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Newsletter June 15, 2016
Notices
1) Beginning MONDAY morning, June 20, the Center's 'regular' daily and weekly activities will be suspended until Saturday, September 10.
2) During the Summer break, Newsletters will be posted once monthly - July 27 and August 31.
3) The LIBRARY and book-store will be open only on Tuesday evenings (July 12 – August 23) through the summer. Please return any library materials you (now) have by this Sunday June 19.
4) See the (soon to be downloaded) Summer Program section for Summer activities.
Upcoming Events
Great Courses Video – Thu. June 16
Video showings of Great Courses continues from 8PM – 9PM in the Lower Level (LL) after the 7:00PM-8:00PM evening Aarati and meditation. All are welcome to either program or both.
CT Vedanta Society – Sun. June 18
Swami Yogatmananda will deliver a Vedanta talk at the Vedanta Society CT at 100 Cherry Brook Rd, Canton, CT, from 3:00PM – 5:00PM. All welcome.
Annual General Meeting of Events – Sun. June 19
The Annual General Meeting of the Vedanta Society of Providence will be conducted immediately after the 5:00PM – 6:00PM lecture and Aarati on Sunday, June 19. All are encouraged to attend.
Swami Away - Thu. June 23 thru Sun. June 26
Swami will travel to Vedanta Society Pittsburgh, PA, where swami will conduct a retreat and deliver Vedanta talks. He will return to Providence Monday, June 27, early morning.
Hatha Yoga meets THIS Wed. June 15 AND finishes the series NEXT Wed. June 22.
Vedanta Blog and Facebook:
Check out Vedanta upcoming and past activities on Vedanta Facebook and participate in writing your comments, thoughts, poetry, and musings in Vedanta "BLOG."
Some Dates for Summer Programs:
1) Young Adult Retreat – Fri. July 22, 6:00PM -- Sun. July 24, 1:00PM
2) Adult Silent Meditation Retreat – Fri. July 08, 6:00PM -- Sun. July 10, 1:00PM
3) Guest Swami Lectures – Sun. July 10, 5:00PM – 6:00PM
4) Guru Poornima – Sun. July 17, 11:00AM – 1:00PM
Followed by Shuchita Rao Music Program 2:00PM – 4:00PM
5) Children DAY Camp – Tue. August 09 – Sat. August 13
6) Morning Melodies Concert by Dattatreya Velankar – Sun. August 21, 9:00AM – 10:30AM
7) Krishna Festival – Sat. August 27, 11:00 AM – 4:00PM
Other Summer Programs Include:
'Independence Day' Program – Mon. July 04, 11:00AM - 2:00PM
At Vedanta Society of Providence. Open to all.
Vedanta Study Class – Each Tuesday July 12 thru August 23, 7:00PM – 8:30PM
Prayer, Meditation, Study and Discussion on: 'Cloud of Unknowing: Part 2' … All Welcome.
To Honor ‘M’ Gathering – Sat. July 16, 11:00AM – 2:00PM
At the home of T.K. Roy, West Wareham MA. Please RSVP at 508-748-9797 or [email protected] only.
Canton, CT Vedanta Society – Sat. August 20, 10:00AM – 4:00PM
Daylong Retreat on: 'Imitation of Christ'
Vedanta Retreat, Rochester, NY – Wed. August 03, 6:00PM to Sun. August 07, 1:00PM
Five-Day retreat on MANDUKYA UPANISAD at Hindu Heritage Summer Camp, Rochester, NY.
For registration Visit www.omhhsc.org
Notice
Beginning MONDAY morning, June 20, the Center's 'ordinary' daily and weekly activities will be suspended until Saturday, September 10. Please check website for the ‘Summer Schedule’ Programs and Events.
Weekly Programs (in addition to Daily Programs given below)
| Friday, June 17 |
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 18 |
8:30 – 10:30 AM: Karma yoga/cleaning |
| Sunday, June 19 |
5:00 – 5:45 PM: 'Getting a Crystal Ball' by Swami Yogatmananda (Vedanta Society, San Diego, CA) 6:00 – 6:30 PM: Annual General Meeting 6:30 – 7:00 PM: Soup Supper Weekly Programs resume from September 11, 2016 |
| Weekly programs resume after September 11, 2016 | |
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. |
| Daily programs resume after September 11, 2016 | |
Past Events
Swami Away – Sat. June 11
Swami Yogatmananda traveled to Greenville and Raleigh, NC to conduct a retreat on 'Durga Saptashati' and delivered Vedanta talks. Swami returned very late Sunday night.
Visiting Swami Lecture – Sun. June 12, 5:00PM - 6:00PM
Swami Harinamananda of Vedanta Society, San Diego, CA, delivered the Sunday Service Lecture on: 'Inner Pilgrimage.' Scroll down below for synopsis.
Day-long Meditation - Sat. June 11th, 12:00Noon – 8:00PM
About eight devotees began participation in the day-long meditation from 12:00Noon to 8:00PM, which followed the 11:00AM - 12:00Noon Guided Meditation and Music Hour.
Interfaith Gathering – Tue. June 14, 6:00PM – 7:00PM
Swami attended an interfaith/public gathering of about one hundred (100) people at the Roger Williams Memorial Park, North Main St, Providence, for interfaith prayers, chants, and offerings for the victims of the Orlando, FL shootings.
Synopses of Last Week's Classes
(All classes given by Swami Yogatmananda, unless otherwise stated)
Study Class on 'Jnana Yoga'- June 10, Friday
Class #32, Chapter 5 - Maya and Freedom (cont.)
As embodied beings, we are bound by Maya on all sides. Even our attempts to become free from the bondage of Maya are part of this Maya. Religion, in each stage of its development, is a manifestation of this continuous struggle for freedom. Even in the lower forms of religion, such as ancestor-worship or nature worship, the gods are conceived of as beings, superior to nature, who are not bound by any of nature’s restrictions. They can control the rains, fly through the air, etc. Why so? Within each human being is the intrinsic urge for freedom; this urge indicates that our true nature must be free. Therefore, we envision God as our ideal of freedom: a being who is not bound by anything. However, when we examine our concept of God, we see that we have superimposed many anthropomorphic features and limited the God in the process. Thus our concept of God will undergo further evolution. This is how the idea of monotheism came about. Vedanta begins by asserting that God is the governor of Maya: there is the fact of Maya, and there is the concept of a being beyond Maya. Assuming there is such a being, we now ask how to approach such a being? This question becomes the central idea in Vedanta. We have to become free, love-itself, bliss-itself. As human beings we are full of inertia. We don’t want to change ourselves. We will attend church and do the rituals, but religion doesn’t necessarily become a dynamic force that transforms our lives. The God who has been conceived of as residing at a distance from us has to come nearer and nearer. This is the tangible effect of spiritual practice: as we delve deeper into our spiritual discipline, we start tangibly feeling the nearness of God’s presence.
Sunday Lecture, June 12 –'Inner Pilgrimage’ by Swami Harinamananda
About 43 devotees attended this lecture delivered by Swami Harinamananda, from Vedanta Society, San Diego, CA.
The outer pilgrimage, the Swami’s experience of Mount Kailas, relates to our own inner pilgrimage. We need to ask what the Holy Mother is telling us to do. We can be a pilgrim or a tourist, depending on whom we go with. At Mount Kailas, Swami Harinamananda found a sense of peace not found in any other place. The Atman illumines the five koshas, the bliss, the ego, the mind, the emotions and the physical. In the bible, Jesus says that no one puts new wine in old skins. The Atman (new wine) is shining through, but we are not aware of it because of our old habits (old skins). Paying attention to one’s feet walking on Mount Kailas forces you to be in the present moment. There is only half as much air as at our level, so people need to learn to shut up to preserve air. Walking can be part of our spiritual practice. As on Mount Kailas, people need to lighten their load, so we need to ask: What are we carrying and do we need it? We need to rely on divine grace, rather than fear. When the conscious mind weakens, the unconscious comes up. We need to let go of our attitudes, judgments, and prejudices, and offer them to God. Our emotions are the heaviest bag, and we need to let go of unrealistic dreams, old hurts, mistakes and failures. We need to offer our self-image to the divine, including what gives us respect and importance, and become anonymous. As the poet Wendell Berry says, the world can be discovered only by a spiritual journey. We need to find the courage to go from safety and security to the mystery.
The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna class - June 14, Tuesday (last 'Gospel' class until September)
Thursday, April 22, 1886; Page 965-966
God realization is the goal of life. The worldly goals like academic or professional success, attainment of sense pleasure etc. can't be considered as the goals as they do not render total fulfillment. The real goal is, after achieving that nothing remains to be fulfilled. The state of total fulfillment is attained only after God realization.
Lust and greed are the two major obstacles in the path of spirituality. The self is perfect and blissful. Since the intrinsic nature of the self is forgotten, we seek the fulfillment and happiness outside. Ignorance (Avidya) leads to the desire (kama) which gives rise to action (karma). Desires are never quenched. In the process of fulfilling desires everything wears out but the desires remain; rather they get stronger. Lust and greed act as a thick screen between the self and its true nature. Lust can be conquered by looking at world as the manifestation divine. This attitude will help to control the desire to enjoy the world.
Each one forms his or her own perspective to look at the world depending upon his/her understanding. The ordinary people can’t think about life without money and sense pleasures. It was very difficult for the Master to communicate his attitude towards the women to these worldly people. He insists on renunciation of lust and greed.
Master advised Bhavnath to stick to his spiritual practices without getting entangled in the world. Spiritual practices are the most important in life. Nothing should take priority over that.