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If you have questions regarding spiritual life, Vedanta, Hinduism etc, you can email us at answers ATvedantaprov.org
Newsletter October 01, 2014
Upcoming Events
Durga Puja (Worship of Divine Mother Durga) - Sat. Oct. 04, 11:00AM - 7:00PM
11:00 am: worship-ritual; 12:30 pm: flower-offering & Prasad-lunch;
3:00-:500 pm: Video; 6:00-7:00 pm: Singing and special Durga dance;
7:00 pm: Supper-prasad; All are welcome; No fee.
On Wed. Oct 01, Brown University Hindu Student Association will perform their Durga Puja/ceremony in the evening from 8PM – 9PM, under the guidance of Swami Yogatmananda at the Vedanta Society (Lower level). All are welcome to attend.
Children’s Sunday ‘Spiritual-Arts & Storytelling’ Class – Sun. Oct. 05, 4:00 - 6:00PM
The monthly ‘Just Children!’ program re-convened under the guidance of Prof Dorothy Abram.
Classical Indian vocal concert - Sun. Oct. 05, 6:00 - 7:30PM
Pt. Subhadra Desai, from Delhi, India will perform immediately after Sunday Service. Listen to the her sublime,
meditative Indian Classical singing of Devotional Hymns and Songs. Accompanying her: Harshal Tole (Tabla), Ravi Torvi (Harmonium). Admission Free, Donations Welcome.
Spiritual Retreat - Sat. Oct. 11, 9:30AM - 7:00PM
Sub: 'Patanjali's Way (Indian Psychology)' by Pravrajika Gitaprana, Vivekananda Retreat, Ridgely, NY
Prior Reg. Required. Reg Fee $15.00 per person + $1.00 for online registration
Click here to download Reg. form or Register online.
NOTICES:
1) Sunday Morning Hatha Yoga: 10AM – 11AM - $5.00 walk-in; Contact Pat: pat.blake8-AT-gmail.com
2) Tuesday evening Hatha Yoga: 6:00PM – 7:00PM - $5.00 walk-in; Contact Hannah: key2Lyfe-AT-gmail.com
Weekly Programs (in addition to Daily Programs given below)
| Friday, Oct. 03 |
7:00 PM: Aarati (devotional music) & meditation 7:30 – 8:30 PM: Class #10 on ‘Bhakti Yoga’ (based on the book by Swami Vivekananda) |
| Saturday, Oct. 04 |
11:00 AM – 7:00 PM : Durga Puja (Worship of Mother Durga) |
| Sunday, Oct. 05 |
5:00 – 6:00 PM: A talk - 'Unfinished Project of Swami Vivekananda' by Dr. Anindita Balslev, Scholar on Vivekananda, Denmark & India |
| Tuesday, Oct. 07 |
7:00 PM: Aarati (devotional music) & meditation 7:30 – 8:30 PM: Study Class on 'The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna', Ch 47 pg 902 |
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
Half-day WORK-SHOP on Puja - Sat. Sept. 27, 9:30AM - 1:30PM
The work-shop on ‘Worship: Meaning & Practice’ was conducted by Swami Yogatmananda. A video of the ritual worship and a power point presentation of various worship mantras and their meaning with some illustrations was shown. Swami explained the necessity of worship in the evolution of spiritual progress and also the meaning of various worship mantras. The book: ‘Meaning & Significance of Worship' was available for reference. Workshop concluded with luncheon. Twenty-four devotees attended.
Salutations ! - Wed. Sept. 24
The birth anniversary of Swami Akhandananda, direct disciple of 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)
Study Class 'Bhakti-Yoga' - #9 - (based on the book by Swami Vivekananda) - Sep. 26, Friday
Bhakti yoga teaches that our love is to be directed towards God and not towards the fleeting objects of the world. When our love is not properly directed towards God, who is the source of all love, contradictory feelings like hatred, anger, jealousy, etc. arise. The blossoming of love for God may be intrinsic, but that does not mean that outside help shouldn’t be taken. When the genuine, earnest urge for real religion arises, the student becomes open to spiritual instruction and a spiritual teacher arrives there as a matter of course. Where there is an authentic spiritual teacher and a true student, splendid spiritual awakening results. Although we may possess a spiritual urge, upon closer inspection we may see that is not purely spiritual.. The desire for spiritual life may be bound with so many other competing desires. By purifying our desire for spiritual life, the teachings of the spiritual teacher are grasped and implemented in life with increasing efficacy. Who is the qualified student of spirituality and who is the qualified teacher? The qualified student must possess purity, perseverance, and sincerity. Purity means that the student should have a totally unsullied desire for God realization. Sincerity means that the student should not be feigning devotion. Perseverance means that the student must continue to practice with regularity, even if enthusiasm for spiritual life occasionally wanes. The qualified teacher must understand the essence of the scriptures, namely that God alone is real and that the world is an appearance. He or she must lead a sinless and pure life and teach with no ulterior motive.
'Open Sesame' – Sept. 28, Sunday
Open Sesame was the password to get at the treasure in ‘Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves’.
Camouflaging, misleading, and a false finding are various locking tools of protecting the treasures. Even in the search for the Divine, we get obstructed as the knowledge is covered under various layers of encryption. Nothing exists but God, yet we keep looking for Him. We get misled by thinking God can only be found in some cave in the Himalayas. People may think they have found the ultimate truth in science, and stop looking for God. The Kathopanisad says that we need to sharpen our vision to see God. We can do this by practicing spiritual disciplines as taught by a teacher. The Charvaka movement in India taught that happiness is in sense-pleasures. Our understanding needs to become purer and we need to practice as well as understand, like when we learn to swim by practicing and not reading a book. Lord Krishna teaches Arjuna how to know the knower. Our need to know the knower pinches like having a thorn in our shoe. We can know the knower by such practices as unswerving devotion to God (who is not separate from me) and solitude (which means being in holy company). We may even memorize the scriptures and may not get their essence. For those who regret wasted time, we can think of Sri Ramakrishna’s saying that even though a room has been dark for a thousand years, the darkness goes away in an instant when a lamp is lit. The Svetasvatara Upanisad says that, “He whose devotion to the Lord is great, and who has as much devotion to the Guru, to such a one, meanings of the sacred texts stand revealed.”
Study Class 'The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna' - Sept. 30, Tuesday
Master explained the Great cause behind the functioning of causal body. This is beyond words. Words can't explain everything. One must bring the knowledge into practice. Practice helps to deepen the understanding. Mere intellectual understanding about the spiritual concepts is not enough. To imbibe those principles in our life and to obtain the true benefit of these spiritual ideals for our own upliftment, practice is of utmost importance. Master emphasizes this by an example of yarn trader. How they can tell a subtle difference between two yarns by mere look! Similarly, a person who puts the spiritual principles in practice will be able to differentiate between the real and the unreal. The subtle and the causal bodies dwell in the gross body. Death separates the gross body from the subtle and the causal body. One goes outside the scope of gross-level time and space after death and hence one can't ask questions like - where does the soul go? When does it go in another body? Then such questions do not hold true anymore as they belong to the sphere of space and time.
Master also speaks about Ahalya – a pious and devoted woman cursed to be in the body of a stone, and was liberated from the that stone-state by the touch of Rama’s foot. She asks for a boon, ‘that she should be constantly meditating upon God only’. Ignorant, stupid people alone ask for the fleeting things.