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Newsletter March 16, 2016
Upcoming Events
Swami to Vorhees, NJ and Philadelphia, PA– Sat. March 19
Swami Yogatmananda will travel to Vorhees, NJ and Philadelphia, PA to deliver Vedanta talks to devotee groups there. He will return to Providence Sunday evening.
DAY-LONG RETREAT - Sat. Apr. 02, 9:30AM –7:00PM
Topic: 'Yogi and Bhagavad Gita' by Swami Prapannananda, Vedanta Society of Sacramento, CA
Prior registration required; can register at the Vedanta Society or online.
Fee: $30.00/person ($20.00 if registered and paid by March 21, 2016)
Click here for more info & online registration.
Great Courses Video – Thurs. March 17
Video showings of Great Courses continues this Thursday, March 17, from 8PM – 9PM in the Lower Level (LL),
Restarting Tuesday Hatha Yoga Classes beginning Mar. 08
‘Walk-in’ ($5.00) Tues. evenings from 6:15pm – 7:00pm with Hannah Resseger.
Hatha Yoga 6-week Course - Wednesdays Apr. 06- May 25
Beginning Wednesday, Apr. 06, a six-week ‘Mindful Flow’ Hatha Yoga class will be conducted at the Vedanta Society on every Wednesday 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
Please note: No class on April 20 & May 4.
Weekly Programs (in addition to Daily Programs given below)
| Friday, Mar. 18 |
7:00 PM: Aarati (devotional music) & meditation 7:30 – 8:30 PM: Study Class by Swami Yogatmananda on Jnana Yoga (based on the book of Swami Vivekananda) |
| Saturday, Mar. 19 |
8:30 – 10:30 AM: Karma yoga/cleaning 7:00 - 8:00 PM: Aarati (singing, a short reading) & Meditation |
| Sunday, Mar. 20 |
5:00 – 6:00 PM: 'Insight into Sri Ramakrishna-Aarati', by Pat Blake 6:15-7:00PM: Soup Supper
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| Tuesday, Mar. 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 50, pp 959 |
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
Sri Ramakrishna Puja/Worship Day – Sun. March 13, 11:00AM –7:00PM
About ninety devotees participated in the 11:00am – 1:00pm worship-ritual, reading, devotional singing and flower-offering, followed by Prasad-lunch.
About forty-five people watched Video from 2:30-4:00 pm, showing a documentary on Sri Ramakrishna, made by Vedanta Society of St Louis, MO.
About fifty people attended the 5:00-6:00 pm: ‘Symposium’ on Sri Ramakrishna’ (see synopsis below), followed by singing of Sri Ramakrishna Sankirtanam; and then prasad dinner.
On Mar. 10, being the Birth-Anniversary of Sri Ramakrishna according to lunar calendar, Sri Ramakrishna Sankirtanam (Life of and Prayers to Sri Ramakrishna) was sung, immediately following the 7pm singing Aarati. About a dozen devotees attended. There was also a food & flower offering to Ramakrishna at noon.
Synopses of Last Week's Classes
(All classes given by Swami Yogatmananda, unless otherwise stated)
Study Class on 'Jnana Yoga’- Mar. 11, Friday
Class #21 Ch. 4: By purifying our understanding, we will find the infinite bliss and absolute existence which we are searching for in life. According to Sankaracarya, all contradictions in life result from the fictitious division between “I” and the “world.” Since this division is fictitious, there is no rational way to resolve the resultant contradictions. Nevertheless, we can go beyond them by practicing the yoga of discernment. All religions are attempts to go beyond this spell of Maya, these contradictions. As human beings, we naturally imagine a personal God who is beyond contradictions, whom we have to become one with, whom we must obtain the grace of, who will ferry us across the ocean of Maya. As Vedanta evolves, this personal God, being beyond Maya, comes closer and closer until that Being becomes one with us, and then we exclaim, “Aham Brahmah Asmi! I am That!” That is the culmination of religious evolution. This concept of God may be difficult to accept for those of us who have grown up with the idea of a creator God. However if we analyze deeply, we see that it is not God who changes; rather it is our concept of God that changes as we evolve spiritually. The idea of Devas in the Samhita, the oldest part of the Vedas, matches the ideas in other ancient scriptures. These Gods are basically anthropomorphic but with some additional powers. In judging these ancient Gods, we may be offended by some of their behaviors, but we should not judge by our standards or ideals. We need to understand the ancient Gods in context. The purpose of Vedanta is to understand the common thread which runs through all these different conceptions of the Divine and to appreciate that as we progress spiritually our concept of God also progresses.
Sunday Lecture - Symposium on the Life and Teachings of Sri Ramakrishna – Mar. 13, Sunday
Krishnan Raghavan presented three stories told by Sri Ramakrishna. Parables and short stories are the shortest distance between the truth and the heart. Girish Chandra Ghosh said of Sri Ramakrishna, that he opened him up to love that he never felt before. Sri Ramakrishna told a story about a man who prepares to give money in a donation basket, and in the end, gives nothing. Sri Ramakrishna compares him to worldly people who are not willing to give anything. There is the story of the barber who gets a treasure that includes a jar of money that can never be filled, so he ruins his life trying to fill it, until he returns the jars. The moral of this story is that we will not find peace if we identify with things outside of ourselves. There is the story of two farmers, one who successfully irrigates his field during a drought, and one who gets distracted and loses his crop. This represents distractions we face on the spiritual path. Spiritual liberation is not the prerogative of any caste, creed, color or religion, but is open to all of us.
Sarah Phat spoke about the meaning of the relationship between Sri Ramakrishna and Sri Sarada Devi. Sri Ramakrishna regarded all women as his own mother. He eventually had constant visions of Ma Kali. Sarada Devi had a pure character from a young age. She walked 60 miles on foot to see her husband. In the Sodashi Puja, Sri Ramakrishna recognized the divinity in Sri Sarada Devi. He taught her that the point of human life is to realize God. She was a loving mother to everyone in her presence.
Swami Yogatmananda: Sri Ramakrishna demonstrated what love is, and that love and lust cannot go together. He was the breaker of our worldly bondage, giving us all hope that we can lead a spiritual life. While our modern consumerism gives no contentment, the bliss that Sri Ramakrishna had, is dependent on no object or person, and is always available to us.
Study Class - 'The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna' - Mar. 15, Tuesday
Page 957-8, Date April 16, 1886.
Divine grace is the ultimate step to realization. However, we need to put efforts as long as we have the ego in us. Not putting efforts indicates that we do not want God. Those who say that they want God but do not need to make the efforts are being hypocritical. If we want God, we will automatically put efforts towards Him. Our efforts may be limited by our capabilities. However, one should put as much effort as possible. There is no causal connection between effort and grace. Grace is not a product of our efforts as efforts are limited and cannot be used to reach the unlimited God.
God cannot be realized through logic. The field of logic is quite narrow and it covers a very small part of the expansive human experience. It is only through love, that we can realize God. We need to form a loving relationship with God based on our natural attitude. Bhakti (Devotional) scriptures have identified following modes (bhaava) of loving relationship: Shanta (Calmness towards God); Dasya (God as master), Vatsalya (God as parent or child), Sakhya (God as friend), Madhura (God as lover). Madhura attitude is not suitable for most devotees. Sri Ramakrishna did not approve of Madhura attitude towards Him. He Himself looked upon every woman as His Mother - even His own wife. If we develop a loving relationship in any of these modes and make sincere efforts to focus our minds on God alone, we will definitely experience a transformation in our lives and eventually realize God. Love towards God is liberating and the so-called love towards the world in binding.