Newsletter April 28, 2010

Past Events

1) Swami Yogatmananda participated in an interfaith panel at Miriam Hospital in Providence RI on Fri April 23 from 11AM - 12:30 PM to discuss the respective religious affiliate's perspective on 'spirituality and health'.
2) On Sunday April 25, Swami Yogatmananda conducted the 11AM - 12 noon satsang at the Ramakrishna Vedanta Society of MA, 58 Deerfield St, Boston on: 'A Case of Mistaken Identity'.
3) On Mon April 26, 8:00-9:00, Swami attended the concluding meeting of the Hindu Students Association at Brown University.

Click here for photos.

Synopsis of last week's classes

Friday, Apr. 23 - Bhagavad Gita (Ch. 6, Verses 19-22)
In the last class we heard that we must do everything (eat, sleep, work, rest, practice spiritual disciplines) to the measure that is constitutionally suitable for us in order to achieve our spiritual goal of God Realization. This is what a Yogi does. The mind of the Yogi is unwaveringly fixed in the Divine like a candle-flame in a quiet, windless place. Once we achieve this state, all that we seek--Peace, Happiness, Joy-- are all achieved in infinite quantity within the Self. That stops the foolish chase after the sense pleasures and mind turns inwards. It's like driving in a car and realizing you are going in the opposite direction; you have to slow down your car and turn around. This turning around is called 'uparama'. When we make this change, we experience a happiness that is not dependent upon the senses or any changing, ephemeral object of the world. The Yogi's happiness comes directly from the source of Happiness--the Self--and cannot be quantified or measured by the standard of the illusory happiness of the subject-object contact. This happiness completely fulfills all desires, and the Yogi who has attained it does not seek anything more.

Sunday, April 25 - Two Evolutionists: Darwin and Patanjali - Swami Yogatmananda
Until 18th Century, the Western scientific world believed that the vast variety of life has been existing all along, and evolution takes place only within the species. This not only agrees with the Biblical account, but also makes more sense in the common mind. In 1859 Darwin proposed the Theory of Evolution and provided proofs about transmutation of species. Darwin presented a tree like structure explaining the wide spectrum of biological variety based on the principle of Natural Selection, which stands on two pillars: 1) Struggle for existence 2) survival of the fittest. Although this theory works well at different levels in science, it fails to address some philosophical issues such as - 1) who evolves and wants to survive has to be a conscious being (because the matter cannot select another matter to evolve), 2) What is the purpose/goal of this process, 3) Since the entity has the capacity to evolve into something, it must be the involution of that something. Furthermore, Darwin's theory cannot explain the virtues that we cherish as an evolved society, such as compassion, unselfishness, etc. On the contrary, as Swami Vivekananda points out, it furnishes every oppressor with an argument to calm the qualms of conscience. The ancient philosophy of Yoga and Vedanta explains the evolution from a higher plane which has been systematically presented by Patanjali in the well-known yoga aphorisms as the science of possibilities of human development. In Rajayoga, Swami Vivekananda explaining Yoga aphorisms (4/2,3), says that, "The great ancient evolutionist, Patanjali, declares that the true secret of evolution is the manifestation of the perfection which is already in every being..." According to Patanjali, the change into another species is done by the filling in of nature. "..perfection is man's nature, only it is barred in and prevented from taking its proper course. If anyone can take the bar off, in rushes nature. Then the man attains the powers which are his already." Through yogic practices, the culmination of the evolutionary process is attained i.e. establishing in one's divine nature. Bhagavad Gita calls this yoga as 'Viyoga'- disjoining from ignorance. These scriptures do not contradict Darwin's theory, but take it to a higher level and provide us tools to become perfect and evolve into our true divine nature.

Tuesday, Apr. 27 - The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna

Sri Ramakrishna explained how feeling the truth was much more important than intellectual debate about it. The problem with debate in the inherent desire to win rather than to learn.
The Master referred to Trailokya as like frogs living in a well who have never seen the outside world. They speak of the world so much because they have never been touched by the joy of God. The Master went on to explain the nature of an incarnation of God. It takes a certain evolution to recognize this individual. There are some basic differences between an ordinary human being and an incarnation. The divine being belongs to a special group, the Isvarokotis. They are not caught up in the world. Their ego is a thin ego, or virtually non-existent. They have a constant awareness and understanding of the divine. They are able to go into samadhi and come back down to the relative plane.
People are locked up in a metaphorical room due to lust and greed. The Incarnation of God is The Hole in this room. The closer we get to this hole (=Sri Ramakrishna), the more we can see of the infinite. As we reach it and go out through it, all secrets are revealed.

Top