Upcoming Events

Swami Vivekananda Birthday Celebration – Sun. Jan. 27, 11am – 7pm
11:00 am:
worship-ritual, 12:30 pm: flower-offering & Prasad-lunch, 2:30-4:00 pm: Video, 5:00-6:00 pm: Symposium, 6:00-7:00 pm: Singing, 7:00 pm: Supper-prasad.
All are welcome. No fee.

Weekly Schedule (in addition to Daily Schedule given below)

Fri. Jan. 25 7:00 PM: Aarati (devotional music) & meditation.  
7:30 – 8:30 PM: Study class on ‘Svetasvatara Upanishad’, conducted by Swami Yogatmananda
Sat. Jan. 26 8:30 – 10:30am: Karma Yoga (Cleaning & Work-service)
11:00am – 12:00 noon: Guided Meditation & prayers
7:00pm – 8:00pm – Aarati (devotional singing, a short reading and meditation
Sun. Jan. 27 11am – 7pm: Swami Vivekananda Birthday Celebration, see details above.
5:00 – 6:00 PM: Symposium on Swami Vivekananda
Tue. Jan. 29 7:00 PM: Aarati (devotional music) & meditation
7:30 – 8:30 PM: Study Class by Swami Yogatmananda on Swami Saradananda’s book – ‘SRI RAMAKRISHNA & HIS DIVINE PLAY’ (Tr. Swami Chetanananda)

Daily Schedule

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
7:00 – 7:25 AM: A short ritual worship/Puja. Open to all, but one must enter before 7 am
Evening 7:00 – 7:15 PM: Aarti (devotional music), with a short reading from ‘BOOK OF DAILY THOUGHTS AND PRAYERS’ by Swami Paramananda 
7:15 – 8:00 PM: Meditation. Open to all.

Past Events

Swami Traveled to Florida and Puerto Rico: Sun-Tue. Jan 13-22
Swami Yogatmananda conducted lectures in St Petersburg and Miami area on Sunday 13th and 15th-16th; and a retreat and some lectures in San Juan, PR on Fri-Sat 18-19th, returning back to Providence in the late afternoon on Wednesday Jan 23.

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

Friday, Jan.  18 – Video on ‘Svetasvatara Upanishad’,  by Swami Tejomayananda was shown.
You-tube link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WOg343Z74zk&t=326s

Sunday, Jan. 20 – A  Video lecture of  Swami Yogatmananda (recorded on Jan 14,2018) on ‘Voice Without Form’  was shown.
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.

Tuesday, Jan. 22 – A  Video lecture of  Swami Yogatmananda (recorded on Nov 14, 2017) on ‘Sri Ramakrishna and His Divine Play’ was shown.
Chapter: Hinduism and Sri Ramakrishna Pg 382
This book – the authoritative biography of Sri Ramakrishna- was written by Swami Saradananda and is translated by Swami Chetanananda. The book includes an article (Hinduism and Sri Ramakrishna) written by the foremost disciple of Sri Ramakrishna, Swami Vivekananda, who very clearly understood the personality and the principles of the Master.
Truth is of two kinds – 1. Truth which can be perceived by the sense organs and 2. Truth which is beyond senses and can be obtained by subtle yogic powers. The knowledge obtained from the sense organs is called science and is based upon certain experiments, observations and deductions. This knowledge is limited in nature. The knowledge which is beyond the sense perception called Vedas is permanent and changeless. The Vedas are divided into two parts – ritual portion and the knowledge portion. Understanding the Truth intellectually is different from experiencing it. Yoga, which is a science to bridge the gap between the intellectual understanding and the experience. The true meaning of the Vedas gets revealed only after the experience.
Hinduism follows a three tier system of scriptures. Shruti- Vedanta (the last part of the Vedas) have the highest knowledge and form the first tier. Smriti gives the set of instructions to lead the life based on these principles and form the second tier. Puranas explain the principles of the Vedanta in the form of stories of the divine incarnations which can be understood by the society. They are the third tier. The Smritis and Puranas are subject to change, depending upon the need of the time and place. Whenever the very basis of these Vedic principles is challenged, God incarnates to re-establish those principles for the welfare of the human race.