Daylong Spiritual Retreat – Sat. June 03, 9:30AM – 7:00PM
– by Swami Kripamayananda, Vedanta Society of Toronto.
Theme: Loving God.
Prior Registration Required; Can be done at the Society’s office, or by mail or online.
Fee: $30.00 (Fees are non-refundable)
(For online registration, $1.00 additional)
Click here for schedule and online registration.
Children’s Program – Sun. June 04, 4PM – 6PM
Children’s program (ages 6-12 only) will meet. All young children welcome.
SABAD Concert – Sun. June 04, 6:15PM – 7:30PM
Immediately following the 5-6PM Sun. Lecture, there will be Sikh Devotional Singing performed by Amritpal Singh. All are welcome. No Entry Fee. Donations Appreciated.
Annual General Meeting of the Society – Sun. June 11, 6:15PM – 7:00PM
Immediately after the Sunday Service. All are welcome.
Hatha Yoga Classes – Every Tuesday 5:30-6:30 PM from May 02
Fee: $40 — PREPAID For 2 Month Course, $10/Per Class
Contact Vedanta Society by phone or email or contact Roshni Darnal at 401-226-5421
Weekly Programs (in addition to Daily Programs given below)
| Friday, June 02 |
7:00 PM: Aarati (devotional music) & meditation 7:30 – 8:30 PM: Study Class by Swami Yogatmananda on Jnana Yoga (based on the book of Swami Vivekananda) |
| Saturday, June 03 |
9:30 AM – 7:00 PM: Karma Yoga/Cleaning
7:00 PM – Aarati (devotional music) & Meditation |
| Sunday, June 04 |
5:00 – 6:00 PM: Lecture: ‘Hurry for Hari’ by Swami Kripamayananda (Toronto) 6:00 –6:15 PM: Aarati 6:15 – 7:30PM: SABAD Concert (Sikh Devotionals) |
| Tuesday, June 06 |
7:00 PM: Aarati (devotional music) & meditation
7:15 – 8:30 PM: Study Class by Swami Yogatmananda on ‘The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna’, Ch 52, pp 994 |
Daily Programs
| Morning : | 5:45 – 6:45 AM: Meditation 6:45 – 7:00 AM: Chanting followed by a short reading from ‘The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda, Vol. 7’ 7:00 – 7:25AM – A short ritual worship/Puja. Open to all. |
| Evening : | 7:00 – 7:15 PM: Aarti (devotional music), with a short reading from ‘THE STORY OF AN EPOCH: Swami Virajananda and his Times’, by Swami Shraddhananda 7:15 – 8:00 PM: Meditation. Open to all. |
Synopses of Past Classes
(All classes given by Swami Yogatmananda, unless otherwise stated)
Study Class on ‘Jnana Yoga’ – May 26, Friday
Class #64: (Recapitulation and Ch 10 ‘Freedom of Soul’)
Vivekananda begins with the necessity of religion; explains how the search for ultimate truth is central to human nature and then in the 2nd chapter describes the Real Nature of Man as infinite and all-pervading. In our true nature, we are divine, immortal. Next 3 chapters are devoted to the description of Maya; how we are caught in the mesh of ignorance and contradictions. In our lives, self and world, subject and object get superimposed on each other. Still we feel that there is a ‘Being’ beyond this ignorance, that we call God. The concept of God evolves as we progress; ultimately we understand that the God is identical with our true Self. This truth is to be realized/experienced. We have to live a life where we gradually discover the UNITY in the midst of apparent diversity. It requires intense training of our personality involving control of senses. One has to be fearless to do this. The freedom of soul actually means all the limitations have to vanish. The ego, the separate ‘I’ has to dissolve in the knowledge that all this is The ONE SELF.
Sunday Talk – Magic and Logic – May 28, Sunday
‘Magic’ is what cannot be explained at that moment, while ‘logic’ explains. Magic teaches us that we can be cheated, which crushes our ego. When the magician reveals how the magic happens, the magic disappears. In magic, something does not happen, yet we perceive it as happening. Magic relies on the fact that the brain can only process a small part of the information that pours in. Magicians select what they want us to process. Those who are focused are easiest to cheat. Logic is of two types: Induction, in which a conclusion is drawn from a consistent sequence of events (whenever there is rain, there are clouds), and deduction, in which there are multiple conclusions from such a conclusion or FORM (all human beings are mortal, John is a human being, so John is mortal).
We live in a world of magic. The word ‘MAYA’ connotes magic. Everything in and around us is full of contradictions and therefore illogical and therefore is magical. What is good for one is not good for another. What is good for someone at one time is not good for him or her at another time. The same thing is both one and many. We are both free and bound. The world is all magic. There is no logical explanation. In Vedanta, this is called Maya, which means ignorance or nescience. The magician gets named God. God, who is real, brought all this out of Himself, like a spider makes a web. All contradictions disappear when we hold onto the Magician. When we see that the Magician alone IS, all problems and doubts disappear.
Study Class – The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna – May 30, Tuesday
Sunday, May 8, 1887 Pg 993-4
Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna describes the divine sport of an incarnation of God. The initial prayer of this class from Srimad Bhagvatam calls it “Kathamrita”. These stories “Katha” are the greatest gift to man. They are like nectar – “amrita” that makes one immortal by removing the identification with body.
Shashi’s father had come to the Baranagore monastery to take him home. Parents do not want their children to renounce the world and become monks. They want to get them married and become householders and that they can be in the world and be religious at the same time. Can one realize God while being a householder? The circumstances in a typical household – don’t leave much time for God realization. The other desires take so much prominence that the desire for realizing God remains very little. The tendency to enjoy the world and the desire to get freedom run counter to each other. But, unable to renounce the desire to enjoy the world, the human beings want a compromise between these. In the name of working to realize God, one keeps fostering the desires. We see this in religious things too. In celebrating religious festivals, we set up parties, the religious element is usually sidelined. We want a little sprinkling of religion. This way, one deludes oneself as being religious and then goes headlong into enjoyment. Such a practice will not lead to God realization. However, this does not mean that householders should not take up spiritual practice. Without the impediments of a typical household, the householders can get very far in their spiritual progress. If the goal of life is to realize God – what is point of focusing on other worldly things?
Once a very worldly person came to Sri Ramakrishna. Sri Ramakrishna told him to do whatever he wants but not to think that he is practicing religion. That in itself is a great advice. Realizing that we are worldly and not religious will prevent us from getting deluded into thinking that we are religious while steeped in worldly concerns.