Swami Vivekananda's Cottage in the Thousand Islands Park on Wellesley Island in the Thousand Islands will be open until July 27th this year. The cottage itself will be open those days from 10AM to 12 Noon and from 4PM to 6PM. You can certainly walk the grounds when the cottage is not open. The worrisome thing is that it seems that the visit time is being reduced each year. Years ago they used to have a lovely satsang--chanting and singing followed by a group meditation.
The room upstairs where the Swami stayed while he was there for 8 weeks in 1895 (he lectured and taught on Vedanta) has a powerful vortex; one that put me instantly in the balcony a few years ago. Very, very strong. You definitely need to meditate in the room--the vortex is located in the center of the room.
The house and the immediate area rests on Fields of Consciousness. There is another vortex in the rocks behind the house. Meditating on the rocks in front of, or behind the house would be a good thing to do.
Make sure to visit the rock/tree in the back (it is a short 5 minute walk) where Swami Vivekananda achieved the highest state of Samadhi. It said that on his last day August 7, 1895 at the Thousand Islands the Swami went into the back woods to meditate and froze solid in meditation and remained oblivious to torrential rain and is said to have achieved nirvikalpa Samadhi. (Page 104)
“He had a unique experience of inner freedom at the Thousand Islands Park which he expressed eloquently in his poem “The Song of Sannyasin”. He wrote from there to a friend:
“I am free, my bonds are cut, what do I care whether this body goes or does not go? I have a truth to teach—I am a child of God. And He that gave me truth will send me fellow workers from the earth’s bravest and best.” Page 105-106
Source Vivekananda a Biography (1953)
The tree has since died, but a new one has been planted and a memorial erected. It is a short walk to the back.
The Swami from the NYC Ramakrishna Vivekananda Center will teaching a program in spirituality beginning Wednesday July 27 in the evening and ending Saturday at noon.
Make sure to call before visiting to check to verify it is open, (315) 482-2189
VIVEKANANDA COTTAGE
P.O. BOX 1084
THOUSAND ISLAND PARK, N.Y. 13692
Telephone: (315) 482-3031
My book Sacred Sites in North Star Country: Places in Greater New York State (PA,OH,NJ,CT,MA,VT,ONT) That Changed the World has wonderful writeup with other suggested places to visit on Pages 241-257, the cottage is on pages 242-249.
Here are some helpful links.
Vivekananda's speech to the Worlds Religion that catapulted him to fame. I never noticed it before that he begins Sisters and Brothers and not Brothers and Sisters. BRAVO!
The preceding is an old post that I put out each year.
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