Newsletter April 29, 2015

 

Newsletter Archives

 

Upcoming Events

Please join us in the -

Special Prayer Meeting for the Victims of Nepal Earthquake -

Wed. May 6, from 6:45-8:00 PM, at Vedanta Society of Providence
Aarranged through the joint efforts of:
India Association of RI, Vedanta Society of Providence, Nepal Association of RI

 

Nepal Earthquake Relief

The branch of Ramakrishna Mission in Nepal has started doing the primary relief work for the hundreds of thousands of people afflicted due to the massive earthquake of April 25, 2015. The Ramakrishna Ashram in Nepal has sent out request for donation to conduct this relief work and the Vedanta Society of Providence can collect donations for it which will be tax-exempt. Please send your checks to the Vedanta Society of Providence, 227 Angell St, Providence, RI, 02906. A sum of $2,500.00 has already been sent by the Society to serve the immediate needs. 

 

Day-long Meditation - Sat. May 02, 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-foods, snacks, teas/juices will be provided.

Children’s Sunday ‘Spiritual-Arts & Storytelling’ Class – Sun. May 03, 4:00 PM – 6:00 PM.  For children under age 12 only. Contact Dorothy Abram at Dorothy.Abram-AT-jwu.edu   

 

New 6-Weeks Hatha Yoga Course - May 06 - June 10
Beginning Wednesday, May 06, a six-week ‘Mindful Flow’ Hatha Yoga class will be conducted at the Vedanta Society under the teaching of Ellen Schaefer of One Yoga Center, RI. The 6-week course will be $30.00 Pre-paid; and $10.00 per class walk-in. Contact Ellen at 401-368-9647.

Other ongoing Classes:
1) $5.00 Walk-in Hatha Yoga with Hannah Resseger on Tuesdays from 6pm – 7pm: Contact Hannah ONLY at:  key2life-AT-gmail.com
2) Bharathanatyam (South Indian) Classical Dance Classes  on Sundays, 3:30 – 5:00 pm: Contact Anuradha ONLY at :  704-707-5430

Weekly Programs (in addition to Daily Programs given below)

Friday, May 01	7:00 PM: Aarati (devotional music) & meditation 7:30 – 8:30 PM: Study Class by Swami Yogatmananda on 'Kenopnisad', a Vedanta Upanisad Text.
Saturday, May 02	8:30 – 10:30 AM: Karma yoga/cleaning 11:00 AM – 12 noon: Guided meditation/chanting and singing 12noon – 8:00 PM - LONG MEDITATION SESSION (must be IN bldg by 12 noon when entry will be locked.); entry will re-open at 6:30pm for: 7:00 PM-8PM:  Aarati (singing, a short reading & continued meditation)
Sunday, May 03	5:00 – 6:00 PM:A talk on - ‘Impermanence of Ego—In Buddha’s Teachings’ by Swami Yogatmananda 6:00 – 7:00 PM: Soup Supper 7:00 PM: Aarati (devotional music) & meditation
Tuesday, May 05	7:00 PM: Aarati (devotional music) & meditation 7:30 – 8:30 PM: Study Class by Swami Yogatmananda on 'The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna', Ch 48, pp 925

 

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. 6' 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

Guest Lecture – Fri. Apr. 24
In place of the Kenopanisad class on Fri evening April 24,  Rabbi Rami Shapiro  delivered  a talk, guided audience participation for Hebraic chant-prayers, and answered several questions  on: Living as a Blessing: Spiritual Meaning of 'The Promised Land', from 7:30 – 8:45pm to about forty attendees.  Scroll down to see the synopsis of this talk in synopses section below.

Click here to see the photos.

 

Swami to North Carolina – Sat. Apr. 25 - Sun. Apr. 26
Swami Yogatmananda conducted  a retreat (seven lectures) on: Dakshinamurty Stotram and assorted other Vedanta topics at the Greenville Center on Saturday and Sunday to about thirty devotees. He also delivered a Sunday Lecture in Raleigh, North Carolina on Sunday before returning to Providence Monday morning.

 

Synopses of Last Week's Classes

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

 

Special Lecture- Living as a Blessing: Spiritual Meaning of 'The Promised Land'- Rabbi Rami Shapiro - Apr. 24, Friday

The practice of Lech Lecha is the practice of being a blessing. Being a blessing is what it means to be in the state of Promise or the Promised Land. Being a blessing means engaging with others-all beings, all the families of the earth- from the stand point of I-Thou rather than I-It; seeing the other as a part of rather than apart from the non-dual Reality we call YHVH; seeing the other as an end in and of herself, rather than as an means to be used for our own ends. One way to practice Lech Lecha and cleanse ourselves of the delusions that keep us from seeing and being the Promise that is the Promised Land is to continually repeating the phrase Ein Od Milvado: "there is nothing other than God" (Deuteronomy 4:35).

 

Vedanta in the Context of Modern Science - a talk by - Sam Abram and Abhishek Goswami - Apr. 26, Sunday
Sam: Swami Vivekananda said that the latest discoveries of science echo Vedanta philosophy. He said both science and religion try to find unity. When we chant Om together, we are all on the same page.
Abhishek: Yoga is the act of perfecting our actions. Physical yoga prepares us for meditation, through which we understand the entire universe.
Sam: Scientists need hard facts so they wired up the brain of a meditating monk and found that the brain waves changed in meditation, showing it was having an effect. The heart rate was also found to change, indicating a feeling of calmness. After the Big Bang, there was a constant hum in the universe, which is the sound of Om.
Abhishek: Synchronicity exists throughout nature, with a natural resonance.
Sam: Einstein found that E=MC². Energy can be neither created nor destroyed. The fact that energy is everywhere is proof of the existence of Brahman.
Abhishek: Just like a radio must be fine-tuned to pick up radio waves, the scriptures say that we must be tuned in to the unknown to pick it up. Physical seeing is either based on reflection in a mirror or an impression on a film lens.
Sam: An image can be either 2 dimensional (in a mirror), 3 dimensional (in a hologram) or 4 dimensional (in a statue). Brahman's hologram is us.
Abhishek: The scriptures say to cultivate the third eye. For the experience of Truth - something to which physicists are not reconciled. 

 

Study Class - 'The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna' - Apr. 28, Tuesday

Sri Ramakrishna belongs to the current modern era. One can see his photographs. His message is recorded in his own words to explain the lofty spiritual truth. All this make Sri Ramakrishna's personality more
perceivable and real for all.
This account describes the day of Kali Puja - worship of Divine Mother. Mother Kali is the personification of the principle of time. Everything is born out of time and hence She is referred to as the primordial Mother.

Being such an auspicious day Master requested M to offer worship at Divine Mother's temple and bring the sacred food offering - Prasad for him. He also requested M to get the two books on songs by Ramprasad and Kamalakant for
Dr. Sarkar. These are the two famous poets and devotees of the Divine Mother. Their songs are full of devotion and they describe that the journey from an ordinary human being to Divine is possible for everyone. Dr. Sarkar
who was of scientific bent of mind did not approve of devotion and incarnation of God etc. in the beginning. But gradually and unknowingly he was getting drawn towards the Master and his devotees. Master wanted the Doctor to appreciate the poetry and also to understand the devotional message given by the songs.