Newsletter March 03, 2010

Past Events

On Monday March 01, Swami Yogatmananda met with the Brown University Hindu student group on Monday evening to discuss current concerns.

Synopsis of last week's classes

Friday, Feb. 26 - Bhagavad Gita (Ch. 5, Verses 24-29)
In the last class we heard that the practice of yoga offers a sustained and successful resistance to the drags of desire and anger in us. As a roll of metal sheeting may be successfully flattened by reverse rolling and placing a heavy weight on top, so too can the continued practice of yoga bring the mind (which is 'bent' to seek out pleasure in the world), under control. It may be initially a painful process but the effort is worthwhile, because the certainty of our success on the path of yoga is ASSURED! Verses 24-26 describe the life of a yogi, one who has controlled the feelings of desire and anger. This person finds true happiness by turning within. By not seeking happiness from the contacts with objects, the yogi understands that he IS Brahman, the source of all Happiness and Knowledge. Knowledge of the true Self is a life-transforming force; although externally he may appear to be the same as the rest of us, the yogi no longer strives to get things from the world. He works for the good of others because he has no selfish agenda or desires to impress upon those he serves. Without reducing selfishness, 'doing good to others' is impossible. In Verses 27-29, Sri Krishna tells the prerequisites for techniques of meditation that will be explored in Chapter 6: performing all our actions in a meditative way, eliminating external distractions during meditation by closing off the "inlets to the mind" (i.e. our sense organs), and connecting ourselves to a higher power--God. Thus ends Chapter 5, "The Yoga of Renunciation," in which Sri Krishna instructs Arjuna to renounce the sense of "I and mine" through the practice of yoga in order to realize the true, Divine nature of the Self.

Sunday, Feb. 28 - Story of Sri Chaitanya - Swami Nishpapananda
Born in 1486 Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, the founder of the Bengal school of Vaishnavism is considered to be a conjoined reincarnation of Lord Krishna and his divine consort Sri Radha, embodying divine love and bliss. A charming and extremely intelligent boy, Nimai or Gaurang (his pre-monastic names) at the age of 16, started a Sanskrit school to teach logic and dialectic and soon became the greatest genius and extraordinary teacher. He defeated many a scholars in debates. On a pilgrimage to Gaya, at the temple of Lord Vishnu, an overwhelming devotion flooded his mind, and he was transformed into a devotee, continuously chanting the name of God and shedding tears. There he received Krishna Mantra from his Guru, Isvara Puri. Upon returning to his native place, Nadiya (West Bengal), he could no longer continue with his profession and spent all his time chanting the name of God. Soon he met his companions - Nityananda, Sanatana, Rupa, Srivasa, Haridasa. With his powerful current of devotion, Gauranga influenced and overpowered thousands of people irrespective of their caste, religion or social status. Jagai and Madhai, the two worst of the criminals were completely transformed by the divine compassion and love of Gauranga, which is very similar to the story of Manmatha in the life of Sri Ramakrishna.
At the age of 24, Gauranga was initiated into monastic life by Keshava Bharati and became Krishna Chaitanya. He and his disciples traveled across various parts of India and preached Vaishnavism. Chaitanya visited Vrindavan and through intuition recognized the places associated with Lord Krishna's divine play. He spent his remaining life at Jagannathpuri. Many Vedanta and Vaishnava scholars became his disciples. His Shikshashtakam (Eight Verses on Education) condenses all his teachings.

Tuesday, Mar. 02 - Special Lecture

Instead of the regular class on the Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna, Swami Nishpapananda, visiting Swami from Vedanta Society of St. Louis, gave a talk on 'The Halo of God'.
One taking monastic vows has a special opportunity. It doesn't mean monk is better; it's just a situational difference. A householder too can make equal progress in the spiritual life by unyielding devotion and practice. Halos have been seen around both.
What is a halo? It is light that seems to emanate from a person in a certain state of grace. The word has its origins in medieval Latin/Greek: halos, disc of the sun and moon. It is described as a circle or disc of light surrounding or above the head of a saint of holy person to represent that holiness.
Since God is all Truth and Light, they would, by their very nature have to be of the light as well, having realized the highest. A few of these were discussed tonight. St. John of the Cross, recognized as a great saint in the Christian tradition, who lived from 1542 to 1591. Rabia, an orphan girl and slave who suffered great pain and hardship at the hands of her master and who ultimately asked God: "Is this Your will'? Her master saw her as a luminous form and he was so impressed he set her free.
There was Mildred Norman, who walked for twenty eight years, covering all fifty US states with nothing but the clothes on her back. She is famous as PEACE PILGRIM Many have seen her with a special halo Of course, there was Sri Ramakrishna, the avatar for the modern age, who was seen on many occasions exuding light.

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