Newsletter Nov 08, 2006

Brown Hindu Group - Nov 8

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

1) Swami Yogatmananda was in Greenville, NC from Saturday, Nov 4 until Tuesday, Nov 7. Topics discussed were : Hindu Psychology, Concept of Creation in Vedanta, Is Hinduism Polytheistic? and What Is Mantra? About thirty-five devotees attended these talks.

2) Birth anniversaries of Swami Subhodananda and Swami Vijnananandam, direct disciples of Sri Ramakrishna, were observed on Saturday, Nov 4 with a chant in the morning and in the evening with a biography reading, a devotional song and Prasad.

Synopsis of Last Week Classes

Friday - Raja Yoga Class - Nov 3

Aphorism 3:16-18 -

What are powers? To get control over the nature is power. For an ordinary person, the division of time poses a limitation: cannot know about the past and future. But the Yogi , who has achieved the dharana-dhyana-samadhi (samyama) on the threefold changes of form-time and state has no obstruction of the time barrier and thus can perceive all past as well as future.
When due to concentration, a Yogi can separate the external input (sabda), reaction of the organ/nerves (artha) and response from the mind (Jnana) from each other, then the meaning of each such input is revealed to the Yogi. So he/she can understand the language of anyone - even that of animals. For an ordinary person, because of confusion of these three factors of cognition, there is misperception about the intended meaning/ motive of the words. This gives rise to misunderstanding between people even if they are speaking the same language, what to speak if they do not know each other's language. The Yogi can directly go to the exact content of a word-symbol by the ability to clearly understand the three separate factors involved in communication, not only at the human level but also at the level of all beings.

Sunday - Inner Wandering - Swami Tyagananda - Nov 5
In order to move about, one must be smaller than the surrounding area. If God is not everywhere, then God cannot be called omnipresent, defined as being all-pervading. Any desire is an acknowledgment of incompleteness; without this there would be no reason for the body or mind to wander in search of becoming filled with contentment, joy, etc. There is no physical movement at all in a perfect, Ultimate Reality, called Brahman in Vedanta. According to Vedanta we all are 'all-pervading perfect beings', but have forgotten how to be that way. Through spiritual training one learns how to live and to be/come infinite (again). Vedanta also says that the infinite cannot become finite 'really' but possibly can become finite 'un-really'. Each of us is a particle of a total reality that has broken into pieces and is wandering about trying to become whole again. This external searching for completeness is always for that thing of importance to that individual. From material searching, one delves deeper into thought inquiry, and eventually into spiritual seeking, which is the only real solution process to all one's problem(s). Will power is essential. The inner universe of the heart is much vaster than all perceived universes. Hold onto the Ideal. When will- power and ego become extant, only then can breeze of Grace operate to sail one to the Universal Destination.