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Upcoming Events

Special Easter Service – Sun. April 01 – 5:00-6:15pm
Swami will speak of Resurrection As Breaking The Bondage Of Flesh.

Day-Long Meditation – Sat. April 07
The monthly day-long meditation will begin at 12 noon Sharp, when entry will be secured. This begins immediately after the 11am – 12noon guided meditation & music hour. Vegetarian luncheon and snacks provided. All are invited to participate for short, longer, or full  time-frame.

Swami at Concordia Center for Spiritual Living.  – Sun. April 08
Swam Yogatmananda will deliver a talk on ‘Spiritual Osmosis’ during the 9:15-10:30am Service at Concordia Center for Spiritual Living on Sun. April 08. This will be followed by a workshop on:’Parables of Sri Ramakrishna’ from 11:00 am. Please contact CONCORDIA at 401-732-1552 for more information.

Just Kids! – Sun April 08
The monthly Just Kids! program ( ages 5-12 only)  will meet from 4pm-6pm. All are invited.

Chinmaya Swaranjali Music – Sun. April 08
Chinmaya Swaranjali will sing devotional music in the Lower Level (LL) on Sun. April 08, (immediately after the Sun Lecture and Aarati), from 6:15 – 7:30PM. All are welcome. NO entry fee.
Click here to view poster.

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.

NOTE: REGISTRATION WILL STOP WHEN THE SEATING CAPACITY GETS FULL; SO HURRY UP

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

Weekly Schedule (in addition to Daily Schedule given below)

Past Events

Vedanta Society CT – Sun. March 25
Swami traveled to the CT Vedanta Society, located at 100 Cherry Brook Rd Canton CT, from 10:00am – 12:30 noon  and  delivered  a talk on: ‘Breaking the Bondage of Karma’ to about twenty to twenty-five attendees. Click Here to see the pictures.

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

Study class – Jnana Yoga (a book by Swami Vivekananda)  – Fri. March 23
Class #89:  Atman – Its Bondage and Freedom (Ch 15)
We run after objects of the world, seeking freedom and oneness.  Though these worldly pleasures are but shadows, we keep on chasing, and our ignorance grows. Even if we die and take another body, this ignorance is bound to continue UNLESS we can recognize how chasing after the world traps us. Without a willful cessation of this continuous search for satisfaction in the world, birth and death are unending links in an unending chain. We try to place the blame for our bondage on others, but, “No one but me to blame.” Once we accept this, a door will open.  We will gradually be able to stop the tendency that “having X will make me happy.” At this point we must also accept that cause and effect is a part of this bondage. The Atman (Self) is beyond cause and effect; it is not born, nor does it die. The Atman caught in the bondage of illusion is called Jiva. All that is the One Reality, and we have to realize That.  God alone is.

 Sunday Talk – Rama the Man, Rama the God – Mar 25
God comes to us in human form to teach us the goal of human life, and the way to reach it. As the saying goes: God becomes man, so man can become God. The Ramayana is the story of the life of Rama. It lays out the path that Rama walked on so we can follow it. It was written by Valmiki, a former robber and killer, who became a saint after his encounter with the sage Narada. After Valmiki realized that his family would not take on any part of his sins, Narada gave Valmiki the mantra Mara, meaning killing, which when repeated over and over again, becomes Rama. Valmiki underwent such severe austerities and long meditation, that an anthill grew up around him, giving him his name. In his subsequent meeting with the sage Narada, he was told about the ‘perfect’ man Rama. So Valmiki wrote the detailed biography of this God-man – Rama. Rama was the son of Dasaratha, but he is also The One who resides in every being as their Self. Only great sages recognize an incarnation of God at first. Banished to the forest after planning to be crowned king, Rama asks sage Valmiki where to live in the forest. Valmiki replies: Where are you not? Valmiki says that Rama should live in the hearts of devotees (those who have immense love for God, and who think of God and nothing else). If we think about Rama and meditate on him, everyone can be awakened to Rama’s presence.
This was followed by chanting of Ram-Nam-Sankirtana (108 names to Rama).

​Study Class – Sri Ramakrishna and His Divine Play – Tue. March 27
Page # 412:  Sri Ramakrishna lives in a different plane of consciousness, seeing things differently from what we are seeing. His various moods and various levels of consciousness are result of tremendous control over mind and body. It is as if He wears different glasses at different times – that drive his experiences – and has the ability to wear and remove these glasses at will. Our senses are like our five glasses. But, we have completely forgotten that we perceive this world through these senses and we take our perceptions to be real. Some of us even go to the extent of calling Sri Ramakrishna’s perceptions as a disease, products of a deranged brain etc. This is not true. He has the ability to remove all the senses and perceive the Reality as It is.
When we see the Reality in its true form, we realize that it is the source of all bliss. We get automatically attracted to it. The sensory objects are not true source of happiness. Happiness is only reflected in these objects, but its source is in the opposite direction. So, we must drop the objects and turn away from them to seek true happiness. But, this does not happen quickly for most of us, despite a number of painful experiences encountered while chasing these objects. The bliss of Brahman, the absolute reality is immeasurable by the standards of worldly joys and is completely different in nature – like the value of real currency vs. the value of fake currency have no comparison.
Spiritual visions are milestones towards the spiritual goal. They are not goals in themselves. Visions that make one more devoted, develop renunciation are real visions. Developing true renunciation, strength and faith is what is required, whether it happens with or without visions.