Newsletter January 14, 2015

 

Newsletter Archives

 

Upcoming Events

NOTICES:

1) Swami Yogatmananda will be traveling to India from Jan. 14 - Feb. 23.

Click here to see his travel itinerary in India.

During this period, Pravrajika Shuddhatmaprana, a nun from the Vedanta Society of So. California will be conducting weekly classes.

2) 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. 16	7:00 PM: Aarati (devotional music) & meditation 7:30 – 8:30 PM: Study Class by Pravrajika Shuddhatmaprana on the book 'For the Seekers of God' (Teachings of Swami Shivananda),
Saturday, Jan. 17	8:30 – 10:30 AM: Karma yoga/cleaning 11:00 AM – 12 noon: Guided meditation/chanting and singing 7:00PM - 8:00PM : Aarati (devotional singing, a reading and meditation)
Sunday, Jan. 18	5:00 – 6:00 PM: A talk 'Narendranath to Vivekananda – A Journey' by Pravrajika Shuddhatmaprana. 6:00PM – 7:00 PM: Soup Supper 7:00PM - 8:00PM : Aarati (devotional singing, a reading and meditation)
Tuesday, Jan. 20	7:00 PM: Aarati (devotional music) & meditation 7:30 – 8:30 PM: Study Class by Pravrajika Shuddhatmaprana on the book 'Sri Ramakrishna and His Divine Play'

 

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. 5' 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 Vivekananda Puja-Worship Day – Sun. Jan. 11
The birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda was celebrated from 11:00AM - 7:00PM, begining with the ritual worship, followd by prasad luncheon. An animated movie 'Kindled' depicting the parts of Swami Vivekananda's life with emphasis on his philosophy of Service (published by Ramakrishna Mission Institute of Culture, Golpark, Kolkata, India) was shown from 2:30-3:30PM. From 5:00-6:00PM, Symposium on Swami Vivekananada was arranged (see the synopsis below), followed by chanting of Shiva-nam-Sankirtanam. The program conluded with Prasad dinner. About one hundred devotees attended these various programs.

Click here to see photos.

 

Synopses of Last Week's Classes

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

 

Study Class 'Bhakti-Yoga' - #21 - (based on the book by Swami Vivekananda)  - Jan. 9, Friday

Love is the greatest motivating power in the world.  We use the word “love” liberally for the people and things that interest us, but the love we feel for these people and things is changing, and can fade or even turn to hatred.  Experiencing and noticing this makes us wonder, where is this love we feel truly located?  The sages have discovered that the source of love, that which has been attracting us all the time, is the true Self, God.   The bhakta, or lover of God, experiences this love as a burning madness and craving for God.  When Sri Ramakrishna was accused of being a madman, he replied, “The whole world is a lunatic asylum...I am also mad...You are mad after money.  I am mad after god.  I think my madness is the best one.”  The sages tell us that love for God brings eternal bliss, so we can know that this is the best love.  
How do we reach God through bhakti yoga?  We must begin from where we are.  So many times, problems arise because we want to begin our journey from a place other than where we are.  Almost all of us approach God from a dualistic point of view, as “I and God.”  From here, we begin to climb the staircase.  The analogy of climbing a staircase implies a struggle, but at a certain point, we will get caught up in an undercurrent of love which lifts and pulls the devotee along.  God comes nearer and nearer.  The love we feel towards others becomes increasingly pure.  Ultimately, love, lover, and beloved are one.  Let us remember that this oneness is not opposed to duality.  The bhakta may realize that he is one with the object of love, but the bhakta prefers to be two- “I and my beloved. In truth, the bhakta is interested in achieving an intensely experiential unity, beyond the philosophical constructs of monism or dualism.  When it is described that the bhakta achieves oneness with God, the “one” in oneness is not “one” in the normal sense of the word; rather, it is a concept that transcends language.  The differences between love, lover, and beloved disappear. 

 

Symposium on Swami Vivekananda - Jan. 11, Sunday
Atul Pokharel: Swami Vivekananda was a social visionary, with an underlying view of unity. He had the views that one should live for others, and that one is responsible for oneself. He took from the Buddha and from the Christ, the idea of service. Swamiji didn’t take kindly to privilege. He did not want anyone to impose their ideal on anyone else. The questions arise: What if the expression of my potential conflicts with the expression of your potential. Who adjudicates? Swamiji ruled out the idea of selfishness. He told the stories of the monk who refused to marry a princess and the birds who sacrificed themselves to try to feed starving people. Swamiji saw divinity in the poor, the oppressed and the ignorant.
Pamela Dee: Swami Vivekananda’s main teaching was: “Arise, awake and stop not till the goal is reached!” The goal that Swamiji was talking about was developing the potential divinity in man. He felt that we cannot be satisfied except with the infinite. Most of us look for meaning outside of ourselves, but everyone holds within oneself that which they are seeking. We become weak and feeble when our goal is in the outer world, and stronger when our goal is within. Swamiji dedicated his life to serving others. Swamiji said that the brave alone do great things. When filled with enthusiasm, we have inner power, which fits the derivative Greek word entheos, meaning to be inspired by or possessed by a god.
Swami Yogatmananda: Unlike many people, Swami Vivekananda’s life was his teaching. There is an ongoing discussion of role the individual versus society. Jesus said to love your enemies. When we reach our destination, the conflict between the individual and social good gets resolved. Swamiji’s message was that serving others is a means of achieving spiritual progress. When our limited consciousness expands, we see the same person in everyone. Divisions and distinctions in society have to be there, but privilege has to go. Oneness brings the same privileges to everyone. Swamiji’s most tangible and practical goal was the manifestation of our inner divinity.

Study Class 'The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna' - Jan. 13, Tuesday
Dr. Sarkar, remarked that Sri Ramakrishna was calling on God due to the pain in his throat. Sri Ramakrishna’s awareness was not that of the body but of the underlying Bliss. While his body was in pain, he would experience the inner Bliss at all times. Hence, while he was so much in pain, all conversation was on spiritual topics. When some of his devotees insisted that he pray to God to cure his cancer, he used to say that his mind has been offered to God, how can it be brought on to the festering wound.
Sri Ramakrishna’s calling on God was not to alleviate his pain. It was started well before the onset of the disease. Our calling on God is affected by our weakness due to which we want things from God. Some people pray to God when they are suffering. These people don’t necessarily have faith in God but attempt it as one of the many methods to alleviate their suffering. Some people call on God, even though they may not be suffering but to improve their worldly circumstances – e.g. wealth. Some others have read and heard about God and are curious about what “God” is and call on God to satisfy their curiosity. Some others are convinced about the existence of God. They realize that God is the source of everything. They call on God to convert their conviction into realization. This is how the connection with God evolves in many stages. As we go towards God, our desires keep lessening and the happiness keeps increasing. Once our awareness is that of unity with God, we experience the inner Bliss and worldly things like disease do not bother us. We do not seek worldly things from God anymore.