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Newsletter June 01, 2016
Upcoming Events
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.
Openings STILL Available..... Fee: $30.00/person
Click here for more info & online registration.
Classical Vocal Concert – Sun. June 05, 6:15PM –7:30PM
Sandip Ghosh, disciple of Kirana tradition, will perform classical Hindustani 'Kanan' in the Lower Level (LL) of the Vedanta Society, immediately following the 5-6pm Sunday Lecture. He will be accompanied by Amit Kavthecar on Tabla and Ravi Torvi on Harmonium. All welcome. No entry fee. Donations accepted.
Great Courses Video – Thurs. June 02
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, June 01. 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
(PS: Yoga Class for the NEXT Wednesday, ie. June 08, has been CANCELLED)
Check out some new Sunday lectures (videos) added to the archives.
Weekly Programs (in addition to Daily Programs given below)
| Friday, June 03 |
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, June 04 |
9:30AM –7:00PM…….Day-Long Spiritual Retreat |
| Sunday, June 05 |
5:00 – 6:00 PM: ‘Eternal Witness’ by Swami Sarvapriyananda (Vedanta Society, Hollywood, Southern CA) 6:15 – 7:30 PM: Indian Classical VOCAL concert |
| Tuesday, June 07 |
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 965 |
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 traveled to the Vedanta Center of Greater Washington, DC: Sat. May 28 - Sun. May 29
Swami Yogatmananda conducted a retreat on: 'From Creation to the Creator' from 10AM – 4:30 PM on Saturday May 28, to one hundred and twenty devotees. He also delivered the Sunday morning service at 11AM on: ‘Pursuit of Perfection’ to about one hundred and fifty attendees at the Vedanta Center of Greater Washington-DC in Silver Spring, MD. Swami returned to Providence, RI late Sunday night.
Synopses of Last Week's Classes
(All classes given by Swami Yogatmananda, unless otherwise stated)
Study Class on 'Jnana Yoga'- May 27, Friday
Class #30, Chapter 5 - Maya and Freedom (cont.)
As human beings, we possess an innate desire to know the truth of our existence. Our search for the truth proceeds to somewhat of a dead-end due to the limitations of the intellect, the limitations of space and time. To many, the situation seems hopeless, and they decide to give up the search and to direct their energies to worldly pursuits. The problem with such an approach is that it will fail to satisfy. Why so? Because within each of us lies the intrinsic desire for freedom. This voice of freedom continues to ring within us and is the source of religion; it is the search for what lies beyond Maya, the inherent contradictions of existence. If we want to go beyond Maya and to attain freedom, we must be daring. What do we have to lose? Nothing but our bondage. All religions show the way out of this world and how to attain freedom.
Swami Vivekananda says, “They never came to reconcile the world and religion, but to cut the Gordian knot, to establish religion in its own ideal, and not to compromise with the world.” The goal of human life has to be fixed: God realization. There is nothing else that we should cherish in the world. The achievement of any other goal will simply change the nature of our bondage; it will not grant the true freedom that we seek. Whether knowingly or unknowingly, we are following the voice of freedom.
Sunday Lecture –'Music - As Spiritual Discipline' by Abhijit Sarcar on May 29, Sunday
About twenty-three devotees attended this lecture presented by Abhijit Sarcar.
Abhijit sang the opening song: Song as an Offering, by Kazi Nazrul Islam. Music is sound arranged in a manner that appeals to us on an intrinsic level. It cuts through what the mind is occupied with, and brings us to a deeper level. Connecting to the Divine through music is not different than connecting through devotion or knowledge. Emily Bear started playing piano at 2 years old, and was performing with well-known musicians like Quincy Jones by age 8. When asked, she said her compositions came from the heart, and that one has to be a good person to play good music. Similarly, Sri Ramakrishna said you can only fit a quart of liquid in a quart jar. Hriday said that whoever heard Sri Ramakrishna sing would never forget it, and that there was no artifice in his singing. In some traditions, music is not allowed because it is seen as sense enjoyment. It certainly cannot be denied that music does get used for entertainment in the world. But when worshipping Lord Rama in song, you can forget yourself and become Hanuman, and when worshipping Lord Krishna in song, you can forget yourself and become Radha, it is the highest spiritual discipline. The purpose of any spiritual practice is to forget yourself. Swami Ranganathananda quoted Tulsidas as asking: “Why say O Rama?” Answer: “Because Rama says O Tulsi.” Aarti and puja may be stylized, but the practice leads to devotion. When people asked Sri Ramakrishna how to develop devotion, he would pray to God, and he would sing to them, which answered their questions. The soul of music is what is important, not the ego.
The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna class - May 31, Tuesday
Thursday, April 22, 1886; Page 964-965
Sri Ramakrishna was verily the embodiment of renunciation. Though he lived in the city, was a married man, was with other family members but lived with total renunciation. His life teaches us that renunciation is not about becoming a hermit and heading to the forest, but it is about giving up the sense of ‘I and mine’ which is the source of all bondage. The idea of renunciation scares many people. On the contrary, it is supposed to be a relieving thought. It is like taking the heavy load off while climbing a steep mountain – it makes the climb easier.
Without renunciation, the spiritual life is like rowing a boat without removing the anchor. It takes a lot of effort but leads nowhere. Our attachments tie us. Some people attempt a little bit of spiritual practice only to remove the prick of conscience from going headlong into enjoying the world. Some others provide philanthropic justification for their sensual pursuits – e.g. the need to preserve the world as a justification for sexual desires. They make an irrational assumption that the world has to be preserved. The purpose of the world is that we understand our true nature. To go beyond the bondage and not to preserve it.
Every pleasure that we seek puts a knot around us. We get temporary satisfaction from fulfillment of desires but the desires come back with added force. Consumerism thrives on aggravating the desires. This makes everyone spend more money and make more money!! The pursuit of happiness outside makes us empty inside. A moment of introspection can make us realize this. Pursuit of sense objects is rooted in our inherent oneness with them. But, when we pursue them through our senses, we only get the illusion of oneness, not true oneness. The craving still persists and comes back with even greater force thereby increasingly binding us to the world. What’s really required is to renounce this idea of me and mine and realize that we and the objects of the world are truly one. This will remove any hankering for worldly objects and make us truly free from bondage.