Ramakrishna Ashrama Nepal is a spiritual and philanthropic organisation, registered under Society Registration Act 2034 BS of Nepal (Registration No. 385 dated 12.06.2068 BS, English date: 29.09.2011). It is affiliated to Ramakrishna Math and Mission, having its headquarters at Belur Math, Howrah, West Bengal, India.
Ramakrishna Math is a monastic order for men brought into existence by Sri Ramakrishna (1836-1886), the great 19th century saint of Bengal who is regarded as the Prophet of the Modern Age. Ramakrishna Mission is a registered society in which monks of Ramakrishna Math and lay devotees co-operate in conducting various types of social service mainly in India. It was founded by Sri Ramakrishna’s chief disciple and religious leader, Swami Vivekananda (1863-1902), who is regarded as ‘one of the main moulders of the modern world’, in the words of an eminent Western scholar.
These twin organizations have set in motion a non-sectarian, universal spiritual movement which has been silently working for more than a hundred years to catalyze the spiritual regeneration of humanity. The chief catalyst in this ongoing transformation is India’s ancient religious philosophy known as Vedanta. Although several other systems of philosophy arose in India at different times, they were confined to small groups. Vedanta alone has remained the dominant philosophy of India’s religious tradition from Vedic times to the present day. In modern times this ancient system of thought has been purified, unified and energized by Sri Ramakrishna, and expounded in the modern idiom by Swami Vivekananda, and made available to all people all over the world without any distinctions of caste, creed or race.
Although rooted in the three-thousand-year-old monastic tradition of India, and forming a part of the Ten orders (dashanami) established by Shankaracharya In the 8th century a.d., the Ramakrishna Order represents a new pattern of monastic life which combines some of the best elements of the monastic traditions of the East and the West. One of the main features of this new pattern of monastic life is the emphasis on service. All monks of the Ramakrishna Order when they are ordained as Brahmacharini(novices) take, apart from the vows of chastity and poverty, a vow of service to the poor, the sick and the ignorant. The Ramakrishna Math centres are meant not only for the dwelling of monks but also for service to society. Another feature of this new pattern of monastic life is its modern and universal outlook. The emphasis is on inner purity and detachment rather than on outer show. The monks wear tailored garments, live in houses with modern amenities and use modern modes of communication and travel. Ramakrishna Math admits into its monastic fold not only people belonging to different castes of Hinduism but also people belonging to other religions. Not just Indians from various regions speaking different languages but also people of other nationalities- all live together in peace in Ramakrishna monasteries like children of the same parents. Thirdly, the life of the monks, both individual and collective, is governed by definite rules and regulations originally framed by Swami Vivekananda.
