Our Centre
The Ashrama
Welcome! The Ramakrishna Vedanta Centre of Rio de Janeiro is a legally registered non-profit institution, affiliated with the Ramakrishna Order of India, dedicated to the study, practice and spread of the philosophy of Vedanta as taught by Sri Ramakrishna and Swami Vivekananda.
Motivation
Our aims and ideals are purely spiritual and humanitarian, and can be summed up in two words proclaimed by Vivekananda: "Renunciation and service."
Human values
Spirit of service
We seek to serve people in the awareness that all are essentially divine. Ultimately we all come from the same source and are manifestations of the Supreme Spirit, the Soul of all souls, the giver of all life. We are One.
Welcome and inclusion
In every Centre affiliated with the Ramakrishna Order, a spirit of family and friendship is cultivated quite naturally. Everyone is warmly welcomed, whatever their background or beliefs. We are proud to be known for our welcoming, inclusive atmosphere and for our respect and appreciation of differences. For us, mere tolerance is already a thing of the past.
Oneness
We recognise that behind all the diversity and apparent contradictions of the world there is a greater underlying Unity that gives meaning and direction to everything. We are all one.
Harmony
We always seek harmony among people, beliefs, ideas and ideals. Dialogue is a healthy, challenging practice that brings great contentment.
Location
The Ashrama is in Santa Teresa, a historic hillside neighbourhood in central Rio de Janeiro, in a spacious house at Rua Paula Matos 162. Its façade is protected as part of the city's cultural heritage.
President
On arriving in Rio de Janeiro in 2021, Swami Atmajnananda took up residence at our Santa Teresa ashrama and became president of the Centre, which thus became a full Centre, independent of the Ramakrishna Ashrama in São Paulo. A full Centre is a branch of the Ramakrishna Order.
First monk president
Under the inspiring, firm and loving leadership of Swami Nirmalatmananda, and as a sub-centre of the Ramakrishna Vedanta Ashrama of São Paulo, our Centre has carried on uninterrupted work: helping seekers of the deeper knowledge of the human soul to learn and live together in a healthy way, fostering dialogue among many fields of knowledge and beliefs, supporting families in need, and offering devotional music, meditation and worship. Swami Nirmalatmananda guided the Centre from 1999 to 2021, when he prepared it to become an independent Centre with a resident Swami.
This place
This place is so important. How beautiful this place is! So many good things happen here. Being together like this is wonderful, so important. Life may be hard, but being together makes everything easier!
~ Helenita de Sá Earp, aged 92, shortly before her passing ~
A dream fulfilled through the approval of the Ramakrishna Order
Swami! I dream of seeing something concrete achieved for Vedanta in Rio de Janeiro: a resident monk helping the aspirants here with the strength of his constant presence. That would be wonderful, and I am ready to give what I have to make this dream come true!
~ Cordélia de Jesus ~
On 5 December 2021, Shanti's dream came true with the approval of a resident Swami for our Santa Teresa ashrama. For many years the group met in her flat in the Laranjeiras neighbourhood. Thanks to her generosity it became possible to buy the building of our headquarters, inaugurated in 2002 by the then General Secretary of the Ramakrishna Order, Swami Smaranananda.
The Marvellous City
Rio de Janeiro is known as the Marvellous City for the countless natural wonders with which God has blessed it: beaches of paradise blue, crystal-clear waterfalls, green mountains splashed with the many colours of flowering ipê trees, and, beating at its heart, the largest urban forest in the world, with lush flora and fauna stretching across the Atlantic Forest. Rio, as we fondly call it, was once the country's capital and is considered one of the most charming cities in the world for its unique blend of nature and culture.
Home to one of the New Seven Wonders of the World, Christ the Redeemer, it receives millions of tourists every year and hosts one of the largest celebrations on the planet: New Year's Eve on Copacabana beach, which draws around 3 million people in a single night. The city has about 8 million inhabitants and is the capital of the state of the same name. Called the Mecca of world football, the city offers every attraction in concentrated form, able to delight anyone on earth and in heaven. A cultural capital with innovative music, art and literature, it has a special flavour for every taste.
A brief history of Vedanta in Rio de Janeiro
The Ramakrishna Vedanta movement in Rio de Janeiro began in 1957, when Swami Vijoyananda, a disciple of Swami Brahmananda, was invited by a group of interested people to give some lectures in our Marvellous City. Swami Vijoyananda lived in Buenos Aires and visited Brazil every year for about a month, dividing his time between Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo. A private Vedanta study group was then formed, whose members are known today as "the Pioneers".
Besides the Vedanta studies led and guided by the Swami, the group also carried out social service for families in need. Between 1960 and 1970 this small group built an ashrama on a beautiful country property in the Jacarepaguá district, with a temple, meeting hall and residential rooms. The place was visited by Swami Ritajananda, head of the Paris ashrama.
After the Swami's death in 1973, the Ramakrishna Order appointed Swami Paratparananda as his successor. A split followed, as a group of devotees led by Mr Delphin, who regarded himself as the natural leader of Vedanta in Rio de Janeiro, opposed the appointment. The members who remained faithful to the wonderful work of the Ramakrishna Order withdrew, leaving behind the beautiful property they had helped to build, ready to start again with great enthusiasm and energy.
Mrs Cordélia de Jesus offered her flat in the Laranjeiras neighbourhood so that the group could meet. At that time Swami Paratparananda visited the group every year for a few days. For years on end, that small flat received visits from great monks and nuns who stayed from a few days to whole weeks in our city, lifting our spirits and reviving the spirit of Vedanta in Rio.
The work of Swami Nirmalatmananda in Brazil
In March 1999, the group of devotees in São Paulo received its first resident monk, Swami Nirmalatmananda, who has led the Vedanta movement throughout Brazil. Since 1999 the Swami has regularly visited the group in Rio, at first staying in a small one-room flat where he gave interviews to aspirants. He also gave talks and conducted the arati ceremony in Mrs Cordélia de Jesus's flat. As the number of devotees gradually grew, a larger place was needed. The one-room flat and Mrs Cordélia's own flat were then donated and sold, and the present ashrama premises were purchased. The Swami has worked tirelessly across Brazil, spreading the message of Vedanta to countless people, guiding and inspiring them.
The Ashrama building
Our house was built in 1865 (in the lifetime of Sri Ramakrishna) and is protected as part of the historic heritage of the City of Rio de Janeiro. It has a built area of about 5,300 sq ft (about 490 m²), a small garden on either side and parking for 6 cars at the back. In the garden stands a beautiful bel tree (Aegle marmelos), grown from a sapling of the tree planted by Swami Vivekananda himself at Belur Math. The Centre has a lecture hall seating about 80 people, a temple seating 50, a small dining room, kitchen, office, pantry, 4 bathrooms and three bedrooms, one with its own bathroom.
The group is vibrant and full of life, with a wonderful music group, the Gadai Group, which sings the arati hymns, some bhajans and other devotional music. New people eager to learn about Vedanta arrive every year. In 2006 the group became an official sub-centre of the São Paulo Centre.
Legal constitution and accounts
We are a legally registered non-profit institution affiliated with the Ramakrishna Order of India. Our statutes have well-defined rules: annual general meetings, periodic election of officers, presentation of accounts and so on. Our annual accounts are audited, and the balance sheet is prepared and presented to the members and to the government.
Our activities
Whenever the Swami is at the Centre, the ashrama comes alive. Public talks at weekends draw an average of 60 to 80 people. Every Sunday there is a study meeting followed by arati and meditation. On Mondays, before arati, we chant the Shiva Mahimnah Stotram. Even on weeknights, satsangas attract a good number of members and newcomers. Personal interviews and relaxed conversations at the dinner table give the ashrama a very special atmosphere. A small-scale social programme is also carried out. When the Swami is away, the group meets two days a week. Our music group, the Gadai Group, is one of the best and keeps everything lively and fresh.
So many good things happen here
Satsanga, talks and study
Public talks on specific themes are held on Saturdays and Sundays, preceded by devotional singing by the Gadai Group. Classes on the sacred texts take place once a week, followed by the arati ceremony and meditation. Satsanga and question-and-answer sessions are held on special occasions. Arati, meditation and short readings are part of the regular programme. Everyone is welcome.
Spiritual counselling
The Swami gives personal interviews to earnest seekers looking for spiritual guidance, normally by prior appointment. Seekers are expected to be familiar with some basic ideas of the Ramakrishna-Vivekananda Vedanta literature, through taking part in the ashrama's activities.
Meditation and arati
The regular arati (evening worship service), followed by devotional singing and meditation, is held in the temple. Everyone is welcome to take part. A small bookshop and a library are kept for the benefit of all devotees.
Devotional music
The Gadai Group was formed in 2002 to train and lead devotional singing in the temple and at all public events. Many young devotees have taken up this practice. The group performs Vedic hymns, songs in Portuguese and many more in Sanskrit, including traditional songs of the Ramakrishna Order.
Encounters with knowledge
Vedanta encourages dialogue on interfaith topics, science, the arts, spirituality, self-development and psychology. Experts in these fields are invited to share their ideas and points of view. These events are held from time to time.
Volunteer service
The practice of karma yoga is encouraged through volunteer service: shrine care, gardening, kitchen service, general cleaning, office support, audio and video systems, and accounting. Volunteering helps reduce the overall cost of running the ashrama. You are most welcome to join in!
Things don't happen by themselves. You are the one who makes them happen.
There is a vast literature on Vedanta
In English, the Advaita Ashrama bookshop in India offers the Ramakrishna Order's publications. In Portuguese, Editora Vedanta works to translate major Vedanta titles, which are still few in our language.