Newsletter September 23, 2009

Past Events

Salutations to Swamis Abahedananda and Akhandananda
The birth anniversaries of Swamis Abhedananda and Akhandananda, direct disciples of Sri Ramakrishna, were observed on Monday, September 14 (in lieu of Sunday's Universal Brotherhood Day program) and Friday, September 18, respectively with a song and biography reading and Prasad.

Peace Day Walk - Sunday, September 20
A devotee represented Vedanta Society of Providence at the annual United Nations International Peace Day program, which is a silent walking meditation, around Burnside Park to central downtown Providence, comprised of interfaith clergy and community laypersons.

Synopsis of last week's classes

Friday, September 18 - Bhagavad Gita (Recapitulation)

How Arjuna's dilemma is representative of our life too and how Lord Krishna analyses it and shows the deeper truths behind our superficial perception, needs to be understood. We take the apparent experience of 'I" & 'world' to be real without looking deeper. All our actions, being based on this erroneous perception, lead to painful contradictions. We confuse between the unchanging Self and the changing body. Self is truly immortal and One without a second; experiencing this truth makes one free from all bondages. Sri Krishna also explained that this is not just a matter of intellectual understanding but of actual, tangible concrete experience. One has to learn gradually to perform one's duties with the proper attitude. Learning to be completely dedicated and yet absolutely detached requires steadfast, step-by-step training. This is the Yoga.

Sunday, September 20 - Lower Truth to Higher Truth - Swami Yogatmananda
Truth is of greatest value to humans even when one isn't 'truthful' at all times. Most religions/scriptures consider God and 'Truth' to be synonymous. The receiving of information, understanding and response to any/all input differs from person to person. Learn to refine, deepen and broaden your perception. Practicing the honesty and truth of our level makes us evolve and see the higher truth. How to judge which is higher and which is lower? The lower truth rejects the higher truth but higher truth assimilates the lower truth. The 'higher truths are more penetrative, pervasive and more 'inner'. Ramakrishna always understood the truth of each individual's current understanding without losing sight of the Higher Universal Truth. Swami Vivekananda, in Chicago Addresses and in Jnana Yoga on ('Maya and the Evolution of the Concept of God') states that one does not go from error to truth, but evolves from lower truths to a higher truth. Ultimate Truth is one's own Divine Reality.

Tuesday, September 22 - The Message of Sri Ramakrishna to the Modern World - Swami Gautamananda

Instead of the regular class on Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna, a special talk of visiting Swami Gautamananda, Trustee of Ramakrishna Math and Head of its branch at Chennai, India, was arranged. The Swami began by singing a few bhajans (devotional songs). He first told some important characteristics of the modern times then explained the scientific, universal and impersonal nature of Vedanta and showed how Sri Ramakrishna's life is the most exalted representation of the it. The truths of religion as taught by Sri Ramakrishna can be practiced by everyone, saints & sinners alike. One need not give up the world as such but live in it performing one's duties unselfishly and should try to feel the presence of God everywhere. The Swami narrated incidents in the life of Sri Ramakrishna related to Vivekananda and Girish Ghosh and also gave appropriate quotations from Gita and Upanisads to illustrate how everyone, irrespective of caste, race, nationality etc, can derive the ultimate fulfillment in life by following the teachings of Sri Ramakrishna and connecting oneself to the living lineage of the spiritual teachers connected with the Sri Ramakrishna.
About sixty people attended the beautiful lecture. Please click here for photos.

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