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Upcoming Events

Day-long Meditation – Sat. March 03, 12:00noon – 8:00PM
This is a continual long meditation session, starting with guided meditation at 11:00 AM. Must be IN bldg by 12 noon. Luncheon/snacks provided. All are welcome.  No Fee.

Just Kids! Children’s Double-Hour – Sun. March 04, 4 – 6PM
Children’s program (ages 6-12 only) will meet. All young children welcome.

Day-Long Retreat – Sat. April 28,  9:30AM –6:30PM
Topic: Vedantic Meditation ( 2 discourses)
Speaker: Swami Sarvapriyananda (Vedanta Society New York)
Fee: $30.00 per person; $20.00 if paid BY APRIL 18
Registration available in the Bookstore before/after classes, OR send us check by Mail.
More information and online registration will be available soon.

Hatha Yoga Class – Fri. Mar 02 from 5:30—6:30pm with Roshni

Weekly Schedule (in addition to Daily Schedule given below)

Past Events

Swami visits  Dallas, Texas – Fri-Sun. Feb. 23-26
Swami Yogatmananda delivered 2, half-day retreats on: ‘Stories of Sri Ramakrishna’ to about thirty-five devotees each program at the Vedanta Society of Dallas TX.  There was also satsang with swami at two  different devotee homes.  Swami returned late Mon afternoon Feb 26.
Click here to see photos.

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

‘Everyday Vedanta’ by Pravrajika Gitaprana (Vedanta Nun, Ridgely NY) – Fri. Feb. 23
There are many, many ways to spiritualize everyday life. Sri Ramakrishna said that for every person, there is a path.  Language, thoughts, and concepts are necessary for human life, but they are a part of maya and, as such, cannot capture the ultimate truth. They “don’t go there.”  (And there’s no “there” there.) Spiritual life must be integrated with all aspects of our life, otherwise we’ll be stuck. But spiritual practice can only do so much, can only bring us to the doorway. It’s up to the Divine to open that door. God is not the result or product of spiritual efforts. In Vedanta, we are That already. We must dive deep. We cannot just repeat definitions or phrases without putting them into context in our own lives. One practical step we can take is to unplug from the “bandwidth” of anger and fear. When we are thinking angry or fearful thoughts, our mind experiencing the vibrations of this angry, fearful energy and is transmitting this to others around us. It may seem like the word is going to hell in a handbasket, but remember there are people working for good and love. Let us be influenced by their positive, loving bandwidth, not the one of anger and sadness. Practicing this connects us with everybody. And remember that there really is no “everybody else,” there is only the one Self. We should try to cultivate a feeling of friendliness, a feeling of compassion, a feeling of joy, and equanimity. Though we should avoid unfeeling, we should aim to be unattached. The “6 C’s” to delete from our “apps”: criticizing, complaining, comparing, competing, contending, and catastrophizing.       
Gitaprana’s lecture (Fri Feb 25^th) can be found on –https://twitter.com/vedantaprov  location where the Friday archives are kept  and not the Vedanta Sociey’s Youtube channel, as was incorrectly announced on Sunday.​

Sri Ramakrishna, Right Here, Right Now –  by Pravrajika Gitaprana -Sun. Feb 25
There is only infinite consciousness. We cannot conceive of this with the limited mind. Spiritual traditions use concepts to get a sense of what the infinite might be. The Vedantic definition of what is real is that which does not rely on anything else for its existence. We need to push thought to the limit, and then drop it. Only the One exists, yet wars are fought over which path is best. We should not glibly repeat what we hear without understanding it. Only one who has experienced Brahman has an idea of what an Avatar is. The Divine is calling Itself back to Itself. Sri Ramakrishna said that the wind of Grace is always blowing, but we are distracted so we do not feel it. If we believe that Kalpataru Day was limited to one day, then we are closing our mind to what is all around us. The Divine takes human form because of love, and is LOVE INCARNATE. We need to create a personal relationship with the Divine. The Divine knows our every human fault. We have to open the heart and mind to uncertainty and not knowing. There are infinite ways to relate to the Divine, so if the shoe doesn’t fit, don’t wear it. Our karma attracts us to the teachings that are meant for us. We should read The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna as if it is spoken to us. Sri Ramakrishna is here and now because the Infinite never is not. When people told Sri Ramakrishna that they didn’t love God, he told them to find the Divine in something they loved.

​Study Class – Sri Ramakrishna and His Divine Play – Tue. Feb. 27
Page # 407-9 ( Ch 1 concluded) : Most of us perceive the physical body as “I” rather than understanding the True Self behind the “I”. The one and only goal of this life is to realize the True Self. But generally the mental and physical energy is invested in pursuing various worldly objectives- such as education, profession and family life etc. To overcome this problem one must integrate all the activities in the day to day life to achieve the utmost important goal of life – which is God-realization.
Sri Ramakrishna had no identification with a specific physical form. He could understand and identify with the Cosmic Mind. Hence everyone, who interacted with Him, found him to be their very own. He had the magical capacity to clearly understand and mold anybody’s mind. At the command of the Divine Mother, Sri Ramakrishna remained in Bhavamukha – an indescribable state. Even though he had a separate physical body, his mind was constantly attuned to the Cosmic Mind and always experienced the highest realm of Oneness. Divine Mother kept a veil of vidya – maya to maintain Sri Ramakrishna’s physical form with his mind completely absorbed in the Divine. It is very difficult to understand this omniscient Sri Ramakrishna but one can definitely try to do so by going beyond the erroneous understanding of bodily identity and trying to connect with the Cosmic Mind.