Abhayananda
Abhayananda | |
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This article uses secondary sources that critically analyze them.(July 2014) ) |
Abhayananda (born 1842), born Marie Louise, was the first woman initiated into
Louise was initiated by
There were many other Westeners who, in the first half of the century, became Hindu disciples/sannyasis/gurus: others included the Mother (b. Mira Alfassa, Paris, 1878), perhaps the first Westener to become a guru in India; Swami Abhayananda (b. Marie Lousie) one of the only three Westeners whom Vivekananda, in 1895, initiated as sannyasis—the other two being Leon Landsberg/Swami Kripananda and Dr Street/Swami Yogananda.[3]
Personal details
Abhayananda immigrated to the US in 1865. Before becoming a swami and entering monastic life, she lectured on a number of issues such as
There appears to be only one sketch depicting her and only one photograph, appearing in an article as a "convert to
An article in The New York Times parsed "Swami Abhayananda": "Swami means monk, Abahaya means fearless, and nanda means bliss. The literal interpretation of her name is, therefore, the 'Monk of Fearless Bliss'."
Marie Louise disassociated herself from Vivekananda after she arrived in India. Sister Nivedita's letters portrayed Louise as an egotistic, self-centered woman that had little interest in hearing the Vivekananda's teachings.[1] Louise was also alleged to have come from a destitute past and to have been in need of financial assistance.
Her mission
According to Louise:
I teach four classes of philosophy-the Karma Loga(reporter might have misspelt for
Raja Yoga), a physiological and psychological man, and the Gnana Loga (reporter might have misspelt for Jnana Yoga), or philosophy. ... I teach Christ the man. All men are Christs, and are crucifiedon the cross of life.
Regarding women's suffrage, Louise said:
"The woman Suffragists, are children playing with dolls, but if men vote, then women have a right to vote on the theory of right; but on the plane of love they have no right to vote. A 'right' implies brute force and power. A King has a 'right' to behead half of his subjects if he chooses, if the subjects preserve their 'right' to live. It is the 'right' of brutes. My ideal of government is no government at all.
See also
References
- ^ a b c "Marie Louise AKA Swami Abhayananda - Frank Parlato Jr". Vivekananda.net. 1912-08-10. Archived from the original on 2015-02-22. Retrieved 2015-02-22.
- ISBN 978-0941532570.
- ISBN 9780941532570. Retrieved 2015-02-22.
- ^ "Vedanta in America". Ramakrishnavivekananda.info. Retrieved 2015-02-22.
- ^ "New Discoveries - Swami Abhayananda - Frank Parlato Jr". Vivekananda.net. Retrieved 2015-02-22.
- ^ "Letters written by Swami Vivekananda - Frank Parlato Jr". Vivekananda.net. Retrieved 2015-02-22.
- ^ "Leon Landsberg - Frank Parlato Jr". Frankreport.com. Archived from the original on 2015-09-24. Retrieved 2015-02-22.