The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda/Volume 8/Epistles - Fourth Series/LVII Friend
LVII
80 OAKLEY ST., CHELSEA,
31st October, 1895 (5 p.m.).
DEAR FRIEND (Mr. E. T. Sturdy),
Just now two young gentlemen, Mr. Silverlock and his friend, left. Miss Müller also came this afternoon and left just when these gentlemen came in.
One is an Engineer and the other is in the grain trade. They have read a
good deal of modern philosophy and science and have been much struck by the
similarity with the latest conclusions of both with the ancient Hindu
thought. They are very fine, intelligent, and educated men. One has given up
the Church, the other asked me whether he should or not. Now, two things
struck me after this interview. First, we must hurry the book through. We
will touch a class thereby who are philosophically religious without the
least mystery-mongering. Second, both of them want to know the rituals of my
creed! This opened my eyes. The world in general must have some form. In
fact, in the ordinary sense religion is philosophy concretised through
rituals and symbols.
It is absolutely necessary to form some ritual and have a Church. That is to
say, we must fix on some ritual as fast as we can. If you can come Saturday
morning or sooner, we shall go to the Asiatic Society library or you can
procure for me a book which is called Hemâdri Kosha, from which we can get
what we want, and kindly bring the Upanishads. We will fix something grand,
from birth to death of a man. A mere loose system of philosophy gets no hold
on mankind.
If we can get it through, before we have finished the classes, and publish
it by publicly holding a service or two under it, it will go on. They want
to form a congregation, and they want ritual; that is one of the causes why
— will never have a hold on Western people.
The Ethical Society has sent me another letter thanking me for the acceptance of this offer. Also a copy of their forms. They want me to bring with me a book from which to read for ten minutes. Will you bring the Gita (translation) and the Buddhist Jâtaka (translation) with you?
I would not do anything in this matter without seeing you first.
Yours with love and blessings,
VIVEKANANDA.