Powers of the Mind  (English, Undefined, unknown)

In a speech delivered at Los Angeles, California, Swami Vivekananda explained his thoughts on the Powers of the Mind. This book brings together that speech for followers everywhere in his exact words.

Summary of the Book

January 8, 1900. The crowd at Los Angeles, California had heard much about the person they had come to see. He was the much praised simple monk from India, come to spread the message of Hinduism to the world. When they saw him, they knew that this was the man, the only one who could have addressed a congregation of the finest minds in America as his brothers and sisters. The topic he chose that day was surprisingly relevant to everyone, despite their religious inclinations. The human consciousness, he said, is like a constant reservoir of psychic power. In a large country thinly inhabited, it shows in greater concentration across the population. In a small country densely populated, it is barely noticeable. In his opinion this is what the riches of India used to be, what ancient Hindus professed to have access to. He said that the power of concentration is what differentiates human beings from animals, and that it is this power that we must channel in our work. One of his best remembered speeches, this book will help readers channel their best into their work.

About Swami Vivekananda

Swami Vivekananda was an Indian Hindu monk, public speaker, Vedanta philosopher, Yoga practitioner and the chief disciple of the saint Ramakrishna Paramahamsa. He is best remembered as the founder of the Ramakrishna Mission and the Ramakrishna Math and for his speech at the Parliament of the World's Religions in Chicago in 1893, introducing the West to Hinduism.

Named Narendra Nath Datta at birth by his aristocratic Bengali parents in Calcutta, he is considered a patriotic saint for propagating the message of Vedanta in the west through hundreds of speeches and lectures. His works are still read by millions of followers even today. Some of his other books are: Sangeet Kalpataru, Karma Yoga, Lectures from Colombo to Almora, Raja Yoga and Vedanta Philosophy: An address before the Graduate Philosophical Society.