Newsletter October 21, 2015

Newsletter Archives

 

Upcoming Events

Special Lecture

FRI. OCT 23, 7:30-8:30 PM
SWAMI CHIDBRAHMANANDA, Associate Minister, Vedanta Center Washington DC will speak on "A Romp with Reason"

Click here to see the flyer. All are Welcome.

Vedanta Society of Connecticut Durga Puja – Sat. Oct. 24
Durga Puja will be observed at 100 Cherry Brook Rd, Canton, CT, from 3:00PM – 6:00PM. All welcome.

Swami in Waltham, MA – Sun. Oct. 25
Swami will perform Aarati and deliver a talk on Durga, the Killer of Buffalo Demon at N.E.Prabasi, JKF  Middle School, 655 Lexington St, Waltham MA from 10:00 AM to 12:30 PM.

Classical Music (Vocal) Concerts –

- Sat. Oct. 24, Sun. Oct. 25 & Wed. Oct. 28

1) Pt. Sarathi Chatterji (senior disciple of Pt Rajan & Sajan Mishra), will perform morning raagas from 10am – 11:30am this Sat. Oct 24 in the Lower Level (LL). He will be accompanied by Pt. Asish Sengupta on Tabla and Sumit Mishra on Harmonium. All are welcome; Suggested Donation $20 per person.

2) On Sun. Oct. 25, immeditaely following the 5PM – 6PM Sunday Lecture on: ‘KARUNA’ by Dr. Anindita Balslev, Pt Subhadra Desai (Disciple of Pt Madhup Mudgal) will perform Classical VOCAL melodies, accompanied on Tabla by Asish Sengupta and Sumit Mishra on Harmonium. All welcome; Suggested Donation $20/per person

 

3) On Wed. Oct. 28 at 7:30PM, a devotional Music Concert of Meerabai Bhajans, set to soulful melodies by the great Indian musician Dilip Kumar Roy, will be performed by Priya Chopra and Neeta Saraf. All are welcome.

 

Click here to listen to the lectures on 'Cloud of Unknowing', a 13th Century Treatise by a British Mystic. The classes were given by Swami Yogatmananda during the Summer break 2015.

 

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 401-368-9642.

 

Weekly Programs (in addition to Daily Programs given below)

Friday, Oct. 23	7:00 PM: Aarati (devotional music) & meditation 7:30 – 8:30 PM: Swami Chidbrahmananda (WA/DC Vedanta Center) will speak on: ‘A Romp with Reason’
Saturday, Oct. 24	10:00 - 11:00AM - Morning Raaga Concert, with Pt. Sarathi Chattereji    Open to all; Suggested Donation $20 per person 7:00 - 8:00 PM:  Aarati (singing, a short reading & continued meditation
Sunday, Oct. 25	5:00 – 6:00PM: ’KARUNA (Compassion): In Vedanta and Buddhist Perspective’ by Dr. Anindita Balslev (Scholar from India & Denmark) 6:00 – 6:15 PM: Aarati (devotional music) 6:15 – 7:45PM: Classical VOCAL Concert with Pt. Subhadra Desai All welcome; Suggested Donation $20/per person
Tuesday, Oct. 27	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 941

 

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

DURGA PUJA-WORSHIP DAY – Sun. Oct. 18
About one hundred devotees celebrated  Durga Puja-Worship Day from 11AM – 7PM. Puja-worship was from 11am -1:00pm; then  flower offering from devotees; then prasad luncheon. followed by the video about Durga Puja in India; then there was a musical segment. The  5PM – 6PM Lecture on 'Durga -The Killer of the Buffalo Demon' was given by Swami Yogatmananda. The program ended with chanting of 108 names of Divine Mother and then prasad-supper.
Click here to see photos.

Swami to Salt Lake City, Utah – Wed. Oct. 14 - Sat. Oct. 17
Swami Yogatmananda traveled to Salt Lake City Utah and   participated in the Parliament of World Religions. He returned late night Saturday, Oct 17.

 

Synopses of Last Week's Classes

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

 

Guest Lecture - 'The Art of Spiritual Diving' - Oct. 16, Friday

Chester Boncek spoke on the topic ‘THE ART OF SPIRITUAL DIVING’. In Jnana Yoga, we search for answers to those questions which we ourselves generate. The Spiritual life can be seen as journey from world out there to world in ourselves. In Nisargadatta Maharaj & Swami Adiswarananda’s books we get to see the questions and the right answers.

 

Durga – The Killer of the Buffalo Demon - Oct. 18, Sunday
Today we have been worshipping the Divine Mother, trying to connect with Her and feel Her presence within us. The Hindu scripture known as the Chandi (700 verses on the Divine Mother), where Durga is shown as the liberator. We don’t have to deal with demons out there. The demon is the ego, the biggest obstacle in spiritual life. One moment we are on top of the world, and the next moment we are depressed. Chandi describes the buffalo demon (ego) who became powerful, and the devas, who represent the virtues, were defeated. They all approached Shiva and Vishnu. From the Devas a Goddess was created. When our faculties, such as the physical, mental and emotional, fight amongst themselves, the ego wins. But when they are united, they can overcome the ego. Swami Vivekananda told his disciples, who complained about a lack of resources, that you have all power in you, and when you invoke your divinity, the world is at your feet. The ego takes different forms, such as now anger and then lust. Similarly, the demon in the Chandi takes numerous forms. Unreality cannot defeat us, but we have to be convinced that our real nature is divine and that we are going to conquer. The Divine Mother is fighting on behalf of us so there is no need to be tense or to have doubt. Durga ties down the demon, meaning that the ego has to be contained in order to be killed. A disciple once asked Swami Shivananda why bad thoughts come up. He replied that someday the disciple would ask how bad thoughts can come up at all. May the Mother Durga, the Killer of ego-demon, bless us all.

 

Study Class - 'The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna' - Oct. 20, Tuesday

Sri Ramakrishna explains that there are two types of ego: ripe ego and unripe ego. Ripe ego is associated with God, like “I am devotee of God” or that “I am essentially divine”. This ego leads one to freedom. Unripe ego is the sense that “I am this body” or that “I am so and so” – a rich man, a mother/father. It associates “I” with the body, one’s relatives, money etc. This ego is a source of fear and anxiety. The ripe ego, on the other hand, is strengthening as it associates “I” with something unchanging, with God. With this ego, the desires start disappearing and so do all the fears and anxieties associated with them.
Maya has two functions – as avidya maya it is binding, as Vidya-maya it is liberating. Just as a burnt rope looks like a rope but has no ability to hold anyone, Vidya-maya does not bind anyone. Sri Ramakrishna says that God himself has kept this Vidya-maya in Him for the welfare of devotees. Externally, He walks and talks like all of us, is subject to illness of body but internally all His desires are burned completely. Such a person – described in Geeta – has no desires but is not inert like a wall. This person is free and is full of bliss that does not depend on anything external. The person is happy in Self because of the Self. Desire-lessness is key to freedom. Even the slightest desire will make us be born again. Desire for anything other than God is no real desire – as it has no ability to fulfill a person. Once we understand this, we naturally stop pursuits of all impermanent things and find bliss in God alone.