Newsletter April 18, 2012

Weekly Classes

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

Bhagavad Gita class – April 13, Friday

Ch. 13 Verses 25-30:

As we dive deeper into spirituality, we see that the soul transcends the body and mind.  That soul, or Self, though reflected in different bodies, is One.  In this chapter, Sri Krishna impresses upon us that the Self of all is God; therefore, each soul is divine.  Swami Vivekananda used to say that, "Each soul is potentially divine;" due to ignorance, we do not immediately see our intrinsic divinity.  Instead, we see ourselves as the "little self," subject to birth and death.  If we are able to cultivate the knowledge that we are not the body but the divine Self, we will be free from the cycle of birth and death.  This is liberation.
The means to acquiring this liberating knowledge differs according to an individual's constitution.  Even though spiritual aspirants may be striving toward the same goal, they will not necessarily travel along the same path.  Meditation, discernment, devotion, and selfless action are among the suitable paths.  The path of meditation requires not only that one sits for meditation regularly; a meditative temperament must infuse all aspects of the aspirant's life.  The path of discernment is effective for others who, through discrimination, realize that the "little self" is unreal and thus loose interest in the body and mind.  On the path of devotion, an aspirant's love is directed toward God, who is the source of all love, and attachment to names and forms (ourselves, others around us) drops away.  Those who practice the path of action work for the good of others rather than for the sake of the body and thereby loose their attachment to the little "I."  A spiritual aspirant may achieve this liberating knowledge through study of the scriptures and guidance of a teacher, while another may come by it more intuitively; both modes are equally good and will lead to one's liberation.  As spiritual seekers we should strive see the oneness of all beings in the world around us.  Sri Krishna assures us that everything in the universe, without exception, is a mixture of the Seer (subject, or God) and the seen (object).  If we incorporate this truth into our lives, we will never be able to pass judgment on others, knowing each being to be Divine. 

...Then there is Monday! - April 15, Sunday
At a recent interfaith gathering, members were discussing how various faiths offer proof of God, and during the meeting, an insightful member offered that for many, maybe God can be proven on Sunday, and then there is Monday! The point being made was that many people have a divide between their spiritual life and mundane life, and feel a conflict between the two; they may feel that a little religion is OK (and perhaps eases the conscience) once in awhile, but any more religion than that is too much.  It is important for a serious spiritual seeker to understand that religion does not take place only on Sundays; it needs to percolate throughout the whole life, as a prayerful life.  In such a life, even work becomes a form of worship, and thus a tool in reaching our spiritual Goal. And then, as Swami Vivekananda pointed out, there is no line of demarcation between the religious and the secular.  It is one's attitude that makes work a form of worship.  The anonymous Russian soldier who authored The Way of a Pilgrim wrote that Jesus wanted us to pray unceasingly and knew that Jesus would not give impracticable advice.  He then came to realize that every action can be filled with prayer, just like every cup can be filled with liquid.  While making efforts towards realizing a spiritual life that extends beyond Sunday, it is also important to make efforts to be sure that what we have achieved spiritually through prayer doesn't get destroyed. Discipline and rigorous routine helps for that. The Pancha Shila offers 5 precepts to help ensure a disciplined life that will prevent rolling backward. Practicing such disciplines helps bind the enemies of spiritual progress. As stated in Chapter 18 (verses 45-46) of the Bhagavad Gita, being devoted to one's own duty, one attains perfection.  The Divine that is pervaded in every particle should be worshipped through one's actions. Then every action is the right action, taking us toward the Goal of life.

The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna – April 17, Tuesday

Sri Ramakrishna was making great effort to share His exalted experiences of Samadhi. He is telling certain very deep spiritual truths based upon his experiences which are beyond space, time, name and form. Sri Ramakrishna is trying to put them in words so that they can be understood by his devotees. Through these experiences the truth has been revealed to Him. One should try to feel the illumination of these exalted experiences, which come from a source beyond mind & senses. Ordinarily our knowledge comes from perception through sense organs or by inference or through imagination. But in all these means we are heavily dependant on these ‘instruments’ which have their way of distorting the truth. When these instruments are transcended, we get the unadulterated and perfect knowledge. As the awareness travels from lower level to higher level more knowledge flashes. This idea of various awareness-levels is explained with the help of various centers in human body represented by the lotuses. This is an imagery which helps one to understand deep spiritual truths. When one becomes extremely restless and eager to see God a special chamber of experience is opened. By which one gets a direct revelation of the Truth without any interruptions by the instruments of knowledge. Body, mind, intellect are like various coverings of that knowledge. When the covering is removed one can experience the Truth.