Upcoming Events
Swami visits Somerset, NJ – Sat. March 17
Swami will travel to ADYAPITH, Somerset, NJ in the afternoon of Sat. March 17th to deliver a lecture. He will return late night on the same day.
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.
Click here for more information and online registration.
Hatha Yoga Class – Fri. Mar 16 from 5:30—6:30pm with Roshni
Weekly Schedule (in addition to Daily Schedule given below)
Friday, Mar. 16 | 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, Mar. 17 | 8:30 – 10:30 AM: Karma Yoga/Cleaning 11:00 AM – 12 noon: Guided meditation and singing 7:00 – 8:30 PM: Aarati (devotional music) & Meditation |
Sunday, Mar. 18 | 5:00 – 6:00 PM: A talk – ‘Can I Be Perfect?’, by Swami Yogatmananda followed by Vesper Service (Aarati) & soup supper. All are welcome. 7:00 – 8:00 PM: Meditation |
Tuesday, Mar. 20 | 7:00 PM: Aarati (devotional music) & meditation 7:30 – 8:30 PM: Study Class – 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. |
Evening | 7:00 – 7:15 PM: Aarti (devotional music), with a short reading from ‘Towards the Goal Supreme’ by Swami Virajananda 7:15 – 8:00 PM: Meditation. Open to all. |
Past Events
Swami Returns from Indianapolis: Sun. March 11
Swami was in Indianapolis last Sat-Sun. He conducted a retreat on ‘Religious Rituals’ on Sat and gave a lecture on Sun on ‘Three Types of Worship’- both at the Hindu Temple there. He also gave a lecture on a Marathi text, ‘Manache Shlok’ (Advice to Mind) by Ramadas Swami at a devotees home.
Synopses of Past Classes
(All classes given by Swami Yogatmananda, unless otherwise stated)
Study class – Jnana Yoga (a book by Swami Vivekananda) – Fri. March 09
Class #87: Atman – Its Bondage and Freedom (Ch 15)
Misunderstanding is the cause of our bondage, and purifying our understanding leads to our liberation. Jnana yoga seeks to do just that. We mistakenly identify ourselves, and others, with name and form; if we can just push these aside, we will see the truth. Atman is the only thing that is beyond name and form. Atman is not matter, whereas all other things, including the mind, are material. (Mind is a subtler form of matter.) But the Atman is immaterial, it is not compound, it is not subject to cause and effect, and it is immortal. The Atman is omnipresent, thus is in everything. Our spiritual practice is centered on seeing the truth that the same Self is in everything. If we can achieve this, we will be ever-free. Each of us has a natural urge to seek freedom, yet we go looking for it in all the wrong places. We think, “If I can only get(money/house/spouse…), then I will be free.” But we are continuously disappointed. We need to redirect our search inward, for the freedom we seek only comes with the realization of Atman.
Sunday Talk – Arise, Awake! – by Tushar Puranik – Sun. March 11
A man is hanging onto a vine halfway down a well, with a tiger above, snakes below, rats gnawing on the vine, and honeycomb nearby with bees about to attack him, and he thinks it is a nice situation when he tastes some honey. A fox chases a rabbit that puts his head in the ground, and thinks he is fine. We are the ones who are tasting the honey, and we are thinking that death, represented by the tiger/snakes…, will not catch us. Yet we have a God-sized hole in us. Arise, Awake! was Swami Vivekananda’s clarion call. The spiritual path is like walking on a razor’s edge. We may be weak and bound, but brooding on it will not help us. Swami Vivekananda spoke with a disciple in the book Talks with Swami Vivekananda. Disciple: I am overcome by low spirits. Swamiji: Say, “I am a hero,” or “I am possessed by Brahman.” Disciple: My past karma does not allow me to take up these teachings. Swamiji: You determine your own destiny. If the present is driven by the past, then the future is driven by the present. Disciple: I do not have sufficient courage. Swamiji: Without courage, there is neither spiritual nor material advancement. Disciple: Why do you talk about the body so much? Swamiji: How can you struggle with the mind if the physique is not strong? Swami Vivekananda said that as spirit, we are not bound, and this is the source of all our strength. He said that there will be times when we are tired, and times when we fall down, so we should: Stop not till the goal is reached!
Study Class – Sri Ramakrishna and His Divine Play – Tue. March 13
Page # 410-411: Divine incarnations have the human body, but their awareness is divine and hence the intentions behind the actions are different from the actions of other ordinary people. Their subtle spiritual experiences and visions are beyond the ordinary perception.
The rare spiritual vision does not substitute what normal individuals can see but it is an augmented inner vision. They can see over and above the normal vision. Such inner vision can be developed through instructions, training and constant practice. The constant and regular spiritual practice helps to purify and clear up the mind. It makes the mind ready for rare spiritual visions which can only be obtained with an inner eye. One must not make a mistake of categorizing the spiritual vision as abnormal. They can easily be distinguished from the abnormal visions resulting from the mental or physical disorder. A person with the spiritual visions sees action in inactivity and inaction in intense activity. His/her mind is becoming more and more peaceful as due to such experiences. We can see this in the life of Sri Krishna who maintained the highest level of calmness even at the battlefield.