Newsletter February 08, 2012

Weekly Classes

(All classes given by Swami Yogatmananda, unless otherwise stated.)

Bhagavad Gita class – Feb 03, Friday

Ch. 13 Verse 2: Understanding and verbally acknowledging a set of religious principles is only minor a part of spiritual life. For some, theoretical understanding and intellectual assent may be a first step in spiritual life, but sincere spiritual aspirants must go to the next step of implementing spiritual principles in their everyday lives, making life fully replete with spiritual knowledge and understanding. Then alone will the devotee reap the benefits of spiritual life. In the Gita, one sees how the different faculties of the devotee must be tuned to the central goal of life. Several different types of yoga have already been discussed.  The thirteenth chapter of the Gita discusses the yoga of discernment between the perceiver and what is perceived. Discernment is a central idea in Vedanta. One who desires to know the truth must have the capacity to discern between what is real and what is unreal. Vedanta gives a practical criterion to make this critical distinction: whatever is permanent, unchanging is real; whatever is impermanent, changing, is unreal. Although we have the feeling that the perceiver in one body is different from the perceiver in another body, in fact there is really Only One – God - perceiver in all different bodies. This fact sounds baffling at first, and human intuition doesn’t immediately seem to support it. But if we probe more deeply the truth reveals itself: What is the “I” that is perceiver? Is there a separate perceiver in my hand, my feet, and my nose? Is there a different “I”? Of course we will say no, it is the same “I”.  And where is that “I”? If we attempt locate that “I”, we come to the conclusion that in all pieces of matter there is the one single “I”. Bodies are distinct, but there is one “I” that is perceiving through each different body. We can probe the question further by asking if there is a way to show that the “I” at one location is different than the “I” at another location. The attempt demonstrates that all separating specifications belong to the body or the mind, but not to the “I”. Therefore, the statement that it is God alone who is the indwelling perceiver in all bodies is actually true. There is no multiplicity in “I”. Jesus emphasized this practice when he said, “Love Thy neighbor, as Thyself.” As the devotee cultivates love for the Self, his or perception of the same Self existing in others will grow increasingly, since it is based on the oneness of reality. Great souls have erased the distinction between “I” and the world. The knowledge of the perceived (the field of perception) and the knowledge of the perceiver are both forms of valid knowledge, and both are very important in religious life. Knowledge of the field of perception is generally called science, and knowledge of the Self is considered spirituality.

Sri Ramakrishna and Scientific Attitude by Viswanatha Alagawadi - Feb. 05, Sunday
Many people might not regard Sri Ramakrishna as a scientist, yet Swami Vivekananda credited him as having taught him everything about science.  As Swami Vivekananda put it, the scientific practice of religion is the path of the future on which we can all walk.  A key feature of the science of Vedanta is that All is One. At the Parliament of Religions, Swami Vivekananda stated: "Science is nothing but the finding of unity. . . .  All science is bound to come to this conclusion in the long run." Natural scientists today indeed have reached this same conclusion, for example, through experiments in gene-swapping and stem cell research. As a scientist of the practical religion of Vedanta, Sri Ramakrishna took the view that "If God is, He must be seen." And thus his entire being became a laboratory for finding God.  He then undertook tremendous disciplines to fulfill this quest. His one intent was to see the Divine Mother.  As an incarnation of God, Sri Ramakrishna exemplifies how attaining such a high state of consciousness is possible.  When in the state of Samadhi, his visions would be consistent with events occurring in other places; his experiences transcended the boundaries of time and space.  His documented experiences, as well as those of other great devotees, offer verifiable evidence, a key component of any science, that all those who engage in the same spiritual practices will ultimately reach the same Goal.

The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna class – Feb. 07, Tuesday

Sri Ramakrishna advised Nanda and in fact to all of us to pray earnestly to develop the true love for God. But such earnest prayer does not come out for two reasons. 1. One is not sure if God exists as one has not seen Him. 2. There is not enough yearning for God. We think God is an imaginary entity; but so is this world too. Various ideas like numbers, money, even the understanding of time are abstractions. Our constant dealings and use make these abstractions real. Similarly, God, initially an imaginary concept, will become real through earnest prayers and intense yearnings. A connection is established gradually between a person who prays and to whom s/he prays.
Sri Ramakrishna advised him not to think about after life and such things. The most important thing is to 'eat the mangoes' - to enjoy the bliss of devotion to God.
Nanda asked again about where to find such mangoes and the mango tree. Master answered that God is eternal and infinite. He is the Kalpataru - the wish fulfilling tree. Under this wish fulfilling tree one gets all the four aspirations of life fulfilled. The four aspirations are
1. Dharma - to lead a righteous life.
2. Artha - to earn money
3. Kama - to enjoy the world
4. Moksha - to be liberated.
The first three aspirations are transitory and they result into bondage but the last one liberates from the bondage. A person of true knowledge seeks only the Moksha. That is the goal for all of us. How to reach there gradually transcending Dharma, artha and kama will be discussed in the next class. An interesting question was asked related to the same concept.