Newsletter March 17, 2010

Past Events

1)Swami Yogatmananda conducted the monthly Bhagavad Gita class (ch 7 cont) at Sri Satyanarayana Temple, 11 Training Hill Rd, Middletown CT on Sun March 14.
2) Monday evening, March 15, Swami Yogatmananda met with the Brown University Hindu student group to discuss current concerns.

Synopsis of last week's classes

Friday, Mar. 12 - Bhagavad Gita (Ch. 6, Verses 1-3)
The sixth chapter of Bhagavad Gita illustrates for us the connection between Karma Yoga, explained in the earlier chapters, and spiritual practices and meditation. We cannot give up our work and don the clothes of a monastic and expect to get Liberation. We must work! Lord Krishna emphasizes that while work done in the spirit of desire creates bondage, work performed with detachment can liberate us from bondage. Sri Krishna assures us that Karma Yoga, the performance of work done with detachment, is the equivalent of monastic renunciation-both will lead us to our Goal. Ridding ourselves of desire for reward is a long, arduous process requiring great discipline. We should be careful not to choose work based on our likes and dislikes, and instead must perform every task that comes to us as duty with equanimity.

Work can be likened to a tool--when we use it properly, it calms the mind. After it has served its purpose, the tool can be set aside because we don't need it anymore. If we put in the effort to practice Karma Yoga, eventually our minds will become calm; only then will we truly be prepared to give up work and devote ourselves to meditation.

Sunday, March 14 - Follow the Yellow Brick Road - Swami Yogatmananda
A storm of spiritual discomfort transforms the awareness of a spiritual aspirant. The person lands on a different level of consciousness and starts searching for a new path to reach the ultimate goal. This can be seen, symbolically represented in the classic American Movie 'The Wizard of Oz'. A 12-year old girl (Dorothy), who was aspiring for freedom, and knew that it can be found only 'somewhere over the rainbow', that is, beyond the scope of name and form. After being knocked unconscious during a tornado, she, in her dream, finds herself in the magical Munchkin land. Confused and wonderstruck, she meets the Good Witch (Glinda) and asks her the way to go home. Glinda advises Dorothy to seek the help of the mysterious Wizard of Oz in the Emerald City in her quest to return home (=one's true nature) and explains that Dorothy can find Emerald City by following the 'Yellow Brick Road'.
Sri Ramakrishna says that nescience (Maya) has two aspects: one that puts you in bondage (Avidya) and the other that frees you from bondage (Vidya). Here, the Bad Witch represents Avidya and the Good Witch represents Vidya. According to the advice of the 'good witch', Dorothy starts following the 'Yellow Brick Road' with firm conviction that the road, though long and difficult would definitely take her to the Wizard of Oz. A spiritual aspirant should have a dynamic faith (Shraddha) in the teachings of the Guru and scriptures. Also equally important are steadfastness and patience to bear the hardships until the goal is reached. Following 'Yellow Brick Road' means cultivating virtues required for spiritual life. On her way, Dorothy meets a Scarecrow with no brain, a Tin Man with no heart and a Cowardly Lion, bereft of courage. The three decide to accompany her to the Wizard to get their lacuna fulfilled. Swami Vivekananda says that harmonious development of head and heart is needed in spiritual life. One has to have courage to face the obstacles. When the group comes near the city, the poppy flowers (= joy of expected success) makes them unconscious of their goal but through the help of the Good Witch, they overcome that obstacle and reach the Emerald City at the end of the 'Yellow Brick Road'. A spiritual aspirant should always be watchful against the feeling of complacency and should not stop till the goal is reached.
At the end they earnestly pray the Wizard, who demands they first fulfill a very difficult and dangerous task. Then he discloses the secret that they already have what they had been searching for all along. Spiritual practice is necessary to manifest the divinity which is already within us.

Tuesday, Mar. 16 - The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna

Sri Ramakrishna is full of love. He has no hidden agenda, nothing to gain in this world. His only wish is to help humanity. Along with total knowledge, he has immense compassion. Everyone has some obstruction on the spiritual path. Ramakrishna's words and actions were able to remove these obstacles. A case in point is Mahendra who hadn't visited Master in a long time. The Master mentioned that this devotee had no children and served nobody, but still did not come. This was a rebuke, but more than that, it was a prodding done out of compassion and love. Ramakrishna was making a point about the proper utilization of time at our disposal. We learned that love for God is a tool for dispassion and one of the best ways to incorporate this into our lives is by association with holy company. The stern words coming from the Master are reserved for those really looking to make progress in the spiritual life. Hari was another devotee who hadn't visited in a while. Reference was made to Purna, one of M's students, a fifth grader, who found it difficult to visit the Master due to familial objections. Ramakrishna was extremely fond of the boy and considered him to be so advanced, that he was born with realization.

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