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ABOUT US
With historic materials dating back to the late 19th Century, beginning
with Swami Vivekananda's stay in Southern California, to the
contributions of such luminaries as Aldous Huxley, Gerald Heard and
Christopher Isherwood—as well as recordings of almost all of the
Ramakrishna Order monks who came to teach in the West during the 20th
Century—Vedanta Archives contains a treasure-trove of pictures,
documents and sound recordings not found anywhere else in the world.
Promoting a Message of Harmony
First introduced to America through the writings of American
Transcendentalists Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau and Walt
Whitman, Vedanta has had considerable influence upon American
philosophical and literary thought. Based on the ancient sacred texts
of India including the Vedas, Upanishads and the Bhagavad Gita, Vedanta
affirms the oneness of existence, the divinity of the soul, and the
harmony of religions. This philosophy has particular poignancy in our
current time of discord between faith traditions—Vedanta has the
potential to help establish better understanding and more peaceful
relations.
The Vedanta Society of Southern California (VSSC) was established as a
non-profit organization in 1930 "to promote harmony between Eastern and
Western thought, and recognition of the truth in all the great
religions of the world." It is one of the western branches of the
Ramakrishna Order of India. The Society maintains centers in Hollywood,
Santa Barbara, San Diego, South Pasadena and Trabuco Canyon. Its
temples and bookshops are open daily; lectures and weekly classes are
offered free of charge to all.
A Priceless Collection of Historic Vedanta Materials
Vedanta Archives is possibly the largest repository in the world of
the accumulated teachings of Vedantists from America, India, and other
countries. Our collection includes an estimated 10,100 1/4"
reel-to-reel tapes, 780 wire recordings, 2,400 acetate discs, 15,000
cassette tapes, 14,400 slides, 1,890 transcriptions, hundreds of
letters and manuscripts and thousands of photographs.
Our acetate discs and wire recordings include well-known writers such
as Aldous Huxley and Christopher Isherwood, key American figures in the
Vedanta movement such as Josephine MacLeod, talks by almost all of the
monks who founded American Vedanta centers, and even radio addresses
from the 1940's by Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Winston Churchill.
Moreover, the speakers in our collection relate firsthand accounts of
their meetings with respected founders of the Ramakrishna Order as well
as famous international dignitaries and scientists of the 20th century
such as Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi, Albert
Einstein and John Archibald Wheeler.
Humble Beginnings
The formal organization of the Archives began ten years ago when we
were given an amazing gift—the legacy of a lifetime of effort by an
humble monk named Swami Krishnananda (George Fitts). George Fitts
joined the Vedanta Society in the early 1940's and quickly became known
for his daily routine of photographing and recording life around him.
When Swami Krishnananda died in 1997, his brother monks began sorting
through his possessions. They discovered hundred of stacked trunks and
boxes containing audio tapes, wire recordings, acetate record albums,
photographs, slides, film, videos, transcriptions and a vast collection
of notes.
Of particular value are the audio recordings that capture our oral
history—recordings of Vedanta monastic and lay members giving
first-hand accounts of their experiences establishing Vedanta centers
in the United States as well as reminiscences of the founders of the
Ramakrishna Order. In addition to Swami Krishnananda's materials, our
collection includes letters, newspapers and photos dating back to 1893,
when Swami Vivekananda began his work in the West at the Chicago
World's Fair, Parliament of Religions.
Swami Krishnananda left a dedicated fund to help establish a permanent
repository for his collection. The Vedanta Society contributed a house
in which the materials could be arranged, catalogued and preserved. In
addition the Archives House serves as a venue for special events,
classes and public exhibitions.
Preserving the Past—Inspiring the Future
We are working to make this remarkable collection known to the
American
public, scholars and spiritual aspirants worldwide. Highly regarded in
academic circles, the Vedanta Society is frequently contacted by
researchers who wish to access records from Vedanta Archives. We are
cataloguing our materials in searchable databases to better respond to
these requests, but the work is time-consuming and we rely on a mostly
volunteer staff to complete the task. Ongoing support is needed to
continue this important mission.
Our Archives website offers searchable catalogues, free audio and video
streaming of the Vedanta Society's Sunday lectures and interactive
Archives exhibits. We hope to link our catalogues to university and
public library networks in the near future.
A priority is to preserve our historic materials based on modern
archival standards. Photographs must be removed from acidic photo
albums, cleaned and transferred to archival folders. Manuscripts are
transferred to buffered archival sleeves. Slides are scanned and tapes
are digitized to facilitate public use without damage to source
materials. Selected audio and video recordings have been digitally
remastered and can be purchased on our website as MP3 downloads or from
Vedanta Catalogue at www.vedanta.com.
In Partnership With the Community
Vedanta Archives has received federal grant funding from the National
Archives/National Historical Publications and Records Commission to
help preserve of our audio collection. Our work is also supported by
generous donations of money and equipment, as well as service from a
team of dedicated volunteers and advisors. We rely on the support of
individuals like these who see the value of our collection—a priceless
record of the history of Vedanta in America.
To volunteer at Vedanta Archives or donate equipment please CONTACT US.
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