Newsletter March 31, 2010

Past Events

Swami Yogatmananda traveled to Cherry Hill, Berlin, Moorestown, NJ on Mar. 27 and 28th and gave talk on 'God and The Universe ' to Vedanta groups and an hour-long Sunday Service at Center for Living Consciousness, where more than one-hundred fifty attended.

Synopsis of last week's classes

Friday, Mar. 26 - Bhagavad Gita (Ch. 6, Verses 7-10)
In the last class we heard that if we bring the mind under control it can be our most valuable tool in achieving our Goal.
But how should an aspirant go about controlling the mind, and what does it look like? Sri Krishna tells that there are several characteristics which mark a person who has controlled the mind: equanimity--evenness in all situations, whether pleasing or painful; steadfastness in yoga--grasping the practice of yoga in the mind and absorbing it into the entire personality, making the sensory-system subservient to the cerebral system; and seeing the sameness in all things--for the yogi, everything is a manifestation of God; so while they are different in manifestation and should be treated so at that level, the Yogi is aware that the manifestation changes and no permanent value should be attached to it. (i.e. dirt, a stone, and gold all have value in different ways). He knows that only Brahman is unchanging; everything else is changeable. Our behavior towards persons and things depends on how much permanence we attach to it. The Yogi remembers the Unity always and acts accordingly; thus s/he is free from elations and depressions, attachments and hatred. Thus the Lord told the way to control the mind is to practice these virtues in life with the underlying awareness of the One-ness.

Sunday, March 28 - A Verse from Ramayana - Swami Tyagananda
'Ramayana'- the life story of Rama tells the principles that should guide our life. As the story goes, King Dasharatha of Ayodhya decided to coronate his eldest son Rama to be the King. On the eve of this great event, Kaikeyi, Rama's step-mother jealously asked Dasharatha to fulfill two boons that he had promised her long ago, according to which her own son, Bharata would be the King and Rama would go to the forest for fourteen years. The heart broken King yielded to these vicious demands. Rama remained calm and happily accepted it; but everyone else was terribly shocked. Rama's wife Sita and his brother Laxmana decided to go with him. Rama asked Lakhmana to seek his Mother Sumitra's permission. To Lakshmana's amazement, far from opposing his desire to go to the forest, Sumitra fully endorsed Lakshmana's plan and advised her son, in this great verse from Ramayana: 'Look upon Rama as your father, look upon Sita as your mother, look upon forest as your home, go my son with joy in your heart.' God is the only unchanging reality amidst all changing things and is present in all relations. Our relationship with God is eternal and irrevocable. All worldly relationships derive their authenticity and value in and through the divine. If we remember this then our relationships will bring us joy and fulfillment. True home is a place where we find rest, peace and joy and that can be only God or our true Self which is the source of all bliss. Any space that gives sense of belonging is called home and for a spiritual seeker, true sense of belonging or real home is where Lord is. If work is a done as a service to the divine, then no matter what type of work is, it will always bring joy and contentment. Sri Ramakrishna says that we need to know only two things: who we are and how we are connected to the God and through God to the entire world. Religion is not a matter of belief or rituals but it shows us the way to achieve fulfillment in life. Reflecting on Verses like this helps us to deal with the challenges of life more maturely and experience real peace, joy and contentment.

Tuesday, Mar. 30 - The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna

The gifts of food and of secular knowledge are important but the gift of spiritual knowledge is the highest gift for it makes one immortal. Through Sri Ramakrishna's words, one receives this nectar. The vast majority of the human race is content with the ordinary day to day trappings of life. Work, some play, perhaps marriage and children. It is a very small percentage of people who truly aspire for God realization. They are the fortunate few, looking for deep meaning in life, asking who am I and why am I here? Sri Ramakrishna told that God realization is the only goal of human life. It's not even a matter of choice. It is what IS.
Several songs were sung by Trailokya - a Brahmo devotee at the request of the Master. The younger Naren was visiting the Master. He was pure, and though young, ripe for enlightenment. Sri Ramakrishna gave him some sobering advice: "Show great devotion to your parents; but don't obey them if they stand in your way to God." Respecting the family elders is good as long as they do not obstruct the journey to the goal of life. Great saint Tulasidas told Mirabai that those who do not love God should be given up even though they may be very near and dear.

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