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If you have questions regarding spiritual life, Vedanta, Hinduism etc, you can email us at answers ATvedantaprov.org
Newsletter December 31, 2014
Upcoming Events
Wish-fulfilling Tree (KALPATARU) Day: Thurs. Jan 01, 2015, 11:00AM – 1:30 PM
Observing the anniversary of the special event of Sri Ramakrishna granting fearlessness to devotees on Jan 1, 1886. Worship, prayers, singing, readings and lunch-prasad.
Swami to Atlanta, GA – Sat. Jan 03, - Sun. Jan. 04, 2015
Swami will travel to the Vedanta Society of Atlanta, GA to conduct a retreat on Saturday and a lecture on Sunday. He will return late Sunday night.
Day-long Meditation - Sat. Jan. 03, 2015, 12noon – 8:00PM
Must be IN bldg by 12 noon when entry will be locked; Can leave any time, but cannot re-enter until 6:30PM.
Simple Veg. lunch will be provided.
Salutations! – Sun. Jan. 04, 2015
The birth anniversary of Swami Turiyananda, direct disciple of Sri Ramakrishna, will be observed in the morning with a chant, and in the evening with a song, a short biography reading and prasad.
NOTICES:
1) NO MORE SUNDAY morning HATHA YOGA classes until further notice.
2) NO MORE TUESDAY HATHA YOGA classes until MARCH 2015. Contact Hannah:at key2Lyfe-AT-gmail.com for further information regarding day & time.
3) Bharathanatyam Dance Classes – Sundays, 3:30 – 5:00 PM; Contact Anuradha: 704-707-5430
Weekly Programs (in addition to Daily Programs given below)
| Friday, Jan. 02 |
7:00 PM: Aarati (devotional music) & meditation 7:30 – 8:30 PM: Class #20 on ‘Bhakti Yoga’ (based on the book by Swami Vivekananda) |
| Saturday, Jan. 03 |
8:30 – 10:30 AM: Karma yoga/cleaning 12noon – 8:00PM: LONG MEDITATION SESSION 7:00PM - 8:00PM : Aarati (devotional singing, a reading and meditation) |
| Sunday, Jan. 04 |
5:00 – 6:00 PM: : A Video-talk on ‘CONCENTRATION’, by Swami Sarvapriyananda 7:00PM - 8:00PM: Aarati (devotional singing, a reading and meditation) |
| Tuesday, Jan. 06 |
7:00 PM: Aarati (devotional music) & meditation 7:30 – 8:30 PM: Study Class on 'The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna', Ch 47, Pg 915 |
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
Christmas Eve - Wed. Dec. 24
Immediately following 7pm Aarati, Christmas Eve was celebrated in the beautifully decorated chapel with mini worship of Jesus. This was followed by selected readings from Sermon on the Mount, The Imitation of Christ and The Life of Swami Vivekananda, interspersed with singing of Christmas carols and reflections from Swami Yogatmananda. The program concluded with prasad dinner. About thirty-five devotees attended.
Click here to see photos.
Salutations! – Sat. Dec. 27
The birth anniversary of Swami Saradananda, direct disciple of Sri Ramakrishna, was observed in the morning with a chant, and in the evening with a song, a short biography reading and prasad.
Synopses of Last Week's Classes
(All classes given by Swami Yogatmananda, unless otherwise stated)
Study Class 'Bhakti-Yoga' - #19 - (based on the book by Swami Vivekananda) - Dec. 26, Friday
In the 17th chapter, the characteristics of true love are shown as the three points of a triangle. With each of these criteria, we can ask ourselves-- does the love I feel follow accordingly? If not, then it is not real love. The first angle of the triangle of love is, “Love knows no bargain.” All so-called love we see in the world has bargaining in it. Our feeling towards our near and dear ones do appear to be love, because it is the reflection of love; but whenever there is any seeking for something in return, there is not real love there. We can have this false sense of love for God, too. If we pray to God and something bad happens or we don’t get what we want, then we turn away from God. This is because we do not truly love God. Similarly, some of us turn to God because we are frightened, but where there is love, there is no fear--the next angle of the triangle of love is, “love knows no fear.” The third angle is, “Love knows no rival.” To be real love, our attraction must be single-pointed. Whenever we experience “love” divided amongst so many people in things, it cannot be real love. The gopis, who had this true love for Krishna, dropped everything when he called. This is what will happen when we discover and practice this love. According to the sages, the Self is the source of all love. When the Self becomes associated with something or someone, then that something becomes lovable. As devotees, we must hear these truths, meditate on them, digest them, and then put them into practice in our lives. In Chapter 18, Swami Vivekananda explains the proof of the existence of God. For the devotee, the existence of God feels self-evident. All the proof necessary is that we feel love in our hearts, and the devotee identifies the source of that love as God.
'Learning from Past Mistakes' – Dec. 28, Sunday
Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs consists of, from bottom to top, physiological, safety, love and belonging, self-esteem, and self-actualization. Some people add the need for transcending the self to this hierarchy. Differentiating between I and the world is the basis of our life. There are three levels of identification: the gross body (physical body or hardware); the subtle body (mind and intellect or software) and the soul. Non-perception of the Self leads to division, like seeing the ocean as separate waves. We may have money, a nice house, good health, a family, friends, and high esteem, but we feel there must be more to life, and we need a purpose or goal. We often expect to find answers from the world. When an interaction with the world fails to fulfill the objective, we know we have made a mistake. We may make mistakes and still not learn. If we brood or repent, we meditate on our mistake and will repeat it. We can observe a mistake, analyze it, find the cause, and eliminate it from our interaction. We learn when the result is not what we expected. All learning is based on analyzing and generalizing. If we do not reach our ultimate goal of self-actualization, or self-realization, we continue to receive blows. The leaders of the gods and the demons went to Prajapati and said they wanted to realize the Self because they had heard that in so doing, all their desires would be fulfilled. The demons practiced austerities for 32 years, after which they concluded that the body was the Self. The gods practiced austerities for 105 years, and realized that the body and mind were not the Self. This is a lesson in patience. Pain is an essential factor in learning. This is illustrated by the story of the two birds on the tree, where the lower bird finds disappointment and frustration from the bitter fruits, along with the sweet fruits; and learning from the experience, it renounces ‘eating fruits’, and eventually merges with the upper bird, that represents the culmination of life, when perfection is reached. Only then is life fulfilled. The lower bird finds that it never really existed.
Study Class 'The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna' - Dec. 30, Tuesday
Dr. Sarkar used to passionately voice opinions to Sri Ramakrishna on various spiritual topics; this is typical of all of us who are only able to approach the truth from one perspective. Sri Ramakrishna had the ability to see that others are approaching the same truth from various perspectives. Sri Ramakrishna tells Dr. Sarkar that his passionate opinions and sharp criticism occur because he has not experienced God. Once he tastes divine bliss, he will realize that everything is filled with God, and he will develop an appreciation for other opinions.
In order to experience this Bliss, one can meditate that God is pervading everything; that we are in God and filled with God. … then we can actually see that God is indeed pervading everything. It is very difficult to appreciate God in flesh and blood as God in human form also experiences normal human actions, illnesses etc. and our Cartesian minds think of such a manifestation only as a human and not God. Worship of God as image has several advantages (like availability, personal access, flexibility of the mode of worship etc.) and is hence widely practiced. Another approach is to treat the teachings of God as His image. Reading or learning about these teachings is like being in the company of God. Practicing the presence of God in this way can help realize His presence in and around us.
Irrespective of the method, we should make single-minded efforts to realize God. Imagination of something real, gradually transforms into its realization. Dreaming of unreal things leads to suffering, because the dream is never realized.. Sri Ramakrishna exhorts all of us through Dr. Sarkar to drop all our attachments to money, spouses, name, fame etc. and direct all our efforts towards God, the only reality.