Newsletter September 28, 2011

The New Chapel construction work is progressing well as per plans. The major outer wall-work is finished and internal walls are getting done now. The electrical connections, plumbing work, the installation of door and window frames, the elevator and ducts for heating & cooling system is in progress. Click here to see New Construction - Updates and Photos.

Past Events

Peaceflag Project Walking Meditation – Sat., Sep. 24

Along with other interfaith clergy and community leaders, Swami Yogatmananda participated in the 8th annual Peaceflag Project’s ‘International Day of Peace’ silent walking meditation from Wall of Hope to Memorial Park, WaterPlace Basin at 7:00PM.

Salutations to Swamis

On Thursday, September 22 and then on Tuesday, September 27, the birth anniversaries of Swami Adbhedananda and Swami Akhandananda, respectively, both direct disciples of Sri Ramakrishna, were observed in the morning with a chant and in the evening with a song, a biography reading and Prasad.

Weekly Classes

Bhagavad Gita class – Sep. 23, Friday

At the beginning of the eleventh chapter of the Gita, Arjuna requests to see Sri Krishna's divine form. In Verses 5, 6, and 7, Lord replies that the infinite forms of the universe are contained within in His one body. Just as the ocean is unchanging with many waves which rise and fall, so is Reality unchanging yet manifests itself in various forms which come and go. It is extremely difficult to see this unified Reality; in order to do so, we must change the way we see. This is what Sri Krishna refers to in Verse 8, when he tells Arjuna that he won't be able to see this Universal form with regular eyes but instead must see with "divine eyes." Like Arjuna, we are accustomed to perceiving the unreal as real, and the Real as unreal. A re-alignment of our perception is required. Changing our perception requires a push from the guru or teacher, since without this encouragement we are scared of the truth and lack the courage to see reality as it truly is. In verse 9, Lord Krishna gives the divine vision to Arjuna, in which he sees the form of the Lord shine like the splendor of a thousand suns simultaneously illuminating the sky. While it is impossible for us to fully grasp the wonder of this incomparable vision, let us use our imaginations to visualize the infinite, all-pervading Oneness of God which Arjuna experiences and to associate ourselves with that Oneness.

Want to correct past mistakes by Swami Yogatmananda – Sep. 25, Sunday

Time is a profound mystery, as everything that the human mind can imagine has some element of time in it, yet time cannot be understood on its own. ‘Time’ and ‘event’ are inextricably linked; they define each other. Many people wish that they could "go back in time" to correct their past mistakes, thinking that perhaps the present could be improved by having acted differently in the past. This idea is explored by the mathematician and mystic P.D. Ouspensky in his novel The Strange Life of Ivan Osokin, which tells the tale of a young man who is finding his life very frustrating because of past mistakes. Ivan approaches a magician and asks to be sent back in time so that he could make better choices. The magician tells Ivan that even if he gets such an opportunity, that will not make any difference, as he would end up making the same errors. Indeed, this is what happens to Ivan. After Ivan comes back to the ‘present’, the magician tells him that no use in going back in time, for ‘time’ means ‘events’. Same events will take place if one goes back to the same time. The life can be better, the mistakes can be corrected. But not by going back in time. It is through discipleship. No one is capable of doing that himself. Instead, a quickening impulse is required, and that is generated from the guru (spiritual teacher). One must become a student, a disciple; otherwise, one will keep repeating the same mistakes, which are generated from an ego-centered life ruled by "likes" and "dislikes." We must connect with the Source of knowledge. In the fourth chapter of the Bhagavad Gita, the Lord explains three ways to find knowledge: offering profound salutations, asking the right questions, and performing service. As knowledge comes, the "I" begins to change and the ego surrenders; only then can the cycle of time be broken. Life will be walking in Light.

The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna class – Sep. 27, Tuesday

Sri Ramakrishna emphasized that the essence of Vedanta is not something that can be obtained through dry scholasticism. Sincere spiritual practice and experience alone lead the devotee to an understanding of Vedanta in its deepest sense. The essence of Vedanta is the direct perception of ‘God alone IS REAL and the world is an illusory appearance’. Nevertheless, Ramakrishna cautioned devotees against pseudo-Vedantic philosophies which claim that the world is unreal and simultaneously assert the reality of the limited ego. Ramakrishna explained that so long there is ego, then the world is real too. The two exist together. As the spiritual aspirant realizes that the ego is not there, the reality of the world too disappears. Therefore, it is extremely important for the devotee to connect to the Divine at the relative level. What does the “ego” of the devotee look like at the relative level? That person is now connected to God; s/he is a child of God; all relations are to be formed with God, not with passing names & forms of the world. he is not connected to the things of this world, but to God alone. The devotee must transform the limited ego of “I and mine” to the ego of the devotee ‘Thou and Thine’. When the limited ego is eliminated, the devotee will experience the reality of God. The passing names & forms – the ‘I & world’ is not different/separate from God. God is the unchanging essence (Nitya) and the world is His play (Lila) through His inscrutable and inseparable Power (Sakti).