Random Acts of Brahman, Part 2 of 3

By Chet

Our carpool group arrived at Slater Mill a few minutes later than the other cars.

The timing, the traffic, a detour around some road work, and a glitch in the car’s GPS --everything seemed to have conspired to make us late for the tour.

Yet, those seemingly independent random events would completely change the course of our day.

The tour was fully booked; there was simply no room for any more visitors.

Gathering our group, we went back to the car and set the GPS for the waterfront at India Point Park.

We left Pawtucket behind in an upbeat mood, filled with enthusiasm and anticipation rather than disappointment.

Random Acts of Brahman, Part 1 of 3

By Chet

This post describes a sequence of incidents which occurred during a field trip to Slater Mill in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. The field trip (or excursion) was part of the curriculum for the Vedanta Society’s annual residential children’s summer camp.

Is it possible to observe subtle connections among the events which form our days—connections which are deeper than simply a sequence of seemingly unrelated incidents?

Who actually is the designer of each day, with its strange itinerary of events that momentarily pass through our consciousness? Let us investigate.

We in the West are taught from a young age to plan everything. We map out our careers, schedule our weekends, and budget our time to the hour.

But if we look back to the best moments of our lives, how many of them were actually on our calendars? The truth is, true magic rarely follows a schedule.

Purity of Food and Purity of Mind

By Tilak Verma

The meal was elaborate: tamarind rice, sambar dal, Chettinad paneer, masala aloo and baingan. The occasion was a satsangha, a gathering of spiritual seekers in the company of a monk. Naturally, the conversation turned to food, though not merely its flavors or taste, but its deeper spiritual significance.

After the meal, we gathered around the Swami in a serene setting overlooking the bay. He began by reciting a celebrated verse from the Chhāndogya Upanishad:

Āhāra-śuddhau sattva-śuddhiḥ;
sattva-śuddhau dhruvā smṛtiḥ;
smṛti-lambhe sarva-granthīnām vipramokṣaḥ.

"When food is pure, the mind becomes pure. When the mind is pure, awareness becomes steady, and all bonds are loosened, leading to liberation."

The Parable of the Pizza

By Dr. Tilak Verma 

We were at a retreat with Swami C, as we affectionately call him, an American monk of the Ramakrishna Order.

The topic that morning was living in the present moment. After a brief meditation, Swami C shared a story from his early days as a monk, a story that unexpectedly featured a slice of pizza.

Freshly ordained and overflowing with the joy of monastic life, he stepped out of the monastery in San Francisco for a walk. His mind was calm. He felt complete in himself, needing nothing.

Then it happened:

The aroma of freshly baked pizza drifted from a nearby restaurant.