Newsletter February 22, 2012

Weekly Classes

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

Bhagavad Gita class – Feb. 17, Friday

Ch. 13 Verse 7: That which is perceived can be described, but the perceiver cannot be (otherwise it would become perceived).  However, the Perceiver (God) can be experienced, and, through the practice of virtues, one can become the perceiver. “The knower of Brahman becomes Brahman.”  To know Brahman, one must shed all ignorance, which blocks the flow of knowledge.  Once ignorance is shed, the aspirant becomes the knower.  What are these virtues which the aspirant should cultivate in his life?  The first is humility.  The aspirant must be humble and not consider himself superior to others, regardless of their status in the social hierarchy.  Second, the aspirant should cultivate non-violence or non-enmity.  Non-violence here does not mean not killing (indeed, as a warrior, Arjuna’s duty requires him to kill others), but rather the avoidance of hatred/enmity towards others.  We naturally feel quick to anger if we feel that someone has wronged us; however, if we practice this non-violence, we will start to feel that the same Self within us exists in others as well.  A third virtue is forthrightness, or clarity of thought and speech.  The aspirant should strive to be simple, straightforward, and not convoluted.  Then the aspirant should practice service to the guru and should worship the teacher as God Himself.  As the aspirant develops and strengthens these virtues, knowledge of the perceiver will start to dawn within him.  The verses of the scriptures are like the caves in the story of Ali Baba and the 40 thieves.  Within the caves are great riches, but unless one knows the magic words (“Open sesame!”), the caves remain closed.  Contained within the verses of the scriptures is the supreme knowledge, but this great treasure remains hidden unless one cultivates devotion to God and the Guru.

Spiritual Osmosis - Feb. 19, Sunday
In the physical process of osmosis, a solvent (such as water) moves through a membrane that is not permeable to solute particles (such as salt), into an area of higher solute concentration, eventually equalizing the solute concentrations on both sides of the membrane. Spiritual osmosis takes place by being in holy company. Exchange occurs between spiritual wisdom of a sage and the one who receives it. The wisdom to which "membrane" of ordinary mind is impregnable, eventually gets saturated with wisdom through osmosis. Many people may not be able to take in spiritual knowledge directly, as the mind can be very resistant.  So, the mind may reach out for one thing, and then become receptive while being engaged with it.  This gives spiritual ideas an opportunity to also permeate the mind.  Many spiritual stories and personal anecdotes illustrate this phenomenon. For example, in the Ramayana, a highway robber, Ratnakara, goes through a great transformation when the sage Narada crosses his path and after understanding his mistake, he requests Narada for a Mantra.  Knowing that Ratnakara felt no connection to God, rather than giving him the mantra "Rama," Narada had him repeat the word "Mara," a word meaning ‘kill’ that Ratnakara could understand, and, when repeated quickly, became "maRamaRamaRama."  And thus God came into his life.  Sri Ramakrishna used a similar technique of spiritual osmosis with Narendra (later known as Swami Vivekananda), who had refused to accept, and even ridiculed, the concept of non-dualism. Thus, rather than try to convince Naren directly, he asked Narendra to read aloud to him parts of the Ashtavakra Gita, which expresses the wisdom of non-dualism, telling Naren it was not for his sake, but so that Sri Ramakrishna could hear.  Over time, the ideas permeated Narendra's mind, and he eventually became one of the greatest teachers of non-dualism. Sri Ramakrishna said that, through holy company, the mind becomes spiritually enriched, and the process continues until the mind is saturated with spiritual wisdom.

The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna class – Feb. 21, Tuesday

Sri Ramakrishna was talking to Nanda about the paths of knowledge and path of devotion. There are some basic differences between the two. The follower of path of knowledge discriminates between real and unreal and reaches the ideal. It is not the intellectual understanding that God is everywhere, but the life lived accordingly constitutes path of knowledge. The follower of path of devotion follows certain rules and protocols. These two paths look apparently different but the core is same. They both lead to the same goal. 
This whole universe is a complex phenomenon and there has to be some authority governing the smooth functioning of this universe. That supreme authority can be considered as God. A devotee tries to connect with Him using an image or symbol. He is represented by that symbol but He is definitely not limited by it. As one progresses further s/he realizes this truth. The Master told, ‘establish a relation with God’, so that the love to God gets flowing.
He was warning Nanda to keep away from the flatterers. Flattery reduces one’s ability to introspect. He commented that it is praiseworthy to see a wealthy householder taking the name of God. 
Hanumaan - a great devotee used look at himself as a part of Rama, or as a servant of Rama or sometimes one with Him. Even Sri Ramakrishna has experienced such and many more relationships with the Lord. Initially a devotee sees distinction between him and the Lord and later on he becomes one with the Ideal.
Rama asked Narada to ask for a boon. Narada asked for pure love for the Lord and escape from His world-bewitching Maya. Maya forces one to see real as unreal and unreal as real. That takes one away from Lord.