Upcoming Events

Daylong Retreat – Sat. Dec. 08, 9:30am – 5:00pm
– by Swami Yogatmananda
Topic: ‘Kingdom of God is Within You’
Fee: $30.00 (Fees are non-refundable)
Prior Registration Required; Can be done online or in person at the Society’s office, or by mail.  For detailed information and online registration:
https://vedantaprov.org/schedule/

Hatha Yoga Classes – Every Tuesday, beginning Oct 02, 5:30-6:30 PM
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 Schedule (in addition to Daily Schedule given below)

Past Events

Swami Returns from the India-Europe Tour
Swami returned on the Fri Nov 30 afternoon after 22-day tour to various places in India and Europe. He gave retreats/lectures in Mumbai, Pune, Nagpur, Aurangabad, Germany, Ireland and met many Swamis-devotees in UK too.

Day-long Meditation – Sat Dec 01
About sixteen devotees ( and swami) began the day-long meditation that began at 12 noon, immediately following the 11am – 12 noon guided meditation session. Entry re-opened  at 6:30pm for the 7pm singing of Aarati; then meditation continued till 8pm.

Just Kids! – Sun Dec 02
Four children met  from 4:00pm –6:00pm. They painted a scene about Hanuman lifting the medicine mountain in the parking lot, played for a little while indoors and left after some snacks.

Swami at Central Falls HS – Mon Dec 03
Swami spoke at Central Falls High School (RI) to a high school anatomy class of about twenty-two students  from 12:30-2:30 pm about meditation and pranayama/breathing, followed by several questions from the students.

Synopses of Past Classes

Friday Study Class – Svetasvatara Upanishad  – Nov 30
It is the rare person who endeavors to discover the nature of ultimate reality. These brahmavadins ask, “What is the source of life? Where do “I” begin and end? Why do some people experience pleasures and others experience so much pain? Meditation is the way to go about finding the answers to these questions. We must go beyond body and mind.  Through meditation, we will see that the division between “I” and “the world” is fictitious. Everything changes, yet we all must admit that there is something about us that does not change. The idea that the world is to be enjoyed is the source of bondage. How can we know this is true? Because those who have rejected worldly enjoyments have become free! There is a causal relationship. Our desires become our bondage, and, being bound, we suffer.
We feel like we have a lot of power, but we are often unable to execute even minor things according to our will.  We only have the power to carry out plans if the Lord wants us to. There is the conscious subject (consciousness, purusha) and the unconscious object (matter, prakriti). Both of these are expressions of the Self. If we can see that we are not the doer, and are not undergoing any change, we will become free from the sense of agentship.

Sunday Talk – Staying Young Forever – Dec 02
Maya Rege-Colt and Sujata Rege Konowitz sang Forever Young by Bob Dylan.

As in the song, every heart wants to stay young forever. We reach the zenith of our physical and mental potential in our youth. As the body, we cannot stay young. We need to transcend the cage of body and learn to see the SAME ONE BEING in all bodies. When we learn to feel for others, it is followed up with action. Everyone wants to be happy, and to do good. As bodies, we cannot do much. As the unchanging core within, we are omnipotent, omnipresent, and happiness itself. The core of our being is called God. The problem is: I identify myself with the body, and cannot escape from it. The first step is to know that I am not the body. The next step is separation from the cage of the body. We can use the body, but not identify with the body. When we repeatedly tell ourselves that we are not the body, and do corresponding actions, we become happier. The Purusha Suktam says that all heads, hands, and feet, etc. belong to One Being, which is the unchanging core in every body. We need to repeatedly tell, contemplate, and act on this. Righteousness is having love for those to whom we are not physically connected. We have to turn around and climb, which is hard, because it is against gravity. The Kathopanisad tells to meditate in our heart, where we feel the seat of ‘I’ consciousness. When we separate from the covering of the body, we find the source of immortality, and stay young forever.