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VEDANTA SOCIETY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA (TENTATIVE) CALENDAR OF OBSERVANCES AND OTHER SPECIAL DAYS 2019 – 2020 (PUBLIC CELEBRATIONS IN BOLD) 2019 KALI IMMERSION SHANKARACHARYA May 9 Thu Nov 2 Sat (In Newport Beach) BUDDHA PURNIMA (In Hollywood) May 18 Sat JAGADDHATRI PUJA Nov 5 Tue PHALAHARINI KALI PUJA Jun 2 Sun SWAMI SUBODHANANDA Nov 9 Sat MEMORIAL DAY RETREAT May 27 Mon SWAMI VIJNANANANDA Nov 11 Mon (In Hollywood) SNANA YATRA Jun 17 Mon THANKSGIVING Nov 28 Thu VIVEKANANDA DAY Jul 4 Thu SWAMI PREMANANDA Dec 5 Thu (In Trabuco) RATHA YATRA Jul 4 Thu HANUKKAH Dec 22 – 30 Sun-Mon VIVEKANANDA DAY Jul 6 Sat HOLY MOTHER PUJA Dec 15 Sun (In South Pasadena) GURU PURNIMA Jul 16 Tue HOLY MOTHER Birthday Dec 18 Wed SWAMI RAMAKRISHNANANDA Jul 30 Tue SWAMI SHIVANANDA Dec 22 Sun SWAMI NIRANJANANANDA Aug 15 Thu CHRISTMAS EVE SERVICE(6 PM) Dec 24 Tue SRI KRISHNA PUJA (In San Diego) Aug 18 Sun JESUS CHRIST (Christmas Day) Dec 25 Wed NEW YEAR'S EVE MEDITATION Sri Krishna Janmashtami Aug 24 Sat Dec 31 Tue (11:30 PM - Midnight) SWAMI ADVAITANANDA Aug 29 Thu 2020 LABOR DAY RETREAT Sep 2 Mon KALPATARU DAY/ New Year Jan 1 Wed (In Hollywood) GANESH CHATURTHI Sep 2 Mon SWAMI SARADANANDA Jan 1 Wed SWAMI ABHEDANANDA Sep 23 Mon SWAMI TURIYANANDA Jan 9 Thu MAHALAYA Sep 28 Sat SWAMI VIVEKANANDA Jan 17 Fri SWAMI AKHANDANANDA Sep 28 Sat SWAMI VIVEKANANDA PUJA Jan 19 Sun NAVARATRI CHANTING Sep 28 – Oct 8, SWAMI BRAHMANANDA PUJA Jan 26 Sun (Jai Sri Durga) Sat - Tue DURGA SAPTAMI Oct 5 Sat SWAMI TRIGUNATITANANDA Jan 29 Wed DURGA PUJA (In Santa Barbara) Oct 5 Sat SARASWATI PUJA Jan 30 Thu DURGA ASHTAMI Oct 6 Sun SWAMI ADBHUTANANDA Feb 9 Sun SANDHI PUJA 10.30 am – 11.18 am Oct 6 Sun SHIVA RATRI Feb 21 Fri DURGA NAVAMI Oct 7 Mon SRI RAMAKRISHNA BIRTHDAY Feb 25 Tue VIJAYA DASHAMI Oct 8 Tue SRI RAMAKRISHNA PUJA Mar 1 Sun LAKSHMI PUJA Oct 12 Sat SRI CHAITANYA (Holi Festival) Mar 9 Mon KALI PUJA (In Hollywood) Oct 27 Sun SWAMI YOGANANDA Mar 13 Fri DIPAVALI Oct 27 Sun RAM NAVAMI Apr 2 Thu .

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Life Beyond Death by Swami Abhedananda
Life Beyond Death Lectures of Swami Abhedananda A Great Yogi and Direct Disciple of Sri Ramakrishna Life Beyond Death – lovingly restored by The Spiritual Bee An e-book presentation by For more FREE books visit the website: www.spiritualbee.com Dear Reader, This book has been reproduced here from the Complete Works of Swami Abhedananda, Volume 4. The book is now in the public domain in India and the United States, because its original copyright has expired. “Life beyond Death” is a collection of lectures delivered by Swami Abhedananda in the United States. Unlike most books on the subject which mainly record encounters with ghosts and other kinds of paranormal activities, this book looks at the mystery from a soundly rational and scientific perspective. The lectures initially focus on providing rational arguments against the material theory of consciousness, which states that consciousness originates as a result of brain activity and therefore once death happens, consciousness also ends and so there is no such thing as a life beyond death. Later in the book, Swami Abhedananda also rallies against many dogmatic ideas present in Christian theology regarding the fate of the soul after death: such as the philosophies of eternal damnation to hell, resurrection of the physical body after death and the belief that the soul has a birth, but no death. In doing so Swami Abhedananda who cherished the deepest love and respect for Christ, as is evident in many of his other writings such as, “Was Christ a Yogi” (from the book How to be a Yogi?), was striving to place before his American audience, higher and more rational Vedantic concepts surrounding life beyond the grave, which have been thoroughly researched by the yogi’s of India over thousands of years.
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Conversations with Swami Turiyananda
CONVERSATIONS WITH SWAMI TURIYANANDA Recorded by Swami Raghavananda and translated by Swami Prabhavananda (This month's reading is from the Jan.-Feb., 1957 issue of Vedanta and the West.) The spiritual talks published below took place at Almora in the Himalayas during the summer of 1915 in the ashrama which Swami Turiyananda had established in cooperation with his brother-disciple, Swami Shivananda. During the course of these conversations, Swami Turiyananda describes the early days at Dakshineswar with his master, Sri Ramakrishna, leaving a fascinating record of the training of an illumined soul by this God-man of India. His memories of life with his brother-disciples at Baranagore, under Swami Vivekananda’s leadership, give a glimpse of the disciplines and struggles that formed the basis of the young Ramakrishna Order. Above all, Swami Turiyananada’s teachings in the pages that follow contain practical counsel on many aspects of religious life of interest to every spiritual seeker. Swami Turiyananda spent most of his life in austere spiritual practices. In 1899, he came to the United States where he taught Vedanta for three years, first in New York, later on the West Coast. By the example of his spirituality he greatly influenced the lives of many spiritual aspirants both in America and India. He was regarded by Sri Ramakrishna as the perfect embodiment of that renunciation which is taught in the Bhagavad Gita Swami Shivananda, some of whose talks are included below, was also a man of the highest spiritual realizations. He later became the second President of the Ramakrishna Math and Mission.
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SWAMI YOGANANDA and the SELF-REALIZATION FELLOWSHIP a Successful Hindu Countermission to the West
STATEMENT DS213 SWAMI YOGANANDA AND THE SELF-REALIZATION FELLOWSHIP A Successful Hindu Countermission to the West by Elliot Miller The earliest Hindu missionaries to the West were arguably the most impressive. In 1893 Swami Vivekananda (1863 –1902), a young disciple of the celebrated Hindu “avatar” (manifestation of God) Sri Ramakrishna (1836 –1886), spoke at the World’s Parliament of Religions in Chicago and won an enthusiastic American following with his genteel manner and erudite presentation. Over the next few years, he inaugurated the first Eastern religious movement in America: the Vedanta Societies of various cities, independent of one another but under the spiritual leadership of the Ramakrishna Order in India. In 1920 a second Hindu missionary effort was launched in America when a comparably charismatic “neo -Vedanta” swami, Paramahansa Yogananda, was invited to speak at the International Congress of Religious Liberals in Boston, sponsored by the Unitarian Church. After the Congress, Yogananda lectured across the country, spellbinding audiences with his immense charm and powerful presence. In 1925 he established the headquarters for his Self -Realization Fellowship (SRF) in Los Angeles on the site of a former hotel atop Mount Washington. He was the first Eastern guru to take up permanent residence in the United States after creating a following here. NEO-VEDANTA: THE FORCE STRIKES BACK Neo-Vedanta arose partly as a countermissionary movement to Christianity in nineteenth -century India. Having lost a significant minority of Indians (especially among the outcast “Untouchables”) to Christianity under British rule, certain adherents of the ancient Advaita Vedanta school of Hinduism retooled their religion to better compete with Christianity for the s ouls not only of Easterners, but of Westerners as well.
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Vedanta in the West: Past, Present, and Future
Vedanta in the West: Past, Present, and Future Swami Chetanananda What Is Vedanta? Vedanta is the culmination of all knowledge, the sacred wisdom of the Indian sages, the sum of the transcendental experiences of the seers of Truth. It is the essence, or the conclusion, of the scriptures known as the Vedas. Because the Upanishads come at the end of the Vedas they are collectively referred to as Vedanta. Literally, Veda means "knowledge" and anta means "end." Vedanta is a vast subject. Its scriptures have been evolving for the last ﬁve thousand years. The three basic scriptures of Vedanta are the Upanishads (the revealed truths), the Brahma Sutras (the reasoned truths), and the Bhagavad Gita (the practical truths). Some Teachings from Vedanta Here are some teachings from the Upanishads: “Arise! Awake! Approach the great teachers and learn.” “Aham Brahmasmi.” [I am Brahman.] “Tawamasi.” [Thou art That.] “Sarvam khalu idam Brahma.” [Verily, everything is Brahman.] “Whatever exists in this changing universe is enveloped by God.” “If a man knows Atman here, he then aains the true goal of life.” “Om is the bow; the Atman is the arrow; Brahman is said to be the mark. It is to be struck by an undistracted mind.” “He who knows Brahman becomes Brahman.” “His hands and feet are everywhere. His eyes, heads, and mouths are everywhere. His ears are everywhere. He pervades everything in the universe.” “Speak the truth. Practise dharma. Do not neglect your study of the Vedas. Treat your mother as God. Treat your father as God. Treat your teacher as God.
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The Greatness of Misery
The Greatness of Misery Swami Chetanananda People generally love joyful stories with happy endings. But human life consists of happiness and misery, comedy and tragedy. Even when divine beings take human forms, they must obey this law of maya. Because happiness and misery are inevitable in human life, avatars accept this fact but are not affected by it. Most of the time, their minds dwell in their divine nature, which is above the pairs of opposites. They take human birthto teach ordinary people how to face problems and suffering, maintain peace and harmony, and experience divine bliss by leading a God-‐‑centred life. In every age, when religion declines and irreligion prevails, avatars come to reestablish the eternal religion. But they do not come alone. They are aended by their spiritual companions: For example, Ramachandra came with Sita, Krishna with Radha, Buddha with Yashodhara, Chaitanya with Vishnupriya, and Ramakrishna with Sarada. As the birds cannot fly with one wing, so avatars are accompanied by their Shakti, theirfemale counterpart. These spiritual consorts carry the avatar’s spiritual message and serve as an inspiration for others. Sita suffered throughout her life; and she taught how to forbear suffering by keeping her mind in herbeloved Rama. Radha tried to forget her pain of separation from Krishnaby focussing on her longing and passion for him. When Buddha left, Yashodhara was grief-‐‑stricken. She raised their son and led a nun’s life in the palace. She forgot her pain by practising renunciation and thinking of the impermanency of the world. Vishnupriya accepted Chaitanya’s wish to be a monk, releasing her husband to be a world teacher.
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Sri Ramakrishna & His Disciples in Orissa
Preface Pilgrimage places like Varanasi, Prayag, Haridwar and Vrindavan have always got prominent place in any pilgrimage of the devotees and its importance is well known. Many mythological stories are associated to these places. Though Orissa had many temples, historical places and natural scenic beauty spot, but it did not get so much prominence. This may be due to the lack of connectivity. Buddhism and Jainism flourished there followed by Shaivaism and Vainavism. After reading the lives of Sri Chaitanya, Sri Ramakrishna, Holy Mother and direct disciples we come to know the importance and spiritual significance of these places. Holy Mother and many disciples of Sri Ramakrishna had great time in Orissa. Many are blessed here by the vision of Lord Jagannath or the Master. The lives of these great souls had shown us a way to visit these places with spiritual consciousness and devotion. Unless we read the life of Sri Chaitanya we will not understand the life of Sri Ramakrishna properly. Similarly unless we study the chapter in the lives of these great souls in Orissa we will not be able to understand and appreciate the significance of these places. If we go on pilgrimage to Orissa with same spirit and devotion as shown by these great souls, we are sure to be benefited spiritually. This collection will put the light on the Orissa chapter in the lives of these great souls and will inspire the devotees to read more about their lives in details. This will also help the devotees to go to pilgrimage in Orissa and strengthen their devotion.
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Was Swami Vivekananda a Hindu Supremacist? Revisiting a Long-Standing Debate
religions Article Was Swami Vivekananda a Hindu Supremacist? Revisiting a Long-Standing Debate Swami Medhananda y Program in Philosophy, Ramakrishna Mission Vivekananda Educational and Research Institute, West Bengal 711202, India; [email protected] I previously published under the name “Ayon Maharaj”. In February 2020, I was ordained as a sannyasin¯ of y the Ramakrishna Order and received the name “Swami Medhananda”. Received: 13 June 2020; Accepted: 13 July 2020; Published: 17 July 2020 Abstract: In the past several decades, numerous scholars have contended that Swami Vivekananda was a Hindu supremacist in the guise of a liberal preacher of the harmony of all religions. Jyotirmaya Sharma follows their lead in his provocative book, A Restatement of Religion: Swami Vivekananda and the Making of Hindu Nationalism (2013). According to Sharma, Vivekananda was “the father and preceptor of Hindutva,” a Hindu chauvinist who favored the existing caste system, denigrated non-Hindu religions, and deviated from his guru Sri Ramakrishna’s more liberal and egalitarian teachings. This article has two main aims. First, I critically examine the central arguments of Sharma’s book and identify serious weaknesses in his methodology and his speciﬁc interpretations of Vivekananda’s work. Second, I try to shed new light on Vivekananda’s views on Hinduism, religious diversity, the caste system, and Ramakrishna by building on the existing scholarship, taking into account various facets of his complex thought, and examining the ways that his views evolved in certain respects. I argue that Vivekananda was not a Hindu supremacist but a cosmopolitan patriot who strove to prepare the spiritual foundations for the Indian freedom movement, scathingly criticized the hereditary caste system, and followed Ramakrishna in championing the pluralist doctrine that various religions are equally capable of leading to salvation.
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VIVEKANANDA and the ART of MEMORY June 26, 1994 M. Ram Murty, FRSC1
VIVEKANANDA AND THE ART OF MEMORY June 26, 1994 M. Ram Murty, FRSC1 1. Episodes from Vivekananda’s life 2. Episodes from Ramakrishna’s life 3. Their memory power compared by Swami Saradananda 4. Other srutidharas from the past 5. The ancient art of memory 6. The laws of memory 7. The role of memory in daily life Episodes from Vivekananda’s life The human problem is one of memory. We have forgotten our divine nature. All the great teachers of the past have declared that the revival of the memory of our divinity is the paramount goal. Memory is a faculty and as such, it is neither good nor bad. Every action that we do, every thought that we think, leaves an indelible trail of memory. Whether we remember or not, the contents are recorded and aﬀect our daily life. Therefore, an awareness of this faculty and its method of operation is vital for healthy existence. Properly employed, it leads us to enlightenment; abused or misused, it can torment us. So we must learn to use it properly, to strengthen it for our own improvement. In studying the life of Vivekananda, we come across many phenomenal examples of his amazing faculty of memory. In ‘Reminiscences of Swami Vivekananda,’ Haripada Mitra relates the following story: One day, in the course of a talk, Swamiji quoted verbatim some two or three pages from Pickwick Papers. I wondered at this, not understanding how a sanyasin could get by heart so much from a secular book. I thought that he must have read it quite a number of times before he took orders.
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Polyclinic News
Volume:-11, No. 5 Dec. 16 to Jan. 17 “They alone live who live for others. The rest are more dead than alive.” Polyclinic News Ramakrishna Mission Sevashrama, Lucknow, runs the Vivekananda Polyclinic & Institute of Medical Sciences, a 350 bedded multi-speciality community hospital with the objective of providing quality healthcare at the lowest cost to all patients and to provide charity services to deserving patients from the lower socio-economic strata. Upgradation of Equipment in Physiotherapy: The Physiotherapy Department of Vivekananda Polyclinic & Institute of Medical Sciences (VPIMS), Lucknow has been continuously upgrading its equipment profile and has procured 02 Multi-channel Microprocessor Based TENS and 02 Hydro collator Machine (8 Packs large size) manufactured by Rapid Electro Med. The machines were inaugurated on 21st December 2017 by Swami Muktinathananda, the Secretary of the Institute. Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS) are predominately used for nerve related pain conditions (acute and chronic conditions). TENS machines works by sending stimulating pulses across the surface of the skin and along the nerve strands. The stimulating pulses help prevent pain signals from reaching the brain. Tens devices also stimulate the body to produce higher levels of its own natural painkillers, called "Endorphins". It can be used for pain relief in several types of illness and conditions such as Osteoarthritis, acute lumbar and cervical pain, tendinitis and bursitis. Hydro Collator is a stationary or mobile stainless steel thermo statistically controlled water heating device designed to 0 heat silica field packs in water up to 160 C. The packs are removed and wrapped in several layers of towel and applied to the affected part of the body.
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Why I Became a Hindu
Why I became a Hindu Parama Karuna Devi published by Jagannatha Vallabha Vedic Research Center Copyright © 2018 Parama Karuna Devi All rights reserved Title ID: 8916295 ISBN-13: 978-1724611147 ISBN-10: 1724611143 published by: Jagannatha Vallabha Vedic Research Center Website: www.jagannathavallabha.com Anyone wishing to submit questions, observations, objections or further information, useful in improving the contents of this book, is welcome to contact the author: E-mail: [email protected] phone: +91 (India) 94373 00906 Please note: direct contact data such as email and phone numbers may change due to events of force majeure, so please keep an eye on the updated information on the website. Table of contents Preface 7 My work 9 My experience 12 Why Hinduism is better 18 Fundamental teachings of Hinduism 21 A definition of Hinduism 29 The problem of castes 31 The importance of Bhakti 34 The need for a Guru 39 Can someone become a Hindu? 43 Historical examples 45 Hinduism in the world 52 Conversions in modern times 56 Individuals who embraced Hindu beliefs 61 Hindu revival 68 Dayananda Saraswati and Arya Samaj 73 Shraddhananda Swami 75 Sarla Bedi 75 Pandurang Shastri Athavale 75 Chattampi Swamikal 76 Narayana Guru 77 Navajyothi Sree Karunakara Guru 78 Swami Bhoomananda Tirtha 79 Ramakrishna Paramahamsa 79 Sarada Devi 80 Golap Ma 81 Rama Tirtha Swami 81 Niranjanananda Swami 81 Vireshwarananda Swami 82 Rudrananda Swami 82 Swahananda Swami 82 Narayanananda Swami 83 Vivekananda Swami and Ramakrishna Math 83 Sister Nivedita
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Swami Dayatmananda)
Magazine Articles July / August 2009 1. Divine Wisdom 2. Editorial: Saints as Beacon Lights (Swami Dayatmananda) 3. Saint Namadeva - Swami Lokeswarananda 4. Pathways of Realization (cont.) - Clement James Knott 5. Conversations with Swami Turiyananda (cont.) - Swami Raghavananda 6. Indian Thought and Carmelite Spirituality - Swami Siddheshwarananda 7. Leaves of an Ashrama 30: The Truly Great as Friends and Models - Swami Vidyatmananda 8. Book Reviews - John Phillips Divine Wisdom MANILAL: "What is our duty?" MASTER: "To remain somehow united with God. There are two ways: karmayoga and manoyoga. Householders practise yoga through karma, the performance of duty. There are four stages of life: brahmacharya, garhasthya, vanaprastha, and sannyas. Sannyasis must renounce those karmas which are performed with special ends in view; but they should perform the daily obligatory karmas, giving up all desire for results. Sannyasis are united with God by such karmas as the acceptance of the staff, the receiving of alms, going on pilgrimage, and the performance of worship and japa."It doesn't matter what kind of action you are engaged in. You can be united with God through any action provided that, performing it, you give up all desire for its result. "There is the other path: manoyoga. A yogi practising this discipline doesn't show any outward sign. He is inwardly united with God. Take Jadabharata and Sukadeva, for instance. There are many other yogis of this class, but these two are well known. They shave neither hair nor beard. "All actions drop away when a man reaches the stage of the paramahamsa. He always remembers the ideal and meditates on it.
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Ramakrishna-Vedanta in Southern California: from Swami Vivekananda to the Present
Ramakrishna-Vedanta in Southern California: From Swami Vivekananda to the Present Appendix I: Ramakrishna-Vedanta Swamis in Southern California and Affiliated Centers (1899-2017) Appendix II: Ramakrishna-Vedanta Swamis (1893-2017) Appendix III: Presently Existing Ramakrishna-Vedanta Centers in North America (2017) Appendix IV: Ramakrishna-Vedanta Swamis from India in North America (1893-2017) Bibliography Alphabetized by Abbreviation Endnotes Appendix 12/13/2020 Page 1 Ramakrishna-Vedanta in Southern California: From Swami Vivekananda to the Present Appendix I: Ramakrishna Vedanta Swamis Southern California and Affiliated Centers (1899-2017)1 Southern California Vivekananda (1899-1900) to India Turiyananda (1900-02) to India Abhedananda (1901, 1905, 1913?, 1914-18, 1920-21) to India—possibly more years Trigunatitananda (1903-04, 1911) Sachchidananda II (1905-12) to India Prakashananda (1906, 1924)—possibly more years Bodhananda (1912, 1925-27) Paramananda (1915-23) Prabhavananda (1924, 1928) _______________ La Crescenta Paramananda (1923-40) Akhilananda (1926) to Boston _______________ Prabhavananda (Dec. 1929-July 1976) Ghanananda (Jan-Sept. 1948, Temporary) to London, England (Names of Assistant Swamis are indented) Aseshananda (Oct. 1949-Feb. 1955) to Portland, OR Vandanananda (July 1955-Sept. 1969) to India Ritajananda (Aug. 1959-Nov. 1961) to Gretz, France Sastrananda (Summer 1964-May 1967) to India Budhananda (Fall 1965-Summer 1966, Temporary) to India Asaktananda (Feb. 1967-July 1975) to India Chetanananda (June 1971-Feb. 1978) to St. Louis, MO Swahananda (Dec. 1976-2012) Aparananda (Dec. 1978-85) to Berkeley, CA Sarvadevananda (May 1993-2012) Sarvadevananda (Oct. 2012-) Sarvapriyananda (Dec. 2015-Dec. 2016) to New York (Westside) Resident Ministers of Affiliated Centers: Ridgely, NY Vivekananda (1895-96, 1899) Abhedananda (1899) Turiyananda (1899) _______________ (Horizontal line means a new organization) Atmarupananda (1997-2004) Pr.
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