Newsletter October 07, 2009

Past Events

Attleboro based Interfaith Group - Thursday, October 01
Swami and two devotees attended the monthly Attleboro- based Interfaith group meeting, held at the Murray Unitarian Church, 505 Main St North Attleboro, to discuss the October topic: 'What does your faith/group or you consider to be of greatest value in teaching children?" About fourteen clergy and laity participated.

Students visit Vedanta - Monday October 05
A Girl Scout troop from Pawtucket RI, studying various religions and visiting different houses of worship, visited Vedanta chapel for the Aarti and reading and met with swami to ask questions.

Brown Hindi Student Group - Monday October 05
Swami met with about a half-dozen members of the Brown University Hindi student group Monday evening to discuss various concerns.

Synopsis of last week's classes

Friday, Oct. 02 - Bhagavad Gita (Chapter 4, verses: 25-28)

After emphasizing that climbing on the ladder of sacrifice, the spiritual aspirant ultimately progresses to the consciousness that everything that is experienced is Brahman - the One all-pervading reality, that transcends all and is immanent in all, Lord now tells that this principle of sacrifice is practiced in a variety of ways, depending upon the station, constitution, surroundings etc of the person. He gives the examples where control is fire and senses are the oblation, meaning that the unrestrained movements of the senses are controlled in this sacrifice. At another level, the sense-objects are poured into the senses as sacrifice. Seeing, hearing, touching, walking, working - all gets undertaken not for enjoyment but as sacrifice or worship. Similarly, even the breathing is to be looked upon as sacrifice. All physical and mental activity is to be connected with the march towards the highest goal.

Sunday, Oct. 04 - What is Really Real? - Swami Tyagananda
In our ordinary life the characteristics that determine 'reality' of a thing/event are: 1) It should not contradict other experience. 2) It should be something normal that we are used to. 3) It should persist.
If dream state is considered unreal because it vanishes in waking state, then waking state is equally unreal as we are not aware of it in dream state. So also is the case with the state of deep sleep. Hence Vedanta calls these three states as three kinds of dreams. Swami Vivekananda says that 'the entire existence is a series of unending dreams' and the only way to end it is to 'wake up' from the sleep of ignorance. Our perceptions through sense organs cannot determine 'reality' of a thing because our senses are limited and the lens of mind distorts those perceptions. Only the 'perceiver' (=the Self or the Atman) is real because it remains unchanged. The Atman is the pure consciousness; body, mind, ego are made up of matter and are as real as the world they live in.
Vedanta speaks of three levels of reality: 1) Absolute reality- existence of 'I' which is eternal and unchanging and is the only thing that nobody can refute.
2) Relative reality - the world that we live in is pretty much persisting. 3) Apparent reality - the things that remain for a short while - Dreams.
Most of us live on the levels of relative and apparent reality. Lord Krishna calls the world on these levels as temporary and joyless. It is a dream and hence there is no freedom. Vedanta says that all the problems of this world 'dissolve' for that person who 'wakes up' to the Absolute Reality or the Reality of God.

Tuesday, Oct. 06 - The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna (Chapter 38)

Devendra, a close devotee of the Master, wanted the Master to grace his house. Master was concerned due to his small income and told him to make very simple arrangements. Devendra said he wasn't worried, He could go into debt and eat butter at which time they both laughed. Another young devotee was praised by the Master as being free from land, lust, and gold; these three are obstacles to the spiritual path. Normally one sees these as worth possessing; but that young devotee had a vision of the world as a heap of dung which signified his desires falling away. The plight of worldly people forgetful of God is like that: sitting on the dung. What is vitally important is to realize that we are not this body. This mistaken notion is cause for our duress. Once we know that we are not just a tiny drop, but actually the ocean itself, fear will vanish as will the mistaken notion of who you are. This connecting from the physical to the divine is meditation.
Q: When The Bible says 'you are the spirit', what does it mean? Something similar to not being 'body'?
A: Yes, 'spirit' signifies there 'not matter', 'not body'; it also suggests all-pervasiveness, formlessness.
Q: If I am seeing the world as real, yet believe 'God alone is real, world is illusory', how to make decisions?

A: Act putting in best possible efforts and yet be detached.

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