Action with a Vision

“Let us be humble and grateful for the opportunities available to us to serve society and the world.”

-Swami Chinmayananda

The genesis of the Chinmaya Movement was a 100-day Upanishad lecture series conducted by Swami Chinmayananda in Pune, India in December 1951 with eighteen people in the audience on the first day. The Mission was formally founded in 1953 by Gurudev’s devotees to give organizational structure and cohesiveness to the work and activities being initiated by him. They formed the nucleus of a movement of spiritual renaissance that now encompasses a wide range of spiritual, educational and charitable activities, ennobling the lives of thousands in India and abroad.

Chinmaya Mission is a dynamic organization, involved in a large number of activities in order to fulfill Swami Chinmayananda’s vision:

Spreading the Knowledge of Vedanta

Vedanta is the core of Hindu philosophy. In fact, it is a universal science of life, a science which is relevant to all people everywhere, whatever their faith. Chinmaya Mission’s stated mission is, “to provide to individuals, from any background, the wisdom of Vedanta and the practical means for spiritual growth and happiness, enabling them to become positive contributors to society”. The army of dedicated workers that now forms the Chinmaya Mission worldwide is testimony to Gurudev’s conviction that as you begin your own inner transformation, you transform the lives of all those around you. The Mission accomplishes this goal through various activities, Vedanta institutes,temples, publications division and the Chinmaya International Foundation.

Sevā Programs (Medical and Village Outreach/ Community Service)

Swami Chinmayananda believed that service to one’s fellow human beings is an integral part of one’s spiritual evolution. Chinmaya Mission is involved in various social serviceprojects focusing especially on disadvantaged and underprivileged people. Hundreds of thousands of people benefit from the Mission’s schools, colleges, hospitals, diagnostic centers, old age homes and rural village development projects. “To give maximum happiness to the maximum number for the maximum time,” is the Mission’s motto.

Children & Youth

The rich cultural heritage of India, including its spiritual and moral values, is taught to children and youth at different levels, using the medium of stories, drama, arts and crafts, and discussion. Chinmaya Mission centers have become models for teaching India’s rich spiritual heritage and the fundamentals of Vedanta to the next generation.

• Bala Vihar:          Classes for children
• Yuva Kendra:       Classes for youth
• Chinmaya Kids:     An infotainment website for kids

Today Chinmaya Mission has more than 350 centers with acharyas in India and around the world, which organize and coordinate the activities of the Mission in their area. After the mahāsamadhi of Swami Chinmayananda in 1993, Swami Tejomayananda became the head of the worldwide Chinmaya Mission. He is the chairman of Central Chinmaya Mission Trust (CCMT), which is the apex body running the Mission, and has its headquarters in Mumbai, India.

For further information regarding the activities of the mission, please visithttp://www.chinmayamission.com and http://www.chinmayamission.org.