At the present time, as I sec it, we're facing a rather complicated problem, the

problem of reconciling our various views on how the Universe is put together. The

scientists have some views, and the religionist's (the mystics) have some views, and

they don't see eye to eye. But since there's only one Universe, it follows that if the

scientists are right, and if the mystics are also right, we need only a translator.

But before we can solve that problem we need to reconcile the various views of

the scientists and the various views of the religionists. The scientists need a translator

between quantum mechanics and relativity theory, and they're working on that, and the

religionist need a translator between the Christians, the Muslims, the Buddhists and the

rest, and Swami Vivekananda worked on that.

His problem was to separate the essence of religion, which is spirituality, from

the vast overlay of superstition and local custom. That was his job. And Swami

Brahmavidyananda's problem was to separate from the vast collection of Swami

Vivekananda's writings and lectures those which bear on that particular problem. That

was his job, and we owe him for that.