Vedanta Society of Toronto (Ramakrishna Mission) 120 Emmett Ave. Toronto, ON M6M 2E6 CANADA Tel.: 416-240-7262; Email: info@vedantatoronto.ca; Website: www.vedantatoronto.ca Newsletter March 2018 Words to Inspire Strength, strength is what the Upanishads speak to me from every page. This is the one great thing to remember, it has been the one great lesson I have been taught in my life; strength, it says strength, O man, be not weak. --- Swami Vivekananda Have you heard what Yoga Vasishta, the famous philosophical treatise of our country, says about self-effort? There is nothing which cannot be obtained in this world, provided man has made a proper and earnest effort. If a person, prompted by the desire to get a thing, honestly makes an attempt, he will certainly succeed in his venture. Let a person desire to obtain something in life, let him constantly strive to get it, sooner or later he is going to succeed. But he should go on in his path, unflinching and without hesitation. So many people in this world rose from the very depths of distress and poverty to the heights of good fortune. People who overcame difficult and dangerous situations are those intelligent people who relied on their own effort, and not those who placed their meaningless trust in good luck. A man who ardently yearns for something and fervently seeks to get it, is bound to get it. No idler has ever got any triumph in life. Each one should understand that he is his own friend or foe. He who cannot save himself cannot be saved by anybody else. Certainly, a man can free himself from all unpleasant situations by his self-effort. Hence, everyone has to proceed on the right path, with firmness of conviction and confidence. Great men of courage, of adventure, of knowledge never waited for the smile of Lady Fortune. Fate is an unnecessary concept, for wherever we cast our eyes, we see the results of industry and effort, not of inaction. Nobody has heard of anything happening in a dead body, which is a perfect example of the non-existence of will. Fate does not do anything. It exists only in our imagination. It doesn t have any existence of its own. Fate is nothing but the good or bad fruit of the actions that we have already done. That, which is within man s reach, is the self-effort, what others will eventually term Luck. Success ultimately depends upon an individual s effort. Some are of the view that man is the victim of circumstances. Others argue that man has the power to change circumstances with the power of his personality. It is said that self-effort and fate are like the two wheels of a chariot. The two blades of a pair of scissors. But the scribbling on the forehead, the effect of the stars, the fruit of action are words which we use to explain our failure in any action. Whatever may be the philosophical significance of these concepts, there is no denying the fact that we ourselves have to strive to uplift our life. We have to struggle, with trust in our own effort. There is a saying Six steps are human effort, the seventh is divine grace! Has anybody come up in life without the spirit of enthusiasm to work, without relentless effort? If there were really something like fate which placed obstructions on our way to success, we could certainly overcome them by our own sincere struggle; by arousing the inner spirit which is latent in all of us. If fate were so powerful, we would not be speaking at all about virtues, vices, or the power of the soul. Human beings are not like logs of wood or bricks of clay. No man can ever lift himself up from the mire of misery if he clings to the attitude: Fate is responsible for this kind of act on my part. I am not responsible for my actions. I am only being pushed by the unseen hand of Fate. It is man s ignorance, which makes him feel that he is weak, and that he is ever dependent on the invisible hand of fate. This ignorance will lead him only to his degradation. To utilize the present is to conquer the fate. From the book Gospel of THE LIFE SUBLIME, by Sw Jagadatmananda Pg-111-112 Tax Receipts for Year 2017 The Tax Receipts for the donations made in Year 2017 have been mailed or emailed. If not yet received or any question regarding this, kindly contact the Treasurer of the Society, Anupam Talwar at talwar.anupam@yahoo.ca.
Some Truths about Truthfulness (Excerpted from the article by Swami Atmashraddhananda from the archives of Vedanta Kesari) Truthfulness has many shades of meanings, though plain speaking is widely praised. While truthfulness has many sides, shades and shapes, it is surely one of the most important virtues. It would not be an overstatement if one says that all other virtues are but different manifestations of this cardinal virtue. Truth, in its highest sense, manifests itself as non-violence, chastity, nonstealing and so on. The Importance of Truthfulness Patanjali, the great teacher of Yoga, enumerates satya or truth (i.e. being truthful) as the first of five great vows required of the whole humanity, irrespective of country, time, and situations of all types. Swamiji points out, "By the establishment of truthfulness the Yogi gets the power of attaining for himself and others the fruits of work without the works. When this power of truth will be established with you, then even in dream you will never tell an untruth. You will be true in thought, word, and deed. Whatever you say will be truth. You may say to a man, Be blessed, and that man will be blessed. If a man is diseased, and you say to him, Be thou cured, he will be cured immediately." Truthfulness is the austerity of this age, said Sri Ramakrishna. Austerities have many forms such as living with minimum food, taking cold water bath in extreme cold, repeating God s name several thousand, or more, times daily, sitting for long hours of meditation and so on. Austerities, in turn, arouse powers of mind, making one mentally and physically competent for accomplishing anything of great value. The Upanishads tell that one should try to know God through austerity. Austerity is the prerequisite for anything great in life. And Sri Ramakrishna has conferred being truthful itself as the highest form of austerity. Truth alone triumphs and not untruth (satyameva jayate), says Mundaka Upanishad. Taittiriyopanishad advices, Satyam vada, dharmam chara Speak truth and follow the path of righteousness. The Gita calls truthfulness as one of the divine virtues'. Again, Manu says: Speak truth in such a way that it should be pleasing to others. Never speak truth, which is unpleasant to others. Never speak untruth, which might be pleasant. This is the path of eternal morality, Sanatana Dharma [eternal law]. To speak truth (satyam bruyat) is an eternal value irrespective of time and place. But truth-speaking should be done in a loving manner (priyam), for the betterment of others. Not only speaking truth but also how you speak is important. It should be priyam (not hurting others) but also hitam, beneficial or for others betterment. One should be careful in speaking truth. Holy Mother Sri Sarada Devi said, "An unpleasant truth, though true, must not be uttered. For that grows into a habit. By indulging in rude words, one s nature becomes rude. One's sensitivity is lost if one has no control over one's speech. And once a man casts all consideration for others to the winds, he stops at nothing." Truth or truthfulness is the core of religion. The whole of Mahabharata is an engaging study of how truth functions in life and its various ramifications. Truthfulness has two aspects: telling truth about something as one knows and keeping one s words, or the promise one makes. The second aspect of truthfulness is often overlooked by some people. But a seeker must always keep the promises. One should be careful before one promises but must take care to fulfil it under all circumstances. Being honest means to keep one's words. Shades of Untruthfulness In order that we should practice truthfulness, it is helpful to be aware what amounts to untruthfulness. One simple fact about untruthfulness is that it needs maintenance. You cannot get away with it. In order to protect the truth of the first lie, one has to tell a second lie and a series of such lies. A truthful person, on the other hand, has no worry as to create the web of lies to protect the first lie. There are other forms of untruth such as gossip, deception and beguilement. Deceit, bluff and mystification try to propagate beliefs that are not true, or not the whole truth (as in half-truths or omission). Deception can involve
dissimulation, propaganda, and sleight of hand, as well as distraction, camouflage or concealment. Of course, real growth is not in learning to tell lies but in overcoming this tendency towards falsehood and instead stick to truth. For, truth liberates, while untruth binds. And who wants to be bound! What is Truth According to Vedanta, truth or satyam and God are same. Brahman, Satyam, or Sat are but different names of God. But Vedanta makes a distinction in Ultimate Truth and relative truth. While the ultimate truth is that which never changes and is eternal; the relative truth or lower truth undergoes change. The first one is called Parmarthika Satya (or satta, existence). This refers to Brahman or the Ultimate Truth which underlies all existence. It is the basis of our mind, body, and the entire tangible and intangible world. It is also called the Truth of all truths (satyasya satyam). This can be perceived by only a purified and refined intellect. The other set of truth is called Vyavaharika satyam or relative truth and is highly subjective. This is about the phenomenal world, a temporary truth, a ***** truth about the real which is real only for a while. It is not eternal truth. Adi Shankaracharya refers to another type of reality or truth. Besides, Parmarthika satyam (the Ultimate Truth) and Vyavaharika satyam (our common world-truth), he says, there is Pratibhasika satyam, which is a seeming reality, a changing reality within the larger changing reality such as mistaking a rope for snake and so on. In the ultimate analysis, however, there is only One Supreme Truth. We see that Supreme Truth through time, space and causation we perceive differences, which are more in manifestation than in reality. In different climes and times man has been searching for Truth and has given it different names as the Vedas say, Truth is one, sages call it by various names. Conclusion: Seek the truth, hear the truth, learn the truth, love the truth, speak the truth, hold the truth and defend the truth until death. (From the archives of the Vedanta Kesari) Pay no more attention to what people say about me, whether good or bad. You go on with your work and remember that "Never one meets with evil who tries to do good", (Gita, VI. 40). Every day the people here are appreciating me. And between you and me, I am more of an influence here than you dream of. Everything must proceed slowly... I have written to you before, and I write again, that I shall not pay heed to any criticism or praise in the newspapers. They are consigned to the fire. Do you do the same. Pay no attention whatsoever to newspaper nonsense or criticism. Be sincere and do your duty. Everything will come all right Truth must triumph... Volume 5, Epistles - First Series - Excerpt from the Letter to Alasingha- U.S.A. 26th December, 1894 - Swami Vivekananda
Swami Trigunatitananda His Life and Work by Sister Gargi (Marie Louise Burke) On January 12, 1911 Swami Trigunatitananda left San Francisco for Los Angeles in order to reorganize the work there. He remained a little over a month, and it was evidently during this time that he drew up the RULES AND REGULATIONS that we have quoted earlier. Gertrude Topham was made a Mother of a Vedanta Center, which may be an indication of spiritual advancement; certainly, it was an indication of Swami Trigunatitananda s trust in her. It would appear that Gertrude visited San Francisco in May 1911 and there had an interview-lesson with the Swami. The instruction was: Sri Ramakrishna is everything God-Lord. Hold fast to Sri Ramakrishna. Get as much as you can for yourself. February 24, 1909, is this instruction in my lesson: decide yourself. Do as you think. Teacher can suggest, but student must act. To do as I say would be bondage not freedom. Learn to decide for yourself. I will watch and correct what is wrong but watch and guard your actions. Before (Ramakrishna s) Birthday celebration one year, I had saved in small amounts until I could offer to Swami a gold piece. He questioned: Are you sure you can spare that much? Then offer it to Him in His Presence! I asked him regarding the tithing, instituted by the Jews, and practiced by some sects of Christians. One-tenth of earnings amongst Buddhists and Hindus, as with Jews, given to God-domestic expense is not giving to God. First one-tenth; then one-fifth; then the whole. Go on- the bondage will go. If you have a million, God can take it away. If you have not a cent God can give. What use to worry? Trust HIM and submit to His Will. Even if misfortunes come, or you starve, never let it take you away from Him! He will take care of you. Trust Him to do that. In commenting on a spectacular cinema, in which Christ s miracles were portrayed, the actor manifesting stress, effort, in trying to personify power, Swami said: Not so! By a touch, by a wish, by a mere look, a whole life is changed. We saw it many times, in the life of our Master. [In 1909] I first learned Swami Trigunatitananda s opinion regarding the prevalent practice of healing, as taught by Christian Science, Home of Truth, and various Metaphysical or New Thought cults. Swami Vivekananda had encountered it. Swami Turiyananda had deprecated it, both in conversation and in his classes. But Swami Trigunatitananda discussed it from quite a different angle. When it was imperative for me to have [therapeutic] attention of some kind, I told Swami that my relatives, deeply interested in Home of Truth, insisted I should go to a healer, not to a physician. To this he replied: Are they willing to take the karma? You know the karma must be paid. Are they willing and ready to take it? It is true. A Christ can heal! However, He does not always do so. The most an ordinary person can do is to help someone quiet the mind, or raise it to a higher vibration, so that healing can take place. In the usual case, the karma is divided: the patient takes a part, the doctor takes a part; and the drug takes a part. Of course, if one can have that degree of faith, that is best he emphasized. So on a second trip to Shanti Ashrama my trunk (bedding, etc.) had gone up, but alas! The day the students left found me under surgical care in a hospital Swami telephoned to Nishkama before leaving San Francisco; then he wrote back from Livermore enroute: Please write to me how Sarala is doing, and yourself. I am positively sure she and you will be doing fine; but still, please let me know. With responsibility for a group of 20-30 students, still he found time for thought of one left behind. I have his message, written on a postcard, among letters that are precious. On June 14, 1911: In reply to a question about my spiritual progress, Swami said: Resign yourself to Him. That is work, isn t it? Resign everything to Him. He can give or not; but that will be progress. Do not look for results; just go on quietly.chant His Name-What more do you need to do? That is enough! Do not try to do anything; resign all to Him. He will do what is necessary. Never be discouraged. In spirituality there is always the time element.every day is a new birth; a new opportunity. In the beginning blind faith ; real faith comes with realization There is no end to spiritual realization; no limit. And this from one so fond of joking and teasing: I never speak an idle word-not even in jest! A religious person is one who never wounds or hurts anyone, in heart, mind or body; and who is not hurt by anyone To meditate on death is very helpful; study its meaning and purpose to detach yourself from the world. In answer to a question regarding the predestination of Presbyterian Church doctrines versus karma: The law of karma can be broken. God can break his own laws. In order to break karma, one must do it through asceticism greater effort or work. Asceticism can break it. Question: But wouldn t that strength to break it also be under the law of karma? Yes. However, there is a subtle freedom of will. That spark is the divinity in man; and that divinity can break karma. In an instant, it can be done. But to get that dispensation or that Grace, one must be fitted for it: make oneself worthy. It was in a lesson at 6 a.m.., November 26, 1913, I was unexpectedly jerked up curtly. Quite meekly, I had put a question to Swami, and without answering or paying any attention, he was doing something or other at his desk. Waiting silently for his reply, I startled by the sudden force of it when he turned to me: Don t make so much talk and noise! Give your energy to do something. If I tell you a hundred times, you will not know. Find out yourself! ********
UPCOMING EVENTS MARK YOUR CALENDAR Event Bhakta Milan Buddha Jayanti Celebration Annual Retreat Date & Time April 14 @ 5pm May 6 @ 11am June 23 @ 9am-5pm June 24 @ 9am-5pm REGULAR PROGRAMMES SCRIPTURE CLASS: Friday Scripture Classes begin at 7:30 pm, following the regular evening prayer at 6:00 pm. The class, held at the centre, is open to all interested persons. For details, please see the Calendar of Events on the next page. VIGIL: A vigil consisting of japa and meditation will be observed, from 6:00 am to 6:00 pm, for date kindly see Calendar of Events, on next page. To participate, please call the centre at 416-240-7262. RAM NAM: For the date and time of the monthly Ramnam, please see the Calendar of Events on the next page. BOOK STORE: The Book Store has re-opened and books are available for purchase. DAILY BREAD FOOD BANK: Daily Bread Food Bank has actively started. We would like to encourage people to donate. INTERVIEWS/INSTRUCTION: Swami Kripamayananda will be happy to give Interviews to those interested in knowing more about Vedanta and meditation. Individual interviews are also given for Spiritual instructions. Appointments for interviews should be made in advance with the Swami at 416-240-7262. DAILY MEDITATION: Meditation is done at the Centre every morning from 6:00 am to 7:00 am. Devotional singing and meditation time in the evenings is from 6:00 pm to 7:30 pm. SOUP KITCHEN: has now started at the Vedanta Society, please see the Calendar of Events on the next page for details. KARMA YOGA ACTIVITIES It is a great opportunity to provide your services to the Vedanta Society of Toronto. We have started creating groups of volunteers to administer and take care of few operations - maintenance related work in the ashram. Kindly come forward and volunteer time towards maintaining and managing the facilities. Services, to be performed weekly basis, involve: Janitorial (cleaning carpets, floors, washrooms, Shrine area, Meditation room, dusting furnitures, etc.) Garbage / Recycling waste (preferably on Wednesday or Thursday every week) and dining hall cleaning (cleaning the walls, floor, arrange chairs, table, arrange various utensils in correct place, replenish stock) Book-store assistance (arranging the books, helping out with stocks, replenish, inventory check) Library assistance (arranging the books, chairs, calling for book return) Lawn mowing, gardening, watering plants (during summer) participation (cutting vegetables, preparing salads and soup, delivering soup to the designated places) Vedanta Vidya Mandir activities (clean the ashram after the classes are over) If interested in volunteering, kindly send email or 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 AGAIN.
Vedanta Society of Toronto CALENDAR OF EVENTS Minister and Teacher- Swami Kripamayananda, Ramakrishna Order of India March 2018 Sun Mon Tues Wed Thurs Fri Sat 4 11:00am Video Lecture 1:30pm to 4pm Vedanta Vidya Mandir 11 11:00am Lecture: Hanuman s Ram 18 11:00am Lecture: 'Virtue & Vision, by Prof. Kumar Murty 1:30pm to 4pm Vedanta Vidya Mandir 5 6 12 13 19 20 1 2 7:30pm Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna 7 8 14 15 21 22 9 7:30pm Vivekachudamani 16 7:30pm Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna 23 7:30pm Vivekachudamani 3 10 6:00am to 6:00pm VIGIL 17 11am Sri Ramakrishna Sevashram s Annual celebration 24 25 11:00am RAM NAVAMI RAMNAM 26 27 28 29 30 7:30pm NO SCRIPTURE CLASS 31 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 of $165,000 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 2017 may do so by sending email to the Swami <kripamayananda@gmail.com> with cc to Anupam <talwar.anupam@yahoo.ca>.**