Spiritual Retreat – Sat. April 01, 9:30 AM – 7:00 PM
Topic: ‘Remain in Bhava-Mukha’
Speaker: Swami Atmajnanananda, Vedanta Center of Gr. Washington DC
Prior Registration Necessary.
Registration Fee: $30.00 per person;
(For online registration, $1.00 additional)
Click here for schedule and online registration.
Saxophone & Tabla Concert – Sun. Apr. 02
Immediately following the 5pm – 6pm Sun. April 02, Lecture on: ‘The Journey from Doubt to Realization’, there will be a concert from 6:15pm – 7:30pm, of Indian Classical Melodies (Raagas) performed on Saxophone by Phil Scarff, accompanied on Tabla by Amit Kavthekar. All welcome. No entry Fee. Donations appreciated.
Just Kids! – Sun. Apr. 02
Children’s program (ages 6-12 only) will meet from 4PM – 6PM. All young children welcome.
Attleboro Interfaith Meet – Thurs. Apr. 06, 11:45 AM- 1:30 PM
Place: Providence Zen Center, 99 Pound Road, Cumberland, RI 02864
Host: Kwan Haeng Sunim
Topic of Discussion: How can I best serve humanity?
Day-long Meditation – Sat. Apr. 08
The monthly day-long meditation program ( 12 noon – 7pm, then Aarati & meditation till 8pm) will be conductednext Sat. April 08
CT Vedanta Meets – Sun Apr. 09
CT Vedanta group will meet Sun Apr 09 from 10:30am – 12:30pm at 100 Cherry Brook RD, Canton CT. The topic is ’What is Better—Work or Meditation’ ( Ch 3 of Bhagavad Gita). All are welcome.
Weekly Programs (in addition to Daily Programs given below)
| Friday, March 31 |
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, April 01 |
DAY-LONG RETREAT: 9:30am –7:00pm
See info above. |
| Sunday, April 02 |
5:00 – 6:00 PM: Lecture:‘The Journey from Doubt to Realization’ by Swami Atmajnanananda
6:00 – 6:10 PM: Aarati 7:45–Dinner |
| Tuesday, April 04 |
7:00 PM: Aarati (devotional music) & meditation
7:30 – 8:30 PM: Study Class by Swami Yogatmananda on ‘The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna’, Ch 52, pp 986 |
Daily Programs
| 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, Vol. 7’ 7:00 – 7:25AM – A short ritual worship/Puja. Open to all. |
| Evening : | 7:00 – 7:15 PM: Aarti (devotional music), with a short reading from ‘THE STORY OF AN EPOCH: Swami Virajananda and his Times’, by Swami Shraddhananda 7:15 – 8:00 PM: Meditation. Open to all. |
Past Classes
Swami at Trinity Church, RI – Wed. March 22
Swami and a few devotees attended an interfaith program conducted at TrinityChurch in Pawtuxet, Cranston, RI, where Swami spoke on Hindu view/perspectives. This is part of a series of talks on same topic by various other religions. Over thirty-five people attended.
Swami to Canada –March 24 -27
Swami Yogatmananda traveled to Edmonton, Canada to deliver Vedanta Talks to about forty devotees. Swami was also the main speaker as part of a fund-raising event at the HinduTemple in Saskatoon, Canada, where about Five-Hundred people attended. Swami also conducted a children’s class and satsang at the Hindu Temple and also at a devotees home in the area. He returned on evening March 27.
Synopses of Past Classes
(All classes given by Swami Yogatmananda, unless otherwise stated)
Mar. 24, Friday – Instead of regular Jnana-Yoga class, a video lecture was shown.
Sunday Talk – ‘The Path to Self-Surrender’ – a talk by Abhijit Sarcar – Mar. 26
Just like a rich man’s son knows that his father will help him out after he has been robbed and lost his money, we should know that God will help us. The difference between those of us in the chapel, and those up on the altar, is that the latter did not identify with the body. After the Buddha’s enlightenment, when asked who he was, he said: I am Buddha (enlightened). Our changing identities are the cause of our suffering. When Swami Vivekananda came back from the west, he told his disciples that they would have to die one more time. That death consisted of giving up all that they were identified with. Valmiki, who wrote the Ramayana, was originally a highway robber. When Narada convinced him to embrace spirituality, he could not repeat the name of Rama. We often cannot repeat our mantra because we are distracted. Sri Ramakrishna said that Girish Chandra Ghosh’s surrender was unparalleled. A great playwright, due to personal trauma, Girish started drinking and became reckless. He said that his anguish to know about spirituality was like being blindfolded and left with no food. Sri Ramakrishna said that Girish could get rid of his crookedness by having faith. Girish could not commit to even a minimal spiritual practice, so Sri Ramakrishna said that he would take care of Girish’s renunciation by having Girish give Sri Ramakrishna his power of attorney. From that point on, Girish could only do something if God willed it. Swami Vivekananda said that surrender is for the strong. Holy Mother said: “As long as you remember your mother, why should you be frightened? The Master said to me: ‘In the end, I shall certainly liberate those who come to me.'”
Study Class – The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna – Mar. 28, Tuesday
April 9, 1887 p 586-7
Master used to look at Narendra as Narayana himself and had faith in his words. Narendra often commented about Master’s visions they are figments of imagination. Sri Ramakrishna, much worried after hearing this, asked Divine Mother, who confirmed that all his visions were real. One must cultivate the special knowledge and develop the right instrument to see and perceive the real Self. In absence of this knowledge, the unreal world appears to be real to us and we abstain from seeing the reality.
Narendra was specially brought to this world to spread Master’s divine message. He was also responsible for all the brother disciples and the newly formed monastery. Master trained him to become a perfect and fit instrument to accomplish the divine work.
In spite of this great love and his understanding about the real nature of Narendra, at times, Master could not eat food from Narendra’s hands. He could realize the influence of evil company on Narendra. Master’s body was so pure that he could never partake food or water offered or touched by impure individuals. He could see the individual’s ego/impurity being mixed up in the food offered. Once his specially trained organs sensed the impurities, then the mouth was auto-blocked from taking the food in. This is very similar to a virus-blocking program would auto-block any content, deemed harmful by it, from getting loaded on the computer.