The Ramakrishna Mission is a registered society in which monks of Ramakrishna Math and lay devotees cooperate in conducting various types of social service mainly in India. It was founded by Sri Ramakrishna’s chief apostle, Swami Vivekananda (1863-1902), one of the foremost thinkers and religious leaders of the present age, who is regarded as ‘one of the main moulders of the modern world’, in the words of an eminent Western scholar A. L. Basham.
Goals and Objectives: The main goals and objectives of these twin organizations, based on the principles of Practical Vedanta, are:
- To spread the idea of the potential divinity of every being and how to manifest it through every action and thought.
- To spread the idea of harmony of religions based on Sri Ramakrishna’s experience that all religions lead to the realization of the same Reality known by different names in different religions. The Mission honours and reveres the founders of all world religions such as Buddha, Christ and Mohammed.
- To treat all work as worship, and service to man as service to God.
- To make all possible attempts to alleviate human suffering by spreading education, rendering medical service, extending help to villagers through rural development centres, etc.
- To work for the all-round welfare of humanity, especially for the uplift of the poor and the downtrodden.
- To develop harmonious personalities by the combined practice of Jnana, Bhakti, Yoga and Karma.
Ramakrishna Mission’s Imphal Centre was set up in 2015.
