 Logo | |
| Formation | 1951 |
|---|---|
| Founder | Chinmayananda Saraswati |
| Type | Spiritual organization[1] |
| Legal status | Trust |
| Purpose | Spirituality,Vedanta |
| Headquarters | Mumbai,Maharashtra,India |
| Location |
|
Area served | Worldwide |
Headed By | Swami Swaroopananda |
Main organ | Central Chinmaya Mission Trust |
| Website | chinmayamission |
TheChinmaya Mission (Sanskrit:चिन्मया मिशन्) is aHindu religious and spiritual organisation that disseminatesVedanta, the science of the self as described in theVedas, particularly theUpanishads, and other Hindu scriptures such as theBhagavad Gita.[2][3] Followers ofChinmayananda Saraswati established the Chinmaya Mission in India in 1953.[4]
The mission was headed by SwamiTejomayananda and is now headed by Swami Swaroopananda. There are over 313 mission centres all over India and abroad. North America had more than 30 centres.[5] It is currently administered by Central Chinmaya Mission Trust (CCMT) in Mumbai, India, headed by Swami Swaroopananda.[6]
SwamiChinmayananda Saraswati,[7] the founder of Chinmaya Mission, was born in the city ofErnakulam in present-dayKerala, India.[8] Doubting the teachings of the sages in the Himalayas, Balakrishna Menon metSwami Sivananda (Divine Life Society), who taught him in spiritual studies and then placed him under the tutelage of Swami Tapovanam (Tapovan Maharaj), with whom he pursued spiritual studies. He eventually became the teacher known as Swami Chinmayananda.[9]
After Swami Chinmayananda died in 1993, his discipleSwami Tejomayananda (known asPujya Guruji and previously known as "Sudhakarbhai Kaitwadeji") became the global head of Chinmaya Mission. Under Swami Tejomayananda, projects such as the Chinmaya International Foundation and the Chinmaya International Residential School were taken up.
In January 2017, Swami Tejomayananda assigned the headship of Chinmaya Mission Worldwide to Sri Swami Swaroopananda.[10][11]
The following activities are conducted at mission centers on a weekly basis.[citation needed]
Bala Vihar is a program in which children from age five to eighteen meet on a weekly basis to learn about Hindu culture, customs, and philosophy. Bala Vihar is a program that is conducted throughout the world, not just in India, but also in countries such as the United States, UK, and Australia.[12][13] Some centers also have a version called Sishu Vihar, which is meant for children aged 2 to 4.[citation needed]
Chinmaya Yuva Kendra, known as CHYK, is the global youth arm of the Chinmaya Mission. It is meant for youth aged 18–30 and its motto is "Harnessing Youth Potential through Dynamic Spirituality".[14] CHYK conducts many camps and sessions throughout the world. CHYK West is a similar organisation that operates in North America.[citation needed]
Chinmaya Mission undertakes activities of Rural Development via its wingChinmaya Organisation for Rural Development (CORD)
Chinmaya Mission, Sikkim Centre has established CHINMAYA SMRITI VANAM at Bulbuley, Gangtok, Sikkim, India, in 1995 and have planted till now more than 10,000 trees sapling most of which have grown now into full trees.
The Chinmaya Mission is active in the whole of India as well as in many communities in Australia, England, New Zealand, Nigeria,[16] South Africa, the United States and other countries.
