Newsletter January 15, 2014

 

Newsletter Archives

 

Upcoming Events

Bhagavad Gita class at Middletown, CT – Sun. Jan. 19, 10:30-11:30 AM
Swami Yogatmananda will conduct the monthly Bhagavad Gita (Ch.14 cont.) at Sri Satyanarayana Temple (10 Training Hill Rd, (Middletown, CT) from 10:30-11:30 AM. All are welcome.

 

Check out some of the archived Sunday Lectures (from Nov. & Dec. 2013) on our website: http://vedantaprov.org/lectures.html

 

One year completion of our blog: Report: http://vedantaprovidence.blogspot.com/2014/01/one-year-completion-report.html

 

Weekly Programs (in addition to Daily Programs given below)

Friday, Jan. 17	7:00 PM: Aarati (devotional music) & meditation 7:30 – 8:30 PM: Study Class on the book ‘Karma Yoga’ by Swami Vivekananda
Saturday, Jan. 18	8:30 – 10:30 AM: Karma yoga/cleaning 11:00 AM – 12 noon: Guided meditation and singing 7:00 – 8:00 PM: Aarati (devotional singing), a short reading and meditation
Sunday, Jan. 19	5:00–6:00 PM: A talk on: 'Where Are Heaven and Hell?'by Swami Yogatmananda 6:00 PM– 7:00 PM: Soup Supper; 7:00PM – 8:00 PM: Aarati (devotional singing, a reading and meditation)
Tuesday, Jan. 21	7:00 PM - 8:30 PM: : Vedanta Study Class on 'The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna', Ch. 45, pg 876

 

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 'Swami Brahmananda: As We Saw Him: Reminiscences of Monastic & Lay Disciples'(compiled/edited by Swami Atmashraddhananda) 7:15 – 8:00 PM: Meditation

 

Past Events

Day-long Spiritual Retreat - Sat. Jan. 11
Forty-five devotees participated in this forty-forth day-long retreat, consisting of two lectures, Q/A session; devotional music; meals/snacks; Aarati and chanting of Shiva-nama-samkirtanam.

The retreat topic was: ‘Towards the Jewish Vedanta’ -  lectures and Q/A session conducted by Rabbi Rami Shapiro, Prof, Middle Tennessee State University, who has also authored several books on spirituality.

Synopsis of talks follow:
Rabbi Rami said that he will be mainly discussing the two aspects of the Jewish Vedanta – the Non-duality or Advaita and the Divine Feminine or Divine Mother. The first – Non-duality is not unusual for Jews but the Divine Mother is. In fact, it is unusual in all Abrahamic religions.
The Truth cannot be put into words but the words can hint at it like the ‘finger pointing to the moon’. I do not say one religion is true but that none is true; they only point towards the truth. The truth is not out ‘there’. But right ‘here’, right in you. What we need is to wake up to it. The Book of Genesis, if translated properly from Hebrew, says that we are an image of God. Each person is an image of the divine. The four Hebrew alphabets, symbolizing the ‘name’ of God, when drawn vertically, give a human image. Rabbi Rami then told everyone to draw that image on the body of another person sitting next to him/her, to invoke the divine in them.
God told everyone to ‘go forth’ beyond all conditioning and become free.
In the mystic tradition of the Hebrew bible, the divine feminine ‘CHOKHMAH’, is the manifestation of wisdom, purity, transparency. In this tradition, the Adam-eve story too reads differently showing Eve as the symbol of purity and transparency, whereas Adam, the masculine as the corrupt. Divine Feminine leads us to liberation.

Click here to see photos of above event.

 

Salutations! – Tues. Jan. 14
The birth anniversary of Swami Turiyananda, a direct disciple of Sri Ramakrishna was observed in the morning with a chant and in the evening with a 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 - Jan. 10, Friday

Karma yoga is the practice of becoming united with God by performing our duties without attachment. In this practice, we do not need to change the work we perform; instead, we need to change the attitude with which we do
the work. If we perform our duties in a detached way, we will start to feel freer and freer. As this experience of freedom increases, spiritual life shifts from an abstract idea to a reality that can be tangibly felt. In the current chapter, Swami Vivekananda explains that various symbols can be employed in spiritual life as a means to connect us with the Divine. Two types of symbols exist: natural and arbitrary. Natural symbols possess an automatic connection with the thing symbolized. Arbitrary symbols are contingently associated with the thing symbolized. Actions can become symbols of spiritual realities in instances, for example, where rituals are performed, thus giving concrete expression to spiritual ideals. Hence, the performance of rituals can be a powerful tool to intensify spiritual thought
in us. Devotion gives rise to natural symbols for God such as light or various "human" forms. By learning how symbols are connected to the symbolized, we can learn how to connect ourselves with the Divine and thereby bring illumination to our lives.   

 

'Vivekananda and Spiritual Renaissance' - a talk by Rabbi Rami Shapiro - Jan. 12, Sunday
Swami Vivekananda was the catalyst for the 2nd axial age. In an axial age, an amazing shift in consciousness takes place. In the 1st axial age, from 800 BCE to 200 BCE, there was a shift in all religions from magic to compassion. The 2nd axial age, if it happens, would consist of an expansion of compassion. The first World Parliament of Religions, at which Swami Vivekananda spoke, was a competition of "tribes". Swamiji told the story of the frog in the well who thought the well was the whole world. The recent Pew survey on religion showed that, especially among younger people, respondents said they belonged to "none of the above" when asked about their religion. This does not mean that they are anti-religion, but that they refuse to limit themselves to one "well". Three things that "well" religions have, according to Swami Vivekananda, are a book, a venerated person who is exclusively divine, and a sense of certainty that they are right and others are wrong. Vedanta has none of these. The true parts of all world scriptures
aim at more compassion. Mystics are people who have hopped out of the well. There may be many ways to learn to sit still and be quiet, and we need to pick the one that works for us. Vedanta centers are uniquely positioned to help the well leapers become even freer.

 

The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna class - Jan. 14, Tuesday

Sri Ramakrishna is Divinity in flesh and blood. Even we all are divine in our true nature but we get identified with this body. This divinity has attracts one and all towards the Master and Dr. Sarkar was also not an exception. His trips to Master were increasing day by day. Youngsters are pure, less exposed to world and  have more potential to imbibe the spiritual disciplines as compared to elderly people. One can maintain the focus on spirituality, in the midst of worldly activities, if the mindset is correct.
There are very strict guidelines for Sanyasins regarding lust and greed. But even the householders who seek spiritual welfare have to mentally stay away from these objects of enjoyment and the money by which these objects can be procured. Householders need money to fulfill the basic necessities of life and for other noble causes. However, one should not hoard money. That leads to ego and pride. One cannot attain divine knowledge unless one gets rid of this pride and ego.
As these conversations were going on the other young devotees in Master's room regained normal mood. Master was wondering how all these learned, highly educated people come to an unlettered person like Him to realize God.
All the worldly achievements are in vain. Only God realization can bring fulfillment in life. All the devotees, in search of God, were pulled to Sri Ramakrishna at that time irrespective of their worldly knowledge and position. Even today, the real seekers of the God are pulled towards Him.