Newsletter March 28, 2012

Weekly Classes

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

Bhagavad Gita class – March 23, Friday

Ch. 13 Verses 19-21:

Bhagavad Gita is like our mother, guiding us gently towards that which is most beneficial to us.  Though we may whine and whimper when parted from our attachments, Gita removes us from bondage and delivers us to knowledge.  Once we attain this knowledge, we will be able to see what a kind and compassionate mother she really is!
Sri Ramakrishna used to say, “‘I and mine’ is ignorance, ‘Thou and Thine’ is knowledge.”  However, we are likely to feel that there is some connection between the little “I” and the world between the body and the soul, and we may wonder how these two became connected.  Both Prakriti, that which is changing and can be differentiated (“the known,” which includes the body and the senses), and Purusha, that which is unchanging (“the Knower”) are beginning-less and exist eternally.  Purusha presides over the actions carried out by Prakriti, but Purusha itself does not act.  Purusha enjoys and suffers the results of the action; Prakriti cannot experience enjoyment or suffering.  This relationship between Purusha and Prakriti explains the connection between the body and soul. 

In the Hours of Meditation - March 25, Sunday
In meditation, ‘hours’ are counted not by the usual clock-time, but by the change that takes place in one's mind while following a path from the unreal to the Real. Meditation is not only (and is not even necessarily) the act of sitting and repeating a mantra or engaging in other such practices. Rather, meditation is the "shifting" from being glued to ‘I and mine’ to getting glued to ‘Lord, Thou, and Thine’. Real meditation can be likened  to climbing a mountain. The pull of gravity that one feels while climbing a mountain is similar to the pull of sense objects that one experiences in the process of transcending unreality. One of the first steps in the hours of meditation is that a person confronts temptations in the form of sense objects and many distracting thoughts.  Although these temptations and thoughts existed prior to the start of meditation, their full force is felt when one tries to calm down and focus the mind on God.  Other obstacles that spiritual aspirants face are having the mind fall asleep and the mind becoming idle; in these states, one is not meditating. Upon becoming established in meditation, one experiences the joy of spiritual climbing.  The joy in itself is not harmful, and can be inspiring, but it also can be a trap, as one can become attached to the pleasure of being in a transcendent state. As one moves ahead, new dimensions open up, and signs become apparent, such as true Love of God, control of senses, less pull of worldly pleasures, and acquisition of virtues, including Beauty, Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forgiveness.  The feeling of connectedness that develops through meditation evolves into a sense of Unity.  As Frank Alexander writes in In the Hours of Meditation, "There is a Love which feels Love.  I am that Love."  As Swami Vivekananda expresses it, when one advances in meditation, the universe is seen as a shadow, and thus the attraction for it falls away.  That is before entering the indescribable state which can only be experienced.  The hours of meditation culminate in that Ultimate State of Being.

The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna – March 27, Tuesday

The purpose of divine incarnation is to remind the human being the purpose of human life. In case of most of the human beings there is a separation between the 'I' and the world and hence the imperfection is felt. If one tries to connect to the inner Self and get a glimpse of divine bliss then the worldly pleasures and pain will not affect him/her. It can be clearly seen in Master's life. His body was suffering on account of His illness but that hardly disturbed serenity of his mind. He was constantly busy in guiding his devotees and disciples.
Dwija's father visited Master with an objective of restricting Dwija's visits to Dakshineshwar. As any other worldly person, he too attached importance to so called education, wealth and success. The religion was not important for him at the cost of these. Master had a very interesting conversation with Dwija's father. Master told him  through various analogies, that how important it is to attain the knowledge before going in the world. The worldly pleasures are very alluring. Unless one knows the technique of enjoying them, s/he gets entangled in them. Living in the world without getting caught is a skill.
Master praised Dwija's father by giving credit to him for Dwija's spiritual tendency. He also told him that no religion is possible without the fulfillment of duty towards parents. One must do his/her duty towards the world without getting entangled in it. If one approaches the world without getting the knowledge then more than fulfillment of his/her duty he/she gets caught in the snares of lust and greed which results in misery and bondage.