 |
 |
|
|
Have a Question ?
If you have questions regarding spiritual life, Vedanta, Hinduism etc, you can email us at answers ATvedantaprov.org
Newsletter September 16, 2015
Notice:
Sunday Service Lecture Program - Some Changes
Beginning Sun. Sept. 20, the Sunday Service Lectures will be from 5pm to 5:45pm, FOLLOWED by a 10-15min Question-Answer session. Evening Aarati (Vesper Service) will be from 6:00 – 6:15 pm. This will be followed by soup supper and then meditation, until 8:00pm.
Please note: On coming Sunday, Sept. 20, music concert will follow the Sunday lecture and Q/A, instead of soup supper.
Upcoming Events
Worship of Lord Ganesha - Thurs. Sept. 17, 7:30-8:30PM
On the auspicious occasion of Ganesh Chaturthi, the students of Brown Hindu Students Association will perform the Ganesha Puja at the Vedanta Society, under the guidance of Swami Yogatmananda, from 7:30-8:30PM. All are welcome.
Day-long Meditation - Sat. Sept.19, 2015, 12noon – 8:00PM
This is a continual long meditation session, starting with guided meditation at 11:00 AM. 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-food will be provided. Doors open at 6:30pm for the 7:00pm singing Aarati, then meditation resumes.
Bhagavad Gita class, Middletown CT – Sun. Sept. 20, 10:30 - 11:30AM
Swami Yogatmananda will conduct the monthly Bhagavad Gita (Ch.18 cont.) at Sri Satyanarayana Temple (10 Training Hill Rd, Middletown, CT). All are welcome.
Children’s Sunday ‘Spiritual-Arts & Storytelling’ Class – Sun. Sept. 20 , 4:00 – 6:00PM.
For children under age 12 only. Contact Dorothy Abram at Dorothy.Abram-AT-jwu.edu
Music Concert following Sun. Service Lecture- - Sun. Sept.20
Following the 5pm - Sunday Service Lecture, there will be Devotional Vocal Music Concert from 6:15– 7:45pm in the Basement(LL). Ramchandra Joshi and Apoorvaa Deshpande will perform Vocals, with Ramchandra Joshi accompanying on Harmonium and Nitin Mitta on Tabla. NO entry Fee. Donations accepted.
Please note: Concert by Pandit Sarathi Chatterjee (with Asish Sengupta & Sumit Mishra) has been CANCELLED.
DAY-LONG RETREAT - Sat. Oct. 03, 9:30AM –7:00PM
Topic: ‘Spiritualizing Our Relationships’ by Swami Arupeshananda, Ramakrishna Monastery,
Trabuco Canyon, CA. Prior registration required Fee: $20/person.
Register by mail or at the Vedanta Society or online.
Click here to download reg. form or to register online.
Hatha Yoga classes:
1) ‘Walk-in’ ($5.00) Hatha Yoga class will resume on Tues. evenings from 6:00pm – 7:00pm with Hannah Resseger, beginning: Tues.15. Contact Hannah only AT: key2life-AT-gmail.com
2) New 6-Weeks Hatha Yoga Course - Sept. 30 - Nov. 04, 5:00 - 6:30PM
Beginning Wednesday, Sept. 30, a six-week ‘Mindful Flow’ Hatha Yoga class will be conducted at the Vedanta Society by Ellen Schaefer of One Yoga Center, RI, from 5:00 - 6:30PM. The 6-week course will be $30.00 Pre-paid; and $10.00 per class walk-in. Contact Ellen at 401-368-9647.
Weekly Programs (in addition to Daily Programs given below)
| Friday, Sept. 18 |
7:00 PM: Aarati (devotional music) & meditation 7:30 – 8:30 PM: Study Class by Swami Yogatmananda on 'Jnana Yoga’, a book by Swami Vivekananda |
| Saturday, Sept. 19 |
8:30 – 10:30 AM: Karma yoga/cleaning |
| Sunday, Sept. 20 |
5:00 – 6:00 PM:A talk on - ‘Cathing the Train at Paltform 9 & 3/4’ by Swami Yogatmananda and QA 6:15 – 7:45 PM: Classical VOCAL Concert by Ramchandra Joshi and Apoorvaa Deshpande. Accompanied on Harmonium by Ramchandra Joshi, and Tabla by Nitin Mitta. NO entry fee; Donations accepted. |
| Tuesday, Sept. 22 |
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 937 |
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
UNIVERSAL BROTHERHOOD DAY – SUNDAY SEP. 13 from 5 – 7:30PM
About one-hundred thirty-five devotees and community congregation members attended the annual ‘opening-day’ called 'Universal Brotherhood Day', on Sun. Sept 13, from 5pm –7:30pm. The theme was: ‘Service to Man is Service to God’. The program consisted of short talks by four interfaith leaders and music by Kathleen Adams of the Annisquam Village Church, MA, Vedanta devotees and King’s Cathedral choir. The program ended with a sumptuous dinner, prepared by Gita & Mahesh Patel & friends.
See the detailed report of this program, below, in the Synopses section of this newsletter.
Click here to see the photos of this event.
Outreach: Sat. Sept. 12, 3:30 - 5:30PM
About twenty-one devotees and community members attended the Vedanta Society of CT outreach meeting, with worship, music, reflections on 'The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna' and refreshments, which met at 660 Prospect St, Hartford CT from 3:30pm – 5:30 pm.
Interfaith at LaSallette Shrine, Attleboro MA- Thurs. Sept. 10
Swami Yogatmananda and about nine other clergy/congregation members attended the attleboro-based interfaith meeting conducted at LaSallette Shrine, Attleboro MA, to discuss possible changes in group structure, focus & happenings. Determinations will be finalized in Oct. meeting.
Saluations! – Sat. Sept 12
The birth anniversary of Swami Advaitananda, direct disciple of Sri 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)
Universal Brotherhood Day - Sept. 13, Sunday
Theme: Service to Man is Service to God
Swami Yogatmananda: Three reasons we celebrate Universal Brotherhood Day at this time of year are to commemorate: Swami Vivekananda’s message of brotherhood at the World Parliament of Religions, the foundating of the Vedanta Society of Providence, and the beginning of the society’s programs for the season.
Kathleen Adams of the Annisquam Village Church, and friends sang The Mission.
Pravrajika Vrajaprana, Vedanta Nun at Santa Barbara: We could call this Universal Same-Sightedness Day, which includes being aware of God in nature, church, prayer, etc. We need to translate awareness of God with all the people we encounter. Sri Sarada Devi saw all as her very own children. She said that no one is a stranger. How do we get to love and non-judgment despite how you hurt me and others? One response was in North Carolina after the murders. Holy Mother said: Do not find fault with others. In service to others, am I aware of my divinity and that of others? We need to realize that the other person we may criticize is feeling worse than us. Matthieu Ricard, a Buddhist monk, found that anger turns off happiness in people.
Peter Travisano and friends sang ‘To A Friend’.
Pastor Jeffery Williams of The King’s Church: We need to take responsibility for people who are hurting, confused, down and out, and up and in. Lord Jesus demonstrated his supreme act of love and service. God loved us so much he sent his son to die for us, because we were separated from God. Jesus died not to establish a religion but to allow us to love like that. Sin out there comes from sin in here. Sin separates us from the Holy God. The bible says: “For God so loved the whole world . . . ”, not just that He loved some people. It is easy to love those who are loveable and to serve those who thank us. We must undergo a spiritual rebirth, which is much deeper than the mind. The spirit must be born again, the soul renewed and the body disciplined. Roger Williams asked: What would happen if we love and feed people?
The King’s Church Choir sang It’s So Amazing.
Hannah Resseger sang a rap song about service that she had just written.
Venerable Lama Migmar Tseten, Buddhist Chaplain at Harvard University: We take refuge as medicine because, while we are all spiritual, we are not yet enlightened. The sangha can be compared to healthcare providers. We go to church or temple, and meditate, because we feel pain and seek refuge. All who breathe in and out want to be happy, including animals. To serve, we need to have something to give. Love in the heart can change the brain. Harvard students felt the brain was more important than the heart until asked: How do you choose your partner? We love someone because they make us happy, but the love turns to hate if they no longer make us happy. A child is about me, me, me. The mommy sacrifices for the child. In Buddhist meditation, we all have unconditional love inside us, which is limited by anger and attachment. The heart and the brain need to come together. If we have nothing to give, we are not helping. The Dalai Lama said that the Chinese are the greatest teacher, leading us to develop love and compassion. We don’t feel the pain of refugees because we are not connected. We love some people, hate some, and ignore some. To love our enemies is a challenge, and the hardest challenge is to love those we ignore. Someone called the Buddha a deadbeat dad because he left his wife and child, but he even gave up himself. The three levels of serving with compassion are: to feel someone’s pain and wish they would be free, to give them food, and to give them wisdom.
Peter Travisano and friends sang That Man God Loves.
Swami Tyagananda, Minister of the Vedanta Society of Boston: There is a story of two farming brothers, one who secretly gave his brother extra grain because he was married and would need more for his family, and the other who secretly gave his brother extra grain because he was single and would have no one to support him in old age. The village built a temple on the holy spot where the brothers encountered each other doing this. We don’t fall in love, we rise in love, when God is present. Four classes of people are described in the Hundred Verses on Ethics. The good, noble people work for the welfare of others without thinking of their own happiness. They are rare. The majority of people work for the good of others if it does not hurt they, themselves. Demons in the form of human beings don’t care of people suffer as long as they themselves are happy. The fourth class destroys other people’s happiness even if they don’t get anything out of it. We need to increase the second class. Love is already our nature, and if we remove all masks, selfishness, and hatred, love will come out.
Peter Travisano, joined by The King’s Church Choir, and friends sang Namaste. Sravani Bhattacharjee lead singing Auspicious Mother Divine.
Swami Yogatmananda thanked the many people who helped put on this program, for their service.
Study Class - 'The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna' - Sept. 15, Tuesday
(First Class After the Summer Break)
Sri Ramakrishna (Master) was born in Kamarpukur, a small village near Kolkata in 1836. He came to Kolkata in 1855 to assist his elder brother - Ramkumar, who was trying to earn some livelihood there. Various events resulted in Sri Ramakrishna’s working as a priest in the temple of Divine Mother at Dakshineshwar. Around the same time he started his intense spiritual practice with the sole desire to have the vision of the Divine Mother. Master undertook various types of spiritual practices to realize the Truth. As he reached to the culmination of his Sadhana, he was eagerly waiting for sincere seekers to whom he can distribute this invaluable treasure. As the bees get attracted towards a blossomed flower, many spiritual aspirants started coming to the Master at Dakshineshwar to learn the secrets of spiritual life. Master influenced many great personalities of that time like Keshab Chandra Sen, Girish Ghosh etc. One of the devotees, Mahendranath Gupta - M, noted the conversations with the Master and presented in this book - Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna. Master's key message, which is repeatedly mentioned in this book, is - the sole purpose of human life is God Realization.
Master stayed at Dakshineshwar till Sept 1885. After that he was moved to Shyampukur, Calcutta and then to Cassipore on account of his illness. At this time his mind was constantly merged in the Absolute. In spite of his extreme illness Master was ever blissful, busy distributing the divine bliss to everyone around him.