VEDANTA SOCIETY OF NORTHERN CALIFORNIA 2323 Vallejo Street (at Fillmore) San Francisco, CA 94123

Swami Tattwamayananda, Minister Ramakrishna Order of India

MARCH 2019

SUNDAY LECTURES: 11 A.M. March 3: “The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna as a

Spiritual Classic” Swami Tattwamayananda March 10: NO LECTURE March 17: “The Spiritual Message – Part I” Swami Vedananda March 24: “The Spiritual Message – Part II” Swami Vedananda March 31: “A Vedantic Approach to Health” Swami Tattwamayananda After the lecture, there is a Q&A session in Vivekananda Hall, and all are welcome. _____________________________________________

WEDNESDAY VESPERS: 7:30 P.M. New Temple Auditorium Worship, Devotional Singing, and Meditation March 6, 13, 20, and 27.

SIVARATRI Monday, March 4, 7:30 p.m., New Temple We will celebrate Shivaratri, the night dedicated to Lord Shiva, with a worship and flower offering at 7:30 p.m. After refreshments there will be chanting, reading, and meditation in the auditorium from 9 till 10:30 p.m.

SRI RAMAKRISHNA’S BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION Saturday, March 9, 10 a.m., New Temple On Saturday, March 9, a special worship will be performed in honor of Sri Ramakrishna’s birthday at 10 o’clock in the morning. The program will also include meditation, chanting, devotional singing, readings from the life and teachings of Sri Ramakrishna, flower offerings by devotees, and a prasad luncheon. Child care will be provided.

BHAGAVAD GITA CLASS Fridays, 7:30 p.m., Old Temple A scripture class by Swami Tattwamayananda on March 1, 15, 22, and 29; no class on March 8.

Phone: 415 -922-2323 E-mai l : t em p le@sf vedan ta .o rg W ebsi te : www.s f vedan ta . o rg Facebook : f acebook .com /s f vedan ta L iv es t ream: l i ves t r eam .com /s f vedan ta Y ouTube : you tu be .com /use r /s f vedan ta Sw ami T a t tw amayananda : t a t twa @s f vedan ta .o rg

New Temple 4 S h i v a ra t r i 4

Monday, March 4, 2019, 7:30 p.m.

Worship & Flower Offering Refreshments 7:30 p.m. 8:30 p.m.

Chanting, Reading, and Meditation 9 to 10:30 p.m.

In Ce lebrat ion Of S r i R a m a k r i s h n a ’ s B i r t h d a y

Saturday, March 9, 2019

Formal Worship Devotional Singing 10 a.m. 11 a.m.

Readings from the Life and Teachings of Sri Ramakrishna

11:45 a.m.

Flower Offerings by Devotees Prasad Luncheon

12:15 p.m.

(Child Care Provided)

Wednesday Evenings: Vespers & Meditation

7:30 – 8:15 p.m. Devotional Singing, Worship, and Meditation

TEMPLE HOURS. The temple is open daily for meditation from 8 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. On Tuesdays the temple is closed.

INTERVIEWS with Swami Tattwamayananda may be scheduled by those who wish to know more about Vedanta. Specific instruction and guidance are given by the swami to anyone who earnestly desires to undertake spiritual practice. Those wishing to make appointments with the swami may do so by speaking with him after the services or by telephoning 415-922-2323 or by e-mailing: tattwa@sfvedanta.org.

MEMBERSHIP in the Society is open to anyone who accepts the principles of Vedanta, who can participate regularly in its activities, and who receives the recommendation of the swami in charge.

THE SRI SARADA LIBRARY is open on Sundays from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m., following the lecture, and at other times by appointment.

BOOKSHOP HOURS Mondays: 2 ‒ 5 p.m. Tuesdays: CLOSED Wednesdays ‒ Fridays: 2 ‒ 5 p.m. Saturdays: 11 a.m. ‒ 5 p.m. Sundays: 1 ‒ 5 p.m. The bookshop carries translations of principal Vedantic scriptures, books on Vedanta and other world religions, and children’s books. A large selection of books, incense, photos, etc., may be ordered online at sfvedanta.org. Orders may also be placed by phone or fax. E-mail: books@sfvedanta.org.

To view or listen to lectures, classes, and retreats, please visit:

WEBSITE sfvedanta.org FACEBOOK

facebook.com/sfvedanta YOUTUBE

youtube.com/user/SFVedanta LIVESTREAM

livestream.com/sfvedanta

Old Temple 2963 Webster Street

Auditorium Entrance on Filbert Street A CLASS on Vedantic scriptures is conducted on Fridays by Swami Tattwamayananda at 7:30 p.m. The text for study is the Bhagavad Gita.

THE ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING of the Society will be held on Saturday, March 16, at 3 p.m. at the Old Temple. Reports of the past year will be presented, the Board of Directors for the coming year will be elected, and urgent matters concerning the Society will be discussed. The meeting is only for members, and all members are earnestly requested to be present.

SUNDAY SCHOOL Classes are held on Sundays from 11 a.m. to 12 noon for children in first grade through high school to give them a general knowledge of Vedanta, to acquaint them with the basic teachings of the major living religions. Parents wishing to enroll their children are invited to speak to the secretary of the Society.

Vedanta Retreat Olema, Marin County

The Society’s retreat provides an opportunity to spiritual seekers of all faiths to meditate and study in a secluded area of meadows and forests away from the disturbances of urban life. The retreat is open daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. For more information, please visit our website sfvedanta.org or phone 415-922-2323.

TWO PATHS: KNOWLEDGE AND DEVOTION

The jnani (one who follows the path of knowledge) experiences God-Consciousness within himself; it is like the upper Ganges, flowing in only one direction. To him the whole universe is illusory, like a dream; he is always established in the reality of Self. But with the lover of God the case is different. His feeling does not flow in only one direction. He feels both the ebb tide and the flood tide of divine emotion. He laughs and weeps and dances and sings in the ecstasy of God. The lover of God likes to sport with Him. In the ocean of God-Consciousness he sometimes swims, sometimes goes down, and sometimes rises to the surface—like pieces of ice in the water.

The jnani seeks to realize Brahman. But the ideal of the bhakta (lover of God) is the personal God—a God endowed with omnipotence and with the six treasures [namely, fortune, glory, strength, splendor, knowledge, and renunciation]. Yet Brahman and Shakti are, in fact, not different. That which is the blissful Mother is, again, Existence-Knowledge-Bliss Absolute. They are like the gem and its lustre. When one speaks of the lustre of the gem, one thinks of the gem; and, again, when one speaks of the gem, one refers to its lustre. One cannot conceive of the gem without thinking of its lustre.

Existence-Knowledge-Bliss Absolute is one and one only. But it is associated with different limiting adjuncts on account of the different degrees of its manifestation. That is why one finds various forms of God. The devotee sings, ‘O my divine Mother, thou art all these!’ Wherever you see actions like creation, preservation, and dissolution, there is the manifestation of Shakti. Water is water whether it is calm or full of waves and bubbles. The Absolute alone is the primordial energy, which creates, preserves, and destroys.

−Sri Ramakrishna The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna, page 277