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Newsletter May 18, 2016
Upcoming Events
Vedanta Society, Connecticut – Sun. May 21
Swami Yogatmananda will deliver a Vedanta talk at the Vedanta Society CT, 100 Cherry Brook Rd, Canton, CT, from 3:00pm – 5:00pm. All welcome.
DAY-LONG RETREAT - Sat. June 04, 9:30AM –7:00PM
Topic: 'KATHOPANISAD' by Swami Sarvapriyananda, Vedanta Society, Hollywood CA
Prior registration required; can register at the Vedanta Society or online.
Fee: $30.00/person ($20.00 if registered and paid by May 20, 2016)
Click here for more info & online registration.
Great Courses Video – Thurs. May 19
Video showings of Great Courses continues from 8PM – 9PM in the Lower Level (LL).
Tuesday Hatha Yoga Classes
Suspended for now.
Hatha Yoga 6-week Course - Wednesdays May 11 - June 15
There WILL be YOGA class this Wed, May 18. 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
Check out some new Sunday lectures (videos) added to the archives.
Weekly Programs (in addition to Daily Programs given below)
| Friday, May 20 |
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, May 21 |
8:30 – 10:30 AM: Karma Yoga/Cleaning 7:00 - 8:00 PM: Aarati (singing, a short reading) & Meditation |
| Sunday, May 22 |
5:00 – 6:00 PM: 'Comprehensive Refinement- Buddha Way' by Swami Yogatmananda |
| Tuesday, May 24 |
7:00 PM: Aarati (devotional music) & meditation 7:30 – 8:30 PM: Study Class by Swami Yogatmananda on 'The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna', Ch 51, pp 963 |
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 'THE STORY OF AN EPOCH: Swami Virajananda and his Times', by Swami Shraddhananda 7:15 – 8:00 PM: Meditation. Open to all. |
Past Events
Swami Travels to New Mexico: Sat. May 14 - Wed. May 18.
Swami Yogatmananda traveled to Jemez Springs in New Mexico this past Saturday, and delivered a retreat on ASTAVAKRA SAMHITA to a small group of devotees. He returns late evening on May 18.
Synopses of Last Week's Classes
(All classes given by Swami Yogatmananda, unless otherwise stated)
Study Class on 'Jnana Yoga'- May 13, Friday
Class #28, Chapter 5 - Maya and Freedom
According to our understanding of bondage, contradictions, etc., our idea of God correspondingly evolves. In each religion, we find the idea of an anthropomorphic God who is beyond Maya, where the contradictions of life dissolve and life becomes full of illumination. We feel strongly that such a place and being exist. Trapped in the bondage of the here and now, we seek to transcend the confusing darkness of multiplicity and to reach the oneness of existence, that perfect, desireless state. In the Gita, Krishna explains: "This Maya is divine, made up of qualities, and very difficult to cross. Yet those that come unto Me, cross the river of life." In the Bible, Jesus explains similarly: "Come unto Me all ye that labour and are heavy laden and I will give you rest." According to Swami Vivekananda, these messages are the voice of God, which leads us forward once the voice of the Ego is quieted and we are prepared to listen. All of us strive to be practical. Faced with the daunting task of realizing God, we may feel that our chances are so slim, why even try? But the realization of God is not just a probability but a certainty since our true nature is divine. On the one side of life there is nothing but illusion, unreality, the appearance and disappearance of things. We can’t find pleasure in that kind of life. Surely we do not want to get caught in that. Courage is necessary in order to reject that which certainly won’t bring happiness in life and to pursue the realization of God, which certainly will.
Sunday Lecture -'Savoring God' - by Dr. Gloria Hernandez, May 15, Sunday
This talk compares two poems: the Spiritual Canticle (Cántico Espiritual) by St. John of the Cross, and the Dance of Divine Love (Rasa Lila), from the Bhagavata Purana. The essential question is: How to experience the love of God in our lives? Mystics in any religious tradition have direct experience of God. Art as prayer and meditation can invoke the Divine. Savoring implies spiritual practice to enhance our experience. In the Spiritual Canticle, the beloved has departed and the author is searching for Him. In The Rasa Lila, the Gopis abandon their activities and run to Lord Krishna, who multiplies himself, and while dancing with each of them, is playing with his own reflection. In both poems, the lover is touched by God. St. John of the Cross wrote a commentary on his own poem, while the commentary of Jiva Goswami on the Rasa Lila is discussed here. St. John wrote that the goal of spiritual life is to taste God, which cannot be described in language. Savoring is an activity of the reader’s soul. The taste of Divine love, or the passionate love that the Gopis have for Lord Krishna, is the maximum example of savoring in the Rasa Lila. Both poems stress that God is impossible to attain through the intellect. It is impossible to be a Bhakta without the same love that the Gopis have for Lord Krishna. The Bhakta gets perfected love. These two poems, though from different cultures, resonate with each other. Devotees of all religions have experienced God with love and passion.
'Sri Ramakrishna Lived Here' - by Prof Sukalyan Sengupta - May 17, Tuesday
Places Visited by Sri Ramakrishna - Sri Ramakrishna visited many holy places. One may question why pilgrimage was necessary for a realized soul like him. It can be said that he did that, to fulfill the wish of his beloved devotee Mathur Babu, to elevate the importance of these places and to learn about the spiritual and mental condition of the society. It can also be said that he undertook the pilgrimage as per the Divine Mother's plan. Contemplating on his pilgrimage and recollecting his teachings will elevate us spiritually.
Sri Ramakrishna traveled to Baidyanath Dham with Mathur Babu. He was disturbed by seeing the plight of poor people at that place. He asked Mathur to provide for the basic necessities of these poor people.
He got a vision at Kashi (Varanasi) that Shiva himself liberates each and every person who dies at the Manikarnika Ghat, which is a very famous crametorium ground in Varanasi. Sri Ramakrishna was in an ecstatic mood remembering Krishna and his divine sport when he visited Vrindavan. When he visited Navadwip, he sensed special vibrations in a particular place amidst the river, which was later found to be the exact birthplace of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. Later it got covered by water as the river shifted in the course of time.
Places where Sri Ramakrishna lived - Sri Ramakrishna spent most of his childhood in Kamarpukur. As a child he served many monks who took shelter in Kamarpukur on their way to Puri. He was taken to Jhamapukur, Kolkata to help his elder brother. He started working as a priest at the Dakshineshwar temple garden. He spent maximum number of years at Dakshineshwar. This includes the period of his intense spiritual practices as well as the training of his disciples. Holy Mother Sri Sarada Devi also spent significant time with him at Dakshineshwar. He was moved to Shyampukur to treat his illness. Finally he was moved to Cassipore, where he left his mortal body. This place has become more holy due to the incident of Kalpataru Day, when he became the wish fulfilling tree to grant divine bliss to all who were present there. The other most important place which was visited by the Master very frequently was Balaram Bose's house. He has visited his beloved disciple more than 100 times. Even today one can visit these places and try to feel the presence of the Master.