Ramakrishna Vedanta Society
Marina Williams
Lesley University
February 27, 2013
In deciding on a site for my midterm
project I wanted to choose a site that I probably wouldn’t go to. I wanted to
step out of my comfort zone and observe something new and unfamiliar. The
aspect of yoga I thought of as least related to what I think of as yoga, was
philosophy. And for this reason, I chose to visit the Ramakrishna Vedanta
Society Center of Boston. From researching this center’s website I got the
feeling that the Ramakrishna Center was very welcoming of all types of faith. Indeed
the Ramakrishna Vedanta Society Center is welcoming of all cultures, faiths,
and ages.
Vedanta
in New England came about from the teachings of Swami Vivekananda, whom
although he lived a short life had an immense impact on the introduction of
Vedanta into Eastern culture. He was a follower of Sri Ramakrishna and wanted
to spread his teachings to others. He began in 1893, giving talks around New
England before becoming a prestigious religious figure at the World Parliament
of Regions in that same year. He lived his life for just about forty years.
Thanks to him, other Swamis started to give lectures on Vedanta philosophy. In
1910, Swami Paramananda established the first Vedanta center in Boston, which
would later be moved to the Ramakrishna Center’s current location at 58
Deerfield Street, Boston, MA and known as the Ramakrishna Vedanta Center. This
Center has been around for over a hundred years now and provides a place for anyone to come and
practice prayer, worship, and meditation. The Ramakrishna Center is currently
led under the instruction of Swami Tyagananda. The Center serves a wide range
of people seeing as that their programs and services are welcome to anyone. The
majority of the people who do attend practice Hinduism but the attendees are
not limited to those who strictly practice that religion. People of Christian
background do also attend. Other services which they offer includes Sunday
School, which is provided for children of all ages with a focus on prayer and activities while adults may attend
Satsang, a compilation of prayer, music, meditation, and reflection. Not only
are there programs offered at the center but Swami Tyagananda also conducts
programs at different colleges throughout the Boston area as well as classes to
teach the philosophy of Vedanta and the search for the true self. Interviews
with the Swami are also available to the public upon request.
I
attended a Meditation service on a Tuesday because that was the only program
that fit into my schedule. I was very nervous about going there, especially
alone. Although they seemed very welcoming, I didn’t know exactly what to
expect. Once I arrived at the Ramakrishna Center a Caucasian woman opened the
door for me and let me in. I was honestly expecting someone of Indian descent
to be letting me in. I got in the door and my heart was beating a mile a
minute. What really caught my attention was how extremely quiet it was when I entered;
it gave the place a kind of somber feeling, although the quiet is supposed to
create an aura of peace. I saw a coat rack with shoes underneath and
immediately led myself over to that area. So many questions were running
through my head because I didn’t see any people around, so I figured maybe I
was late. I asked the woman, who seemed to be in charge of tables of books for
sale, if it was required for me to remove my shoes. She told me it was optional
but better to remove my shoes. I did so and then asked her to direct me towards
the room for meditation. She pointed through the hall and said to me that the
Swami would be down by 6:00 pm. As I walked through the hall I tried to prepare
myself to focus on the meditation and my breathing as we do in class, which
seemed to get me even more nervous. I finally got to the room for the program
and although I had seen a picture online of the room it still surprised me. It
looked somewhat like there was going to be a small church service, because of
the way the chairs were set up. There was a slightly raised altar at the front
of the room with pictures of three figures each with an oil-burning candle in
front. The chairs were all facing the altar. On either side of the altar there
were portrait photos of four other figures. On the walls there were scriptures
from other religions to show acceptance of all religions or even no religion at
all. The mood of the room was still very somber, almost as if I were at a
funeral. I was expecting maybe for the room’s atmosphere to radiate peacefulness.
This somber feeling may have been due to the fact that I was the only person
who came for meditation. There may have been a different feeling if other
people who regularly practice meditation were there. Sitting there before the
program invoked many thoughts within me. Since it felt like a church, I almost
felt as if I were betraying my own religion by sitting there about to practice
something different. I soon realized after purchasing a few books that were for
sale after the program that Vedanta is not about one specific religion. Vedanta
is more a religious philosophy that resonates mostly with Hinduism but can
relate to any religion. Vedanta is a universal philosophy, which makes sense
that anyone is welcome to come practice and participate in the programs without
changing their religious beliefs. In many different religions it is standard
that persons with no religion or of a different religion are welcome but they
are welcomed with the expectation that they might change their religious
beliefs afterwards. The receptive nature of Vedanta made me more open to
learning about it and also made it easier to comprehend. This was because I was
able to relate Vedanta back to my own religion and see it from the view of my
religion, rather than the view of some religion that I am new to or unfamiliar
with. The purpose is attaining spiritual realization no matter what one’s
religion is.
I
would say that in theory all concepts are virtually the same speaking of “basic
truths about God, the world, and our relationship to one another” ( Vrajaprana,
3) .
My
experience through practice there was not what my eastern culture view of yoga
is. When I think of yoga I think of the average middle or higher-class
Caucasian woman doing. in my opinion, impossible poses. The type of practice
that is more for physical benefit. The practice at the Ramakrishna center is
more for benefit of the mind and spirit. Yoga has evolved in our culture to
have a different meaning than its original one. The word yoga “has been heard
more in gyms than in religious discourse…The goal of yoga is to unite oneself
with God; the practice of yoga is path we take to accomplish this” (Vrajaprana,
15). Although this center is surrounded by eastern culture, it has stuck with
its original philosophy. It does not advertise the “commercial” yoga that we
all know here in the United States. The Ramakrishna center provides a deeper
look into the more spiritual side of yoga and not purely the physical. As I sat
in the room the clock struck 6:00pm and the Swami entered the room. He seemed
very focused and had a stern look on his face. He lit the three candles in
front of the portrait, turned on music with people chanting something on the
tracks. As he did this I felt as if I were invisible to him, which gave me almost
an uncomfortable feeling, which probably stemmed from my cultural expectations.
He then sat in front of the altar cross-legged and began the meditation.
As
I sat there I tried to let go, focus on my breathing, and only my breathing. I
thought it would be easier because of the darkness but it was still difficult
as ever. Every little thing I had to get done in that week came flowing into my
mind. I found myself fighting the urge to look back at the clock and see what
time it was. One thought just kept leading to another making it less easy to
focus by the minute. I know that the purpose of meditation is to rid the mind
of disturbances and obstacles in the path to enlightenment. I would have to say
that meditation is also a practice to train the mind to let go of resistance
from reaching a higher state. This letting go is a constant battle with the
mind and practice is the only way to improve. I was awed by Swami Tyagananda’s
ability to sit in pure meditation for an hour as I sat with all the thoughts running
through my head. At the end of the meditation, the Swami bowed to the altar,
got up, and exited the room with out a word. This was confusing to me as it was
my first time there and also being that I was the only one present. I was not
sure that the meditation program had ended or it there was more to come. I made
the executive decision that the program was over after a few minutes and went
to have a look at the books for sale. I scanned the titles and looked for ones
that I thought would relate to this project and that would give me a clear view
of what exactly Vedanta was. The ones that caught my eye, I skimmed their
chapters and narrowed my choices down to two book; “Meditation according to
Yoga Vedanta” by Swami Siddheswarananda and “ Vedanta: A Simple Introduction”
by Pravrajika Vrajaprana. I figured this was the best way to learn about the
teachings because I was not able to attend a lecture or Satsang, which is on
Saturdays. These gave me insight regarding what Vedanta is, because I was sure
it was a religion. They also provided me with an explanation of how meditation
assists in the philosophy of Vedanta.
Ultimately
I would have to say that the theory, culture, and practice of yoga at the
Ramakrishna Center do not parallel that of the yoga here in America. In terms
of theory the Ramakrishna Center is much more about philosophy than better
health and a better body. Yoga in America is focused on a better body and
better health on a much more superficial level. The culture at the Center is
much more open and accepting than that of America. They welcome any culture,
faith and age, while in American culture yoga is geared toward higher-class
Caucasian women and privileged children. Yoga is also used as a way to make
money in our society rather than help us to reach our highest potential
internally. Also, yoga practice in our society is again more practices of the
body than a practice of the mind like at the Ramakrishna Center. Even if
Meditation is a part of some yoga sessions in our society emphasis is not
really placed on it, it is more about the putting the body in action versus
inaction.
References
ebusinessmantra
(Ed.). (2000). Buddhism and Vedanta [Lecture notes]. Retrieved February
27,
2013,
from Vivekananda website: http://www.vivekananda.org/readings.asp
ebusinessmantra
(Ed.). (2000). Concentration [Lecture notes]. Retrieved February 27,
2013,
ebusinessmantra
(Ed.). (2000). Spirit and Nature [Lecture notes]. Retrieved February 27,
2013,
ebusinessmantra
(Ed.). (2000). Work without Motive [Lecture notes]. Retrieved February
27,
Ramakrishna
Vedanta Society (Ed.). (2000). [Site overview]. Retrieved February 27, 2013,
from
Siddheswarnanda,
S. (2007). Meditation according to Yoga-Vedanta. Mayavati, Champawat:
Swami
Bodhasarananda.
Tyagananda, S.
(Ed.). (n.d.). Social Networking. Retrieved February 27, 2013, from
Vrajaprana, P.
(1999). Vedanta A Simple Introduction. Hollywood, CA: Vedanta Press.
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