Newsletter February 10, 2010

Past Events

1) On Thurs. Feb. 04, Vedanta Society hosted the Attleboro-based Interfaith meeting (with representative clergy and lay members of various churches attending) from 11:45 AM - 1:30 PM, with this month's topic: "How do we instill self-confidence without enhancing ego?" discussed. Also, the highlights of the relief-work done by one of the participant churches were presented. 15 representatives attended.
2) On Sun. Feb. 07, Swami Yogatmananda conducted the monthly discourse on Bhagavad Gita (Ch 7) from 10:30 - 11:30 AM at Sri Satyanarayana Temple, Middletown, CT.

3) On Mon. Feb. 08, Swami delivered a talk on 'Concentration & Meditation' and explained basic Vedanta principles to about forty students in a one-and-half hour Psychology class at Johnson & Wales University, downtown Providence campus.

Synopsis of last week's classes

Friday, Feb. 05 - Bhagavad Gita (Ch. 5, Verses 17-20)
The theme of Chapter 5 is the yoga of renunciation. Renunciation here does not mean giving up hearth and home, but rather letting go of our attachments which are the result of the ignorance. This requires intense practice of orienting all our faculties - intellect, emotions and actions - towards the Goal, that is, the Truth or God. This puts a person on the path of knowledge, washing away all the ignorance and the 'sin' one commits due to that. While this person's body remains the same, his perception of the world is entirely transformed. The yogi perceives the SAME ONE Truth manifesting in various forms. All the forms, while they are dealt as different at the level of form (a dog is different from an elephant at the level of form), yet the Yogi realizes that the forms are temporary /illusory and God alone is the substance in them. As a result, the realized person continues to see the multitude of forms around him, but will be neither attracted or repelled by these forms. Realization of God satisfies our desire for perfection in life because God alone is perfect; thus, one who is established in God will experience true Perfection. Attaining knowledge of Brahman, overcoming the relative existence of life and realizing all-pervading Reality--this is the ultimate achievement and greatest conquest in life.

Sunday, Feb. 07 - Food and the Eater - Swami Yogatmananda
Food is the sustaining force of our existence and should be eaten with respectful attitude avoiding any kind of wastage. Taittariya Upanisad says that while food is being eaten, it eats the eater too because when food goes inside it becomes the 'I' of the eater. In Vedanta, we find beautiful analysis of hunger that is associated with the entity-ship 'I'. One reality in ignorance appears to be 'many' and subject/object division gets formed. Since this division is not real, 'I' through mistaken expression of hunger, wants to unite with the 'world' which is seen as food. Aitareya Upanisad describes that the (subject) eater demands food (object) and since the food (another entity) wants to protect itself, starts running away. This chasing temporarily stops when the eater eats the food and becomes satisfied; but the hunger returns and the cycle goes on. The Sanskrit word Aahaar =food literally means in-take. Hunger signifies dissatisfaction and every sense organ has different object of hunger. Through the process of eating, the eater tries to become one with food. if this process is directed properly, it will culminate in the eater and the food becoming ONE, as Taittariya Upanisad expresses - 'I am the eater, I am the food'. It is a unified experience of the ONE manifesting in two different forms. This is the goal of life because this experience of Oneness alone brings total fulfillment. Bhagavad Gita mentions three kinds of food sought by three kinds of people - Sattvika, Rajasika, Tamasika. Sankaracharya in his 'Five Verses on Spiritual Practice' calls food as medicine to cure the disease of hunger. Being medicine, it should be taken without considerations of like or dislike and an overdose must be avoided. Then the food will purify the eater. Chandogya Upanisad says that when intake is pure, mind becomes pure; then the memory of our true nature becomes steadfast; such a person cuts asunder all bondages and realizes the Self, which is Existence, Consciousness, Bliss absolute.

Tuesday, Feb. 09- Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna

While discussing the common features in various religious practices, Sri Ramakrishna taught that pride was a great obstacle on the path to enlightenment. He said very few of his devotees were devoid of this drawback, but Balaram was one individual who was free from pride. If a person has achieved great distinction and is humble, that is indeed an accomplishment. By the same token, if a person hasn't achieved that much, it does not mean he/she has no pride. Self-confidence is an important ingredient in the spiritual life, but this should not be confused with arrogance or pride. It's sometimes a thin line between the two, so discernment and focus of the mind should be present. The question arose can a man be like Krishna. The answer was: an An ordinary man (called a Jivakoti), who can realize God after much spiritual practice, but who can't come back to relative consciousness. The Incarnation or other such person (called Iswara-koti) is one born with no ignorance at all. Their only purpose is to teach mankind. It is God's lila or play wherein God, with full knowledge of being God, acts as a human being in order to guide and inspire humanity.
There was an interesting Q/A session after the class.

Top