Newsletter May 13, 2015

Newsletter Archives

 

Upcoming Events

Swami travels to New Jersey – Sat. May 16
Swami Yogatmananda will travel early Saturday morning to Livingston and Berlin, NJ to deliver Vedanta talks.  He will return Sunday afternoon.

Vocal-Saxophone-Tabla Concert – Sun. May 17
Immediately following the 5 – 6pm Sunday Lecture, there will be an Indian Classical Music concert from 6 – 7:30pm in the Lower Level (LL), with Madhuvanti Bhide (Vocals); Phil Scharf (Soprano Saxophone) and Amit Kavthekar (Tabla), who is disciple of Ustad Alla Rakha. No admission Fee, although suggested donation $15.00/person gratefully accepted.

 

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.

 

Day-long Spiritual Retreat - Sat. June 13, 9:30AM - 7:00PM

Sub:'Crest Jewel of Discernment' (Viveka-Chudamani) of Sankaracharya

- by Swami Ishatmananda, Minister, Vedanta Society, Chicago

Reg. Fee $20.00 per person. Prior Reg. required. Register by mail or at the Vedanta Society or online.

Click here to download reg. form or to register online.

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

 

Summer Events 2015 -Reserve the dates

 

Weekly Programs (in addition to Daily Programs given below)

Friday, May 15	7:00 PM: Aarati (devotional music) & meditation 7:30 – 8:30 PM: Study Class by Swami Yogatmananda on 'Kenopanisad', a Vedanta Upanisad Text.
Saturday, May 16	8:30 – 10:30 AM: Karma yoga/cleaning 11:00 AM – 12 noon: Guided meditation/chanting and singing 7:00 PM-8PM:  Aarati (singing, a short reading & continued meditation)
Sunday, May 17	5:00 – 6:00 PM:A talk on - 'I Am That I Am’ by Swami Yogatmananda 6:00 – 7:30 PM: Indian Classical Music Concert with Vocals; Sax; & Tabla.  See above for details
Tuesday, May 19	7:00 PM: Aarati (devotional music) & meditation 7:30 – 8:30 PM: Study Class by Swami Yogatmananda on 'The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna', Ch 49, pp 931

 

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

Green Energy - Solar Panels Set-up at the Vedanta Society

Vedanta Society of Providence has now 'solar power' (not just 'soul'er power). Our solar project, set up by BCX Energy in Providence, has, in last week (Tue, May 5 to 12) generated over 712 kwh energy. In effect what it means, at average level, is :
    CO2 Emission Saved: 506.07 kg    
    Equivalent Trees Planted: 28.62   
    Light Bulbs Powered: 2,223.96 for a day   
Click here for the photos of Solar Panels set-up.

 

Special Prayer Meeting for the Victims of Nepal Earthquake - Wed. May 6

About fifty people attended the prayer-meeting from 6:45pm – 9pm, arranged through the joint efforts of:
India Association of RI, Vedanta Society of Providence and Nepal Association of RI.

Bhagavad Gita class, Middletown CT – Sun. May 10, 10:30 - 11:30 AM
Swami Yogatmananda conducted  the monthly Bhagavad Gita (Ch.18 cont.) at Sri Satyanarayana Temple (10 Training Hill Rd, Middletown, CT) to about fifteen devotees.

Swami at RIC Conference – Wed. May 13
Swami Yogatmananda and one devotee attended the seventh (7th) annual Interfaith Conference to Reduce Poverty held at Rhode Island College(RIC) from 8am – 12noon. The keynote speaker, Rev. Sekinah Hamlin, director of The Ecumenical Poverty Initiative, spoke on: ‘Growing an Economy for all Rhode Islanders’, with Q/A session. Swami participated in one of the three faith/advocacy workshops on race, poverty & mass incarceration. About one-hundred twenty-five clergy, lay-members and community activists attended/participated.

 

Click here to see photos.

 

Synopses of Last Week's Classes

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

 

Study Class - 'Kenopanisad' - May 8, Friday

The sincere spiritual student approaches the teacher with a question regarding the nature of the Self. The Self, replies the teacher, is "the eye of your eye, the ear of your ear, the mind of your mind." While this response may strike us a peculiar, the teacher has identified the student's fervent yearning for the Self, which is beyond all words, beyond subject-object interpretation, and beyond the grasp of the body-mind complex. Upon hearing this answer, the student must first deeply ponder over what the teacher has said. Second, the student must rationally and logically try to make sense of it. And third, the student must intuitively experience the truth.  Both devotion and analytic reasoning are required on our spiritual journey.  Reason should be used to assimilate the teachings of the scriptures, to establish their validity, and to convince one that we are, indeed, not merely the body-mind complex. But after consulting reason, we must dive deep spiritual practice in order to the experience the truths of the scriptures. All this constitutes the 'spiritual practice or Sadhana', resulting a transformation of life and personality. When the spiritual seeker has a direct intuitive experience of the Self, he or she is not relying merely on the intellect or sense perception, rather the spiritual seeker has awakened the deepest, most conclusive faculty, which lies beyond reason. This conclusive faculty, once awakened, makes the truth flash in this disciple. Realization of the truth is a transformation of awareness, which is automatically followed by the transformation of life. It is the outcome of the purity of the mind achieved through intense spiritual practice. With shraddha, a dynamic faith in what the Guru has told, we can undergo spiritual practices in order to strengthen our awareness of the changeless, one without a second Self.

 

Siva and Sakti - May 10, Sunday
Siva is seen as masculine and Sakti as feminine, but you cannot separate them because they are One appearing as two. Sakti is matter that is changing and Siva is consciousness that is not visible. Mother is the power that causes the One to appear as many. The Indian saint Jnaneshwar wrote the Amritanubhava, or Experience of immortality. He saluted Siva and Sakti, who he saw as like a person and his reflection in a mirror. He saluted his own Guru as the wisdom that brings out the essence of Siva and Sakti. The Guru is the power associated with Siva, and is the source of compassion. Siva and Sakti love each other, which is characteristic of Oneness. The dualist Theologians try to separate the Creator and the creation, which is helpful at one stage, but we want to go closer to God than that. Salokya is living in the same plane as God. Sarupya is having a form similar to that of God. Samipya is living close to God, but there is still a gap. And Sayujya is becoming One with God. Siva and Sakti emit each other like day and night. If we pray to one, we pray to the other. We worship Siva and Sakti to bring out the hidden Truth, whereby ignorance goes away, and we realize a state of Oneness. We feel a close connection because they are our parents. Mother is worshipped more than Father in India, because a mother loves her children despite their shortcomings, while a father is more of a strict disciplinarian. A child can demand things from its mother. The Self, appearing in many varieties, is called Mother. Salutations to all mothers who are manifestations of the Divine Mother.
Following the talk, Anuradha portrayed Siva and Sakti in a dance performance.

 

Study Class - 'The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna' - May 12, Tuesday

Dr. Sarkar made a casual comment that meant "only over my dead body". Sri Ramakrishna then said to Dr. Sarkar that He wants his avidya (ignorance) to die, not him. He said that when avidya dies, it gives birth to its child, Viveka (discrimination). In ignorance, we lose the understanding of the truth. Moreover, things appear opposite of the way they truly are. Impermanent things appear to be permanent, impure things appear as pure, suffering feels like happiness, non-self appears to be self. In Vedanta, this is called as adhyaasa - superimposition, where, things appear as they are not. Ignorance has no impact on the reality, but it affects the perceiver. The perceiver is deceived by it and suffers due to it. We know that we will not live forever, yet we are unable to conceive of our own death. It is nearly impossible to think of one's death. In ignorance we are very attached to our bodies. Our attachment to the body takes the form of identification with it. Body is a vehicle for us to take us to our spiritual goal. It is a car to take us to a destination. In ignorance, our whole life is spent in trying to fix the car and not in undertaking the journey. We don't even end up fixing the car because we don't diagnose and solve for the right problem. Hence, we need to earnestly discriminate between what is real and unreal and end the suffering caused due to ignorance and attachment.
On this Kali Puja day, the devotees saw a wonderful transformation in Sri Ramakrishna's appearance. He went into Samadhi and all present saw in him the manifestation of Mother Kali. It was a unique, unforgettable experience for all.
(Here conclude the narrations while Sri Ramakrishna stayed at the Shyamapukur House in Kolkata; next will come the recordings when he has moved to the Kashipur Garden House.)