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If you have questions regarding spiritual life, Vedanta, Hinduism etc, you can email us at answers ATvedantaprov.org
Newsletter December 11, 2013
Upcoming Events
Swami speaks at Bristol Community College, New Bedford-Thurs. Dec.12
Swami will talk about ‘care-giving, dying & death’ at a New Bedford High School on Thursday morning.
Swami Travels – Sat. Dec. 14 till Wed Dec 18
Swami Yogatmananda will travel to Puerto Rico early Saturday morning to deliver talks and return via Florida, on Wednesday, Dec. 18.
Long Meditation Session – Sat. Dec. 14
This coming Saturday, Dec. 14th will be the third 'Long Meditation Session' in the chapel from 12 noon (sharp) until 8:00PM, following the 11am-12noon guided meditation. People wanting to participate must come before 12:00 noon, when the entry will be closed. For evening Aarati, doors will open at 6:30PM.
Check out our blog for this entry: Spiritual Rewards in Everyday Life. A new post on the Vedanta Society of Providence blog addresses this question: http://vedantaprovidence.blogspot.com/
Weekly Programs (in addition to Daily Programs given below)
| Friday, Dec. 13 |
7:00 PM: Aarati (devotional music) & meditation 7:30 – 8:30 PM: Vedanta Study Class on ‘Karma Yoga’ by Swami Vivekananda |
| Saturday, Dec. 14 | 8:30 – 10:30 AM: Karma yoga/cleaning 12noon - 7:00PM: LONG MEDITATION SESSION (must be in bldg by 12noon when doors are locked) doors open at 6:30pm for Aarati-open to all |
| Sunday, Dec. 15 |
10:00-11:00 AM: Walk in Hatha Yoga Class |
| Tuesday, Dec. 17 |
7:00 PM: Aarati (devotional music) & meditation 7:30 – 8:30 PM: study class on The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna, Ch. 45, pg 870 |
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, Vol. 3 7:00 – 7:25AM – A short ritual worship/Puja. Open to all. |
| Evening : | 7:00 – 7:15 PM: Aarti (devotional music), with a short reading from ‘SRI SARADA DEVI: the GREAT WONDER’ 7:15 – 8:00 PM: Meditation |
Past Events
Interfaith - Thursday Dec. 05
Swami Yogatmananda, a devotee anda bout fourteen other church clergy/various church congregation representatives attended the monthly ‘Attleboro-based’ interfaith meeting, this month held at First Church of Christ, Scientist, Attleboro MA, with speaker, Tom McElroy, talking about this faith tradition, followed by Q&A.
Day-long Spiritual Retreat - Sat. Dec. 07, 9:30AM - 7:00PM
Swami Kripamayananda, head of the Vedanta Society of Toronto, Canada, was the main teacher for the retreat. He began the discussion on ‘Towards The Goal Supreme’ after giving a guided-meditation session. In first lecture, he explained that “Towards the Goal Supreme” (Original Bengali ‘Paramartha-Prasanga)is a collection of instruction given by Swami Virajananda, the 6th President of the Ramakrishna Order to earnest spiritual seekers. We think of goal for every action; so also must think of the ultimate goal of life and should get rid of all fear about it. We must have the conviction that we will be able to realize the ultimate goal – which, as Sri Ramakrishna says, is God-realization. He stressed the need of Guru who can guide us towards the goal. One also needs to cultivate humility to be able to absorb the teachings. He also elaborated on the signs of Guru and of the disciple. Swami Kripamayananda read and explained various passages from the book in the two discourses and answered a few questions. There was a devotional-music session and also a group discussion session. Devotees were divided into 6 groups and ideas discussed in each group were presented later by a participant from that group. Then Kripamayananda and Yogatmananda answered many questions arising from the group-discussion. About 45 attended.
Bhagavad Gita class at Middletown, CT – Sun. Dec. 08
Swami Yogatmananda conducted the monthly Bhagavad Gita (Ch.14 cont.) at Sri Satyanarayana Temple (10 Training Hill Rd, (Middletown, CT) from 10:30-11:30 AM. About twenty devotees attended.
Salutations! - Wed. Dec. 11
The birth anniversary of Swami Premananda, a direct disciple of Shri Ramakrishna was observed with a morning chant, an evening song, a biography reading and prasad.
Synopses of Last Week's Classes
(All classes given by Swami Yogatmananda, unless otherwise stated)
KARMA YOGA (based on the book by Swami Vivekananda) class - Dec. 06, Friday
Commonly we see people working with attachment; it surely brings misery. We look for our rights and justice; but these ideas are relative and are often governed by the principle ‘might is right’. But sooner or later it leads to misery. To be good, we have to be merciful. How then should we be working? All thought of obtaining a return for the work that we do hinders our spiritual progress. We all desire to progress spiritually, so we must stop seeking returns for the work that we do. The question comes, “How are we going to do our work if we are not expecting a return?” Does the return we obtain from our work depend on how much we think about that return? Worrying does not increase the results we get. Do the work and the results will take care of themselves. What we get out of work done in this manner, is that we remain free. What we miss is the suffering. If we do work to get something out of it, it hinders spiritual progress and brings suffering. If we have the idea of a personal God, we can perform our work as worship. What makes work worship? The particular attitude, the particular connection, the feeling of surrender that is associated in those works--that makes those works worship. Now put that feeling in everything that is being done. Whatever we are doing, put that feeling in the work and the work will become worship. Therefore, everybody can do worship, and since we are working all the time each of us can do worship all the time. What it takes is to put that awareness in it. When work becomes worship, everything becomes sacrificed. To become totally unselfish is real sacrifice. Ridding ourselves of the feeling, “let me keep something for myself,” our work will be the path that leads to our spiritual realization!
‘No One is a Stranger' – Dec 08, Sunday
The Holy Mother, Sri Sarada Devi, was the consort of Sri Ramakrishna. Her life was a manifestation of her teaching that ‘no one is a stranger’. We have a fear of the unknown, which leads us to cling to the pain that we know. Spiritual life requires that we explore the unknown, and it requires courage of conviction that, as the Self is same in all, no one is really stranger. Moving on with this courage, leads us to find the same Self in everyone. The awareness of the same Self in everyone needs to be cultivated, and this requires sustained effort. We can cultivate this awareness through holy company and through trying to feel that no one in our surroundings is a stranger. The Holy Mother felt the oneness of all life, so she saw all as her children. The Holy Mother’s last statement before she died was: "But I tell you one thing—if you want peace of mind, do not find fault with others. Rather see your own faults. Learn to make the whole world your own. No one is a stranger my child: this whole world is your own!"
The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna class - Dec. 10, Tuesday
Sri Ramakrishna used to go into Samadhi frequently. It is very unusual for someone to go into Samadhi and come out of it. Human body/nervous system cannot withstand the intensity of this experience and is incapable of living after it. But, world teachers like Sri Ramakrishna come down from Samadhi to teach us about the Reality. Armed with the experiences, Sri Ramakrishna explains that God is the only Reality – like a magician in a magic show. This whole world is a magic and exists only as long as the show is going on. He says that our Self is identical with this Reality and is distinct from our body. Once we recognize that we are not the body, a lot of associated problems go away – like those of age, gender, health etc. In order for us to realize that we are not the body, the first step is to eliminate lust and greed. When we think we are a body, we also feel the need for another body – this is how lust functions. We want to grab other things and make them a part of the body – e.g. eating chocolates. Repeated grabbing of external things and consuming them does not satisfy us. Instead of thinking that we are getting the wrong thing we want more of it - this is greed. The more we try to satisfy our cravings the intense they become – this is like pouring fuel into the fire.