Newsletter March 04, 2009

Past Events

Synopsis of Last Week's Classes

Friday - Bhagwad Gita - Feb. 27
Ch. 3- Verses 36-37: Last week we saw that we must beware of the temptation of imitating someone else's path. It naturally looks charming (because you are not treading on that), but is not for you. All have an equal chance of realizing the goal of Self realization if they follow their path with determination. In Verse 36, Arjuna asks Sri Krishna that, although he (and we) want to lead a righteous and virtuous life, there seems to be some unseen force pulling us in the opposite direction. What is that force? Krishna, the great psychologist, knows that Arjuna does not want an intellectual answer to this question, but rather he desires to know how to defeat whatever tendencies are responsible unspiritual actions. We should take his question on as our own, because seeking, and ultimately understanding, its answer will help us in reaching our goal. Krishna begins to answer Arjuna's question in Verse 37 and states that desire/anger cause us to sin, it is insatiable, and is our enemies on the spiritual path.

Sunday - Symposium on Sri Ramakrishna - March 01
As a part of the birth anniversary celebration of Sri Ramakrishna, a three speaker symposium was arranged.
Rana Basu, a Brown University student presented beautiful analogy of two mirrors- one in the form of the knower and another in the form of the object to be known. Sri Ramakrishna is a complete manifestation of the divine and represents a perfectly clean mirror and in order to know him, we should also be a clean mirror bereft of all ego so that the two mirrors put in front of each other would reflect the infinity in its true essence.
Ben Baker, an undergraduate student of Political Philosophy spoke about Sri Ramakrishna's teaching that pure knowledge and pure love are one and the same thing. Sri Ramakrishna was against spiritual practice by rote and believed that it is unique for each and every person. His experience of the supreme Reality is parallel to the Plato's story of a philosopher in the cave who searches for the cave entrance and gets a glimpse of the outside world which is boundless and dazzling. Etymologically philosophy means love of wisdom and the one who devotes oneself sincerely to the wisdom reaches the same goal that a devotee reaches through the all-consuming love for God.
Dorothy Abram, Professor of Psychology at Johnson and Wales University spoke about 'Sri Ramakrishna and Divine Play', emphasizing that aspect of divine play which manifests as compassionate consciousness and heals the human suffering arising from dualistic perception. Sri Ramakrishna's ecstatic dance would transform the audience beyond the ordinary sense perception to the level where they would get the glimpse of ocean of bliss and love. Sri Ramakrishna's practice of madhura bhava and other spiritual disciplines show us that by participating in divine play, we too, can enter the playground of divine possibilities. Play is fun where participants assume alternative identities, challenge limits and work without concern for outcomes. Hebrew Bible also narrates divine play where God creates his enemy Sea Monster and turns it into his pet playmate, Leviathan.
Swami Yogatmananda gave concluding remarks.

Tuesday - Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna - March 03

M inspired his young students to visit the master, much to the consternation of their parents. There were some complaints, but the Master defended M saying: "But who would believe their words?" Narendra wasn't visiting often. He was having monetary concerns. Ananda Guha, a man whom many society elites considered egotistic was associating with Narendra. Some devotees, noting the absence of Narendra at Sri Ramakrishna and his association with Guha, spoke of him as a fallen man, but Narendra paid no heed. It is important for a spiritual aspirant to avoid the temptation of being liked by the people.
Our main task is to identify the real desire. Desires are compared to a snake with 1000 hoods. The secret is to tame them until there is but ONE yearning left: the quest for God. This is the moral of the story of Krishna's taming of the Kaliya snake. The objects of desires are limited, while desires are unlimited; therefore there is competition, anger, and war. But once the flute of Lord Krishna sounds, false desires stop and one runs to the Lord - the Real.
There were many interesting Q/A at the end of the class.