Newsletter March 25, 2009

Past Events

Synopsis of Last Week's Classes

Friday - Bhagwad Gita - March 20
Ch. 3- Verses 42-43: Our attitude about work must gradually be transformed so that it becomes an instrument for our liberation from desire. Working "for the good of the world" helps us shift our attitude towards work in the right direction. However, we mustn't fool ourselves into thinking that we are making the world better. By working in this way we are only doing good to ourselves.
In the last 2 verses of the third chapter (v. 42 and 43), Sri Krishna shows that the Self is superior to the body, sense organs, mind, and intellect, and thus taking stand on the Self, we will be able to kill desire - our arch-enemy which is difficult to conquer. Our divine nature--the awareness that "I am"--is ever unshakable. Krishna proclaims if we are rooted in a confident conviction of this divine nature, then we WILL defeat desire and achieve our goal of God realization.
The class was followed by several interesting questions related to the "I am" of the Self versus the "I am" of the ego, about why we feel strengthened by social service work, and about suppressing desires.

Sunday - Imagining the Real - Swami Yogatmananda - March 22
All Progress in this world is the result of imagination of human mind. Imagination can be divided into two categories: 1) Learning Imagination - Through the process of abstraction and nomenclature we acquire, store and transmit knowledge. 2) Creative Imagination - All sciences and arts have evolved through this. Scientists and artists refine their techniques to shape their imagination into concrete objects.
The world as it is perceived through the senses has not been able to satisfy human mind fully and search for something beyond is going on since time immemorial. Upon analyzing the process of perception and the impermanence of the world, it is evident that our imagination has created this world for us and that is the reason why every one of us has a different concept of this world. As a person evolves, search for ultimate meaning of life becomes intense and religion comes into picture. Through imagination different godheads are created ascribing them ideal qualities that one seeks in life. As human beings evolve, ideas about God also evolve. Spiritual practice (meditation, worship, prayers etc.) makes our instruments more and more perfect and guides our imagination properly thus bringing our conception closer and closer to actual perception. Imagination becomes realization when one experiences God as the all pervading Reality where subject-object relationship vanishes completely. Mundaka Upanisad describes this as - 'Intricate knot of delusion is untied and all doubts are resolved.' Physical sciences, arts etc. are imaginations about imaginary things and can never fulfill our life. Imagining God is the imagination of Real and hence can alone be realized. Then the purpose of life is accomplished and nothing more remains to be achieved.

Tuesday - Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna - March 24

Intellectual knowledge is good, but does not guarantee realization. Sri Ramakrishna said the pundits talk big, but their minds are still fixed on creature comforts. Maya may trick us into believing that they are saintly people. Studying scriptures is important. It should be done, however, as a help to spiritual unfoldment. Studying must be done : 1. Devotionally: We take on faith the words of the scriptures to be true, knowing that the sages who uttered them had gone beyond ignorance and they had no ulterior motive. 2. Analytically: one must take the essence of the teachings, keeping in mind the main purpose of them. Whatever makes us weak, we should reject as false. Whatever makes us strong and pure, we should grasp. Sri Ramkrishna was praising Narendra, saying "Isn't he unusually good"? Girish underwent a great transformation. He had been coming to the Master only a short time and was considered by M a gem in the Master's necklace. The length of time is secondary. Devotion is of primary importance.