Newsletter January 23, 2013

 

Newsletter Archives

Upcoming Events

 

Salutations! – Saturday, Jan. 26

On Saturday, January 26, the birth anniversary of Swami Turiyananda, a direct disciple of Sri Ramakrishna, will be observed with a morning chant, and in the evening with a song, a reading of his biography and offered ‘prasad’.

 

Swami in Tiverton RI – Sunday, Jan. 27

A guided meditation will be conducted by Swami Yogatmananda at Amicable Congregational Church (UCC), 3736 Main Road in Tiverton RI during their 10:00 AM Sunday Service hour. All are welcome.

 

Swami at New England Tech. – Tuesday, Jan. 29

Swami Yogatmananda will discuss Hinduism and Vedanta for the Religion Studies class at New England Technology Institute in East Greenwich RI on Tuesday, January 29.

 

Swami at Rhode Island College – Wednesday, Jan. 30

Swami Yogatmananda will discuss Hinduism and Vedanta for the Religion Studies class from 2:00-4:30 PM at Rhode Island College in Providence on Wednesday, Jan. 30.

 

Weekly Programs

Friday, Jan. 25	7:00 PM: Aarati (devotional music) & meditation 7:30 – 8:30 PM: Study class on Bhagavad Gita, Ch. 17
Saturday, Jan. 26	8:30 – 10:30 AM: Karma yoga/cleaning 11:00am – 12 noon: Guided meditation and singing 7:00 – 7:15 PM: Aarati (devotional singing), a short reading from Sri Sarada Devi The Great Wonder 7:15 – 8:15 PM: Meditation
Sunday, Jan. 27	5:00 – 6:00 PM: Let's be Practical by Swami Yogatmananda 7:00 – 7:15 PM: Aarti (devotional music), with a short reading from Swami Chetanananda's book: ‘Mahendra Nath Gupta ‘M’' 7:15 – 8:15 PM: Meditation
Tuesday, Jan. 29	7:00 PM: Aarati (devotional music) & meditation 7:30 – 8:30 PM: Study class on The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna - Ch. 44, p. 846

 

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
Evening :	7:00 – 7:15 PM: Aarti (devotional music), with a short reading from Swami Chetanananda's book: ‘Mahendra Nath Gupta ‘M’' 7:15 – 8:15 PM: Meditation

 

Past Events

 

Salutations! – Thursday, Jan. 17

On Thursday, January 17, the birth anniversary of Swami Saradananda, a direct disciple of Sri Ramakrishna, was observed with a morning chant, and in the evening with a song, reading of his biography and prasad.

 

Bhagavad Gita class at Middletown, CT – Sunday, Jan. 20

Swami Yogatmananda conducted the monthly Bhagavad Gita class (Ch.13 continued) to about twenty devotees at Sri Satyanarayana Temple (Middletown, CT) from 10:30-11:30 AM.

 

Swami at Institute for Study & Practice of Non-violence – Monday, Jan. 21

Swami Yogatmananda along with a devotee from Vedanta Society attended and participated in a two-hour discussion on non-violence and peace initiative proposals, hosted and conducted by the Peace Flag Project and the Institute for Study and Practice of Non-violence in the former parish of St Michael the Archangel Church on Oxford St in Providence. About fifty people attended the event that included leaders and lay persons of different faiths or communities.

 

Synopses of Last Week's Classes

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

 

Bhagavad Gita – Friday, Jan. 18

Ch. 16, Verses 21-24: The goal of human life is to realize our true, divine nature. In order to achieve realization and to become liberated from the cycle of birth and death, we must cultivate the appropriate spiritual virtues and remove the vices within us. In the 16th chapter of the Gita, the Lord describes the threefold gate that leads to the destruction of the self—namely, lust, anger, and greed—so that these three vices which lead us away from our ideal and increase our ignorance and bondage, can be eliminated. If we are able to practice what is good for us, cultivating the virtues necessary for spiritual life, we will surely attain to our goal. However, often we know what is good for us yet fail to do it because lust, anger, and greed cloud our judgment and lead us away from our ideal. This failure to do what is right leads to an intensification of ignorance in our lives. Then lust, anger, and greed guide our behaviors; more attachment to sense objects follows; and the more suffering comes in life. To get rid of lust, anger, and greed, we must bring in knowledge, bring in the purity of the Self, bring in understanding that all happiness, peace, and everything else we are really seeking is in the Self, or God. Because lust, anger, and greed cloud our judgment and thereby cause confusion about what actions to perform and what actions to abstain from, we need to learn how to get proper guidance in this matter. The scriptures provide authoritative guidance for us by explaining what actions we should perform and what we should abstain from so that we may reach the supreme goal of life. In the 17th chapter, the Lord will describe the role of shraddha, or faith, in spiritual life.

 

The Dragon and the Tiger – Sunday, Jan. 20

Taoism is among the oldest disciplines for purifying our consciousness and attaining bliss. Chang Po-tuan wrote “Understanding Reality”, or “Wu Chen P’ien”, consisting of sixteen verses. Born into an aristocratic family, he had aspired to be a public servant, but he could not pass the exams, even after limitterd attempts. He then met, first a Buddhist teacher, and then a Taoist teacher, and under their tutelage, he abandoned the idea of becoming a public servant. The school of Complete Reality Taoism harmonizes everything by connecting our aspirations to reality. Yang is the benevolent, friendly, and peaceful dragon, and yin is the powerful tiger. The idea is to restore the original harmonious state, in which there is no conflict. This is symbolically represented as finding an elixir through alchemy. In the first stage (heaven/earth), yang (spirit) is strengthened over yin (matter). There are temptations and the struggle to hold onto one’s resolve. In the second stage (earth/earth), yang has conquered the temptations, which are no longer there, and yin is also seen to be full of consciousness. In the third stage, both yang and yin are transcended. Immortality is seen as transcending material life, rather than extending it. We will not be happy even if material life is extended by a hundredfold. Life is wasted if we don’t see the ultimate truth. The craze we have for something new, shows that what was seen to be enjoyable is no longer so. When we get the elixir, sense (the qualities of what we see) and essence (what we really are) merge. The five virtues are benevolence, justice, courtesy, wisdom and truthfulness. The five thieves are our emotions and cravings. The goal is for the virtues to contain the thieves, and then to transcend them both. When this happens, the tiger sits (does not attack) and the dragon is coiled – there is no tension. Yang pervades yin and they are no longer separate. Taking up this path and challenge is the true source of happiness. Spiritual practices are important only when done with this goal in mind.

 

The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna – Tuesday, Jan. 22

Master was seated with a few devotees and the physician who came to examine Him. He was trying to explain His unique condition to the doctor. Master was explaining how He felt the pain and breathlessness with the touch of money; also how, any action (like tying a knot), which symbolizes ‘storing up for later’, made his living impossible. These incidents are beyond the scope of our understanding and explanation. His mind and body were so attuned together that He could not do any action, which was against His mind. The doctor explained that it was due to the strong will-force that the Master had. Master commented that there are two main characteristics of knowledge 1. Peaceful nature and 2. Absence of pride. The true knowledge cuts asunder the knots of confusion and clears all doubts. This spontaneously brings peace and harmony. It also removes the individual awareness and ego and merges one into the Supreme awareness. Master commented that God can be realized by turning our attraction for the world to the God. All the worldly attractions are like reflections of happiness. There is no fulfillment in running after these reflections. Everything is loved because of the love for the Self. Satisfaction can be achieved only from this true Self. If we turn all our worldly attractions to the Self which is our true nature, then God - the source of happiness can be realized. After this intense conversation, Master requested the doctor to cure His illness. One can witness the divine as well as human qualities residing together in Him. He was a human being like all of us but who had a constant awareness of His Divine nature. We forget our true nature and get bound by the world. Incarnations are like the real lions showing the sheep-lions their true nature. That is the purpose of the life of an Incarnation.