Vedanta Society of Toronto ( Mission) 120 Emmett Ave. Toronto, ON M6M 2E6 CANADA Tel.: 416-240-7262; Email: [email protected]; Website: www.vedantatoronto.ca Newsletter November 2019 Words to Inspire “Before proceeding to America, I wrote to Mother [Sri ] to bless me. Her blessings came, and at one bound I cleared the ocean.” ---

My mission in America was not to the Parliament of They stood my friends even when their own priests were Religions. That was only something by the way, it was only trying to persuade them to give up the “dangerous an opening, an opportunity, and for that we are very thankful heathen”—even when day after day their best friends had to the members of the Parliament; but really, our thanks are told them not to stand by this “unknown due to the great people of the United States, the American foreigner, may be, of dangerous character.” But they are nation, the warm-hearted, hospitable, great nation of better judges of character and soul—for it is the pure mirror America, where more than anywhere else the feeling of that catches the reflection. brother-hood has been developed. An American meets you And how many beautiful homes I have seen, how many for five minutes on board a train, and you are his friend, and mothers whose purity of character, whose unselfish love for the next moment he invites you as a guest to his home and their children are beyond expression, how many daughters opens the secret of his whole living there. That is the and pure maidens, “pure as the icicle on Diana’s temple,” character of the American race, and we highly appreciate it. and withal with much culture, education, and spirituality in Their kindness to me is past all narration, it would take me the highest sense! Is America then full of only wingless years yet to tell you how I have been treated by them most angels in the shape of women? There is good and bad kindly and most wonderfully. everywhere, true—but a nation is not to be judged by its I have heard many stories about the American home: of weaklings called the wicked, as they are only the weeds liberty running into licence, of unwomanly women smashing which lag behind, but by the good, the noble, and the pure under their feet all the peace and happiness of home-life in who indicate the national life-current to be flowing clear and their mad liberty-dance, and much nonsense of that type. vigorous..... And now after a year’s experience of American homes, of And then the modern American women—I admire their American women, how utterly false and erroneous that sort broad and liberal minds. I have seen many liberal and of judgment appears! American women! A hundred lives broad-minded men too in this country, some even in the would not be sufficient to pay my deep debt of gratitude to narrowest churches, but here is the difference—there is you! I have not words enough to express my gratitude to danger with the men to become broad at the cost of religion, you. “The Oriental hyperbole” alone expresses the dept of at the cost of spirituality—women broaden out in sympathy Oriental gratitude—“If the Indian Ocean were an inkstand, to everything that is good everywhere, without losing a bit the highest mountain of the Himalaya the pen, the earth the of their own religion. scroll and time itself the writer,” still it will not express my Nowhere in the world are women like those of this country. gratitude to you! How pure, independent, self-relying, and kind-hearted! It is Last year I came to this country in summer, a wandering the women who are the life and soul of this country. All preacher of a far distant country, without name, fame, learning and culture are centred in them..... wealth, or learning to recommend me—friendless, helpless, There are thousands of women here whose minds are as almost in a state of destitution—and American women pure and white as the snow of this country. befriended me, gave me shelter and food, took me to their From the book ‘Swami Vivekananda on Himself’ pg 133- homes and treated me as their own son, their own brother. 135.

KARMA YOGA ACTIVITIES It is a great opportunity to provide your services to the Vedanta Society of Toronto. Kindly come forward and volunteer time towards maintaining and managing the facilities. If interested in volunteering, kindly contact Abhijit Bhattacharya on 416- 569-9401, indicating the Services that you are interested in and days you can be available for volunteering. THANK YOU!!

Three Levels of Reality We have understood that Brahman appears in different Brahman is the substratum supporting this apparent forms in association with upadhis, though He is not experience - the laws of nature support the mirage. subject to any limitation and cannot be described at the Though the three levels of reality are conceded by the speech and mind level. The truth at the supreme level Shastra, the Paramarthika Satya is the supporting (paramartha) is the only Reality, while what is observable Reality for the Transactional Reality and the Apparent at the transactional or relational level is not the reality. Reality. As much as the Apparent Reality is unreal with However the common experience of people is to respect to the Transactional Reality, so is the recognize the body / mind level experiences as reality. Transactional Reality is unreal with respect to the Keeping this in mind, the Vedanta recognizes three Supreme Reality. levels of reality as follows; Brahman, though is the Karana for the Jagat, is different 1. Paramarthika Satya or Supreme Reality from Jagat, in that the Jagat is Jada and Brahman is 2. Vyavaharika Satya or Trancactional Reality consciousness. Vedanta's approach in explaining 3. Pratibhasika Satya or Apparent Reality. Brahman, obviously, must be, to take the student from These three levels of reality can be better understood the known to the unknown. Jagat is the known, Brahman through an example. An image of an object can be is the unknown. The Vedanta takes the seeker from the captured on a screen through a lens. The clarity of the Jagat, through the Maya to the Brahman. The first image is dependent on the distance between the lens experience to the seeker is the Brahman with upAdhis. and the screen, the orientation of the screen, lighting Then the seeker experiences the Lakshanas of Brahman conditions etc. This image is available to everyone's -Satyam, Jnyanam and Anantam. Here the seeker experiences. Under other circumstances, an apparent understands the Supreme Reality of Brahman. He image of the object (virtual image) can be seen, by a understands that the Transactional Reality (Jagat) and select few in some specific orientation (This will not be the Apparent Reality are nothing but the Supreme Reality the experience of all, as in the lens image above). that is Brahman. The Adhyaropa that Brahman is the It is not possible to capture this image and cannot be a intelligent cause of Jagat, and the Jagat is different from transactional experience, though can be seen (think of a Brahman is negated (Apavada) and establishes himself creative artwork, which at an angle, will look something in Brahman, the Supreme Reality, beyond speech and differently). In this example, the object is the mind. Paramarthika Satya, the lens image is the Vyavaharika -- When the ego functions, it associates with a wide Satya and the apparent image is the Pratibhasika Satya. variety of objects. The ego, by itself, is a neutral entity. In the backdrop of this example, we can understand the But this neutrality ends in the field of operation. The ego three levels of reality in the philosophical plane. has to identify with something, or else it cannot express Brahman is Real is the Paramarthika Satya. This is the itself. For example, the ego has to identify itself with the statement of shrutis. The experience of the sense organs body. Then I say, “I am healthy,” or “My height is six feet.” keeps changing from time to time or person to person; When I say, “I am thinking,” my ego has associated itself what is changing can only be the experiences of the with the mind. When I say, “I am angry,” the emotion of sense organs as Science has demonstrated to us. Even anger is the object of association. in ordinary experiences this is true - like the change in The ego in action changes from moment to moment. This the musical speed can only be determined with respect moment it is linked with a certain function of the body, to a metronome. Brahman is beyond sense organs and and the next moment with a state of the mind or an is unchanging and is the Supreme Reality. external circumstance. There is no limit to the objects or The Jagat is constantly changing and this change is ideas with which the ego can connect itself. When we experienced by the five sense organs. This change is the speak of ethical or cultural life, the ego is also there. It common experience of all (without defects in sense has only changed its center of identification. It now organs). The knowledge thus established through the associates itself with ethical qualities such as virtue, sense organs is the basis of all transactional activities. truth, and purity, or with some cultural values such as The Shastra classifies this changing Jagat experienced poetry, science, democracy, resulting in the by all and being the basis of all transactions as corresponding assertions: “I am virtuous”; “I am truthful”; Vyavaharika Satya. “I am pure”; “I am a poet”; “I am a scientist”; “I am a A traveler, on a hot afternoon, sees water at a distance. citizen,” and so on. When he arrives at that location, the water that we all In these various cases of identification, the ego connects have come to know is not to be seen. The water is a itself with a clear understanding, but there are some mirage. It appears to be there, but it is not there. This extraordinary instances where the identification is only experience, dependent on time and space, is called implicit. The ego can identify itself with ideas that are vast Pratibhasika Satya. This experience is also called and infinite, though it is not fully conscious of this fact. "Satya", though it is an apparent experience, because For example, we implicitly believe that we are not going

to die. All our thoughts and actions betray the strong universe become one. The Self is that Unity: we live and assumption that we shall always be here, that we are move in that Unity. We can never escape our own nature. immortal. But this belief is not expressly recognized; it is We are generally satisfied with the superficial subconsciously assumed. The ego is similarly manifestations of our personalities, but there is always occasionally confronted with feelings of boundless an unknown element of our existence upon which the happiness, knowledge, or tranquility. Though we lack the ego occasionally stumbles. In some moments of our lives time or courage to deeply ponder our kinship with these we feel its presence as immortality, as infinite calmness spiritual qualities, there is nevertheless an implicit and beatitude, as vast, undefined knowledge. Just as in identification in the background of our consciousness our daily life the ego is the “mouthpiece” of the which we cannot shake off. personality—the instrument by which the personality can Yet were we without this kind of cosmic ego identification, work and manifest itself—so also in the field of Self- life here would be miserable. We could not survive if inquiry the ego serves as a “pointer” to the true basis of every moment we feared death and were conscious of the personality, the Self. suffering, limitation, and ignorance. Fortunately for us, The first role of the ego is understood by everyone. The there is occasionally a sort of unrecognized, implicit second role has to be recognized by analysis and identification of the ego with the Infinite. discrimination; many people never have a clue that there This identification, however, is not clear in ordinary is a vast Reality in the background of their lives. Perhaps consciousness because it is superficial. It does not go these people have had no opportunity for introspection. deeply enough into the personality. We do not care to For such people, the Self remains unrecognized and discover the true foundations of the personality, although undiscovered, perhaps for many lives. The desire to look we often use the word. We do not fully know what the deeply into life depends on a person’s temperament and mind is. Human beings have deeper levels of existence accumulated psychophysical tendencies. For those who than the personality and mind, though in daily life it is not take the question of spiritual life seriously, that vast, necessary to analyze or understand them. immortal Being—the Ground of our Existence—cannot The implicit identification of the ego with the Eternal and be allowed to remain unknown and undiscovered. The Infinite points to a basic Reality behind the universe and highest goal of spiritual life is to realize that ultimate behind the individual personality. Vedanta calls this Ground, to know that at all times we are one with all that Reality the Self. The Self is the core of the mind and exists. personality. It is also the core of the external world we Lecture given by Swami Ashokananda- “What is Reality”, perceive. When we probe deeply enough, we and our extracted from Vedanta in the West- March 1941

Man proposes, God disposes T he Master (to Pratab Chandra Mazumdar): "You are an educated and intelligent man, and you are a deep thinker too. Keshab and yourself were like the two brothers, Gour and Nitai. You have had enough of this world —enough of lectures, controversies, schisms, and the rest. Do you still care for them? Now it is high time for you to collect your scattered mind and turn it towards God. Plunge into the ocean of Divinity." Mazumdar: "Yes, revered sir, that 1 ought to do; there is no doubt about it. But all this I do simply to preserve Keshab's name and reputation." Sri Ramakrishna (smiling): "Let me tell you a story. A man built a house on a hill. It was only a mud hut, but he had built it with great labour. A few days after, there came a violent storm and the hut began to rock. The man became very anxious to save it and prayed to the god of winds: 'O god of the winds, please don't wreck the house! But the god of the winds paid no heed to his prayers. The house was about to crash. Then he thought of a trick. He remembered that Hanuman was the son of the god of the winds. At once he cried out with great earnestness: 'O revered sir, please don't pull down the house. It belongs to Hanuman. I beseech you to protect it.' But still the house continued to shake violently. Nobody seemed to listen to his prayer. He repeated many times, 'Oh, this house belongs to Hanuman!' But the fury of the winds did not abate. Then he remembered that Harm man was the devoted servant of Rama, whose younger brother was Lakshmana. Desperately the man cried, saying aloud, 'Oh, this house belongs to Lakshmana!' But that also failed to help matters. So the man cried out as a last resort: 'This is Rama's house. Don't break it down, O god of winds! I beseech you most humbly.' But this proved futile, and the house began to crash down. Whereupon the man who had to save his own life, rushed out of it with a curse: 'Let it go! This is devil's own house!'" You may now be anxious to preserve Keshab's name: but console yourself with the thought, it was after all owing to God's Will that the religious movement connected with his name was set on foot, and that if the movement has had its day, it is also due to that same Divine Will. Therefore, dive deep into the sea of

Immortality." …………………….Sri Ramakrishna’s parables

Master at Shyampukur It was half past five in the afternoon when Dr. Sarkar Master: “Do you think I know at that time that I am came to the Master’s room at Syampukur, felt his pulse, touching another with my foot?” and prescribed the necessary medicine. Many devotees Doctor: “You feel that it is not the right thing to do, don’t were preset, including Narendra, Girish, Dr. Dukari, the you?” younger Naren, Rakhal, M., Sarat, and Shyam Basu. Master: “How can I explain to you what I experience in Girish and Dr. Sarkar began to talk about the Science samadhi? After coming down from that state I think, Association established by the latter. sometimes, that my illness may be due to samadhi. The Master: “Will you take me there one day?” thing is, the thought of God makes me mad. All this is Doctor: “If you go there you will lose all consciousness at the result of my divine madness. How can I help it?” the sight of the wondrous works of God.” Doctor: “Now he accepts my view. He expresses regret Master: “Oh, indeed!” for what he does. He is conscious that the act is sinful.” Doctor (to Girish): “Whatever you may do, please do not Master (to Narendra): “You are very clever. Why don’t worship him as God. You are turning the head of this you answer? Explain it all to the doctor.” good man.” Girish (to the doctor): “Sir, you are mistaken. He is not The doctor saluted Sri Ramakrishna and touched the expressing regret for touching the bodies of his devotees Master’s feet with his forehead. during samadhi. His own body is pure, untouched by any Girish: “Oh, the angels are saying, ‘Blessed be this sin. That he touches others in this way is for their own auspicious moment!’” good. Sometimes he thinks that he may have got this Doctor: “What is there to marvel at in taking the dust of a illness by taking their sins upon himself. man’s feet? I can take the dust of everybody’s feet. Give “Think of your own case. Once you suffered from colic. me, all of you, the dust of your feet.” Didn’t you have regrets at that time for sitting up and The doctor touched the feet of all the devotees. reading till very late at night? Does that prove that Narendra (to the doctor): “We think of him [meaning the reading till the late hours of the night is, in itself, a bad Master] as a person who is like God. Do you know, sir, thing? He [meaning Sri Ramakrishna] too may be sorry what it is like? There is a point between the vegetable that he is ill. But that does not make him feel that it is creation and the animal creation where it is very difficult wrong on his part to touch others for their welfare.” to determine whether a particular thing is a vegetable or Dr. Sarkar felt rather embarrassed and said to Girish: “I an animal. Likewise, there is a stage between the man- confess my defeat at your hands. Give me the dust of world and the God-world where it is extremely hard to say your feet.” He saluted Girish. whether a person is a man or God.” Narendra (to the doctor): “We offer worship to him Doctor: “Well, my dear young friend, one cannot apply bordering on divine worship.” analogies to things divine.” At these words the Master laughed like a child. Narendra: “I do not say that he is God. What I am saying From the book ‘ - A Bohemian is that he is a god-like man.” Devotee’ by Sw Chetanananda pgs 302 Doctor: (to Sri Ramakrishna) “Well, may I say something? When you are in ecstasy you place your foot on other’s bodies. That is not good.”

The Face of the Divine Mother One day some local womenfolk came to visit the Mother. They found her very busy with Radhu, Bhudev and other children and asking Golap -Ma to mend her torn cloth. One of them could not help blurting out, "Mother, I see you terribly entangled in Maya!" Another day there came three or four women to meet her. The Mother was then seated on one side of the verandah, while Golap-Ma and others sat on the other. Seeing Golap-Ma, who appeared older and possessed an imposing personality, one of the visitors mistook her for the Holy Mother and saluted her. As she was about to say something, Golap- Ma saw the mistake and said, "There sits the Holy Mother." Seeing the simple appearance of the Holy Mother, she thought the "Mother" (actually Golap-Ma) was just making fun. But when Golap-Ma repeated what she had said, the woman went towards the Holy Mother to salute her. The Mother too smilingly said, "No, no. She indeed is the Holy Mother!" The woman was now in a fix! Golap-Ma and the Mother, both were pointing to each other saying- "There! She is the Holy Mother!" We were watching all this fun. Finally, the woman adjudged Golap-Ma to be the 'real' Holy Mother, and again advanced towards her. Now Golap-Ma rebuked her saying, "Have you no sense of judgement at all? Don't you notice the difference between a human face and a divine face? Does any human being appear like that?" ……..………………From ‘The Gospel of Holy Mother’

UPCOMING EVENTS – MARK YOUR CALENDAR

Events Date & Time Annual General Meeting (AGM) November 17 11.00am Birthday Celebration of Holy Mother Sarada Devi December 22 11.00am Christmas Eve Celebration December 24 5.30pm Celebration January 1 12.00pm Birthday Celebration of Swami Vivekananda January 12 11.00am Saraswati puja February 2 11.00am Maha Shivaratri February 21 6.30pm

REGULAR PROGRAMMES

SCRIPTURE CLASS: Friday Scripture Classes begin DAILY BREAD FOOD BANK: Daily Bread Food Bank at 7:30 pm, following the regular evening prayer at 6:00 has actively started. We would like to encourage people pm. The class, held at the centre, is open to all interested to donate. persons. For details, please see the ‘Calendar of Events’ on the next page. INTERVIEWS/INSTRUCTION: Swami Kripamayananda will be happy to give Interviews VIGIL: A vigil consisting of japa and meditation will be to those interested in knowing more about Vedanta and observed, from 6:00 am to 6:00 pm, for date kindly see meditation. Individual interviews are also given for ‘Calendar of Events’, on next page. To participate, please Spiritual instructions. Appointments for interviews should call the centre @416-240-7262. be made in advance with the Swami at 416-240-7262. RAM NAM: For the date and time of the monthly DAILY MEDITATION: Meditation is done at the Centre Ramnam, please see the ‘Calendar of Events’ on the every morning from 6:00 am to 7:00 am. Devotional next page. singing and meditation time in the evenings is from 6:00 BOOK STORE: The Book Store has re-opened and pm to 7:30 pm. books are available for purchase. SOUP KITCHEN: Soup Kitchen has now started at the Vedanta Society, please see the ‘Calendar of Events’ on the next page for details.

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING 2019

The Annual General Meeting (AGM) will be held at the Vedanta Society of Toronto, 120 Emmett Ave, Toronto on Sunday, November 17, 2019 at 11am. Any member wishing to nominate an active and willing member of the Vedanta Society for the Executive Committee may do so by writing to the Society. All valid nominations, duly proposed and seconded, must be received by November 10 and be approved by Swami Kripamayananda.

All our members are requested to attend the meeting. If you are unable to attend, please fill in the proxy form included in this Newsletter and send it so that it reaches us by November 16 , 2019. Alternatively, the filled-in Proxy form can be scanned and emailed to

Vedanta Society of Toronto

CALENDAR OF EVENTS Minister and Teacher- Swami Kripamayananda, of India November 2019

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 1 7:30pm 2 9.30am Scripture class: Soup Kitchen ‘Vivekachudamani 3 11:00am 4 5 9.30am 6 7 9.30am 8 7:30pm 9 9.30am Lecture: 'Cat in the Soup Soup Scripture class: Soup Kitchen Mirror' Kitchen Kitchen ‘Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna’ 6am to 6pm Vigil 10 11:00am 11 12 9.30am 13 14 9.30am 15 7:30pm 16 9.30am Guest Lecture: 'Science Soup Soup Scripture class: Soup Kitchen and Spirituality: Mutual Kitchen Kitchen ‘Vivekachudamani Dependence' by Prof. V. Kumar Murty 17 11:00am 18 19 9.30am 20 21 9.30am 22 7:30pm 23 9.30am Annual General Soup Soup Scripture class: Soup Kitchen Kitchen Kitchen ‘Gospel of Sri Meeting (AGM) Ramakrishna’

5:00pm RAMNAM 24 11:00am 25 26 9.30am 27 28 9.30am 29 7:30pm 30 9.30am Lecture: 'Practice & Soup Soup Scripture class: Soup Kitchen Preach' Kitchen Kitchen ‘Vivekachudamani

AN APPEAL FOR DONATION

Vedanta Society appeals to the devotees and well-wishers to kindly come forward and donate generously, so that we can pay-off all loans and build up funds to secure ourselves for our regular operations. Donations are required for ongoing maintenance of Ashram, facilities and functions, as well as repayment of interest free loans from our members in coming years. For those who wish to donate full or part of the loan amount to receive donation tax receipt for Year 2019 may do so by sending email to the Swami with cc to Anupam .