Swami to Calgary, Canada– Sat. May 20 – Mon. May 22
Swami will travel to Calgary Canada on SATURDAY MAY 20, where he will deliver various Vedanta talks. He will return Tuesday afternoon May 23.
Hatha Yoga Classes – Every Tuesday 5:30-6:30 PM from May 02
Fee: $40 — PREPAID For 2 Month Course, $10/Per Class
Contact Vedanta Society by phone or email or contact Roshni Darnal at 401-226-5421
Daylong Spiritual Retreat – Sat. June 03
– by Swami Kripamayananda, Vedanta Society of Toronto.
Theme: Loving God.
Prior Registration Required; Can be done at the Society’s office, or by mail or online.
Fee: $30.00; $20 if registered by May 21. (Fees are non-refundable)
(For online registration, $1.00 additional)
Click here for schedule and online registration.
Weekly Programs (in addition to Daily Programs given below)
| Friday, May 19 |
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, May 20 |
8:30 – 10:30 AM: Karma Yoga/Cleaning
11:00 AM – 12 noon: Guided meditation and Chanting/singing |
| Sunday, May 21 |
5:00 – 6:00 PM: Lecture: ‘Games People Play – A Vedantic Perspective’ by Chet Boncek 6:00 –6:15 PM: Aarati 6:15 – 7:00PM: Soup Supper 7:00 – 8:00PM – Meditation in Chapel |
| Tuesday, May 23 |
7:00 PM: Aarati (devotional music) & meditation
7:15 – 8:30 PM: Study Class by Swami Yogatmananda on ‘The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna’, Ch 52, pp 992 |
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 Events
Swami at LaSalle – Wed. May 10
Swami discussed Hinduism/Vedanta at three world religion classes at LaSalleAcademyHigh School to about seventy-five to ninety students total, from 8:00am – 12noon.
Swami at Anti-Poverty Interfaith Program – Thurs. May 11
Swami and three devotees attended the annual RI Interfaith Coalition Against Poverty breakfast, lecture, and workshop program conducted at Rhode Island College(RIC), attended by about two-hundred people from various community & interfaith organizations. Swami delivered the opening Vedic chant-hymn.
Devotional Music – Thurs. May 11, 7:15 PM – 8:30PM
Ram Deshpande, classical vocalist from Mumbai, sang devotional songs from 7:15 PM – 8:30PM, immediately after 7PM Aarati to about twenty-eight (28) music enthusiasts.
Swami to CT Vedanta Group – Sun. May 14, 10:30AM – 12:30PM
Swami Yogatmananda and devotees went Vedanta Society Connecticut, 100 Cherry Brook Rd Canton CT where swami taught ‘What is Better-Work or Meditation-#2 (based on B’Gita).
Sitar & Tabla Concert – Sun. May 14, 6:15PM – 7:30PM
Partha Bose (famed sitarist) and Indranil Mullik (tablarist) performed Sitar-Tabla concert from 6:15—7:45PM to about thirty-seven(37) musical enthusiasts.
Click here to see photos.
Swami at Zen Center – Tues. May16
Swami conducted a guided-meditation workshop, and short Q/A session to about twenty-five various clergy from surrounding faith organizations from 1:30 -3:00PM at the Clergy Self-care Retreat organized by ‘THRIVE’ at the Providence Zen Center, Cumberland RI.
Synopses of Past Classes
(All classes given by Swami Yogatmananda, unless otherwise stated)
Study Class on ‘Jnana Yoga’ – May 12, Friday
Class #62: (Chapter – UNITY IN DIVERSITY)
Vedanta teaches that the Reality of existence is unity, but how can we train ourselves to see it? To see unity takes retraining of the mind. Our natural tendency is to see multiplicity where there is really unity. When multiplicity is perceived, a sense of “good” and “bad” arises. However, “good” and “bad” do not have any independent existence in and of themselves. Feeling that good and bad are two separate realities is a great obstacle in purifying understanding. We must eliminate the habit of blaming others for our faults. This tendency to shift the blame onto others clouds our vision of reality and will not allow us to observe the true unity that exists. We must learn to calm the mind so that the substratum of this apparently-changing, multiplicity-tainted world can be seen. This training in seeing the unity within the multiplicity of forms is the essence of spiritual practice. Vedanta says that strength of mind is the ability to pierce the curtain of multiplicity and see the oneness underneath. The mind must be strong because it is so easily deluded by multiplicity. When we are able to re-train the mind to see the underlying unity, that one soul is manifesting himself in all forms, we will experience only optimism. If the pure, infinite One Self has entered everything, then nothing can be evil or impure. The comings and goings of the world have no effect on the One indivisible reality.
Sunday Talk – ‘The Mother Form of Buddha‘ – May 14, Sunday
There is the Buddha as a historic person (male), and the Buddha as the embodiment of ultimate wisdom (can be either male or female). When someone told the Buddha that there was no one like him, he said that he was called the Buddha because of the wisdom that he had acquired, and that anyone can acquire this wisdom. The female aspect of the Buddha (wisdom incarnate) is known as Avalokitesvara, or Kuan Yin. After his enlightenment, the Buddha was ready to give up the body, because he thought no one was ready to accept his teachings. He then had a vision of lotus plants that would blossom with the rising sun, signifying that some souls were ready for enlightenment. This led to the female form of the Buddha, which is conducive to expressing compassion. Kuan Yin listens to our cries, not just with the ears, but with the heart. Kuan Yin has a thousand (or infinite number of) hands, to help everyone. The highest knowledge, given in the Prajna Paramita, transcends all suffering. When Parvati told Lord Shiva that only a few could follow his disciplines of yoga, he gave the tantra, methods that the common folk could follow. Here, the Buddha is known as Tara, or the one who takes us across the ocean of ignorance/ suffering/ bondage. Due to human nature, by which people want to make things convenient and forget the principles involved, immoral things have been done in the name of Tantra and Buddhist practices.
Study Class – The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna – May 16, Tuesday
Sunday, May 8, 1887 Pg 991-992
The worldly achievements are not enough to bring the fulfillment in human life. Rather they are bound to bring sufferings of different kinds. God alone can bring the fulfillment in human life. We can take our lives Godward by following the teachings of the Master which are recorded in the Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna.
After passing away of the Master, all the direct disciples were living in very difficult circumstances. Even the basic needs such as food and clothing were not satisfied let alone the physical comforts. Yet, they always used to be in a blissful state.
Conversation between Narendra and M turned towards Ishwarchandra Vidyasagar’s comments about the religious preaching. Vidyasagar, was an intelligent, charitable and philanthropic person of that time. He had a meeting with Sri Ramakrishna. In spite of his good nature and sympathy for the others, he never appreciated the importance of God realization. He used to think that it is futile to preach about God without having any understanding about God. Narendra commented that it is not possible to understand anything else without knowing the God. The awareness regarding doing good to others, or to educate others, comes originally from the awareness of the Self (God). It is not possible to understand anything without knowing God who is the basis of everything else. God is the reality behind this ephemeral world. He is the substratum of everything that exists in the world. The knowledge of the Self, which is required for knowing anything, is our true identity. Through that Self one knows everything. Everyone is first aware of ‘I’ (Self) and through that ‘I’ (Self) he/she obtains the secondary knowledge about the world.