{"id":782,"date":"2019-06-02T12:06:31","date_gmt":"2019-06-02T12:06:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/centers.saimedia.org\/chicagometro\/?page_id=782"},"modified":"2019-06-02T12:24:47","modified_gmt":"2019-06-02T12:24:47","slug":"watch-june-2019","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/centers.saimedia.org\/chicagometro\/watch-june-2019\/","title":{"rendered":"Watch: June 2019"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"InThisEdition\">In this edition<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><a href=\"#InUpComingEvents\">Upcoming events<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#GeethaVahini\">Geetha Vahini<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#Himself\">Life and Message of Buddha<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#Rama\">Overcoming Karma and experiencing Ananda<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#DevotionalActivities\">Devotional activities in Chicago and suburbs<\/a><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"InUpcomingEvents\">Upcoming Events<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\"><li> <strong>Sunday June 02, 2019, Membership Meeting<\/strong><ul><li>Bhajan starts at 10:30 AM followed by Membership Meeting<\/li><li>Time: 09:30 AM &#8211; 12:30 PM<\/li><li>Venue: River Forest Community Center<\/li><\/ul><\/li><li><strong>Saturday June 29, 2019 Bread Truck Project<\/strong><ul><li> Quarterly sandwich packing for Break Truck project<\/li><li>Time: 07:00 AM \u2013 09:00 AM<\/li><li>Venue: Orland Park, IL<\/li><\/ul><\/li><li><strong>Tuesday July, 16, 2019, Guru Poornima Celebrations<\/strong><ul><li>Guru Poornima Celebrations<\/li><li>Time: 07:30 PM \u2013 10:30 PM<\/li><li>Venue:  Sant Nirankari, 1S750 Route 59, West Chicago<\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p style=\"text-align:right\"><em><a href=\"#InThisEdition\">Back to the top<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"GeethaVahini\">Geetha Vahini<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Man has three chief instruments: the mind, the\nintellect, and the senses. It is when these three work in unison and co-operate\nwith one another that either \u2018immersal in the flux\u2019 or \u2018liberation in the\nknowledge of the Atma,\u2019 is realized. Krishna anticipated that Arjuna will be\npuzzled to know what will happen \u201cwhen which operates with which.\u201d So He himself\nprovided the answer. \u201cArjuna,\u201d He said, \u201cwhen the mind co-operates with the\nsenses, you enter into the flux called <em>samsara <\/em>(change). When it\nsubordinates itself to the intellect, you attain the knowledge of the Atma. One\npath leads to <em>Samsara-praapthi <\/em>(worldly fulfillment); the other, to <em>Atma-praapthi\n<\/em>(fulfillment of the soul). The intellect must resolve, the mind must carry\nout the resolution so made. That is the correct procedure.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Indriyas or senses have to be fully destroyed. That\nis the hallmark of a Sthithaprajna. So when all beings are experiencing night,\nthe Sthithaprajna would keep himself awake. When all beings are awake, the\nSthithaprajna would be asleep. The literal meaning of this is that what is\nnight for one is day for the other. But that would sound absurd. It would mean\nthe Sthithaprajna is a person who sleeps during the day and keeps awake at\nnight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><em>The inner meaning of this statement   is very profound. Ordinary men are vigilant in affairs that concern the   senses that arise out of this world. Wakefulness for them is the care they   bestow on worldly pursuits. But the Sthithaprajna is unconcerned with these   very things. He is, so to say, asleep. What does sleep mean? It means the   happiness resulting from inactivity of the senses. And vigilance? It means   yielding to the senses, and catering to them. When ordinary men are pursuing   the senses and their demands, the Sthithaprajna is asleep. This can also be   put in other words: Forget the Atmasthithi and you relapse into Dehasthithi,   from the Atma conscious-ness stage you fall into the body consciousness   stage.    <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This is what happens to the ordinary man. He sleeps in\nthe Atma stage and wakes into the Dehasthithi. The Sthithaprajna\u2019s case is\ndifferent. He sleeps in the Deha consciousness and wakes in the awareness of the\nAtma. He will not awake even by mistake, in the sensory world, the world where\nthe ordinary man is most vigilant! This is the inner meaning. It is far from\nthe literal meaning, which, if taken as true, would entitle thieves, watchmen\nand others to the name Sthithaprajna! For all these keep awake at nights and\nsleep during the day! Only those who have given up traces of desire and become\nmere instruments can achieve Shanthi (peace). Krishna ends the description of\nthe Sthithaprajna with an emphasis on \u201cKaama naa-thyaga\u201d the giving up of\nDesire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To man sorrowing on the battlefield of life, bewildered\nby the attractions and the distractions, not knowing where to turn and which\nroad to take, Madhava taught this Sankhya Yoga (II chapter). The other chapters\nare like commentaries on the teaching in this chapter. \u201cArjuna! Prepare\nyourself for giving up the mind, for being merged in your own Self. Withdraw\nthe mind from the sabda (sound), sparsa (touch), roopa (form), rasa (taste),\ngandha (smell) categories, the Five Elements. Then you become a Sthithaprajna,\u201d\nsaid Krishna. In this Second chapter He elaborated (in the 11th to the 38th\nsloka) on the Atma Thathwa (Atma Principle), in a simple easily understandable\nstyle.\n\nThen from the 39th to the\n75th sloka, He taught the Dharma-Karma (righteous action) attitude that is\nessential for attaining the Godhead, an attitude that is based on the Karma\nYoga (Yoga of action) which itself is embodied in the Samatha-buddhi\n(equanimity), already prescribed.\n\n\n\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p style=\"text-align:right\"><strong>-Excerpts from Geetha Vahini<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p style=\"text-align:right\"><em><a href=\"#InThisEdition\">Back to the top<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"Himself\">Life and Message of Buddha<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Buddha was a pure hearted person. When he was born, a\nrenowned astrologer had predicted that he would be either a great king or a\ngreat renunciant. On knowing this, Buddha\u2019s father, Shuddhodhana arranged to\nkeep from his son\u2019s sight all unseemly sights of happenings in this world. From\nhis childhood, Buddha could not bear the sight of anyone in pain. He was\nsaddened at the sight of the old ill-treating the young, of men in authority\nharassing the people and the big fish swallowing the small ones. He realized\nthat it was wrong for anyone to cause harm to others. Hence he declared,\n\u201cAhimsa Paramodharmah\u201d (Non-hurting is the Supreme Dharma). No one should cause\nhurt to others by speech, action or in any other way. According to him true\nDharma (Righteousness) consists in refraining from causing harm to anyone in\nthought, word or deed. Truth is God. Buddha taught that people should adhere to\ntruth and uphold it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Among Buddha\u2019s teachings the foremost were Sathya\n(Truth) and Dharma (Righteousness). These two are the teachings of the Vedas,\n\u201cSathyam vada, and Dharmam chara\u201d (Speak the Truth, practice righteousness).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The name given to Buddha at the time of birth was\nSarvaartha Siddha. Shuddhodhana got his son married to Yashodhara, daughter of\nhis brother-in-law, Shuddhabuddha. He apprehended that his son may become a\nrecluse and turn away from the world if he was left to himself. But Buddha did\nnot feel that a married life was the proper thing for him. Buddha felt that man\nwas bound by various attachments in worldly life. Friends and relations were\nthe cause of this bondage. Various human relationships were the cause of sorrow\nin the world. So he declared, \u201cSarvam duhkham, duhkham\u201d (All is sorrow). He\nalso declared, \u201cSarvam Kshanikam, Kshanikam\u201d (everything is momentary). \u201cSarvam\nnashyam, nashyam\u201d (everything is perishable).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Although all Avatars (divine advents) have been\npreaching only good things, men today are content to observe their birthdays\nwithout following their precepts. Buddha did not attach any importance to\nyajnas and other religious rituals. The reason is he felt that it was more\nimportant to ensure that the five sense organs were pure to begin with. Buddha\nsought to find out why the mind gets disturbed. He could not bear to see anyone\nsuffering. He was deeply grieved at the sight of persons afflicted with old\nage. He was intrigued at the sight of a dead body. None of these natural\nhappenings gave him peace of mind. Buddha considered the movements of the\nplanets and the sun and the stars as natural phenomena. He undertook many\nspiritual exercises to find out what transcended these natural phenomena.\nFailing to find the answers by these exercises, he approached many great elders\nto find the answers. None could give him satisfactory answers. Ultimately he\nreached Gaya and sat under a banyan tree to meditate on the problems that\nworried him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In a life filled with desires, the pleasures one seeks\nare inevitably followed by grief and disappointments. All unrighteous actions\nlead to sorrow. It was for this reason that Buddha emphasized the need for discrimination.\nThe first prayer, &#8220;Buddham Saranam Gachchaami&#8221; is a call for\ncultivating wisdom and discrimination, the Buddhi. But unless the power of\ndiscrimination is used for doing right action for the good of society it is of\nno use. Hence the second prayer, &#8220;Sangham Saranam Gachchaami&#8221; (I\nsurrender myself to society). What is this right action that must be done? That\nis indicated by the third prayer: &#8220;Dharmam Saranam Gachchaami&#8221; (I\ntake refuge in Dharma). To reach your goal, the royal road is Dharma\u2014Righteousness.\nIt is only when these three are combined\u2014Wisdom, social service and\nRighteousness\u2014that there is fulfillment in life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p style=\"text-align:right\">&#8211;<strong>Baba&#8217;s Divine Discourses<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p style=\"text-align:right\"><em><a href=\"#InThisEdition\">Back to the top<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"Rama\">Overcoming Karma and experiencing Ananda<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Once a yogi who was engaged in\nsevere ascetic practices prayed to Narada to bring back from Vaikuntha\ninformation about the date of his becoming entitled to enter into the Lord\u2019s\nabode. When Narada he pleaded on behalf of the yogi for a date. The Lord\nreplied, &#8220;Tell him that he will be coming here after as many more births\nas there are leaves on the tree under which he is currently doing\npenance.&#8221; When Narada broke the demoralizing decision of the Lord,\ncontrary to his expectations, the yogi was transported into a realm of joy; he\nwas not dispirited in the least. He jumped and danced in glee. He was lost in\nthe thrill of his dream being so near actual fulfillment. He was filled with\necstasy thinking of the Lord and offering Him his profound gratitude. The Lord\nwas so pleased with the joy of the yogi that He himself appeared before him and\noffered him Vaikuntha immediately. But, the yogi said, he would bide his time,\nfor, he did not like the Lord&#8217;s word, which Narada had brought, to be\nfalsified! The Lord now had to convince him that good deeds, noble thoughts and\nsacred feelings can wipe out the tracings of bad; therefore, by his\nenthusiastic acceptance of the Lord&#8217;s will he has actually overcome the\nconsequences of past actions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Law of Karma is not an\niron law; by dedication and purification, which invites Divine benediction, its\neffects can be modified, and its rigor mitigated. Do not despair; do not lose\nheart. When vices hold sway over your heart it becomes foul and sooty; the\nflames of kaama, krodha and lobha (desire, anger and greed) char the heart.\nWhat quenches these flames is the Grace of the Lord. Grace confers bliss\n(anandam), which the evil tendencies (Kama, krodha and lobha) can never confer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p style=\"text-align:right\"><em><a href=\"#InThisEdition\">Back to the top<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"DevotionalActivities\">Devotional Activities in Chicago and Suburbs<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>Every Monday<\/strong><ul><li>Bhajans in Aurora Shirdi Mandir from 07:00 PM &#8211; 08:00 PM<\/li><\/ul><\/li><li><strong>Every Wednesday<\/strong><ul><li>Bhajans in Hoffman Estates from 07:30 PM &#8211; 08:30 PM<\/li><\/ul><\/li><li><strong>Every Friday<\/strong><ul><li>Bhajans in Oak Brook from 08:00 PM &#8211; 09:00 PM<\/li><\/ul><\/li><li><strong>First Saturday of the month<\/strong><ul><li>Bhajans in Glenview from 04:30 PM &#8211; 05:30 PM<\/li><\/ul><\/li><li><strong>Saturday June 29, 2019<\/strong><ul><li>Paduka Puja in Bolingbrook from 10:30 AM &#8211; 12:30 PM<\/li><\/ul><\/li><li><strong>Sunday June 23, 2019<\/strong><ul><li>Bhajans in Oakbrook from 06:30PM &#8211; 07:30 PM<\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p style=\"text-align:right\"><em><a href=\"#InThisEdition\">Back to the top<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In this edition Upcoming events Geetha Vahini Life and Message of Buddha Overcoming Karma and experiencing Ananda Devotional activities in Chicago and suburbs Upcoming Events Sunday June 02, 2019, Membership Meeting Bhajan starts at 10:30 AM followed by Membership Meeting Time: 09:30 AM &#8211; 12:30 PM Venue: River Forest Community Center Saturday June 29, 2019 &hellip; <\/p>\n<p class=\"link-more\"><a href=\"https:\/\/centers.saimedia.org\/chicagometro\/watch-june-2019\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &#8220;Watch: June 2019&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-782","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/centers.saimedia.org\/chicagometro\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/782","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/centers.saimedia.org\/chicagometro\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/centers.saimedia.org\/chicagometro\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/centers.saimedia.org\/chicagometro\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/centers.saimedia.org\/chicagometro\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=782"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/centers.saimedia.org\/chicagometro\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/782\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":796,"href":"https:\/\/centers.saimedia.org\/chicagometro\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/782\/revisions\/796"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/centers.saimedia.org\/chicagometro\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=782"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}