THE SOCIETY REMAINS CLOSED FOR THE REGULAR PROGRAMS TILL SEPT 08. NO DAILY MEDITATION/PRAYERS/CLASSES, EXCEPT TUESDAYS FROM 07/09; THE YOGA CLASSES EVERY TUESDAY 5:30-6:30 PM WILL CONTINUE THROUGHOUT SUMMER.

NEXT NEWSLETTER WED. JULY 30

Upcoming Events

SPECIAL TUESDAY CLASSES: TUE JUL 09 TO AUG 20. TOPIC: Meister Eckhart – The Christian Vedantin

June 26 -Jul 01: Swami and 5 other devotees driving to Pittsburg, PA. Swami will give a retreat at the Vedanta Center there on 15th Chapter on Bhagavad Gita on Fri Evening and Sat. On Sun morning he will speak to the children and give a class on Meditation Mantra of Sri Ramakrishna. From there, he will go to the Vedanta Center of Gr. Washington DC, MD and will be back on Tue Jul02 morning.

Thu, Jul 4, 11 am to 1:00 pm: Independence Day Celebration. Singing, readings and reflections; potluck lunch to follow

Fri, Jul 5, 6pm to Sun Jul 8, 5:00 pm: Meditate-a-thon -the Weekend of Silent Meditation. It is a residential retreat; the participants cannot use phone, internet or any communication device. Those who desire to participate must get prior approval from the minister by email or phone. NO WALK-IN

Sat, Jul 13, 10:30a-1p:Thinking of ‘M’ (Mahendranath Gupta) at Roy’s Home 216, Blackmore Pond Rd, W. Wareham, MA 02576, RSVP 508-748-9797 or Vedanta Society

 Sun, Jul 14, 11a to 4p: Guru Poornima function. Worship, devotional Singing, Reflections, Prasad-Lunch, Music Concert by Vidushi Shuchita Rao and her students.

Fri Jul 19-Mon Jul 22: Swami travels to Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto giving Vedanta lectures

Fri Jul 26, 6:00 pm to Sun Jul 28, 1:00 pm: Residential Young Adult Retreat (For Age Group 15-30). Please contact Vedanta Society by email or Phone.

REMAINING SCHEDULE FOR THE SUMMER PROGRAMS (Aug 01- SEPT 02)

  • Thu-Sun Aug 1-4 Rochester Retreat
  • Tue-Sat Aug 6-10 Children Summer Camp (Details TBA soon)
  • Sun Aug 11 10:00 am to 5:00 pm– Retreat at Tushar-Mukta’s Place NJ
  • Sat Aug 17, 10:00 am to 4:30 pm – Vedanta Connecticut Retreat. Topic: ‘Surrender according to Vedanta’
  • Sat Aug 24, 11 am to 4pm – Krishna Festival
  • Sun Aug 25 – Special Service commemorating Vivekanananda’s Lecture at Annisquam Village Church. Annisquam, MA 10 :00 am to Noon More details will be announced later
  • SPECIAL TUESDAY CLASSES: TUE JUL 09 TO AUG 20. TOPIC: Meister Eckhart – The Christian Vedantin
  • Sat-Sun Aug 31-Sept 1 Labor Day Retreat at Ridgely on ‘Hafiz’s Poems of Divine Love’.

Past Events

Swami Travels to Livingston, NJ, Sat Jun 22. After finishing the guided meditation-prayers, the Swami and some devotees traveled to Livingston NJ to a devotee’s home. Swami gave a talk on Importance of FAITH and answered questions. There was good devotional music and delicious dinner too. Over 60 attended.

Annual General Meeting – Sunday , June 23, after the regular Sun service. Began with prayers to Holy Trio. Ann Gnys was elected to be the President. Chet Boncek, Secretary of the Vedanta Society, read out the minutes of the last AGM. Then accounts and report of activities during last year were presented AS A Power Point Presentation. Swami gave answers to questions by the members and also told about some upcoming programs. He also profusely thanked the members for their cooperation and requested them to come forward for volunteering.

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

Friday, June 21  – Study Class on Svetasvatara Upanisad
Class 36 Verses  Ch 4, #17-22:
All people desire to be free. Wherefrom does this common desire arise? The desire for freedom arises because our true nature is freedom itself. Our awareness of this freedom is limited by our false identification with the senses. Through the process of purification—the purification of the heart, intellect, emotions—we can see the truth. The forms come and go, but the forms in no way limit the existence as such; when the individual forms get destroyed, the existence remains. When our ignorance goes away, all the relative perceptions lose their force, all these opposites (good/evil, life/death, etc.) just dissolve. The opposites are for play, what is called “lila.” Sadly our basic understanding of life is based upon the fictitious division between “I” and “the world,” what Swami Vivekananda refers to as the “dual throng.” Truly the boundaries between “I” and “the world” are not fixed. We are going backwards on the path of wisdom when we adore creation; we need to reverse our direction, to adore the creator, and then we will return back to the Auspicious One. God’s form does not stand within the range of the senses. We must go deep into our awareness to find God; every pulsation of awareness is conscious that God is. When we become aware of the infinite God residing within ourselves, we achieve immortality.

Sunday. Jun 23 – Sri Ramakrishna – as a Human Being – Jun 23
We need to think of Sri Ramakrishna as a human being to connect with the divine aspect and with our own divinity. We want Sri Ramakrishna’s qualities in ourselves, at least to some extent.
Truthfulness: Even as a child, Sri Ramakrishna manifested truthfulness when he carried out a promise to receive his first alms in a religious coming of age ceremony from his lower caste foster mother, despite family opposition. The truth ran after Sri Ramakrishna, so that anything he said came true. Guilelessness: Sri Ramakrishna did not obfuscate to protect Mathur Babu from an embarrassing situation. He did not dress to impress people. We need to acquire such guilelessness to be able to realize God. Complete Lack of Ego: When, after many years, Sri Ramakrishna was asked to leave Dakshineswar, he simply got up to go, and when he was told that it was a mistake, he came back, without any animosity. We have to practice such renunciation. Careful not to Hurt Anyone: Sri Ramakrishna was always concerned whether people around him were doing well. Not Getting Hurt by Anybody: Dr. Sarkar mistook Sri Ramakrishna for a gardener, and Sri Ramakrishna was not in the least perturbed. His mind was always in equanimity. People were attracted to Sri Ramakrishna because of these human qualities. When we practice them, our awareness of the Divine will open up. We can meditate on the human aspect of Sri Ramakrishna.