Swamini Pramananda (affectionately known as Ammaji) is the
Spiritual Leader and Visionary behind the organization, Purna Vidya,
based in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu. At an early age, she studied Advaita
Vedanta (the Non-dual teaching tradition of India) in a gurukulam with
Swami Dayananda Saraswati. This study resulted in Ammaji becoming
a monk and spiritual teacher, sharing the vision of Oneness and
Harmony with seekers around the world for the past 30 years.

As an outgrowth of her spiritual understanding, she began writing the
Vedic Heritage Teaching Programme popularly known as Purna Vidya®.
Purna Vidya books have been translated into a number of languages
and adopted by many educational institutions, as well as communities
and temples worldwide. The series of 24 books provides a comprehen-
sive overview of Vedic wisdom and culture for adults as well as children
- giving everyone a beautiful opportunity to discover and savour the
richness of India’s spiritual heritage.

Ammaji is also a recognized leader in the environmental movement,
and was a featured speaker at the 2009 Global Climate Change Confe-
rence in Copenhagen, Denmark. She was an honoured delegate at the
International Peace Project in Bahrain, the Hindu-Buddhist Conference
in Cambodia, and the Yogi-Sufi dialogue in Kathmandu and Japan. She
has also presented the Hindu/Spiritual perspective of Oneness and the
environmental crisis in New York (USA), Birmingham (UK), Barcelona
(Spain), Toronto (Canada), Abu Dhabi (U.A.E.), and Dubai, (U.A.E.),
Singapore, and Malaysia. In 2011 and 2015, Purna Vidya co-sponsored,
with GPIW (Global Peace Initiative for Women), the Inner Dimensions
of Climate Change Conference for Asian Youth, held in Rishikesh,
Himalayas as well as ‘Awakening the Light of Dharma’ Conference
held in Varanasi respectively.

On Purna Vidya

It is becoming increasingly apparent that an ego-based sense of sepa-
ration is behind the divisiveness occurring around the world. To heal
ourselves and our planet, we need to develop an inclusive ethic that
embraces life in all its forms; across cultures, beliefs and geography.
For this change to happen externally, an internal change of conscious-
ness has to take place. A paradigm shift is required — a shift for which
the greatest tool is spiritual awakening. With a spiritually-based shift in
consciousness, we can recognize that a life of needs and wants can be
transformed into a life of abundance and happiness.

Purna Vidya plays a key role in teaching people how to care for all life
forms and guides them toward the principles of gratitude and reverence
unique to the cultural fabric of India. Through its programs and courses,
Purna Vidya reveals the highest truth known to humans; namely that
“All that is here is Divine and we are all One.”

At Purna Vidya we consider it our sacred duty to preserve and propagate
the Spiritual Wisdom and Cultural Heritage of India, and we appeal to you
to join with us in this Noble Work.

www.purnavidya.org / http://purnavidya.eu

On Vedanta

Vedanta is one of the world’s most ancient religious philosophies and one of its broadest.
Based on the Vedas, the sacred scriptures of India, Vedanta affirms the oneness of existence,
the divinity of the soul, and the harmony of religions. Vedanta is the philosophical foundation
of Hinduism, but while Hinduism includes aspects of Indian culture, Vedanta is universal in its
application and equally relevant to all countries, all cultures, and all religious backgrounds.

Vedanta asserts that the goal of human life is to realize and manifest our divinity. Not only is
this possible, it is inevitable. Since our real nature is divine, God-realization is our birthright.
Sooner or later, we will all manifest our divinity—either in this or in future lives — for the
greatest truth of our existence is our own divine nature.

Thousands of years ago the Rig Veda declared: “Truth is one, sages call it by various names.”
Vedanta affirms that all religions teach prayers, moral ethics, and how to create harmony with
one another as well as what it means to be a true child of God.

On Hinduism

Vedic tradition, which goes by the name Hinduism, has been in existence for thousands of
years and is considered to be the oldest religious tradition in existence. Its literature is vast
and its customs appear to be complex. The land where Hinduism flourished, traditionally called
Bharatavarsa (India), was central to trade and commerce and its ideas influenced thinkers all
over the world.

The inherent strength of a religion and way of life lies in its thought. When one begins to study
Hinduism, it is quite evident that its message is universal. This means that it is applicable to all,
as are the natural laws of physics, chemistry and mathematics. All beings are subject to these
laws, whether or not they accept them.

The vision of the Vedas, the body of knowledge that forms the basis of Hindu thought and its
philosophy of life, is meant to lead one to discover ones’ essential nature as full, without any
sense of limitation. It is this knowledge, and the tradition of teaching, that has allowed
Hinduism to withstand centuries of plunder and remain vital in today’s world.