If a man has faith in the words of his guru and follows them, then all his doubts and troubles vanish. If a man has faith in the words of his guru, God will meet all his wants. Holding him by the hand, He will lead him on the right path. (Et. Comp. p. 126) Swami Brahmananda
- It is only through divine grace that a man can withdraw his mind from the external world and keep it fixed on God's holy feet. (Etermal. Companion. p. 40)
- The sins of many births can be wiped out in a moment by one glance from the gracious eye of God. (Et. Comp. p. 60)
And there was the time at Ridgely - an incident not related by Miss MacLeod, but by Hollister - when the young boy walked by Swamiji's (Swami Vivekananda) closed bedroom door and heard peals of laughter coming from the room. When Swamiji emerged later, Hollister asked, "Whom were you talking to?" "I was alone in meditation," Swamiji said. "But what was all that laughter about?" Hollister persisted. And after a pause to recall his laughter in meditation, Swamiji replied, "Oh, God is so funny!"
New Discoveries, by Marie Louise Burke Vol 3 page 80
From: BRAHMANANDA‑HIS LIFE AND TEACHING , The Eternal Companion 133
Maharaj
Puja means both external ritualistic worship and mental worship. In ritualistic worship certain accessories are necessary. These are sometimes difficult to procure; therefore, the mental worship is more convenient for you. First worship the Chosen Ideal mentally with flowers, incense, etc., and then practice meditation and mental japam. In purely mental japam the mantram (name of God) is repeated without moving the lips, but in ordinary japam the mantram is repeated silently with the movement of the lips.
As you meditate on your Chosen Ideal, think of him as light and effulgence, and that everything shines because of his light. Think of him as living and conscious. As you continue thus, the form of your Chosen Ideal will gradually melt into the formless, into the Infinite. Then will follow a vivid sense of the Living Presence, until, finally, the eye of wisdom will open and the Infinite will be directly perceived. Ali! that is another realm, far beyond this universe! After this experience the universe appears as nothing; the mind is dissolved and you experience savikalpa samadhi. This leads gradually to the realization of the nirvikalpa samadhi‑absolute union with God. This experience is beyond all thought and speech; there is nothing to be seen, nothing to be heard. All is infinite silence! It is "beyond duality and non‑duality."
By thinking day and night of God one acquires the nature of God.
God will certainly reveal himself to you if you pray to him with sincerity.
Sri Ramakrishna
…Sanatana Dharma, Eternal Law teaches us that all creation is governed by law and that there is a fabric to existence, to our physical, psychological, and spiritual identities that is arranged in accordance with that law.
To be relevant, philosophy must be grounded in value-oriented principles that guide, enhance and sustain the life we have been give.
Hanuman has discovered the great mystery of life - that with God enshrined in our hearts each of us can be a hero or heroine with a great purpose: to accomplish the doing of God's will uniquely configured within each of us.
from Ramayana, A Story for our Mythic Moment
by Gard Jameson
Special Notice: We are NOT "Om Ramakrishna". If you have a charge on a credit card with this name, it is the 76 gas station at 4708 Charleston, Las Vegas. We currently do not process credit cards.
Excerpt from the lyrics from the Vivekananda Oratorio
Believe that you are the children of God, the heirs of infinite strength and bliss.
Believe that your body and mind are sacred temples.
Believe that God pervades every man, and every woman.
He pervades every tree and creeper, every sentient and insentient being.
The presence of God must be realized everywhere.
He is the personal and impersonal, with and without form.
He dwells in all beings. He pervades land and waters.
He pervades hills and valleys. He pervades the sky and stars. He pervades all things.
There is none except the Divine in the entire universe.
See God in the blue of the sky, the waves of the sea.
See God in the face of a friend, in the simplicity of a child.
See God in the horrors of death, in the steadfastness of the saint.
There is none except the Divine in the entire universe.
Quote from Albert Einstein:
"Something deeply hidden must have been behind things."
Quote from Andrew Newburg's Great Courses The Spiritual Brain:
In describing a cosmic religious feeling, one scholar said the following:
It is very difficult to explain this feeling to anyone who is entirely without it. … The individual feels the nothingness of human desires and aims and the sublimity and marvelous order which reveal themselves both in Nature and in the world of thought. He looks upon individual existence as a sort of prison and wants to experience the universe as a single significant whole.
That scholar was Albert Einstein; and it’s fascinating to consider his description in more detail, especially from the brain perspective. He speaks about the feelings; he speaks about the “nothingness” and the marvelous order; and ultimately, perceiving the universe as a single significant whole.
Quote from the new book Swami Swahananda, A Profile in Greatness by Malay Das. page 17
He (Swami Swahananda) explained that one could always pray to Thakur or Mother, who can absorb an infinite number of problems. But if I want to pray on behalf of someone who is sick, I was to pray to Mother, not Thakur. And to pray this way:" Mother, please make this person free of suffering. We are your children. Who else besides you can I ask?" He said that Mother usually responds when the prayer is wholehearted. Page 37
Quote from A Light to the West: Life and Teachings of Swami Prabhavananda by Pravrajika Anandaprana
"The Kingdom of God is within you." The sea of consciousness lies centered in every heart. In this sea of consciousness there are infinite aspects of God. Whichever aspect you remember at the moment, that aspect becomes present immediately within you. So when you worship Rama, know that it is Rama that fills this sea of consciousness in the depths of your own being. Or, when you think of Mother Kali, know that it is she alone who dwells within. To think of God is to see God—for his presence abides forever and ever within your own heart.
Believe that you are the children of God, the heirs of infinite strength and bliss.
Believe that your body and mind are sacred temples.
Believe that God pervades every man, and every woman.
He pervades every tree and creeper, every sentient and insentient being.
The presence of God must be realized everywhere.
He is the personal and impersonal, with and without form.
He dwells in all beings. He pervades land and waters.
He pervades hills and valleys. He pervades the sky and stars. He pervades all things.
There is none except the Divine in the entire universe.
See God in the blue of the sky, the waves of the sea.
See God in the face of a friend, in the simplicity of a child.
See God in the horrors of death, in the steadfastness of the saint.
There is none except the Divine in the entire universe.
Quote from Albert Einstein:
"Something deeply hidden must have been behind things."
Quote from Andrew Newburg's Great Courses The Spiritual Brain:
In describing a cosmic religious feeling, one scholar said the following:
It is very difficult to explain this feeling to anyone who is entirely without it. … The individual feels the nothingness of human desires and aims and the sublimity and marvelous order which reveal themselves both in Nature and in the world of thought. He looks upon individual existence as a sort of prison and wants to experience the universe as a single significant whole.
That scholar was Albert Einstein; and it’s fascinating to consider his description in more detail, especially from the brain perspective. He speaks about the feelings; he speaks about the “nothingness” and the marvelous order; and ultimately, perceiving the universe as a single significant whole.
Quote from the new book Swami Swahananda, A Profile in Greatness by Malay Das. page 17
He (Swami Swahananda) explained that one could always pray to Thakur or Mother, who can absorb an infinite number of problems. But if I want to pray on behalf of someone who is sick, I was to pray to Mother, not Thakur. And to pray this way:" Mother, please make this person free of suffering. We are your children. Who else besides you can I ask?" He said that Mother usually responds when the prayer is wholehearted. Page 37
Quote from A Light to the West: Life and Teachings of Swami Prabhavananda by Pravrajika Anandaprana
"The Kingdom of God is within you." The sea of consciousness lies centered in every heart. In this sea of consciousness there are infinite aspects of God. Whichever aspect you remember at the moment, that aspect becomes present immediately within you. So when you worship Rama, know that it is Rama that fills this sea of consciousness in the depths of your own being. Or, when you think of Mother Kali, know that it is she alone who dwells within. To think of God is to see God—for his presence abides forever and ever within your own heart.
Click on the arrows above to hear the final solo and choruses to the Vivekananda Oratorio and the Parable of the Chameleon.
More musical selections on the events page.
Ramakrishna Vedanta Center of Las Vegas, Nevada
10732 Balsam Creek, Las Vegas 89144
SwamiAV@vedantalasvegas.org
wascottiii@gmail.com
atmavidya@vedanta.org
Our Purpose
The Ramakrishna Vedanta Center of Las Vegas is dedicated to the following goals:
The current minister is Swami Atmavidyananda, a monk of the Ramakrishna Order of India. Swami Atmavidyananda resides at the Vedanta Society of Southern California. He comes to Las Vegas to give lectures, retreats, and to hold worship services approximately once each month. From time to time, other Swamis of the Ramakrishna Order will visit the center as well. Please sign up for our e-mail list to receive notices of future events.
Those who would like to be initiated into a specific spiritual practice should contact Swami Atmavidyananda to arrange an interview with Swami Sarvadevananda who is sanctioned to give initiation.
More musical selections on the events page.
Ramakrishna Vedanta Center of Las Vegas, Nevada
10732 Balsam Creek, Las Vegas 89144
SwamiAV@vedantalasvegas.org
wascottiii@gmail.com
atmavidya@vedanta.org
Our Purpose
The Ramakrishna Vedanta Center of Las Vegas is dedicated to the following goals:
- Teaching Vedanta philosophy and spiritual practices based on the teachings of Sri Ramakrishna and Swami Vivekananda.
- Providing a place for the practice of meditation, prayer, and worship.
- Promoting harmony among religions.
- Helping individuals to deepen their spiritual practices.
The current minister is Swami Atmavidyananda, a monk of the Ramakrishna Order of India. Swami Atmavidyananda resides at the Vedanta Society of Southern California. He comes to Las Vegas to give lectures, retreats, and to hold worship services approximately once each month. From time to time, other Swamis of the Ramakrishna Order will visit the center as well. Please sign up for our e-mail list to receive notices of future events.
Those who would like to be initiated into a specific spiritual practice should contact Swami Atmavidyananda to arrange an interview with Swami Sarvadevananda who is sanctioned to give initiation.
Highlights from the last lecture on Spiritual Practices and the Brain
Mind and brain are not the same. Brain is best understood as the physical organ through which consciousness expresses itself.
Materialists try to explain the origin consciousness out of the physical brain but have so far failed.
People do spiritual practices because they feel greater peace, calmness, clarity of thought, improved health, and strength of will. In addition, Mystics report a loss of sense of self, expanded awareness, merging of pairs of opposites, oneness with all things or God.
Spiritual rituals help many brains to become synchronized to a rhythm.
Meditation involves focuses attention, feelings of arousal or bliss, diminishment of the sense of self, a loss of the sense of space and time, and a feeling of oneness or unity.
Prayer can have similar effects.
Verbal meditations and prayer will engage areas of the brain related to language and auditory stimulus.
Visual meditations will engage visual areas of the brain.
Meditation and prayer result in decreased heart rate, blood pressure, and metabolism. Serotonin, dopamine, and GABA are increased. Cortisol and norepinephrine are decreased.
There is decreased activity in the parietal lobe associated with our sense of space and time.
Ramakrishnananda (a disciple of Ramakrishna) said that the more we try to fix our minds on God, the more quickly shall we forget ourselves and the more quickly shall we reach freedom.
Another direct disciple recommends that to attach the mind to God, see God in everything about you. Smear God over everything, and your mind will think of Him alone.
God Himself blesses one with the power of meditation who thinks of Him. (Swami Brahmananda)
Peace comes from spiritual practice either directly or as a result of removing fear. Swami Shivananda said that the mind can be absolutely free from fear if it thinks about God.. … Don’t be frightened! If you are dependent on God, then you will see that He is protecting you.
Simple Yogic breathing activates the calm and connect system of the brain – sometimes called the rest and digest system and known as the parasympathetic nervous system. It reduces anxiety and depression.
The more complicated pranayama exercises are not generally recommended by the direct disciples of Sri. Ramakrishna.
Movement based spiritual exercises such as Yoga, Tai Chi, and Qigong also activate the para-sympathetic nervous system, help to induce alpha and sometimes theta waves, and shift neurotransmitters in a positive way. Microcirculation in areas of mental focus is increased, and there are positive influences on natural killer cells.
Dopamine and GABA levels increased during yoga asana meditation.
We can understand from these results why the direct disciples of Sri Ramakrishna emphasized doing japa, prayer, and meditation. Here are some quotes to conclude this summary:
Swami Brahmananda
Initiation into a Mantra helps concentration of mind, otherwise your mind will change and fluctuate… With the aid of a mantram it is easier to practice concentration of the mind on one Chosen Ideal of God.
Have intense love for God and the mind will remain always tranquil and pure.
There is no greater guru than your own mind. When the mind has been purified by prayer and contemplation, it will direct you from within.
Swami Premananda
God is the inner ruler; He sees and knows everything. Pray and tell him all your wants with a guileless and sincere mind. He is more yours than you yourself. He will certainly listen to your prayers.
Mind and brain are not the same. Brain is best understood as the physical organ through which consciousness expresses itself.
Materialists try to explain the origin consciousness out of the physical brain but have so far failed.
People do spiritual practices because they feel greater peace, calmness, clarity of thought, improved health, and strength of will. In addition, Mystics report a loss of sense of self, expanded awareness, merging of pairs of opposites, oneness with all things or God.
Spiritual rituals help many brains to become synchronized to a rhythm.
Meditation involves focuses attention, feelings of arousal or bliss, diminishment of the sense of self, a loss of the sense of space and time, and a feeling of oneness or unity.
Prayer can have similar effects.
Verbal meditations and prayer will engage areas of the brain related to language and auditory stimulus.
Visual meditations will engage visual areas of the brain.
Meditation and prayer result in decreased heart rate, blood pressure, and metabolism. Serotonin, dopamine, and GABA are increased. Cortisol and norepinephrine are decreased.
There is decreased activity in the parietal lobe associated with our sense of space and time.
Ramakrishnananda (a disciple of Ramakrishna) said that the more we try to fix our minds on God, the more quickly shall we forget ourselves and the more quickly shall we reach freedom.
Another direct disciple recommends that to attach the mind to God, see God in everything about you. Smear God over everything, and your mind will think of Him alone.
God Himself blesses one with the power of meditation who thinks of Him. (Swami Brahmananda)
Peace comes from spiritual practice either directly or as a result of removing fear. Swami Shivananda said that the mind can be absolutely free from fear if it thinks about God.. … Don’t be frightened! If you are dependent on God, then you will see that He is protecting you.
Simple Yogic breathing activates the calm and connect system of the brain – sometimes called the rest and digest system and known as the parasympathetic nervous system. It reduces anxiety and depression.
The more complicated pranayama exercises are not generally recommended by the direct disciples of Sri. Ramakrishna.
Movement based spiritual exercises such as Yoga, Tai Chi, and Qigong also activate the para-sympathetic nervous system, help to induce alpha and sometimes theta waves, and shift neurotransmitters in a positive way. Microcirculation in areas of mental focus is increased, and there are positive influences on natural killer cells.
Dopamine and GABA levels increased during yoga asana meditation.
We can understand from these results why the direct disciples of Sri Ramakrishna emphasized doing japa, prayer, and meditation. Here are some quotes to conclude this summary:
Swami Brahmananda
Initiation into a Mantra helps concentration of mind, otherwise your mind will change and fluctuate… With the aid of a mantram it is easier to practice concentration of the mind on one Chosen Ideal of God.
Have intense love for God and the mind will remain always tranquil and pure.
There is no greater guru than your own mind. When the mind has been purified by prayer and contemplation, it will direct you from within.
Swami Premananda
God is the inner ruler; He sees and knows everything. Pray and tell him all your wants with a guileless and sincere mind. He is more yours than you yourself. He will certainly listen to your prayers.