Vedanta Center of Atlanta: February events
Vedanta Center of Atlanta: February 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.
Sunday, February 5
Talk: “Nature Is for the Soul!” w/ Br. Shankara
During February, we are studying Karma Yoga, a spiritual path centered on the abandonment of selfishness, and service to others. Working in this spirit, your thoughts and actions are increasingly inspired by a recognition of the Divine Essence within yourself, and in every person or being that you serve.
Nature, Mother, Prakriti — for the purposes of Sunday’s talk, these will be equivalent terms.
For example: “There is a beautiful aphorism in Patanjali: ‘Nature is for the soul, not the soul for nature.’” — from Swami Prabhavananda’s Realizing God
Addressing the Divine Mother, Brahma says: “… you are pleasing, yea more pleasing than all the pleasing things and exceedingly beautiful. … And whatever or wherever a thing exists … whatever power all that possesses is yourself.” — from the Devi Mahatmyam (Glory of the Divine Mother)
Sri Krishna to Arjuna: “The supreme Brahman in this body is also known as the Witness. It makes all our actions possible, and, as it were, sanctions them, experiencing all our experiences. He who has … known (this Witness) to be other than Prakriti and the gunas, will not be reborn …” — from Bhagavad Gita, Ch. 13
On Sunday morning, Br. Shankara will weave these and other texts together, and explore how they are an essential foundation for the practice of Karma Yoga.
Sat., Feb. 11th @ 10am-2pm
SEVA SATURDAY
Seva means serving in the fellowship of volunteers or Karma Yogis!
One Saturday per month, we invite you to join fellow devotees and friends who help revitalize the Vedanta Center and keep the premises beautiful.
To all karma yogis considering Seva Saturday:
Seva Saturday begins at 10am and goes until 2pm. We break for lunch for an hour at noon. If you are unable to join us for the full four hours, please come and spend as much time as you wish.
At 11:30 we start taking orders for lunch. At 11:45 a run is made to Subway to get made-to-your-order sandwiches, salads & chips. Lunch starts about noon, as soon as the food gets to the Center.
Please join us this Saturday as we all work together to make your Center sparkle and shine!
Sunday, February 12
“Decisions, Choices, Promises, Vows” w/ Br. Shankara
Vedanta teaches that there is only One Reality (Brahman). Sri Ramakrishna said, “It is Satchidananda Itself that has become all — the Creator, māyā, the universe, and living beings.”
Each of us, to one degree or another, is a karma yogi. We all practice some selfless service to others. Yet many of us serve, primarily, only our family and friends.
Is that a “bad thing?” Surely not. Yet, when we think about it carefully, we realize that time and energy spent on this kind of service does not yield lasting peace of mind.
Why? When we limit those we serve wholeheartedly to the near and dear, it may mean that we are not serving them out of a sense of their Divine Presence. Rather, this service is likely to be done out of a sense of duty – morality – traditional values.
Again, is this inherently wrong? Of course not. Yet, if we are honest, we must admit that no matter how great our self-sacrifice or demonstration of love may be, the satisfaction of that action fades to insignificance within just a few days.
On Sunday morning we will review and explore Karma Yoga principles and practices that can lead to lasting peace of mind, and strong spiritual progress.
Sunday, February 19 
“Sri Krishna and the Field of Action” w/ Br. Shankara
In Chapter 13 of Bhagavad Gita, Sri Krishna tells his friend and disciple Arjuna:
“This body is called the Field, because a man sows seeds of action in it, and reaps their fruits. Wise men say the Knower of the Field is he who watches what takes place within this body.
Recognize me as the Knower of the Field in every body. I regard discrimination between the Field and the Knower as the highest kind of knowledge.”
Karma means action. Here, Sri Krishna defines the knowledge we must find within ourselves, to succeed on the path of selfless action — Karma Yoga.
On Sunday morning, we will explore Ch. 13 further. This may help us understand how, in Ch. 3, Sri Krishna can make this tremendous, reassuring promise: “Even a little practice of (karma) yoga will save you from the terrible wheel of rebirth and death.”
Sunday, February 26
Open Forum: Karma Yoga, facilitated by Balakrishna Nuli
This month we are studying Karma Yoga, a spiritual path centered on the abandonment of selfishness, and service to others. Working in this spirit, our thoughts and actions are increasingly inspired by a recognition of the Divine Essence within every person or being that we serve. On Sunday, we’ll have the opportunity to share with one another our karma yoga practices, experiences, thoughts, and questions.
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Sunday, March 5 - Sri Ramakrishna Birthday Celebration & Potluck Lunch
