Newsletter April 23, 2014

 

 

Newsletter Archives

 

SPECIAL MUSICAL EVENT in MAY

 

 

Upcoming Events

Visiting Swami Speaks – Fri Apr.25

Swami Ishatmananda, head of Vedanta Society, Chicago, Il, will conduct a ‘satsang’ class from 7:30PM -8:30PM after Aarati. All welcome.

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Day-Long Spiritual Retreat - Sat. April 26, 9:30 AM - 7:00 PM

Subject: ‘Let us be Spiritual’

Speaker: Swami Ishatmananda, Minister-in-charge, Vivekananda Vedanta Society of Chicago

Prior registration required. Registration fee: $20.00 per person (Online Registration: $21.00 per person).

Click here for more information and to register online. (Schedule subject to change)

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Ongoing Weekly Classes

Walk-in Hatha Yoga – Sundays, 10:00 – 11:00 AM
Hatha Yoga classes are being conducted on Sundays, from 10:00 – 11:00 AM, in the Lower Level (LL), by a Vedanta devotee. Walk-in rate is $5.00 per class. For details, contact Pat only at:  pat.blake8-AT-gmail

Sanskrit Class – Sundays, 3:00 – 4:00 PM
Sanskrit class resumes Sunday, April 20 from 3:00 – 4:00 PM, taught by Deepro Chakraborty, a Sanskrit-Studies PhD student from Jawaharlal Nehru University, and a Sanskrit instructor at St Stephens College, New Delhi

 

Bharathnatyam Dance Classes – Sundays, 3:30 – 5:00 PM
To learn traditional South Indian Classical dance (age 5 thru adulthood), taught by classical dancer Anuradha, please call her only at 704-707-5430 for complete information

 

Sitar and Tabla lessons – Sundays, 4:00 – 5:00 PM
To learn to play beginner’s level sitar or tabla, taught by Koyel Ghoshal, please contact her only at koyelg-AT-yahoo.com

 

Weekly Programs (in addition to Daily Programs given below)

Friday, April 25	7:00 PM: Aarati (devotional music) & meditation 7:30 – 8:30 PM: Swami Ishatmananda (Vedanta Society of Chicago) will hold a 'Satsang Class'
Saturday, April 26	9:30 AM– 7:00 PM: DAY-LONG SPIRITUAL RETREAT  - for registrants only 6:30PM: Aarati (devotional singing, a reading and meditation) - open to all
Sunday, April 27	5:00 – 6:00 PM:: A talk - ‘Let’s Be Practical’ by  Swami Yogatmananda 6:00PM – 7:00PM - Soup Supper 7:00PM – 8:00PM – Aarati (singing two devotional songs, a short reading and meditation)
Tuesday, April 29	7:00 PM: Aarati (devotional music) & meditation 7:30 – 8:30 PM: Vedanta Study Class on the book, 'The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna,' Ch. 47, pg 895 onwards

 

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. 4' 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

Swami speaks at High School – Wed. Apr. 16
Swami spoke separately to four different High School world religion classes on basic Hinduism/Vedanta at LaSalle Academy, Providence from 8:30am – 12:30 pm. Classes averaged 20 to 30 students each, who asked several questions.
Bhagavad Gita class at Middletown, CT – Sun. April 20, 10:30 -11:30 AM
Swami Yogatmananda conducted the monthly Bhagavad Gita (Ch.15 beginning ) at Sri Satyanarayana Temple in Middletown, CT from 10:30 - 11:30 AM to about twenty devotees.

 

Synopses of Last Week's Classes

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

 

Good Friday – Special Talk - April 18, Friday

Hindus believe that God, out of compassion for the suffering of humanity, incarnates in a human form, thereby enabling human beings to feel the redeeming power of God’s presence. Good Friday provides earnest devotees the opportunity to meditate and reflect on God’s presence in human form. Although Good Friday is the day on which Jesus was crucified, it is “Good” in that the day rekindles and reestablishes our faith in the scriptures: If we look closely, we will see how the truths of the scriptures are demonstrated in Jesus’ life; as Jesus emphasized, he didn’t come to destroy the law, but to fulfill it.  When the scribes asked Jesus to name the greatest commandment in the law, Jesus replied: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” Here Jesus clearly states what the devout person is to do in order to realize God. In a sense, this statement is the essence of all religion. When the scribes asked Jesus whose son is the messiah, Jesus confirms his divinity and identity as God’s son. This is true of all of us: we are divine and children of God. The difference between ourselves and Jesus is that Jesus is aware of his divine nature and we are not. Jesus gave up the body and suffered for us to demonstrate all-pervading compassion and to show us how to forgive others. By practicing of forgiveness we will become more and more connected to the divine and in so doing achieve true joy and peace in life.

 

'The Frame and the Picture' - April 20, Sunday

Jesus died on the cross of his own volition to show the path of eternal life. The body will die anyway, and those who die to matter are resurrected in the spirit. We have to learn to look at the picture and not at the frame. When we think of Jesus, the name brings to mind the picture, and we can meditate on the form, but then, the form becomes the frame as one goes deeper and meditates on the qualities. Deeper yet is the essential identity, which is expressed by the qualities but not limited by them. The qualities become the frame and the essential nature becomes the picture. Jesus said to love your enemies, in which case we really have no enemies. Love depends on oneness. At the level of differences, what goes by the name of love is really selfishness. We mistakenly think that moral and ethical ideas should be the same for all, and we ostracize those who think differently. To resurrect the spirit, we must die to the flesh. This means that we must disown the idea that I am the body, just like we do not feel that I am my coat.

 

'The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna' Class – April 22, Tuesday
Conversation between the Master and the devotees continued about the Free will. Dr. Sarkar was of the opinion that an individual performs the duty out of his/her free will. There are two components to duty - 1. "oughtness" - the forceful inner feeling that makes one act. 2. Pleasure that is derived after the fulfillment of duty. Both these factors compel one to undertake the duty.

Master commented that one may undertake the duties without any expectations about the outcome or any selfish motive. She/he might derive a little joy out of this. This can be compared with the pure love for love's sake. There is no desire or expectation. To explain this further Master narrated a story of Narada from Ramayana. Rama, pleased with Narada's praises, asked Narada to seek a boon. But Narada, a true devotee, asked only for pure love for the lotus feet of the Lord without getting bewitched by Maya. He did not have any further desire to ask for anything else. Master commented that Dr. Sarkar also had the same attitude. He loved God only for love's sake. Out of such pure relationship, some joy may come, but that is not the worldly joy.

There is one state even higher than this. In this state a devotee develops an attitude of a servant towards God. She/he constantly prays to the Lord to have no inclination for evil. Such a person gradually develops pure Sattava. It is very difficult to develop pure sattva. One can do so by doing the duties without any motives or expectations. Such actions can be a vehicle to reach to the IDEAL. God can’t be realized without developing pure sattva.