June 2001
Vedanta Society of Portland
The following are the Society's services and special events for this month.
Except where noted, all lectures are given by Swami Shantarupananda.
All are welcome.


Sunday Mon.  Tuesday Wed. Thursday Fri. Sat.
   
 

 
 
 

 
 
 

 

  1
 
 
 

 

  2
 3
 11:00 AM Service
 Jainism		  4
 Swami Gautamananda Arrives		  5
 
 

 

  6  7
 
 
 

 

  8  9
 
 

 
 10
 11:00 AM Service
Yoga as a Path to Spiritual Realization
(Guest Speaker:
Swami Gautamananda)

 

  11
 
 

 

  12
 
 
 
 

 7:30 PM Scripture Class
"The Mahabharata" (DVD show)

  13  14
 
 
 
 

 7:30 PM Scripture Class
Viveka Chudamani

  15  16
 17
 11:00 AM Service
God as Father		  18  19
 

 

  20
 
 
 

 

  21
 
 
 

   7:30 PM Scripture Class
Viveka Chudamani

 

  22
 
 

 

  23
 
 

 
 24
 11:00 AM Service
"Blessed are the Pure in Heart"
Swami Prabhavananda
(video)		  25  26
 

  7:30 PM Scripture Class
"The Mahabharata" (DVD show)

  27  28
 
 

 7:30 PM Scripture Class
Viveka Chudamani

  29  30

 

Personal

Swami Shantarupananda will visit Chicago from June 20 - 25 in order to attend a conference on "Vedanta in the Third Millennium", sponsored by the Vivekananda Vedanta Society of Chicago.

 

Yoga Class


Teacher:  Karen Green 

Monday, June 18 at 7:30 PM 

Please bring sticky mat and wear loose clothing. 

For registration please call: 

Swami Shantarupananda at 503-235-3919 

or Karen Green at 503-239-4107.
 

 

Visiting Swami

Swami Gautamananda, 
President, Sri Ramakrishna Math, 
Chennai, India. 

Visit to Portland Vedanta Society June 4 -11, 2001.

Monday, June 4  United Airlines #2254
 Lv: Burbank 7:15 AM
 Ar: Portland, 10:51 AM

Tuesday, June 5
 Sight-seeing (Rose Garden)
 Lv: Temple 10:00 AM
 7:30 PM in the foyer: Reading from the Gospel of Sir Ramakrishna;
Question-Answer session with the visiting Swami.

Wednesday, June 6
 Visit the Scappoose Retreat
 Lv: Temple 10:00 AM

Thursday, June 7 in the foyer at 7:30 PM
 Talk on Steps to Spiritual Life

Friday, June 8
 Sight-seeing (Mt. Hood)
 Lv: Temple 10:00 AM

Saturday, June 9
 Sight-seeing (Multnomah Falls)
 Lv: Temple 3:00 PM

Sunday, June 10
 Lecture in the Chapel at 11 AM:
 Yoga as a Path to Spiritual Realization
 6:30 PM at Holy Mother's House
 (For ladies only), Meditation, question-answer, dinner

Monday, June 11 United Airlines #6867
 Lv: Portland, 9:30 AM for Seattle
.

 

Upcoming Event - Special Retreat

Sunday, July 4, 12 Noon

Swami Vivekananda Mahasamadhi Day

Lecture:  Vivekananda and His Message
Guest Speakers:
Swami Prapannananda, Minister
Vedanta Society of Sacramento

Swami Medhasananda, Minister
Nippin Vedanta Kyokai, Japan

1:30 PM -  Potluck Lunch 
2:30 PM -  Slide Show
"Swami Vivekananda in the West"
 - by Terrance Hohner
-   

 

Summer Recess

The Sunday Services and the weekly classes will remain suspended for the summer beginning July 29.

The Center will resume its regular program of lectures and classes on Sunday, September 9, at 11 AM.  Swami Shantarupananda will speak on "The Life of a Yogi."
 

We wish you a Happy Summer

 
 
What is Vedanta?

Vedanta is a sanskrit word which literally means 'the end of the Vedas' - the Vedas being the scriptures of the Hindus.  The Vedas are divided into two main portions: the work-portion, which describes how one should work and do worship, and the knowledge-portion.  Included in the knowledge-portion are those books which deal with spirituality and philosophy.  These books are called the Upanishads, or the Vedanta.  Veda means 'knowledge'; therefore, Vedanta also means 'the end of knowledge,' or 'the highest knowledge.'  It is claimed that at least six thousand years ago this body of spiritual knowledge was experienced and discovered in India by its sages and seers.

The principles of Vedanta are impersonal, universal and eternal.  They are about God, soul, and the world.  Vedanta teaches that each soul is potentially divine - the infinite ocean of Existence, Knowledge and Bliss.  The goal of human life is to manifest this innate divinity through meditation (Raja yoga), devotion (Bhakti yoga), selfless action (Karma yoga), and discrimination (Jnana yoga).  Vedanta preaches the unity of the Godhead and accepts every faith as a valid means to realize God.  As the Rig Veda, the oldest scripture of the Hindus, declares, "Truth is One; sages call it by various names."  Vedanta is a religion, a philosophy, and a way of life.

In modern times the eternal vedic truths were re-experienced and re-discovered by Sri Ramakrishna (1836 - 1886).  He also practiced other religions and came to the same conclusion as is mentioned in the Rig Veda, that "As many faiths, so many paths."