Friday 1 October, 7.30 to 8.45 pm
Via Zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88434388900?pwd=UHI5cDRyZW9SZzdrRGN1bkdmV2h3Zz09
Group discussion led by Pravrajika Gayatriprana, a senior nun of Sri Sarada Math of the Ramakrishna Order.
Continuing Study of Chapter 6, The Yoga of Meditation – Verses 16 – 19
THEMES FOR DISCUSSION:
- The Middle Path: In spiritual life and daily life in general, great teachers like Buddha and Krishna advise avoiding extremes, “Neither too much austerity nor too much sense indulgence.”
- When the Time is Ripe: At some point in our evolution, we will feel “A hunger for the divine,” compelling us to pursue a more spiritual life. We cannot force it; it will come naturally.
- Masters of Ourselves: The path of Yoga describes two states of mind: the scattered and the gathered. The scattered is the normal state; the gathered is a common experience in sleep. Our spiritual challenge is to have a less scattered mind, gathered not just in sleep but throughout the day by meditation and mindfulness.
- Be a Yogi Without Meditation?: Along with meditation, the Gita advocates the value of all yogic paths: action (karma), devotion (bhakti), and knowledge (jnana). It’s a matter of temperament and circumstances that determine which path/s we tap into the most. “
Learn more in the discussion.
Bhagavad Gita:
We’re exploring a spiritual classic that’s enriched cultures throughout Asia over the centuries and inspired leading figures in modern times from Mohandas Gandhi, Albert Einstein, Carl Jung, and Aldous Huxley to astronaut Sunita Williams who took a copy of the Bhagavad Gita to the international space station.
We’re dipping into Swami Ranganathananda’s 3 volume commentary: Universal Message of the Bhagavad Gita. The late President of the Ramakrishna Order, the Swami was a world thinker and cultural ambassador for India, sponsored by the Government to travel to over 50 countries around the world giving lectures.
