Past Events

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1) Day long Retreat - Sat. Dec. 06
'Vedanta Comes to Hollywood' was the theme of this twenty-fourth day long retreat conducted in the chapel of Vedanta Society of Providence for the fifty-three attending devotees. Swami Atmajnanananda, from Vedanta Center of Greater Washington DC, presented the three discourses.
The classic American movie 'The Wizard of Oz' seen as an allegory to a spiritual journey was discussed in Discourse 1. Young, orphan Dorothy, clinging to her dog 'Toto', living with older aunt and uncle and farmhands in Kansas, decides to run away 'over the rainbow' (away from troubles and worries and fears). She meets a Mr Marvel, returns homeward when a tornado approaches and is hit unconsciousness by a window shutter. Dorothy enters a dream-state, where all the people she had known till then 'changed' into: Scarecrow, Tin Man and Cowardly Lion; meets a good witch Glinda who serves as the Guru/Light; the 'Wizard' himself as a form of personal god to beseech boons from, and assorted other spiritual-types. Scarecrow, Tin-Man and Lion are each seeking for that quality they feel they were 'made without' (Wisdom/Love/Courage), yet that quality comes out of them during situations of danger, representing transcendence and transformation. Dorothy's only instruction (mantra) from 'guru Glinda' is to "follow the yellow brick road" to 'get home again', yet when gets swayed/wanders off the path, perils abound. Ultimately as they meet the Wizard of Oz, he makes them aware that what they had been seeking is already with them; all they needed was a recognition of having that. This illustrates the Vedantic principle that whatever we are seeking is already with us Dorothy wanted to go back to her home - she discovers that she really had never left it.

'The Razor's Edge' was analyzed in Discourse 2. The book (by Somerset Maugham)and movie were based on one man's search for enlightment, with the the following quote from Katho-Upanishad as catalyst:"The sharp edge of a razor is difficult to pass over; thus the wise say the path to Salvation is hard'. The razor's edge verse of the Katho-upanishad was a favorite of Swami Vivekananda, usuly he quoted the first line of it: 'Arise Awake and top not till the goal is reached'. A spiritual path is so difficult that it is wise to take help of guides, so one doesn't get cut or fall off. One can attempt to 'climb straight up a steep mountain'(jnana-yoga)-shorter yet very dangerous, or, can navigate around and about the mountain's easier sloping path (bhakti-yoga). Climbing and back-sliding are typical; do not lose faith, do not stay stuck in the thought that no spiritual progress is being made. Upanishads focus on jnana discipline of discrimination between Atman/Reality versus everything else. This requires 'razor's edge' boldness of feeding only the Higher mind's desire; not the Lower desires. Developing enthusiasm tinged with realism; focused, yet non-fanatical devotion (nishtha), and balance of spiritual practices vs family/personal obligations are examples of living on 'razor's edge'.

Discourse 3 focused on the 'Arise Awake' verse from Katha-upanishad and guidelines for such awakening. Swami Atmajnanananda offered advice he was given: 1) wear blinders 2) keep your spiritual flame burning. Keep spiritual practices emotionally fresh, considering that 'this might be the day an awakening will happen'. Swami quoted various encouraging statements from Swami Vivekananda: Say continually 'I am He'; 'Become strong until Truth takes possession of your heart and permeates your body', We must de-hypnotize ourselves from the current veil of unreality .Swamiji, a universalist and patriot, mostly used the 'Arise Awake ' verse in India, to cajole the people from the sleeping, inertic, tamasic lifestyle they had adopted; this lecture phrase was used only once in United States as an explanation to not be lazy or to not procrastinate. The first stage of awakening is initial desire/event that propels one to begin spiritual living; then receiving the help of Teachers; then piercing through the Maya-veil. It is very important to follow a strict spiritual routine at the beginning, in order to free the mind from distracting decision making. Vivekananda loved the 'Arise Awake' verse of Kathopanishad that so much that it was twenty-five times in The Complete Works.
The retreat also consisted of guided meditation, devotional music, luncheon etc.

 

2) Sunday school children, teachers and parents from the Unitarian Universalist Church in Fairhaven MA visited Vedanta Society on Wednesday afternoon, Dec. 3rd, to learn basics about Hinduism and Vedanta.

3) On Sunday, Dec 07, the birth anniversary of Swami Premananda, a direct disciple of Sri Ramakrishna, was observed with a biography reading and singing of Sri Ramakrishna Parshada Vandanam.

4) Swami's monthly class on the Bhagavad Gita (currently Ch. 6) was conducted at a devotees home in Glastonbury CT On Dec. 07 from 10:30 - 11:30 AM. Class will resume at the Sri Satyanarayana Temple in Middletown CT in January.

5) On Sunday, Dec 07, from 6:00 - 7:00 PM, Durga Krishnan (a primary disciple of the legendary veena performer Dr Chittababu) performed classical Veena in Carnatic tradition with Mahalingam Santhanakrishnan on mridangam (drum). About fifty devotees and music lovers attended.

Synopsis of Last Week's Classes

Friday - Bhagwad Gita - Dec. 05
Ch. 3 Verse 10-13: 'Yajna'- the idea of sacrifice - is created by the Creator Himself along with human beings to guide them on the path. Yajna takes us from where we are to our Goal. It first takes the form of 'give and take'; people are interested in getting things for free; they need to understand that 'giving' has to be there for 'getting'. We must learn to give willingly, happily for what we get. This is the law. Individual existence is inseparably linked with family, society, ecology and ultimately with The Creator. The whole and the part are inter-dependent. One has to acknowledge this interdependence and so each individual has to contribute conscientiously a proper share to the whole. If one just wants to take, then it is thieving and the all-seeing Law of Karma punishes the person by putting him or her in bondage.

 

Sunday - The Art of Building Shrines - Swami Atmajnanananda - Dec. 07
Swami narrated his personal experience of building a shrine with great attention, care and devotion and how that attitude infiltrated into the seemingly trivial jobs that he worked later on. Swami Vivekananda speaks of Karma Yoga as a way of purifying mind for realization of Truth. One of the definitions of Yoga, according to Bhagavad Gita is 'skillfulness in action'. That means working in a way so that we don't get into bondage and also working with great attention, care and calmness of mind without wasting a single moment. Have respect for the work and feel privileged for getting the opportunity to work. Disciplined lifestyle removes stress and strain and helps the mind to remain focused all the time. In Bhagavad Gita Ch. 18, Lord Krishna says that the highest perfection can be attained by converting all works into acts of worship with the help of a healthy imagination and devotion. This path of Karma Yoga incorporates path of Jnana Yoga and Bhakti Yoga. Higher the concentration of mind while working, easier to feel the 'I' as a witness, watching all the actions being performed. Then one can easily dwell on higher thoughts or repeat God's name (japa). One can also feel that I am a devotee and doing it as an offering to God or God is doing everything and I am just an instrument. By cultivating this attitude of work, one gets rid of ego and attachment, becomes purified and thus attains the highest goal of life.

Tuesday - Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna - Dec. 09

If you're inside a room, you can't see vast expanse of sky except through the window. The closer we get to the window, the wider the vista and the more we can see. Sri Ramakrishna is that window. The Master warned Narendra and others to be careful associating with Girish Ghosh because different samskaras or impressions create different responses in us. Patanjali recognized 4 types of impressions: 1.Those on the conscious plane. 2.Those that are very weak. 3. others that are sleeping and we're not aware of them. 4.Neither asleep or weak, but overpowered by other impressions. Sri Ramakrishna was living on the edge of God consciousness. Girish Ghosh was often abusive to the Master, but still he was allowed to visit. Now Ramakrishna says that he can't tolerate it any more. That means Girish has to evolve. The Master can't tolerate him because his abusive actions are detrimental to Girish himself, not that they harm Ramakrishna. Sri Ramakrishna points out to the great faith Girish has; a person is known by his/her faith. Our lives are guided by what we believe.