Newsletter October 19, 2011

The New Chapel construction work is progressing well as per plans. Heating and Ventilation duct work, the electrical connections, plumbing is in different stages of completion. The sprinkler system installation is completed. Acoustic and Video system wiring is also in progress. The elevator installation has begun and it is continuing. The front porch construction is progressing as well. A few windows have already been placed. Click here to see New Construction - Updates and Photos.

Past Events

Monthly Bhagavad Gita class at Middletown, CT – Sun., Oct. 16

Swami Yogatmananda conducted the monthly Bhagavad-Gita class at Sri Satyanarayana Temple (11 Training Hill Rd, Middletown, CT) from 10:30 - 11:30 AM on Sunday, 16 October.

Weekly Classes

Bhagavad Gita class – Oct. 14, Friday

Chapter 11: Verses 31-41

Vedanta teaches this idea of the unity of creation. By manifesting Himself in his cosmic form, Lord Krishna shows Arjuna that all forms are contained within the One. Just like the organs and limbs of our body are separate but are considered one cohesive unit, we should also strive to see the various names and forms around us as part of a unified whole, which is God. In Verse 32, Lord Krishna refers to this aspect as Time; Time is the first manifestation of the Divine principle, when God as Infinite Reality is viewed through our minds which are clouded by ignorance. Krishna cautions Arjuna not to think that he is killing the warriors on the battlefield; rather it is Time which is bringing their lives to an end. Life and death are not under our control; God (Time) controls everything. The only thing within our control is making the choice to tune ourselves towards God, to act as God’s instruments. We must perform the work that we are faced with without thinking that we are in control. We have the right to choose whether or not to take up the call to duty; we do not have a right to claim the results of our work as our own. Just as a movie is scripted and filmed from start to finish before we see it in a theater, our lives have been planned out—from beginning to end—by God, even though we feel them unfolding moment by moment. Grasping this, we should not feel that our efforts are futile; we will make great progress if we rid ourselves of the notion that we are in control.

What Governs Our Behavior by Swami Yogatmananda – Oct. 16, Sunday

We all know it is behavior that counts in terms of maintaining social order and helping life to go on smoothly. As the well-known dictum states, "Behave yourself." Thus it is often asked: How is behavior to be improved and what governs it? Many researchers in the fields of psychology, education, medicine, and genetics have sought to answer these important questions. For behaviorists, such as J. B. Watson and B. F. Skinner, behavior is created through stimuli: People move towards that which is pleasurable and away from what is painful. For Freudians, all behaviors are motivated by an underlying drive for sex. The views of Freud's students, Adler and Jung, go much deeper, citing the desires for power and self-expression, respectively, as governing behavior. Other views focus on genetically inherited tendencies and brain chemicals as the roots of behavior. While each of these various views has some merits, each also has problematic aspects and is incomplete. Vedanta offers a harmonizing view of these various perspectives, as well as a deeper explanation. According to the teachings of Vedanta, all behavior is driven by individuals' one true desire: to manifest inner Freedom, our inherent Divinity. People seemingly have many different desires in mundane life, but when these sorts of desires get fulfilled, the life does not get fulfilled because the mundane desires are masking the true desire. Rebellious behavior represents a struggle for freedom. Whatever we feel is limiting us, we regard as the obstacle -- and that obstacle then governs our behavior. Thus, while our individual struggles may seem different, we are all moving towards freedom, and each soul is potentially divine. That is the one goal: to manifest this Divinity. When we become aware of that goal, we can change our behaviors in an effort to attain it. As Vivekananda puts it: “All nature is crying through all the atoms for one thing — its perfect freedom”.

The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna class – Oct. 18, Tuesday

Sri Ramakrishna says that God has special manifestation in some beings over others. Everything is functionally different though at the substance level it is the same. Sri Ramakrishna could see and feel the presence of God everywhere. But an ordinary individual’s perception is not so. His/her perception depends upon his/her subjective understanding and awareness. Objectively, everything is the SAME ONE continuous existence. We see the division because of our limited awareness. The goal is to remove this imaginary division. Whatever helps to remove this and realize the Truth is divine and holy. Sri Ramakrishna talks about ‘Salagram’ – a stone symbol through which Lord Vishnu is worshipped. The symbols are loved, worshipped because of the association and the genuine love for the symbolized. But westernized people do not believe this. Even Narendra did not believe in it initially. Sri Ramakrishna went into Samadhi while discussing this. He remained in that state for a long time. As he was explaining his visions to ‘M’, Sarada – a young disciple came in. Sarada later renounced the worldly ties to become a monk. He mentioned about his relatives forcing him to marry and ‘M’s opposition to get married. Is marriage good or bad? It depends; on the spiritual path, marriage can be a good tool for the development of many; but it can be a hindrance for some others. One must understand that marriage is meant for controlling one’s tendencies. Meantime, Narendra arrived and Sri Ramakrishna, as always, was very happy to see him. There were a couple of questions.