Vedanta Society of Toronto (Ramakrishna Mission) 120 Emmett Ave. Toronto, ON M6M 2E6 CANADA Tel: 416-240-7262 ; Email: society@vedantatoronto.ca Website: www.vedantatoronto.ca Newsletter January 2013 Words to Inspire Know that severance of connection with pain is what is designated as Yoga. It has to be practiced tirelessly with determination. -The Bhagavad Gita, Chapter VI, Verse 32 THE ROAD TO WISDOM (SWAMI VIVEKANANDA ON THE PRACTICE OF YOGA) The Yogi must always practice. He should try to live alone; the companionship of different sons of people distracts the mind; he should not speak much, because to speak distracts the mind; not work much, because too much work distracts the mind; the mind cannot be controlled after a whole day's hard work. One observing the above rules becomes a Yogi. Such is the power of Yoga that even the least of it will bring a great amount of benefit. It will not hurt anyone. But will benefit everyone. When one begins to concentrate the dropping of a pin will seem like a thunderbolt going through the brain. As the organs get finer. the perceptions get finer. These are the stages through which we have to pass, and all those who persevere will succeed. Give up all argumentation and other distractions. Is there anything in dry intellectual jargon? It only throws the mind off its balance and disturbs it- Things of subtler planes have to be realised. Will talking do that? So give up all vain talk. Read only those books, which have been written by persons who have had realisation. Be like the pearl Oyster. There is a pretty Indian fable to the effect that if it rains when the star Svati is in the ascendant, and a drop of rain falls into an oyster, that drop becomes a pearl. The oysters know this, so they come to the surface when that star shines, and wait to catch the precious raindrop. When a drop falls into them, quickly the oysters close their shells and dive down to the bottom of the sea, there to patiently develop the drop into the pearl We should be like that. First hear, then understand, and then, leaving all distractions, shut your minds to outside influences, and devote yourselves to developing the truth within you. There is the danger of frittering away your energies by taking up an idea only for its novelty, and then giving it up for another that is newer. Take one thing up and do it, and see the end of it, and before you have seen the end, do not give it up. He who can, become mad with an idea, he alone sees light. Those that only take a nibble here and a nibble there will never attain anything. They may titillate their nerves for a moment, but there it will end. They will be slaves in the hands of nature, and will never get beyond the senses. (From The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda I.175, I.176-177)
Vedanta Society of Toronto is for All Seekers of Truth (Presidential Address by Swami Kripamayananda at the AGM of the Society on Nov. 18, 2012) As human beings we have few basic enquiries, few basic urges. We want permanency and we don t like death. We don t like to dissolve, to be annihilated. We want to live for eternity. We want love, joy, peace and light. But what we see around us is all darkness in this ever changing, the Society started growing. Finally there was a need for a monk to lead and guide the Society. Accordingly when they requested Belur Math, the headquarters of the Ramakrishna Order, Swami Pramathananda was sent to Toronto in 1989 to become the first monastic President of fleeting world with death and destruction as the the Vedanta Society of Toronto. Swami culmination of everything. The sages used to pray in the Upanishadic times Asato Ma Sad Gamaya, Tamaso Ma Jyotir Gamaya, Mrityor Ma Amritam Gamaya Lead us from the unreal to the real, from darkness to light, from death to immortality. Sages through their enquiry into the Truth and hard spiritual pracitce realized the Turth and then exclaimed Vedahametam Purusham Mahanta Aditya Varnam Tamasah Parastat - I have found a resplendent being beyond all darkness, sorrow, ignorance. Tameva Viditva Ati Mrityum Eti- By knowing Him alone one can conquer death; Nanyah pantha-there is no other way. When Sri Ramakrishna was returning from Calcutta in the carriage, he saw the condition of the people and spoke about this to Holy Mother: The people of Calcutta are crawling like worms in the dark, you have to elevate them. He meant that although the human being has tremendous potentiality as a divine being, they have forgotten their real nature and groping in the dark. He said to Swami Vivekananda: You should be like a banyan tree giving shade to the people who are scorched in the sun of worldliness. Later, Swamiji came to Pramathananda found that the house where the Vedanta Society was located was too small for the growing number of devotees. Then after a search, the current Ashrama building was purchased. Swami Pramathananda enshrined the pictures of Sri Ramakrishna, Holy Mother, Swami Vivekananda, Lord Buddha and Jesus Christ on the altar. We all know that Sri Ramakrishna is the Absolute, manifested in human form and is the guiding light for all devotees. Then what was the need of the other 4 deities in the shrine. These personalities are the manifestation of that Supreme Being displaying various divine qualities in fullest. Holy Mother represents highest purity and supreme love, Swami Vivekananda represents knowledge and wisdom, Buddha represents highest compassion and perfect Karma Yoga and Jesus Christ is the symbol of renunciation and sacrifice. Swami Vivekananda founded the Ramakrishna mission in the year 1897 with the goal to lead humankind towards peace, freedom and absolute bliss. This can be achieved mainly through service of the fellow human beings. This was the motto of the Ramakrishna Mission Atmano the West and spread the message of love, hope Mokshartham Jagad hitaya ca Observing and possibility which is the message of Vedanta. Swami Vivekananda had to work very hard to spread the message of Vedanta, sometimes delivering 4 lectures a day. He travelled all over America, England and France and delivered this message. In the USA, Swamiji established the Vedanta Society in New York in 1894. After that came up many Vedanta Centres in the US. In 1968, the Vedanta Society of Canada was founded by a few followers of Vedanta and devotees of Sri Ramakrishna, Holy Mother and Swami Vivekananda. This Society was blessed spiritual disciplines for Self-realization together with the service to the world. The Vedanta Society which is a branch of the Ramakrishna Mission was founded for this purpose, to provide the spiritual food to the seekers. It goal is to serve the society along with spiritual practice like meditation and worship. We serve the people through activities like the Soup kitchen, Vedanta Vidya Mandir, contributing food items to the Daily Bread Food Bank and various other ways. As followers of Sri Ramakrishna, we have to grow inwardly and byswami Ranganathananda, Swami manifest the good in us outwardly. We have to Bhasyananda and other senior Swamis of the Order. Gradually the number of the devotees of gain the peace inward through meditation and manifest our love and good will to the society.
There should not be any doubt about the quality and character of other devotees, if any such doubt arises we have to analyze our minds and try to see our own fault rather than see others faults. That is Holy Mother s final teaching to this world Do not find fault with others, but try to find your own faults. Swami Vivekananda said If you lose faith in others, you will lose faith in yourself as well. The divinity is innate in every soul, only there is the need to manifest it. The following is an excerpt from the lecture by Swami Pramathananda, in the Annual General Meeting on November 26, 1995. Incidentally the Vedanta Society had moved to the present building that very year. He said Swami Vivekananda was the first Hindu monk of India who brought the universal message of Vedanta to the West. Uninvited and virtually unwanted, this young monk of 30 became a world renowned figure overnight by galvanizing the World Parliament of Religions held at Chicago in 1893. After hearing him, one Journalist said Swami Vivekananda is a divine personality and after listening to him, we feel how foolish we are, to send the missionaries to preach religion in India. As a Hindu monk Swamiji was a veritable cyclone spreading enlightenment and inspiration wherever he went. What was the nature of his approach? To quote Swami Vivekananda himself I poured old wine into new bottles. This means that he preached the ancient wisdom of India, in a new manner as suited to modern times, which was verified and demonstrated, attuned to his own realizations. In his message there is no conflict between faith and reason, between science and religion, between poetry and philosophy, between action and meditation, between monastic and social ideals. He declared at the top of his voice that we are not children of ignorance or darkness or sin, but that we are children of divine bliss, we are Atman, we are birthless, deathless, eternal and ever-free. He trumpeted this inspiring message wherever he went and had profound impact on the minds of many leading western thinkers of that time including William James, Romain Rolland, Max Mueller and others. Gradually Vedanta Centres started streaming up in North America, Europe, Singapore, Japan and other parts of the world. To this date, Ramakrishna Mission headquarters continues to receive messages from across the world, requesting them to send Swamis to open new Vedanta Centres. Much of the acceptance of Vedanta came from the reconciliation between science and spirituality. Vedanta serves as a common denominator between the East and the West. Swamiji said The day is not far off, when science and religion will meet and shake hands. In the words of Einstein Science without religion is lame and religion without science is blind. No society can exist without developing moral and ethical values and towards this end, Swamiji constructed a bridge of understanding between the East and the West, between the ancient and the modern. Vedanta is a universal philosophy, it is not for India exclusively nor is it for only the Hindus or for a particular religion or race. Swamiji asked us to remember one thing about us that we are the sparks of the divine source and each of us is potentially divine. The goal in life is to manifest this divinity by controlling nature external and internal. This is a great idea before us and we are fully committed to it. Let the lion of Vedanta roar in our everyday lives. I humbly appeal to everyone to rise equal to the occasion. Read Swamiji s lectures and letters and you will be inspired by them. In one of his letters Swamiji asked Can you possibly sleep when the world is burning in misery? We must make his message our own motto Arise awake and stop not till the goal is reached. Remember this Vedanta society of Toronto is for all seekers of truth, for members, well-wishers and friends; people who are white, black or brown; eastern and western alike. Our message is universal. That is the reason why we worship Jesus and Buddha in our shrine along with Sri Ramakrishna, Holy Mother and Swami Vivekananda. Also we offer our humble salutations again and again to all saints and seers of ancient and modern times of all religions, as the Rig Veda says United be our goal, united be our principles, united be our ideals. Swamiji had great expectation for the modern generation. He said- Out of them will come my work force. Ye are Lions, shake of the delusion that you are sheep. So let us pray for perfect understanding and love that we, as a society of spiritual aspirants, may go forward and spread the wonderful, fearless and universal message of Vedanta as taught by Swami Vivekananda. Let us invoke the grace of Sri Ramakrishna, let us all pray that we love everyone, do not condemn or criticize anyone and slowly move forward towards God realization.
On the occasion of 150 th Birth Anniversary of Swami Vivekananda (January 12, 1863 - July 4, 1902) Vedanta Society of Toronto Presents Music of Faith Represented by Baha i, Buddhist, Christian, First Nations, Hindu, Jain, Jewish, Sikh and Sufi Faith Groups Please join us on January 12, 2013-10:30 am at 120 Emmett Avenue Toronto M6M 2E6 (Tel: 416-240-7262)
Swami Vivekananda s Birth Tithi Puja will be held on Sunday, February 03, 2013 at 10:30 am. The programme will include havan, bhajans, reading, puja and flower offering followed by prasad distribution. 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. VIGIL: On Saturday, January 19, 2013, a vigil consisting of japa and meditation will be observed, from 6:00 am to 6:00 pm. To participate, please call the centre at 416-240- 7262. RAM NAM: Sunday January 20, 2013 at 5:00 pm. 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 instruction. Appointments for interviews should be made in advance with the Swami at 416-240-7262. DAILY MEDITATION: Meditation is observed at the Centre every morning from 6:00 am to 7:00 am. Devotional singing and UPCOMING EVENTS REGULAR PROGRAMMES Saraswati Puja will be held on Sunday, February 10, 2013 at 1:30 pm during Vidya Mandir Session. The programme will include, chanting, bhajans, puja and flower offering. meditation is held in the evenings from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm. DAILY BREAD FOOD BANK: Many less fortunate families are dependent on the food bank for their daily nutrition. Please help us by contributing non-perishable food items that we may pass along to the Daily Bread Food Bank. SOUP KITCHEN: The Soup is cooked at the Vedanta Society and offered 9 days in a month serving 450 meals at Syme Woolner Neighbourhood & Family Centre, 2468 Eglinton Ave W, Unit 3, Toronto, ON, M6M 5E2. Please contact the Centre, if you are interested in participating. Donations for the will be highly appreciated. BOOK STORE: The Book Store is open after Sunday Services and special programmes, and arrangements can be made by phone for weekday and Saturday visits. We carry selected titles from the Ramakrishna-Vivekananda literature, as well as other Vedantic materials. SAYINGS OF HOLYMOTHER My child, you have been extremely fortunate in getting this human birth. Have intense devotion to God. One must work hard. Can one achieve anything without effort? You must devote some time for prayer even in the midst of the busiest hours of the day. Do the Master's work, and along with that practice spiritual disciplines too. Work helps one to keep off idle thoughts. If one is without work, such thoughts rush into one's mind. I tell you one thing - if you want peace, do not find fault with others. Rather see your own faults. Learn to make the whole world your own. No one is a stranger, my child; the whole world is your own.
Vedanta Society of Toronto Minister and Teacher - Swami Kripamayananda, Ramakrishna Order of India Sunday Mon CALENDAR OF EVENTS January 2013 Tuesday Wed Thursday Friday Saturday 1 5:00 pm KALPATARU UTSAV 2 3 4 5 9:30am 6 11:00am Holy Mother Sarada devi S Birth Anniversary Celebration 7 8 9:30am 9 10 11 7:30pm Scripture class: Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna 12 10:30 am Music of Faith 13 11am GUEST LECTURE: Multi Faith Diverse Community By Fr. Eric Howes VVM 1:30 pm 14 15 9:30am 16 17 9:30am Soup Kitchen 18 7:30pm Scripture class: Vivekachudamani 19 9:30am 6am to 6pm VIGIL 20 11am Lecture: Swami Saradananda: What We Can Learn From His Life VVM 1:30 pm 5:00pm Ram Nam 27 11am Lecture: Holy Mother and Humanity VVM 1:30 pm 21 22 9:30am 28 29 9:30am 23 24 25 7:30pm Scripture class: Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna 30 31 26 9:30am TAX RECEIPTS FOR 2012 As in the previous years, the Tax Receipts for 2012 will be issued by the end of February, 2013. If you do not receive your tax receipt by March 7, 2013 or if there is any discrepancy in the receipt, please let us know immediately. The cut-off date for accepting donations for 2012 is December 31, 2012. Therefore, members who wish to receive a tax receipt for 2012 should kindly ensure that their cheques are dated no later than December 31, 2012. Such cheques can be accepted until January 15, 2013.