Newsletter January 04, 2012

Weekly Classes

Bhagavad Gita class – Dec. 30, Friday

Ch. 12 Verses 14-16: Revealed in the life of a true, committed aspirant are a number of tell-tale signs which indicate spiritual progress.  Several of these indicators were discussed in previous classes, and the topic continues in Chapter 12 verses 14-16.  Devotees of God are contented; a devotee never complains and makes the best of all circumstances.  Holy Mother’s life is full of examples of her contentedness in the face of hardship.  The devotee also continually strives for God realization.  It is easy to make excuses for not doing our spiritual practice, but the true devotee practices with tremendous resolve, because he or she will not be satisfied until the Goal is reached.  Indeed, we cannot succeed in realizing God without this resolve; otherwise we will succumb to the many distractions and temptations in life. The true devotee focuses all attention on God and does not get perturbed by the happenings in the world. He/she is even-tempered.  So many of us, because we are attached to the world, experience depression one moment, elation the next. The devotee does not want to fix the problems of society (knowing this to be impossible), but focuses solely on the perfection and improvement of the self. The devotee has no expectations of others and is therefore never disappointed!   Finally, the true devotee remains un-entangled.  He or she does not take up any endeavor which will create attachments.  This is difficult for many of us who crave constant activity and stimulation.  But we already have enough entanglements in life and should be wary of picking up any more.  When, through spiritual practice, these qualities begin to manifest themselves in our own personalities, we will know ourselves to be on the right track. 

The Task Ahead - Swami Yogatmananda - Jan. 1, Sunday
Especially with the beginning of the New Year, we may be tempted to look back, but, as all spiritual teachers suggest, it is important to look at what we can and should do now and then move ahead. Both successes and failures can be drags on us, in different ways. Successes can make us complacent, and it is easy to forget that our previous successes were just stepping stones to climb further. Failures also can be a drag on us, as they can lead us into a mood of frustration and depression. One key idea is to stay surrendered and to not let the ego dictate our responses to success and failure. When a person feels victorious as an ego, defeat is sure to follow. This important teaching is expressed in a story presented in the Kena Upanishad.  To teach the egotistic devas a lesson, God took the form of a Yaksha, a very splendorous, powerful being.  The Agni (Fire-god) and Vayu (wind God) went one after another to enquire about the Yaksha. Each bragged of his powers, but when asked to demonstrate them, none could do anything at all.  After they both returned, finally, Indra, head of the devas, decided to go talk to the Yaksha, but found that the Yaksha has disappeared.  This led Indra to introspect/contemplate and then Uma, Goddess of the Universe appeared and the through Her grace Indra received the wisdom that all victories belong to God alone. Thus as we experience success and failure, it is best to surrender the fruits of our actions and focus on what we can learn from our experiences. As Swami Vivekananda states, "Each soul is potentially divine."  The task ahead is to manifest this Divinity. 

The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna class – Jan. 03, Tuesday

The Master used to say that the food at Balram’s house was very pure. The purity of food does not depend only on the physical hygiene but also on the purity of mind of the person who is cooking/serving.
Some devotees told Master about the pictures of gods and goddesses in Nanda Bose’s house. Master went to his house with the devotees. He saw large pictures of Vishnu, Rama blessing Hanuman, Krishna with the flute, Vamana- an incarnation of Vishnu, Nrisimha – Half man and half lion. He saw various pictures of Divine Mother hung there depicting the terrible aspects of Mother. Then he saw picture of Radhika – divine consort of Sri Krishna. The picture depicted Radhika (symbol of devotion) to be all powerful and Krishna is her attendant. Then Master saw a picture of Keshab’s Navavidhan. In this picture Sri Ramakrishna was pointing out to Keshab that people of different religions proceed to the same goal by different paths. This idea is very easily accepted in today’s times. But in Sri Ramakrishna’s time it was not acceptable. Followers of each religion and sect thought that only his path is correct and true and others are wrong. Master pointed out different religions may have different rituals and beliefs but they all lead to the same Goal. Master lost consciousness of the external world looking at these pictures.
He repetitively said it is not good to keep the pictures depicting the terrible aspect of God, unless one worships them.
Nanda said “How little we think of God.” This is the fact for us all. Generally we think of God only to satisfy our needs. If the life is smooth sailing nobody has time to think of God. Sri Ramakrishna said “One thinks of God through His Grace.” Liking for God can’t be developed without His Grace. Nanda asked “How can we obtain His Grace? Has He really the power to bestow Grace?”
There were many interesting remarks, comments from audience in the class about ‘Has God power to shower grace?’. The discussion will continue next Tuesday