Newsletter January 09, 2013

 

Newsletter Archives

 

Upcoming Events

 

Swami's travel to Florida - Saturday, Jan. 12
Swami Yogatmananda will be participating in an interfaith panel and delivering the Sunday Service lecture at the Vedanta Society, St Petersburg Florida, on Saturday, Jan. 12 and Sunday, Jan. 13. Swami will return to Providence (mid-day) on Monday, Jan 14.

 

Vedanta Society Blog

The new blog of Vedanta Society has generated considerable interest through blog-posts and comments. All are invited to post and comment on this blog. Please read here the rules and regulations for this blog.

 

Check out some new Sunday lectures (from November & December, 2012 - Audio & Video), uploaded here.

 

Weekly Programs

Friday, Jan. 11	7:00 PM: Aarati (devotional music) & meditation 7:30 – 8:30 PM: Study class on Bhagavad Gita, Ch. 16
Saturday, Jan. 12	8:30 – 10:30 AM: Karma Yoga/cleaning 11:00am – 12 noon: Guided Meditation and singing 7:00 – 7:15 PM: Aarati (devotional singing), a short reading from Sri Sarada Devi The Great Wonder 7:15 – 8:15 PM: Meditation
Sunday, Jan. 13	5:00 – 6:00 PM: Vedanta on Demand by Chester Boncek 7:00 – 7:15 PM: Aarti (devotional music), with a short reading from Swami Chetanananda's book: ‘Mahendra Nath Gupta ‘M’' 7:15 – 8:15 PM: Meditation
Tuesday, Jan. 15	7:00 PM: Aarati (devotional music) & meditation 7:30 – 8:30 PM: Study class on The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna - Ch. 44, p. 845

 

Daily Programs

Morning :	5:45 – 6:45 AM: Meditation 6:45 – 7:00 AM: Chanting followed by a short reading from The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda
Evening :	7:00 – 7:15 PM: Aarti (devotional music), with a short reading from Swami Chetanananda's book: ‘Mahendra Nath Gupta ‘M’' 7:15 – 8:15 PM: Meditation

 

Past Events

 

Interfaith Group – Thursday, Jan. 03

Swami Yogatmananda, a devotee and fourteen church leaders/congregation members participated in the monthly ‘Attleboro-based’ interfaith group, this month conducted for the first time at Centenary United Methodist Church, Attleboro MA, hosted by Rev. Lehlohonolo Montjane, to discuss: ‘How do we understand, explain and comfort people in times of tragic events like what took place in CT (shooting in a school)? What can we do as a group, if anything, to help prevent future tragedies?’

 

Sri Sarada Devi Birth Anniversary - Sunday, Jan. 06

The full day program of Sri Sarada Devi's birth anniversary celebration beginning at 11:00 AM with puja/worship for Sarada Devi (ritual worship, food & flower offerings, a short reading on Holy Mother, Aarati and devotional songs - attended by 65 devotees); the afternoon's video on Holy Mother Sarada: life & teachings and the music-hour (each attended by about 35 devotees); the three-speaker symposium at 5:00 PM followed by the chanting of Sri Sarada Sankirtanam and dinner (prasad, attended by about 55 devotees).

 

Salutations! – Tuesday, Jan. 08

The birth anniversary of Swami Shivananda, a direct disciple of Sri Ramakrishna, was observed with a morning chant, and in the evening with a song, reading of his biography and partaking of prasad.

 

Students visit Vedanta Society – Tuesday, Jan. 08

From 9:45 AM–12 noon on Tuesday, Jan. 08, Swami Yogatmananda briefly: explained about the chapel/arrangements, Ramakrishna, Sarada Devi, Vivekananda, basic Hinduism and Vedanta; conducted a short guided meditation; and answered several questions for a group of 28 high school students and two teachers from E. O. Smith High School, Storrs CT.

 

Click here to see photos.

 

Synopses of Last Week's Classes

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

 

Bhagavad Gita – Friday, Jan. 04

Ch. 16, Verses 6-16: In the 16th chapter, Sri Krishna describes both the good and evil tendencies residing in the human heart so that the spiritual aspirant can cultivate the virtues necessary to lead a spiritual life. The process of spiritual life can be likened to gardening. We must plant the seeds of virtues, and nurture and cultivate them with dedicated effort. As in any garden, weeds will also sprout of their own accord, risking the health of the plants we’ve intended to grow. Our job as spiritual aspirants is to cultivate the virtuous tendencies and to eliminate the demonic ones. This is very important for practical spiritual growth. If we do not do this, we may intellectually grasp the whole process of realization, but we will not be able to achieve it. In verses six through sixteen, Sri Krishna outlines the demonic tendencies so that we may identify them and “uproot” them from our gardens. Confusion of values, lack of truthfulness, impurity of intent and impurity of action, lust and anger, desires, and egotism are vices that impede our spiritual progress, weeds that threaten to strangle the virtues we hope to grow. If the demonic tendencies are not eliminated, the person will be overpowered by delusion. Sri Krishna’s description of demonic tendencies is a for introspection/pondering over. It is for our own benefit, so that we can stand up against them. We must remember that we possess the divine qualities too. With their proper cultivation, we will achieve realization.   

 

Symposium on Sri Sarada Devi – Sunday, Jan. 06

Sarah Phat: The Holy Mother was inseparable from Sri Ramakrishna like heat is inseparable from a flame. Since the Holy Mother’s samadhi was not as apparent as Sri Ramakrishna’s, people could approach her more readily. The Holy Mother served Sri Ramakrishna during his lifetime, and then she served her relatives and Sri Ramakrishna’s devotees. Sri Ramakrishna called her his Shakti. Although Sri Ramakrishna initiated only a few people, the Holy Mother initiated nearly everyone who asked, irrespective of race, religion or caste.

Pamela Dee: The mother is all to the baby. We then come to find out we are children of God. Just like people may think a diamond is an ordinary stone, many people did not see the true import of Sri Sarada Devi, who was the universal Mother. I invoke the Holy Mother when my work becomes overwhelming. Sri Sarada Devi taught how to serve the poor and downtrodden even if they are angry and unappreciative. No intellectual achievement is needed to relate to the mother, which is the closest, purest, and sweetest relationship. Sri Sarada Devi is with us right now, so all we have to do is call on her.

Alagavadi Viswanatha: Swami Sarvagatananda was influential in increasing my knowledge of and devotion to the Holy Trio: Sri Ramakrishna-Holy Mother-Swami Vivekananda. Holy Mother is the real power behind the Ramakrishna movement. The direct disciples of Sri Ramakrishna told: ‘The poison that we cannot digest, we give to the Mother.’ While the Holy Mother swept the floor, husked paddy, and cleaned the leavings of devotees, at the same time she led a life of prayer, meditation, japa, and communion with God. In Swami Sarvagatananda’s last days, he asked, “Do you see her?” And he indicated that he was not talking about her picture on the wall, but that he actually saw the Holy Mother.

Swami Yogatmananda: Service is not just an action, but is work done with an attitude of love and connectedness. The compassionate Mother is always with us, and serves universally. We can only understand the scriptures through the lives of the saints. The Holy Mother grows in the eyes of devotees as they develop deeper insight into her glory. May she make our lives meaningful and purposeful.

 

The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna – Tuesday, Jan. 08

Sri Ramakrishna was in the blissful state enjoying the company of devotees. His happiness came from His union with God and was not dependent on any external factors. Bliss, which is our true nature, was completely manifested in His life and He was distributing that unconditionally to all the genuine seekers. During the course of His conversations with the devotees, Master remarked that man should possess dignity and alertness. The dignity is a result of spiritual awakening in human being. Otherwise there is no difference in human and animal lives as both are governed by mere instincts. The specialty of human life is that he has the awakening to apply discrimination. Human beings have the capacity to control the instincts and come out of the slavery of sense organs. If one fails to use this rare and special capacity, then the human life is vain. To achieve more and more of this dignity, Master has prescribed practicing truthfulness in this modern age - Kaliyuga. As per the Puranas - the secondary scriptures, there were different ages and there was a predominant characteristic of each of them. In Kaliyuga, the sense of right and wrong itself is obliterated. There is no distinction between right and wrong. The instincts and tendencies are constantly pulling us down to fulfill the desires. The temptation to tell lies or to leave the path of Truth is very high. Hence Master said, in such circumstances it will be an austerity to stick to the path of Truth by controlling the instincts and desires. Master asked his Doctor to cure Him. He said that the physician is Narayana Himself. As per the story of Elephant Narayana and Mahut Narayana, it is correct that Narayana is in everyone but one must listen to the Mahut Narayana - who has the authority.