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Upcoming Events

Salutations! – Fri. Jan. 19, Sun. Jan. 21
Birth-days of 2 direct disciples of Sri Ramakrishna. Swami Brahmananda and Swami Trigunatitananda Fri, Jan 19 and Sun Jan 21, respectively. A special chant in the morning and singing of the birthday-song and biography reading after the evening Arati. 7 pm.

Hath Yoga Class –  now Fridays (not Tuesdays), beginning Jan. 19,  5:30 – 6:30pm
Appropriate for all levels. $10.00 per Class; $40.00 for a two-month session

Vedanta Bookstore Timings:
Tuesdays & Fridays: 6:15 – 7:00 PM;
Sundays: 4:00 – 5:00 PM and 6:15 – 7:00 PM
Please note that, books, CDs etc. are available for sale at the Vedanta Society bookstore only. Shipping services are not available.

Weekly Schedule (in addition to Daily Schedule given below)

Past Events

1) Thu. Jan. 11, 7 to 8:30 pm: Swami spoke, along with 4 other faith-leaders at the Reconciliation Project on the occasion of Martin Luther King’s Anniversary at the Grace Episcopal Church, Providence.

2) Children’s Program – Sun. Jan. 14
The Vedanta Society’s children’s program “Just Kids” completed the ongoing Snow Globe shrine project.
The project used shatter-proof plastic globes, glitter, glycerin, acrylic paints, canvas, pine cones and other crafts materials. The focal point for each shrine was a figurine of a Hindu god or goddesses selected by each student during the December meeting. Following the activity the group shared soup supper. Four children participated.
Click here to see photo.

Synopses of Past Classes
(All classes given by Swami Yogatmananda, unless otherwise stated)

Study class on Jnana Yoga – Fri. Jan. 12
Class #80:  The Atman
We are now discussing the 14^th Chapter of Swami Vivekananda’s Jnana Yoga, titled The Atman. During the last chapter we saw that immortality cannot be of the body since the body is limited by space and time. All of the bodies we perceive are like different containers: the body is seen as the container which contains consciousness. But in reality, there is no container and contained; it is only a matter of perception. All that we see is actually the Self: I am that divine, I am all-pervading; I alone AM! This is the conclusion of Vedanta. Now the question arises: How can we experience this truth? We must have an answer because experiencing this truth makes us free. For those who are desirous of this knowledge, scriptures provide guidance. In the Hindu philosophical system, which takes the Vedas as authority, there are six schools. Five of these schools are dualists of various types. The sixth school is called Vedanta, which is based on the last part of the Vedas, is considered the culmination of wisdom, and is non-dualistic, but still has an internal division: In Vedanta, there are dualists, qualified non-dualists and non-dualists. All Vedantists accepts that the purpose of life is to realize God. All Vedantists believe in God, accept that the Vedas are the revealed word of God, and affirm the cyclic nature of creation. The vast majority of the general population is dualist, believing that God is the creator and ruler of the universe who is ever separate from creation and souls and possesses qualities and human attributes. We will study the dualistic schools in greater depth during the next class.

​Sunday Talk – Voice without Form  – Jan. 14
Sri Ramakrishna had a vision that Naren – Swami Vivekananda – would come to him and will be the perfect instrument to spread his divine message. Before he passed away, Sri Ramakrishna wrote that Naren will teach. Swami Vivekananda only came to the west after he had a vision of Sri Ramakrishna beckoning him to follow across the ocean, and when Holy Mother confirmed that he should go. He was an instrument in the hands of Sri Ramakrishna, and had no ego. Swami Vivekananda gave Sri Ramakrishna’s message as it was, without any intrusion of his own. People who heard him lecture described his glow, and his irresistibility, but when he was praised for his eloquence, he said it all came from the source, Sri Ramakrishna. The idea of a voice without form means that the essence of the message is important, and not the person from whom it is coming. People said that while Sri Ramakrishna emphasized God-realization, Swami Vivekananda encouraged people to get involved in service. Even M, the chronicler of the Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna, felt this way, but his doubts were laid to rest when Holy Mother said that she felt that Sri Ramakrishna was present in service done by Ramakrishna Order monks. If we want to be instruments of God, we have to do away with the ego, and not seek any credit for ourselves.

Study Class – Sri Ramakrishna and His Divine Play – Tue. Jan. 16
Page # 399-400: The book Divine Play helps the readers understand Sri Ramakrishna as a divine incarnation and as a substratum of the entire existence. He is not limited by space and time and everyone can see Him as his/her inner core. He is devoid of any particular limited ego. His identity is merged in Divine which is the Origin of all. That divine connection unites us all to Sri Ramakrishna. As the ocean is the basis of existence of the wave, similarly, divinity is the very basis of human existence. But we forget that and identify ourselves with the impermanent things and changing attributes.
Sri Ramakrishna as a teacher has an extraordinary capacity to transmit the ideas by entering into the very core of the students mind. He was addressing Manimohan who lost his son and was naturally very depressed and sad, He went into Samadhi. Through a song the Master was trying to teach that the human life is like a battlefield. One must fight against the enemies of knowledge with all the might and vigor.. From that state He could easily connect with the student without any physical boundaries. He explained that the life is full of suffering but that misery is the best teacher. Misery is inevitable and universal but temporary.