Upcoming Events

Daylong Silent Meditation; Sat, May 04, noon to 8:00 pm
Immediately after the guided meditation & prayer 11am to noon. Participants MUST enter before noon.

Just Kids: Sun, May 05, 4 to 6 pm

Music Concert on Sun May 12, 6:15-7:30:
Well-known vocalist of Agra tradition of the Indian Classical Music, Ustad Wasim Ahmed Khan will perform with Pt. Ashis Sengupta on Tabla and Dr Vinay Mishra on Harmonium. Concert Donation $20/person

Sat. May 11, 9:30 am to 7:00 pm: Spiritual Retreat by Swami Atmajnanananda, Vedanta Center, Gr Washington DC
Topic: Parliament of Religions (Christianity and Sikhism)
Prior Reg Required. Reg Fee: $30; (Discounted Fee: $20, if paid by April 28)
Click here for online registration.

SCHEDULE FOR THE SUMMER PROGRAMS (Jun 28- Sept 02)

• Fri-Sun -June 28-30 – Retreat at Vedanta Pittsburgh
• Thu, Jul 4- Independence Day Celebration
• Fri-Sun Jul 5-7 Silent Meditation Retreat
• Sat Jul 13- ‘M’s Birthday Celebration at Tridib Roy’s Home
• Sun Jul 14 Guru Poornima
• Fri-Sun Jul 19-21 Swami goes to Ottawa & Toronto Canada
• Fri-Sun Jul 26-28 Young Adult Retreat
• Thu-Sun Aug  1-4 Rochester Retreat
• Tue-Sat Aug 6-10 Children Summer Camp
• Sun Aug 11 – Retreat at Tushar-Mukta’s Place NJ
  Sat Aug 17 – Vedanta Connecticut Retreat
• Sat Aug  24 – Krishna Festival
• Sun Aug 25 – Special Service commemorating Vivekanananda’s Lecture at Annisquam Village Church. Annisquam, MA
• Sat-Mon Aug 31-Sept 2 Labor Day Retreat at Ridgely

Weekly Schedule (in addition to Daily Schedule given below)

Past Events

Sun, April 28, 6:15 -7:45:
A music Concert of Sufi Shah Hussain’s poetry was rendered by Sarbpreet Singh and Mehr Kaur; Amritpal Singh and Rama Rao accompanied on Tabla and Harmonium. Over 50 attended.

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

Friday, Apr 19 – Study Class on Svetasvatara Upanisad
Class 28, Verses: Ch 4, 1:
What is the cause of the universe? Wherefrom are we born? What is the source of the “I” in us? After inquiring deeply into these questions, the sages came to the conclusion that logic and empirical investigation cannot find the answers; they are to be found through the process of meditation. By means of meditation one can go beyond the superficial appearance of reality. As we go deeper, our lives get transformed accordingly. In order to improve the quality of our lives, we must cultivate a deeper and clearer awareness of reality. As of now, our lives are permeated with “I and mine,” “subject and object,” “enjoyer and enjoyed.” When we acquire a deeper sense of reality through meditation, that awareness becomes reflected on our lives. However, this process of transformation is painful, because we are accustomed, addicted, and attached to certain things. And so, our attachments resist the incoming of knowledge. We must put ourselves through a machine as it were: from our current state, we must manifest the divinity, which is already present within us, through a process similar to transforming a base, raw material into a final product. When our ego is crushed, pulverized, melted, the fine product comes out: our innate divinity becomes manifest. This process is called sadhana, spiritual practice. In meditation we see beyond the realm of names and forms, beyond this appearance constrained by time and space, and become grounded in the underlying ONENESS from which all so-called reality appears and in which it persists and in which it gets dissolved too.

Sunday, Apr 28: Interfaces between Self, Mind & Body 
The opening song was In the Garden, sung by Peter Travisano.
Samkhya and Vedanta are two Indian schools of thought. Samkhya is dualistic, positing infinitely many souls in one nature. Vedanta says that the Self alone is, which manifests as nature. Both schools have similar cosmology and psychology. There are three qualities; sattva, rajas, and tamas. There are three layers: causal, subtle, and gross. The causal is the first interface: avidya or ignorance, because of which ONE appears as I and the world. This gives rise to craving. Craving is the second interface: We think that getting something from the world will lead to fulfillment. The subtle body is the third interface: tamas is the most preponderant of the three qualities in this process. There are five subtle elements, sense organs, and motor organs. Each element has two parts: the sensation and the sense (e.g. the sound and the ear). The fourth interface is increased craving: We wake up from the dream and put on the gross body, with the five gross elements, sense organs, and motor organs. The fourfold platform is swinging (between yes and no, right and wrong, etc.), deciding between them, storing the information, and the ego, which is the connection to the Self, or “I AM”. The positive aspect of suffering is that it leads us to ask what we are doing wrong, which begins the process of going back to the Self. Swami Vivekananda advised us to: “Say, ‘Thou art my God. – I want nothing but Thee.’”

Tuesday, Apr 30 – Study Class on ‘Sri Ramakrishna and His Divine Play’
Sri Ramakrishna as a Guru Page 450-452:
The discussion on Sri Ramakrishna’s teacher-ship started with a question – how the mood of a guru and the mood of humility can coexist in the same person? To understand this one must try to understand the infinite essence behind the finite objects. It is difficult to fathom the infinitude with limited understanding. Limited understanding gives rise to ego. As one becomes aware of the infinite knowledge, s/he becomes humbler.

Sri Ramakrishna’s special feature as a teacher was, he could come down to the level of the student and transform the student’s understanding. As the student’s understanding evolves, he/she automatically gives up unreal and finite things. As one becomes aware that the world is full of sufferings, he/she is ready to renounce the world of names and forms and hold on to what is Real.

Sri Ramakrishna endowed with the divine mood often used to bestow His grace on the devotees by asking them their wishes and desires. This can be explicitly witnessed from the incident which happened on January 1, 1986. On this day Master became the wish-fulfilling tree. He blessed many devotees on this day. At the mere touch of the Master, devotees had visions and realization. Sri Ramakrishna could transmit the spiritual power and liberate the true seekers through a mere touch.  He did not do it once but even today He is ready to grace the devotees, but very few of us truly seek liberation.