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Have a Question ?
If you have questions regarding spiritual life, Vedanta, Hinduism etc, you can email us at answers ATvedantaprov.org
Newsletter September 30, 2015
Upcoming Events
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.
Sitar & Tabla Concert – Oct. 04, Sunday
Immediately following the Sunday Service Lecture/Q&A session, a Sitar Concert, from 6:15PM – 7:45PM, will be performed in the Lower Level (LL), by Partha Bose (who has trained since age six under Maihar Gharana and currently under Pt. Monoj Shankar). Indranil Mallick will accompany him on Tabla, whose teachers include Sri Uttam Chakraborty, and Pt. Swapan Chaudhuri. Open to All; NO FEE; but Donations appreciated.
Just Kids! : Children’s Time - Oct. 04, Sunday, 4PM – 6PM
The Just Kids! Children’s program (ages 6-12 only) will meet from 4PM – 6PM, under the direction of Professor Dorothy Abram, assisted by Chet Boncek . All young children welcome.
Salutations! – Oct. 06, Tuesday
The birth anniversaries of Swami Abhedananda, direct disciple of Sri Ramakrishna, will be observed on Tues. Oct. 06, in the morning with a chant and in the evening with a song, a biography reading and prasad.
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.
Click here to see the Report of Activities/Happenings in the Year 2014.
A gist of this was presented at the Annual General Meeting held on Sat. Sept. 05, 2015
Blog Post: What is the experience of moving "between the steps"? A new post on our blog conveys the meaning of consciousness: http://vedantaprovidence.blogspot.com/
Weekly Programs (in addition to Daily Programs given below)
| Friday, Oct. 02 |
7:00 PM: Aarati (devotional music) & meditation 7:30 – 8:30 PM: Study Class #3 by Swami Yogatmananda on 'Jnana Yoga’, a book by Swami Vivekananda |
| Saturday, Oct. 03 |
9:30AM– 7:00PM – DAY LONG RETREAT |
| Sunday, Oct. 04 |
5:00 – 6:00 PM:A talk on - ‘Why am I the way that I am? by Swami Arupeshananda (Trabuco Canyon Vedanta, CA) and Q/A |
| Tuesday, Oct. 06 |
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 939 |
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 |
Synopses of Last Week's Classes
(All classes given by Swami Yogatmananda, unless otherwise stated)
Study Class - 'Jnana Yoga’ (a book by Swami Vivekananda) - Sept. 25, Friday
Class #2: The second part of the opening prayer (May we realize .. purification of understanding) describes the method by which we can come to know God: by purifying our understanding by giving up our erroneous beliefs of who we are and what the world is. This purification comes through the practice of Yoga. Our study of this text is for the illumination of our life. The goal of this and other Vedantic scriptures is the complete eradication of suffering in our life, which requires the removal of the cause of suffering—our own ignorance. When ignorance is removed, the bliss that is our true nature will be revealed.
The first chapter of Jnana Yoga is titled “Necessity of Religion.” A thing’s necessity is required to be explained when 1) it is not understood or not felt; 2) it is not understood in all its aspects; 3) it is misunderstood; 4) that thing itself is not correctly understood. The necessity of religion is not understood by many, and even if it is understood, it is not felt. It doesn’t move us to action. It may not be understood in all its aspects, or it may be misunderstood entirely. In Chapter One, Swami Vivekananda presents two theories for the necessity/origin of religion. First, there is the belief in continuity of the spirit. All of us, when we lose a loved one, are haunted by the question, “What happens to this person after death? Where did he go?” There is an innate belief in all people that something remains after a body dies. This is considered to be one of the sources of religion. Second, there has been throughout history the worship of powers of nature- wind, rain, lightning, etc. It is not difficult to see that we don’t have control over these forces, but our lives depend on them. This is why in many religions people propitiate gods who embody these natural forces. In both of these sources of religion, Swamiji identifies a common struggle to transcend the limitation of the senses.
Understanding Pranayama - Sept. 27, Sunday
Breath is only the vehicle of pranayama, but it often gets confused with it. The idea of pranayama comes from the Samkhya-Vedanta philosophy, which sees the whole universe as a combination of matter (prakriti) and the energy that moves it (purusha). Matter here includes subtle matter, as in objects seen in dreams. Akasha is space that includes all matter, and from which matter manifests. It has no movement. The first expression of prana is seeing multiplicity, which is information. First we have information (e.g. I am hungry), and then we have physical action (e.g. I reach for food). Prana is also seen as the highest awareness, or all-pervading energy. Without learning to control our breath, the breath is not of much use in spiritual practice. Arjuna pointed out how difficult it is to control the mind, which is something that sages, as well as all the rest of us, want to do. All suffering comes when the mind is not under control. A means to control the mind is to control the breath, over which we have some control. Our emotions are reflected in our breath. A cautionary note is that pranayama may hurt us if we practice it without proper guidance. A beginning form of pranayama, is to hold the fingers in a certain way (closing the nostrils in various ways) and breathe in through one nostril, hold the breath, and breathe out through the other nostril, to the ratio of 1-4-2, increasing the lengths of time as possible but not excessively. This is generally a safe practice. Doing this, we let the in-breath be filled with holy emotions. Sri Ramakrishna said that love for God accomplishes the same thing as pranayama, without as much risk. Pranayama is powerful, and requires extra responsibility, like a person needing a license to fly a plane.
Study Class - 'The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna' - Sept. 29, Tuesday
Due to ignorance, people equate money with happiness. Money is called "Artha" in Sanskrit. It is the cause of all "anartha" - destruction. A spiritual aspirant must not get attached to money.
It is possible to live unattached in the world if one can transcend all the three attributes (Gunas) - Sattva, Rajas and Tamas. These three attributes are the components of human personality. Sattva makes a person calm, peaceful and interested in finer aspects of life. Rajas leads to action physical as well as mental. Desire is the key driving force behind Rajas. The third attribute is Tamas which causes laziness, anger and perturbed mind. All the actions driven by these attributes lead to suffering and bondage. To attain bliss and freedom, one must go beyond all the three Gunas.
M mentions about his dream to the Master. He saw, all the young disciples of the Master have renounced the world and became Sannyasins. Master said the mental renunciation is necessary and that too makes a person Sannyasin. Renunciation is giving up the cause of suffering and bondage. Attachment to the worldly objects, with an anticipation of receiving pleasure, gives rise to infinite desires. To have devotion for The Lord is the only True desire. Spiritual seeker must give up all other desires which end up in suffering, bondage and attachment.