Newsletter May 28, 2008

Synopsis of Last Week's Classes

Friday - Bhagavad Gita Class - May 23

Ch. 2 (Verses 64-65):The Gita tells us how to be perfected and fulfilled. It's like processing machinery: In goes man the animal, out comes man the divine. But we must do the work. After showing, how by letting the mind dwell on seemingly harmless sense-pleasures, a person gets attached to them, and soon loses all moral and spiritual values, now Lord Krishna tells us that this does not mean running away from the world. We should be in the world, moving with control on the senses & mind. Attraction and aversion (raga & dvesha) to sense objects should not rule our life. Then we will be purposefully using the powerful but fully controlled organs and will attain an actively serene state (prasada).
a state of happiness without turbulence or excitement. It's a gradual process, but through practice we all can do it.
With this sense of serenity, suffering ceases and one sees the Goal. It hasn't been reached yet, but it is within the grasp of the seeker. One gets a feeling of assurance.

Sunday - Plotinus on Beauty - Swami Yogatmananda - May 25
Plotinus, the Greek philosopher-saint of 3rd Century C.E., in his essay on 'Beauty', traces the source of beauty to a principle 'remote' than the objective measurements. Common knowledge of beauty believes that symmetry of parts towards each other and towards the whole imparts beauty to a particular thing. But Plotinus refutes this statement because then only the composite things could be beautiful, not their parts themselves. Also, the same thing doesn't appear beautiful all the times, even though the symmetry etc is still the same. But he asserts that there is the Principle of beauty; "It undoubtedly exists; it is something that is perceived at the first glance, something which the Soul names from an ancient knowledge and, recognizing, welcomes it, enters into unison with it." This 'recognition' of the Principle is called 'pratyabhijna' by the Tantras.
Another concept he introduces is - Ideal Form: "where this enters, it groups and co-ordinates diversity into unity, rallies confusion into co-operation" - he says. He points out that love and beauty go together. There are loftier forms of beauty. Beauty felt by senses is a secondary beauty. Real Beauty is sublime - beyond senses. A blind person cannot appreciate beauty of color or shape; but s/he can appreciate beauty of virtues. To see real beauty, we have to depart from body consciousness, make a strong resolve to purify our mind and senses. Then one comes face to face with the source of beauty - God. He also warns that we need to have the strength and courage to withdraw into our inner depths, discarding the appearances of the world. If not, then the attraction of the appearances can drown us like someone jumping into deep pool to catch the reflection, taking it to be real.

Tuesday - The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna Class- May 27

Through the words of the question, Sri Ramakrishna penetrated into the mind of the questioner. Girish was a brilliant, highly emotional, and temperamental disciple who fell into some very bad habits. He came to Ramakrishna and got transformed. Here we see him asking: "What's the way for people like us?". The answer was, "Bhakti is the only essential thing." Three bhakti types are told by Sri Ramakrishna. The first being satvic where the mind is pure and wants nothing but God for God's own sake. The second is rajasic (full of desires) and the third is tamasic, which forcefully demands the vision of God.
Sri Ramakrishna went on to give a beautiful description of samadhi, saying there were five kinds. Girish want to know if samadhi or God-realization can be achieved through spiritual practice. Ramakrishna, in his psychologically correct way, replies that people realized God in different ways. To put the onus and karma on yourself, it's important to do sadhana and let grace enter when it will.