Newsletter Nov 29, 2006

Brown University Hindu Group - Wed. Nov 29

Swami Yogatmananda will meet with the student Hindu group on campus at 8:00 PM.

Holy Mother's Birthday Celebration - Sat. Dec 09

Puja (worship) will be from 11:00 AM - 1:00 PM and consists of chanting, ritualistic worship, flower and food offerings followed by Prasad luncheon. In the evening, there will be a devotional music program dedicated to the Divine Mother from 7:00 - 8:00 PM. All are welcome.

Florida visit - Dec 02-06

Swami will be conducting discourses on Hindu Psychology, 'Aum', and varied Vedanta topics at the St Petersburg Vedanta Center and Vedanta group in Miami, Florida from Sat. Dec. 02 thru Dec, 06. He will return Thursday, Dec. 07.

Synopsis of Last Week Classes

Friday - Raja Yoga Class - Nov 24

Aphorisms 3:24-36
The mind is to be kept unperturbed by the practice of friendship, compassion, gladness and indifference respectively, whenever one comes across happiness, suffering, expression of good and expression of evil. This was told in the aphorism 1-33. The success in this is achieved by concentration (samyama) on these qualities. Patanjali has given examples of many other seemingly miraculous powers achieved through the concentration on various things, internal or external. The principle is the same: concentration leads to knowledge and knowledge leads to power. By the concentration on matter or nature (Prakriti), one gets the apparent glories - which really intensify the bondage. Freedom comes as the result of concentration on the Purusha - the Self. We have to remember the reason for stating these powers by Patanjali: firstly they are signs on the path; and also for warning us about them; they can destroy spiritual life if a spiritual seeker gets into their trap. [The last remark was the answer given to this question asked in the class]. Another question asked was, do all spiritual seekers necessarily come across all the powers mentioned by Patanjali? The answer is NO; just as different paths leading to the same destination have different intermediate stages, so also the various different spiritual paths manifest different intermediate stages.

Sunday - Hafiz in Communion With God - Swami Yogatmananda - Nov 26
Hafiz was a great Sufi mystic poet, lived in Persia in 14th century. His poems present profound spiritual wisdom from his divine communion. The poems are very symbolic in nature and use imageries such as human love, inebriation of wine etc. just to show that the worldly joy is reflection of the divine bliss. As the ordinary wine makes the person oblivious of the situation around, similarly by taking the wine of divine wisdom, apparent reality of names and forms disappears and one experiences the deeper truths.
In one of the poems he describes the dilemma with love. Although we expect pleasure from love, why it brings pain? The spiritual teacher (referred to as 'saaki' in this poem) says, 'You will feel better when you get wined'. The real bliss comes only when the love is cleansed of all dross. Unless you transcend desires, you cannot really love. In another poem, he tells about the transcendental immanence of God. Our real want (God) can never be fulfilled by running after worldly desires. Transcend the forms and you will perceive Him everywhere. This is similar to the experience of the Rishis of Upanisads.
In the poem, 'you don't have to act crazy anymore', he says, 'retire from all hard work that brings pain to your heart. Join eternally with that Existence which has infused this universe long ago…' In the poem, 'We should talk about this problem', he hints at the beautiful creature that is hiding in the cavity of heart. The poet has fallen in love with that creature and offers food and wine and waits patiently for It to come out. In the poem, 'Forever Dance', he says, 'I am happy even before I have a reason. I am full of light even before the sky can greet the sun and the moon. Dear companions, we have been in love with God so very long. What Hafiz can do but forever Dance?' This is the Great mystic experience that the supreme Truth which is self-effulgent and full of bliss is within each of us. Hafiz's poetry speaks of his direct experience of oneness with God.