline.com
Advaita Ashrama is the main publication department of the Ramakrishna Order; this website has an large online catalog of Indian editions of books on all aspects of Vedanta and Hinduism for sale in India or by order elsewhere. Subscribe online to Prabuddha Bharata.
www.sriramakrishnamath.org
The Ramakrishna Math in Mylapore, Chennai is a leading publisher of Indian editions of Vedantic literature in English; books can be purchased online by Master or Visa cards whether in India or abroad. Subscribe online to Vedanta Kesari.
www.udbodhan.org
The Udbodhan office (“Mother’s House”) in Calcutta publishes books of the Ramakrishna Order and their monthly journal in Bengali. This site also offers virtual tours (in English) of Udbodhan, Jayrambati, Kamarpukur, and Belur Math, the monastic headquarters of the Order, in India.
To subscribe to Vedanta journals and newsletters:
The titles below are among the most popular. (Also see “Resources” at www.btinternet.com/~vivekananda).
www.americanvedantist.org American Vedantist (free)
www.vedanta-seattle.org Global Vedanta (U.S. quarterly; $10)
www.vedantauk.com Vedanta (U.K. bi-monthly; $12.50)
www.advaitaonline.com Prabuddha Bharata (Indian monthly; $25)
www.sriramakrishnamath.org Vedanta Kesari (Indian monthly; $25)
www.srisaradamath.org Samvit (Indian semi-annual; $6)
www.vedantaonline.com Vedanta Online (free)
www.vedantaatlanta.org Provisions (free)
www.srisarada.org Sri Sarada Society Notes (free)
www.vedanta.com Vedanta Press Newsletter (free)
To learn more about the women’s monasteries:
The three convents of the Ramakrishna Order in the United States are in California. The convents in Hollywood and Santa Barbara are under the auspices of the Vedanta Society of Southern California (www.vedanta.org – with a virtual tour of Santa Barbara); the San Francisco convent is under the auspices of the Vedanta Society of Northern California (www.sfvedanta.org).
www.srisaradamath.org
This is the website of Sri Sarada Math, the world’s largest independent women’s monastic order, with headquarters in Dakshineswar (Calcutta), India. Sri Sarada Math is in the Ramakrishna-Vivekananda-Sarada tradition of Vedanta. The website gives a historical account of the math, its ideals, branch centers, activities, and publications.
www.saradacenter.org, based in California, supports the work of Sri Sarada Math and sponsors retreats by the Sarada Math nuns in the United States.
www.srisarada.org, based in New York State, supports the work of Sri Sarada Math and publishes Sri Sarada Society Notes, their free newsletter.