Vedanta Center of Atlanta: October events
Vedanta Center of Atlanta: October events
Times:
10:30am-11am: silent meditation in the Chapel before each Sunday’s talk.
11am-noon: talk and worship in the chapel.
noon-1:30pm: devotees and friends meet in the Monastery for tea, coffee, snacks and a continuation of our spiritual fellowship.
Please join us!
PS: Please be on time. The service starts promptly at 11AM.
Venue: 2331 Brockett Rd, Tucker, GA 30084
Contact: (770) 938-6673 ; http://vedantaatlanta.org, http://vedantaatlanta.org/calendar-of-activities-events/
See Calendar for details about any particular Sunday.
Note: There is silent meditation in the Chapel from 10:30-11am, before each Sunday’s talk. After the talk, devotees and friends meet in the Monastery from noon to 1:30pm, for tea, coffee, snacks and a continuation of our spiritual fellowship.
Spiritual talks and classes are open to the public and free of charge.
October is a month for study of Jnana Yoga (Advaita Vedanta). As a jnana yogi, you practice discrimination, reason, detachment, and satyagraha (insistence on Truth).
The goal is freedom from limitation (mukti). Our teachers say that all miseries in life are caused by seeing inaccurately. An earnest and persistent jnani may break through this misapprehension (maya) and see only the Divine Presence everywhere, in everything and everyone.
“According to Advaita metaphysics, Brahman—the ultimate, transcendent and immanent God of the latter Vedas—appears as the world because of its creative energy (māyā). The world has no separate existence apart from Brahman. The experiencing self (jīva) and the transcendental self of the Universe (ātman) are in reality identical (both are Brahman), though the individual self seems different as space within a container seems different from space as such. These cardinal doctrines are represented in the anonymous verse “Brahma Satyam Jagad Mithya; Jivo Brahmaiva Na Aparah” (Brahman is alone True, and this world of plurality is an error; the individual self is not different from Brahman). Plurality is experienced because of errors in judgments (Mithya) and ignorance (Avidya). Knowledge of Brahman removes these errors and causes liberation from the cycle of transmigration and worldly bondage.”
— from VedantaZenOneness:
YouTube URL: https://goo.gl/GtDhnu
* NEW CLASS * Aditya Chaturvedi is now conducting weekly Sanskrit classes at the Center on Thursdays from 7:30 pm – 8:45 pm. No prior knowledge of the language is required. The aim of the course is to enable students to recite the scriptures like the Bhagavad Gita and the Chandi correctly, and understand them in their original. For more information contact Aditya Chaturvedi at 470-338-3613. RSVP at adityachaturvedi123@gmail.com
Saturday October 5th at 9am: Blessedly, next month's chanting of the Chandi in Sanskrit falls on Ashtami, the eighth day of nine nights celebrating Goddess Durga. The chanting is led by Rita Bhandarkar Mathew.
- Sandhi Puja will be observed that Saturday night from 1:00 AM to 1:48 AM (Oct 6th). We chant “Jai Sri Durga” together for 48 Mins.
The next day, Sunday October 6th, starting at 11am, Durga Puja will be performed by Aditya Chaturvedi. As usual, this will be followed by a potluck prasad lunch in the Monastery (12:30-2pm).
Reminder: This year’s Navaratri chanting (“Jai Sri Durga”) began Saturday, September 28th (9-28 to 10-8-19). If you plan to participate, please email your pledge to info@vedantaatlanta.org. See the Bulletin emailed to you on Sept. 24th for more details.
A Nonviolent Communications Practice Group is forming at the Center. Please see Jyothi or email her at yogini2001@gmail.com if you are interested in attending.
Oct. 12, 9am (Sat) - Chandi Hymns recited in English w/ Br. Shankara
Oct. 12, 10am-2pm (Sat) - Seva Saturday Join us as you are able, to care for and improve your Center. Vegetarian lunch served at 12:30pm.
Oct. 13 @ 11am - Talk: A Jnana Yogi’s Way of Life
w/ Br. Shankara
This Sunday morning we will discuss the life led by someone who is likely to succeed on the Jnana (advaita) path toward liberation.
What is the character and temperament of a jnani, and how must he or she live, to awaken from maya’s spell and overcome the illusion of plurality?
Br. Shankara will draw from the teachings of Adi Shankaracharya, Sri Ramakrishna, Swami Vivekananda, and Ramana Maharshi.
Oct. 20 @ 11am - Talk: “Jainism & Vedanta: A Comparison”
w/ Uma Majmudar, Ph.D.
Jainism, one of the major religions of the world, is as old as Hinduism, if not older! As an ancient faith tradition, Jainism is particularly relevant in today's volatile environment of religious intolerance and violence all around. It places primary emphasis on nonviolence (ahimsa), compassion toward all (jiva-daya), openness to multiple aspects of truth (anekantavada), and aparigraha (non-possession).
Because of these and other spiritual disciplines, Jainism bears a striking similarity to Vedanta in its vision of the permanence of the ‘Self,” and its ultimate goal of liberation or moksha from the incessant cycle of birth-death-and- rebirth. Especially striking is its strong stress on ethical self-disciplines for the purity of the sou, which students of Vedanta — including those of Patanjali's Yogasutra — know very well!
After introducing the basic tenets of Jainism, Dr. Majmudar will explore the areas of philosophical and practical similarities and dissimilarities between Jainism and Vedanta. These will be offered with a caveat that, while differences are there, they are not so vital as to pull them asunder. The overall picture that emerges is of a mutually enhancing, congruent kinship between two of the world’s oldest faith traditions.
Oct 20 @ 5pm: Jerry's Jam, music
Come hang out with us, relax, and enjoy some *note*worthy music performed by long-time friends Jerry Brunner, Bruce Gilbert, Ron Hipp, Steve Cullen, and Cyndi Craven!
Completely unplugged and casual.
No cover. Donations accepted to cover expenses, but not required. Light snacks, tea, coffee, etc. will be available.
The Vedanta Center is located in Tucker at the corner of 2331 Brockett Road and Adrian Street. Ample parking is available in the parking lot on Adrian. Show is held in the Fellowship Hall.
Oct. 27 @ 11am - Guest speaker: Dr. Loyd Allen,
Professor of Church History and Spiritual Formation, McAfee School of Theology at Mercer University. His topic is “Thomas Merton’s True Self and Its Roots in the Spirituality of Creation”
On Sunday morning Dr. Allen will talk about the connection of Merton’s True Self teaching with his understanding of the nature of God’s creation.
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