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If you have questions regarding spiritual life, Vedanta, Hinduism etc, you can email us at answers ATvedantaprov.org
Newsletter May 07, 2014
Upcoming Events
Long Meditation Session – Sat. MAy 10, 11:00AM - 8:00PM
On Sat., May 10, there will be 'Long Meditation Session' in the chapel, beginning with 11:00 AM 'guided meditation/music hour'. People wanting to participate must come before 12:00 noon, when the entry will be closed. Doors will open at 6:30PM for 7:00 – 8:00 PM Aarati (singing, a reading & meditation.)
New Walk-in Hatha Yoga – Saturdays, 5:00 – 6:00 PM
Every Saturday, beginning May 10, from 5PM – 6PM, Hannah Ressenger will conduct a ‘walk-in’ Hatha Yoga class for $5.00/per class. Hannah studied under Amrit Desai at Amrit Yoga Institute, Fl and became an instructor in 2007. She is a substitute yoga instructor at Sun Salutations in Lincoln, and also teaches children & conducts workshops.
Contact Hannah only at: 401-473-4372, Email: key2lyfe-AT-gmail.com for details.
Bhagavad Gita class at Middletown, CT – Sun. May 11, 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.
Children’s Sunday ‘Spiritual-Arts & Storytelling’ Class – Sun. May 11
From 4:00 PM – 6:00 PM under the guidance of Prof Dorothy Abram.
Day-Long Spiritual Retreat - Sat. June 14, 9:30am - 7:00pm
Sub: Living Spiritually
Speaker: Swami Prasannatmananda, Vedanta Society of Berkeley, CA
Prior registration required. Registration Fee - $20.00 per person; For online registration - $21.00 per person
Click here for more information and to register online. (Schedule subject to change.)
Ongoing Weekly Classes
Please note: There will be NO HATHA YOGA class this coming Sun morning, May 11th (Mother’s Day).
It will resume next Sunday, May 18 at 10AM.
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, May 09 |
7:00 PM: Aarati (devotional music) & meditation 7:30 – 8:30 PM: Study Class on Bhakti Yoga, (book by Swami Vivekananda) taught by Swami Yogatmananda |
| Saturday, May 10 |
8:30 – 10:30 AM: Karma yoga/cleaning 12:00 - 8:00 PM - Long Meditation Session |
| Sunday, May 11 |
5:00 – 5:40 PM: A talk - ‘Tales of Lord Buddha’ by Swami Yogatmananda |
| Tuesday, May 13 |
7:00 PM: Aarati (devotional music) & meditation 7:30 – 8:30 PM: Study class on 'The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna’, Ch 47, Pg 896 |
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
Interfaith Group – Thurs. May 01
Swami, a devotee and nine other clergy and congregation members participated in the monthly ‘Attleboro-based’ interfaith group meeting, this time conducted at Grace Episcopal Church, North Attleboro MA, where Rev. Mary Alice explained Episcopal rituals, aspects of the faith that differs from Roman Catholic and Protestant services, and answered questions.
Pt. Rajan & Sajan Mishra Vocal Concert – Sun. May 04
From 6:00 - 9:00 PM, Pt. Rajan and Sajan Mishra performed a three hour classical vocal concert in the chapel, accompanied by - Pt. Ashis Sengupta (Tabla) and
Sri Vyasmurti Katti (Harmonium), attended by about eighty-four musical enthusiasts. Dinner for everyone followed.
Synopses of Last Week's Classes
(All classes given by Swami Yogatmananda, unless otherwise stated)
Bhakti-Yoga (based on the book by Swami Vivekananda) - May 02, Friday
In Sanskrit, bhakti comes from the root “bhaj,” which encompasses the ideas of worship, surrender, and tremendous love. Swami Vivekananda gave several lectures on the topic of bhakti, which have been collected into various texts; one such text, Bhakti Yoga, is the new subject of our Friday classes. As we have discussed in the previous Karma Yoga classes, yoga is the practice by which we unite ourselves with the ideal, or God. The goal of life is this unification with the Divine. Bhakti is an effective path for many of us, because it appeals to our emotional nature. Rationality or intellect can only take us so far. But if our emotions get attached to something, we will pursue that something with greater vigor and determination. It is therefore imperative that we train ourselves to attach our emotions to that which will be most beneficial for us. The process of bhakti yoga is both - training and filtering of the faculty of love. Through bhakti yoga, we train ourselves to love God and we refine or purify that faculty until we are able to practice perfect love. When we learn to purify our love, we shall see that love can only truly be directed to God.
Bhakti is a genuine search, beginning, continuing, and ending in Love. The search for God must be genuine, not a masquerade for a desire for something lesser, such as money. The search for union with God begins in love, with the feeling that, “God is my beloved.” The search continues in love, as we are pulled closer and closer toward God, just as we are pulled closer toward a fragrant flower by its increasingly fragrant scent. The search for God ends in love because, upon reaching our goal, we will be completely dissolved in God, merged into Love itself.
'Hold on to Govinda' – a Hymn of Shankara – May 04, Sunday
Shankara made commentaries on the Vedanta texts that brought out their essence, which is: realizing Self is the goal of life. Once we experience this, there is no fear of death, because it is only the body that is born, changes, and dies. Ignorance is the cause of all suffering. Shankara had much devotion toward the loving aspect of God. His hymn, the Bhaja Govindam, is conducive to renunciation, true knowledge, and devotion. Shankara met an old man hoping to gain wealth by acquiring grammer-skills; and Shankara responded to this with this hymn. He pointed out that neither the rules of grammar, nor wealth, would save anyone at death. He said that life is as uncertain as a raindrop on a lotus leaf, and that the whole world is prey to ego, disease, and grief. We have no control over how long we will survive. When we feel that life is temporary, we won’t get attached to it. When death comes, there is no problem if we are not attached. As Sri Ramakrishna said, I and mine is ignorance and You and Yours is knowledge. Shankara said that satsanga, or holy company, brings non-attachment, and from non-attachment comes freedom from delusion. From freedom from delusion comes steadfastness and from steadfastness comes Jivan Mukti, or liberation. From holy company, we see that if someone else can do it, then we can do it.
Guest Lecture by Swami Atmattatwananda – May 06, Tuesday
Swami Atmatattwananda, Vedanta Society of So. California, Hollywood presented a video and spoke about the event 'Chicago Calling' that was organised by the Vivekananda Vedanta Society of Chicago from Nov. 8th-11th, 2013, on the occasion of Swami Vivekananda's 150th birth anniversary.