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If you have questions regarding spiritual life, Vedanta, Hinduism etc, you can email us at answers@vedantaprov.org
Newsletter May 13, 2009
Revered Swami Sarvagatanandaji Passes Away
It is with the deepest sorrow that we announce the passing of Revered Swami Sarvagatanandaji Maharaj on Sunday, May 3, 5:30 AM at the Ramakrishna Vedanta Society of Massachusetts. He died peacefully in his sleep. The 'viewing' was held on Monday, May 4th, at J. S. Waterman and Sons, Boston, MA 02109 from 6 to 9 PM. Cremation was done on Tuesday.
Special worship of Sri Ramakrishna will be performed at the Providence center on Friday, May 15, at 11:00 AM.
The Memorial Service will be held on Saturday, May 16 from 9:30 AM-12:00 NOON at LA SALETTE SHRINE - WELCOME CENTER, 947 PARK ST (RT 118), ATTLEBORO, MA 02703.
Regarding directions: Use Google map-it is current
and correct. DO NOT USE Map quest or any system/GPS etc that says to
"go down Olive St'---Olive St Bridge is demolished and detour route does
NOT HAVE La Salette signs.
Please obey town 'speed signs'--- tickets are being rapidly given this 'graduation-season'
time!
Coming from South up 95 North into Massachusetts:
1) Take exit 3…Follow Route 123 EAST (about 1 mile), to next major intersection/stoplight
(Mobil gas). TAKE LEFT, which is 123 EAST/COUNTY ST which will bring you to
town center stoplight (about 1 mile)
2) continue straight through and under stone bridge (STAY on RIGHT LANE:
Sign reads 118 South/Rehoboth; it is is still 'County St' DO NOT TAKE LEFT
CURVE (Rte 123)) (about 1 mile)
3) pass Webster Bank, Post Office and City Hall; a bit later 'Sturdy Memorial
Hospital ---- a bit after this, CONTINUE CURVE ON RIGHT-118 SOUTH (about
1 mile)--- DO NOT TAKE LEFT CURVE ONTO RTE 118 NORTH
4) Follow Rte 118 SOUTH--La Salette Shrine/Welcome Center is located approx.
¼ mile past Bliss Dairy/Restaurant, Attleboro MA.
If you pass La Salette Shrine and see Briggs Restaurant then you have gone too far! Please come back approx. 1 mile.
Coming from North area---go 95 South, Take exit 3-A; follow directions
above.
DO NOT TAKE MA exit #5.
Bhagavad-Gita class, Middletown, CT - Sun. May 17
Swami Yogatmananda will conduct the monthly Bhagavad-Gita class (continuing
ch 6) at the Sri Satyanarayana Hindu Temple, 10 Training Hill Rd, Middletown
CT on Sun May 17 from 10:30 - 11:30 AM. All are welcome.
Sitar Concert - Sun. May 17
From 6:00 PM - 7:30 PM, immediately following Sunday Lecture, Anupama Bhagawat,
leading disciple in the world of Pandit Shri Bimalendu Mukherjee, and who
has performed in France, Italy, throughout India, MIT and Lotus World venues
in USA, and other venues, will perform Sitar concert, accompanied on Tabla
by Chris Pereji. All Welcome; NO Fee; Donations accepted.
Day-long Retreat - Sat. May 30
Swami Sarvadevananda, from Vedanta Society Hollywood CA, will be the main
teacher for the day-long retreat (9:30 AM-7:00 PM) on: 'DEVOTION: Narada's
Way'. Pre-registration required; donation fee of $15.00. Seating limited to
space available. For detailed information and registration form please click
here.
Weekly Programs at Vedanta Society of Providence
| Friday May 15 |
11:00 AM - 1:00 PM - Special worship of Sri Ramakrishna 7:00
PM - Aarati (devotional music)
& meditation. |
| Saturday, May 16 |
9:30 AM
- 12:00 Noon - MEMORIAL SERVICE for Swami Sarvagatananda |
| Sunday, May 17 |
5:00 -
6:00 PM - A talk on ''Check's in the Mail" by Swami Yogatmananda |
|
Tuesday, May 19 |
7:00 PM –
Aarati (devotional music) & meditation. 7:30 PM – Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna class, Ch. 38, Pg 733 |
Daily Programs at Vedanta Society of Providence
| Morning |
5:45 –
6:45 AM: Meditation 6:45 – 7:00 AM: Chanting, followed by a short reading from The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda, Vol. II |
| Evening | 7:00
– 7:15 PM: Aarati (devotional music), a short reading from Spiritual
Practice (Its conditions and preliminaries) by Swami Ashokananda 7:15 – 8:00 PM: Meditation |
Synopsis of Last Week's Classes
Friday - Bhagwad Gita - May
08
Ch. 4- Verses 13-16: After showing the divine origin of the Yoga-science
and showing how short-sighted people, tempted by the quick, alluring results,
miss the great liberating power of work, Lord gives His own example to show
the correct method of doing work. Lord does the great work of organizing
the human society into 4 castes according to the attitudes, qualities and
actions. But he tells us 'know me to be the changeless non-actor!' Why?
The next verse gives the reason: I have no desire for the results of the
works, so I am not bound by the actions; and this is not only for me;-
anyone, who knows this will be free from the actions. The word 'I' has
been used with two different (but not mutually exclusive) connotations;
one refers to His physical manifestation and other to the Universally immanent.
Sunday - Pursuit of Perfection - May 10
'Buddha' - is not the name of a particular person but it
refers to the state of total ultimate illumination. A person, suffering
due to ignorance of the nature of reality looks for removing one's imperfections
by adding more and more things from the world. But that compounds the imperfections
further. Gautama, the Buddha showed the way. Unlike most religious teachers,
Buddha appeals to the common sense us and tells to understand the four noble
truths and follow the eight-fold noble (middle) path.
Buddha asks Vasittha, a sincere seeker of the ultimate truth who was spending
time and energy in studying the Vedas but was not using his common sense,
'If you wish to go to the other bank of a stream, do you keep on saying
"O dear other bank, please come to me or swim across?"
'I certainly will have to swim, venerable sir'.
'Can you swim if your hands & legs are tied by five strong chains?'
'Of course not.'
'The attractions-repulsions of the five sense-organs are the five chains.
So if one wants to swim, one should get rid of these chains. Then there
are five impediments: lust, malice, idleness, pride and doubt. One needs
to steer clear of them.'
Buddha also told him to make his life correspond to the signs of perfection.
Tuesday - Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna - May 12
Two divergent viewpoints can both have validity. Narendra
and Girish are debating whether God can manifest as a human being. Girish
firmly believes that God can take the form of a human and that Sri Ramakrishna
is that form. Girish asks, 'how can people ever learn unless an Incarnation
of God comes down to teach. A mere human can't be a teacher of ultimate
reality. According to Patanjali, God is the Teacher of all teachers. Narendra
disagrees and asks, why can't God just show us the way as an inner guide
since He is already within us. The Master intervenes and says tenderly "yes,
yes, He will be our inner guide". Human manifestation is there, but
both, external teacher and inner guide are part and parcel of each other.
One must have proper understanding to get out of the mire and accept help
when it is offered. Vedanta talks about four different types of students.
There was one question at the end the class regarding one type.