Newsletter January 22, 2014

 

Newsletter Archives

 

Upcoming Events

Swami Vivekananda Birthday Celebration - Sun. Jan. 26, 11:00 AM - 7:00 PM

11:00 am - 1:00 pm - Worship

1:00 - 2:00 pm - Prasad-lunch

2:30 - 3:30 pm - Video

4:00 - 5:00 pm - Music

5:00 - 6:00 pm - Symposium on Swami Vivekananda

6:00-7:00 pm - Music & Meditation

All are welcome. No Fee.

 

Weekly Programs (in addition to Daily Programs given below)

Friday, Jan. 24	7:00 PM: Aarati (devotional music) & meditation 7:30 – 8:30 PM: Study Class on the book ‘Karma Yoga’ by Swami Vivekananda
Saturday, Jan. 25	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. 26	11:00AM – 7:00PM: Swami Vivekananda Birthday Celebration; See details above
Tuesday, Jan. 28	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

On Sun. Jan. 19, 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.

 

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. 17, Friday

In our current chapter of study, “We Help Ourselves, Not the World,” Swami Vivekananda is discussing how thought is conveyed through symbols (words, facial expressions, actions) which have a direct connection with the symbolized thought behind them.  By making proper use of these, we can enter into the inner world and bring about a change in ourselves. Every religion recognizes the “power of word” to provide a direct connection to the divine.  In some faiths, creation itself is said to have come from “the word.”  For example, in Hinduism the whole universe is said to have come from OM.  The guru may give a student a mantra.  The outer sound(s) may seem to be the same for each student who receives the mantra, but the way each person’s mind “reads” the mantra varies according to his or her psychology.  Swamiji tells us that to grasp the power of words, and to use them carefully and responsibly, is part of being a karma yogi. 

Swamiji then comes to the subject which is the title of the chapter.  We may feel that helping others is our duty.  Why do we feel so inclined?  Ostensibly, our motivation is to help the world, but Swamiji points out that our real motivation is to help ourselves.  If we probe into the subject, we should see that the world does really not require our help.  It may be hard to accept that the world does not need us at all, but thinking that the world needs our help is really a blasphemous idea.  To assume that the world requires our help is to condemn God, to say that He did not perform the task of creating the world perfectly.  However, even though the world doesn’t need our help, helping others is exactly what we should devote ourselves to!  To help the world should be our highest motivation. Why?  Because, through service to others, we ourselves become more perfect.  So we must continue to do good to the world without thinking that we are helping anyone else other than ourselves.  

 

Where Are Heaven and Hell? - Jan. 19, Sunday
Ordinarily, no verifiable account of an afterlife in heaven and hell is available, because the journey there would be a one way passage. The common idea of heaven is that of happiness with no end, where you don’t have to pay for pleasures, there is absolutely no suffering or pain. In scriptures, God is The Highest -nothing can be higher. The righteous go to heaven to go back to God. Those who do God’s bidding go to heaven. Pain in hell is considered to be ‘everlasting’. In Islam, one view is that unrighteous believers go to hell temporarily, while unrighteous nonbelievers go there ‘permanently’. Some preachers feel that only the fear of hell can make sure that people follow the right path. In actuality, heaven has the same problems as life on earth, because wherever there is duality, there is conflict. Lord Krishna said that heaven is based on desires, so it is not for seekers of Truth. According to Bhagavad Gita we need self-control so as not to end up at the gates of hell, which are desire, anger, and covetousness. Being with God is bliss, and is beyond time and space. In duality, desires are unending so hell is unending. We are at a fork in the road, where we choose heaven or hell right in this lifetime, through either pursuing a path of discernment or going after pleasures. 

 

The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna class - Jan. 21, Tuesday

Sri Ramakrishna frequently encouraged debates and discussions on spiritual topics among his devotees and visitors. With Dr. Sarkar and other scientifically minded devotees present on this occasion, he asked what they thought about Samadhi in which he felt as if intoxicated due to siddhi (an opiate drug). Dr. Sarkar contended that in Samadhi nerve centers cease to function as all nervous energy rushes to the brain leading to dysfunction of other organs. Another devotee explained this as the rising of Kundalini through a subtle  channel along the spine - Sushumna. 

Dr. Sarkar contended that there is great benefit in comparative anatomy as it allows us to understand the functioning of human body by studying other animals. Similarly, there is great benefit in studying comparative religion as it helps us understand our religion better. It helps us eliminate the non - essentials and identify the essentials of religions thereby helping us focus on the essentials of our own religion. Sri Ramakrishna's teachings are so effective because he has practiced disciplines of various religions and his teachings focus on the essential elements of religion required for true spiritual progress and ultimately God realization.

Narendra then sang some songs that expressed the idea that God realization is the only objective of our lives. But due to our pride and ego we have desires and cravings that helplessly enslave us and prevent us from making progress in realizing God.