Sunday, October 21, 2012

Midterm: Ramakrishna


Shannon Regan
CSOCS 3452
Professor Laura Douglass
October 21th, 2012


The Ramakrishna Vedanta Society Center of Boston

            Yoga has many limbs of practice that involves varying interests such as philosophy, religion, sports and meditation. While contemplating the endless possibilities for my midterm I felt like I wanted to explore the philosophy of yoga more in depth. Learning the fundamentals and less “Americanized” form of yoga interests me greatly. I wanted to find a center that has been around for a long time and has strong historical roots. The Ramakrishna Center in Boston seemed to be a perfect fit to learn more about the philosophy behind some yoga principles and to become immersed in part of the culture.
The Ramakrishna Vedanta Society Center is a unique gem within the bustling metropolis of Boston. Starting in 1910, the Vedanta Society used to practice in a much smaller location on St. Botolph Street in Boston, but in 1941 the society moved to the Deerfield Street location when the society expanded. Once again, the Vedanta Society has outgrown the current building and is undergoing the “Temple Project” (Ramakrishna Vedanta Society, 2000). The goal of the Temple Project is to have two separate facilities; one for religious worship and meditation, and the other for more lecture based teachings.
            The third oldest Vedanta Society center in New England is the Ramakrishna Center in Boston, started by Swami Paramananda (Ramakrishna Vedanta Society).  The center focuses on his teachings which enlighten and help people seek the universal truth through many different facets. The Center has daily classes that range from meditation, Satsang, study groups, and lectures. Swami Tyagananda also leads classes at the center, Harvard and MIT. There are many theologists, philosophers and Swamis from the numerous Boston/Cambridge colleges that lecture and teach at the center (Ramakrishna Vedanta Society, 2000).
            The Vedanta Society has strong roots in New England, and specifically within  Boston’s history. In 1893 Swami Vivekananda came to Boston to spread his insight and philosophy. Swami Vivekananda (1863-1902) main purpose was to study and spread Indian culture, and Vedantic philosophy. He was a pacifist and helped make peaceful interactions internationally, specifically between America and India. He is still admired in both countries for his peaceful manner and insightful teachings. In America he became India’s spiritual ambassador. In his homeland he was seen as the “patriot saint of modern India and an inspirer of her dormant national consciousness” ("Swami vivekananda," 1953). After he passed away his teachings still inspired many centers that started during and after his life. Swami Vivekananda teachings revolved around five major principals: see God in all, God is within you, preserver in your search for God, trust completely in God, and love of God is Essential. ("Swami vivekananda," 1953)
            I attended Satsang, on October 14th. The lecture specifically focused on “God the Mother, the Mother of God. “ It was comprised of prayer, meditation, and reflection. The lecture was led by Francis X. Clooney. Francis is a Professor of Divinity and Comparative Theology at Harvard University. His works have focused on Sanskrit, traditions and theology of Hindu India. He has studied a number of world religions and has a deep understanding in ancient Indian traditions ("Francis x. Clooney S.J" )
            The Ramakrishna Center is nestled behind trees with ivy growing over the structure, which looks like an old brick house. I was anxious to walk up the stairs and step inside. Thankfully, right as I was about to ring the doorbell a middle aged woman approached me and asked me if I was new (I guess I was that obvious). She took me under her wing and informed me about how Satsang was executed. She brought me to a little spot in the center and told me we had to take our shoes off first. That was definitely a new experience. Coming from a Catholic background, wearing no shoes actually felt freeing. After we took our shoes off she lead me through the house and explained to me that there would be an opening hymn, a song, a brief meditation and then a guest speaker. I took a seat next to her and took in my environment. I think she realized how intensely I was trying to understand everything in my surroundings, so she took the opportunity to explain what everything meant.  There was an alter in the front of the room with a lot of flowers surrounding a statue of the “Om” symbol. On the sides of the alter there were four pictures of holy people of the Vedanta tradition. There was a candle, flowers and incense on each frame of the pictures. She also brought my attention to scripts that were lining the walls. She told me that each script represented a religion (Islamic, Catholic, Judaism...etc.). She said the center was welcoming of every religion and grows from every new person who enters. The Center serves everyone who is willing to partake. The room was filled with many different ethnicities and there was a large range of ages. During the Sunday I attended, the majority of the people taking a part in Satsang were Indian. Being so young, and belonging to a different culture made me feel a little intimidated at first, but I knew I had to acknowledge, and let go of those feelings if I was going to fully experience this service.  The last piece of advice she gave me was to try to make the hand symbol of “Om” during meditation and prayer. She told me when your hands are held this way it helps open your mind and connects your body and soul. She said hold your hands like water is flowing down your fingers. Having her to explain the process of Satsang and to watch over me helped ease my nerves and let go of external stresses.
            The book of prayers had the original Sanskrit text, the pronunciation of the Sanskrit, and an English translation. The set up was similar to the Hatha Pradapika book we have to read for class. Also, the opening hymns were the same ones we use when we begin the yoga portion of class. This familiarity helped me settle into my surroundings a little deeper. The service started with a song that centered on the “Mother”, which was a nice introduction to the lecture that would follow.
 After opening hymns we had about ten minutes of meditation. The focus was on finding God in your heart.  I found during meditation all my anxieties surfaced. I could not quiet my mind enough to just be in the moment. Meditation is still hard for me, so being in an unfamiliar environment made it even more challenging. Thoughts surfaced stemming from my many insecurities. My mind started to think “Am I bad for attending another church if I’m confirmed already as a Catholic?”, “Are people judging me because I am a new comer?” Even though I had loving and accepting people around me I couldn’t get my inner critic out of my head. In a place of peace, I was still self-judgmental.   
After meditation, more people filed in. The woman next to me told me that people will wait until after meditation to come in if they are late, because meditation is one of the most important parts of Satsang. When the service ended people went in the other room for coffee and cookies. Someone told me this was meant to be a sacrifice from the temple to us. While people were getting food, a few people took the opportunity to pray at the alter, or say their thanks to Father Clooney, the guest speaker. The whole service was welcoming and open-minded. Everyone had such great respect and manners. To have so many people help me learn the ways of Satsang was such a blessing. I do not believe I would have been able to be as aware and engaged if I did not have a supportive community around me, due to my inner critic. While parts of the service were still challenging for me, the overall experience was enlightening.
            The lecture part of Satsang was given by Francis X Clooney. At Satsang I learned Francis X Clooney is a Roman Catholic priest, and has traveled to India numerous times. He met the current Swami in India twenty years ago and they both currently exchange information and teachings between each other. Father Clooney was invited to speak about God the Mother, Mother of God to aid reflection in preparation for Dura Puja that is taking place on October twenty-first. He was also invited to speak on this topic because he just published a book about the Mother of God from a Hindu and Catholic perspective. He guided the discussion with a set of perspectives and universal questions that pertained to three hymns he provided. His main purpose was to create a harmonious thread between religions using the Gospel of Ramakrishna, and the New Testament in the Catholic Bible.
            The first hymn he discussed was called “For the Divine Mother”, from the Gospel of Ramakrishna. In this hymn it shows that the Divine Mother can be seen in a broad and uncharacterized way or in a very humanistic form. No matter how you see her she is accepting and all humble. It also talks about reality, and what is real to the Divine Mother. She is all reality. In the hymn it describes her as the “kali, Tara, fish, and the avatars” (gospel) She is a type of unity between every level of reality.Father Clooney described the way the Gospel beautifully wrote this hymn in a way to introduce the Divine Mother in a broad sense, and then kept adding layers on to each section to dive deeper into the more specific view of the Divine Mother.  Each person has their own view or truth of what the Divine Mother looks like and what she encompasses. The Divine Mother is composed of the whole universe.
            The second hymn we took a look at was from Swami Abhedananda, called “For Sarada Devi.” He chose this hymn to analyze because it showed the relation between Ramakrishna and Sarada or “The Mother.” In only one section of the hymn did the Mother ask for anything in return of her acceptance and sacrifice. She just asked for her followers to watch out for their peers, and love. Father Clooney showed how selfless She is, and how interrelated Ramakrishna and Sarada are. When one is praying or praising Ramakrishna, they are also thanking Sarada.         
The last hymn was a medieval hymn from Stabat Mater called “For Mary at the Cross.” I learned something interesting from Father Clooney from this hymn. He talked about how almost every religion acknowledges and sometimes even praises Mary because of her deep love and sacrifice for her son, Jesus. This specific hymn exemplifies her love for Jesus. Father Clooney suggested that we use this hymn as part of a meditation to experience the universal selflessness these holy Mothers possessed. He told us to imagine Mary in front of the cross watching her son dying for everyone’s sins, and weep along with her. When we weep for the pain of someone passing, we are weeping with Mary. He also recited the story of Elizabeth, Mary’s cousin that was pregnant at the same time Mary was. Mary took care of her cousin during her pregnancy doing seemingly small chores, yet those routine tasks made all the difference. He compared the story to one’s faith. All of the prayers and good deeds are what makes your faith stronger and deeper.
            Father Clooney did a fantastic job of articulating the important points in each hymn and creating a collective story between all of the religions. He not only wanted to show how each Mother is similar, but how alike religions are. He said that to grow in your faith one must not close the doors on other practices, but be willing to experience and contemplate. I feel as though Father Clooney is a perfect example of someone living that principle. Although he is a Catholic Priest, his whole life has been filled with studying other cultures and religions and finding common ties between them all. Growing up Catholic, I was always taught that you were to praise one god and follow one religion, so it was refreshing seeing someone step out of the “safe zone” that religion sometimes creates. I have always been curious and looking for new things to explore so it was extremely enlightening to hear Father Clooney talk about the numerous aspects of various religions. To experience such an accepting community was refreshing.  
            I feel like this experience really exemplified Swami Vivekananda’s five major teachings especially “see God in all” and “God is within.” The meditation was meant to help people feel God within their heart and open their minds to see God in all. The lecture Father Clooney gave focused on the idea that God is seen universally in many similar ways and has many different faces. To experience such a rich service gave me a greater understanding of what the Vedanta Society exemplifies. I plan on returning to more Satsangs and maybe even a few meditations to push my comfort zone. For a good portion of my life I have been trying to find a place that is accepting and open to new ideas and people. I feel as though I would have never experienced anything like this at my church back home. Although many Catholic churches tell people to welcome newcomers, they subliminally mean accept them in the hopes that they will convert to the faith on Catholicism. I have never seen a “priest” figure from another religion in my church to offer his insight. My struggle with religion started about eight years back when I lost my Great Grandma and continued throughout the years as I lost many other family members. These set of events created distance in the practice of my religion. Attending the Ramakrishna center turned out to be much more emotional than I intended, and helped me find a sense of inward peace. While Catholicism has the same enlightenment/highest truth principle it puts many limitations of their followers. How can one grow if they do not question and experience?


References
            Francis x. clooney, s.j. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.hds.harvard.edu/people/faculty/francis-x-clooney-sj

            Ramakrishna Vedanta Society. (2000). Vedanta temple project. Retrieved from http://www.vedantasociety.net/index.asp

            Swami vivekananda. (1953, January 5). Retrieved from http://www.ramakrishna.org/sv.htm

No comments:

Post a Comment