CMLA Patrika January 2020

Patrika
Chinmaya Mission Los Angeles

CELEBRATING 25 YEARS Jan 2020

INSIDE THIS ISSUE: Upcoming Events

Upcoming Events Event Date Time
Thus Spake The Master Jan 6 - 10 6:30 am - 7:30 am
Words Of The Wise Valmiki Ramayana: an in-depth study
Think! Talk by Swami Ishwarananda Jan 18 7:00am - 12:00 pm
CMLA 25th Anniversary Jan 20 - 7:30 pm - 8:45 pm
Chinmaya Mind CMLA 25th Anniversary Jan 24
Shvetasvatara Upanishad Jan 25 7:00 am - 8:00 am
Youth Workshop Shvetashvatara Upanishad
CORD Tree Planting Talk by Swami Iswarananda Every Sunday 8:30 am - 9:30 am
Toy Drive @ Brea Every 11:30am - 12:30 pm
Shvetashvatara Upanishad Wednesday
Talk by Swami Iswarananda 8:00 am - 9:00 am

Bhagavad Gita Chapter 11 Every Sunday 8:30 am - 9:30 am
Talk by Swami Ishwarananda Every 11:30 am - 12:30 pm
Wednesday
Yuva Gita 7:30 pm - 8:30 pm
Talk by Swami Ishwarananda

Sadhana Pancakam
Talk by Mahadevanji

Kaivalya Upanishad
Talk by Mahadevanji

Think Big, Think Chinmaya
Pujya Swami Swaroopananda

CMLA Website

CMLA Audio Gallery Thus Spake The Master
Chinmaya Channel
Lectures Archive Don’t wait for the consolation of getting appreciation from others. You will
Follow Us On Facebook find your happiness in the feeling of doing what you want to do in the world.
This must be the attitude of Sevakas.

- Swami Chinmayananda

Words Of The Wise

Chinmaya Mission Knowing HOW to THINK is more important than knowing WHAT to THINK

Los Angeles - Swami Tejomayananda

Vedanta, Wisdom, Spiritual Growth THINK!

Chinmaya Rameshwaram Only through the eye of knowledge we can cross the relative nature of
14451 Franklin Ave time.
Tustin, CA 92780-7012
[email protected] - Swami Ishwarananda

Over Thirty Years Of Service To Humanity

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When Swami Ishwaranda was at Mount Abu on a pilgrimage in November last year, the thought came
to him while chanting slokas in praise of Shankar Bhagawan, to have a statue of Adi Shankaracharya
installed at the Chinmaya Rameshwaram center. A sculptor in Jaipur was immediately commissioned
for its making.
On January 18, the beautiful statue was formally installed and consecrated in Tustin. The timing could
not have been more perfect. Chinmaya Mission Los Angeles is celebrating its 25th year and to pay hom-
age to a figure from the guru parampara, was most appropriate.

The consecration event - Guru Abhivaadanam - be-
gan at 7 am with Ganesh puja, followed by Sudar-
shana Homam and Rama Beeja Homam, held in the
elegantly decorated stage of the main hall, giving
ample room for the large turnout of hundreds of at-
tendees to view the proceedings.
Led by Pandit Sivaramakrishnan of the Sanatan
Dharma temple, it was assisted on stage by the
sponsors of the event. His resonant chanting of the
Vedic hymns was enthusiastically reinforced by
several dozen ritviks. The very sound of the melodic
and rhythmic hymns induced a sense of serenity in
the entire area. The proceedings were symbolically
presided over by Swami Chinmayananda and Shan-
karacharya, present on stage in photo and statue
form respectively.

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Swami Ishwarananda addressing the audience pointed out the significance of the date - 18 - as sym-
bolizing “jaya” or victory. The number 18 also occurs repeatedly in Hinduism - 18 chapters in the
Gita and Mahabharata, 18 days of the Mahabharata war and 18 steps in Sabarimala being a few exam-
ples. He then formally placed the ascetic’s “danda” (stick) in the hands of the newly sculpted form of
Shankaracharya. This stick, carried by all sages, represents the three types of discipline that they ad-
here to and everyone is encouraged to follow: discipline of “vak” (speech), “mano” (mind)
and “kaya” (body). Swamiji shared a special message sent by the head of Chinmaya Mission, Swami
Tejomayananda, blessing and congratulating the CMLA community. He also recognized Shashi and
Rekha Acharya for their contributions toward the new installation.
The statue was then moved from the homam area to its permanent location in the altar hall to the
sound of conchs and chenda drums. A week earlier, every balavihar student, parent and CMLA mem-
ber had participated in “likhita japa” (written prayer) “Hara Hara Shankara Jaya Jaya Shankara” on
index cards. These prayer card were movingly carried by Swamiji himself on his head, signifying the
importance of all supplicants big and small in the eyes of the lord, and placed within the granite base
of the statue. The statue itself was then finally placed on its pedestal with consecrating hymns.
CMLA’s chanting group Slokanjali and vocalized several hymns in honor of Shankara and the music
group Swaranjali melodiously rendered bhajans in praise of the gurus, accompanied by flute, tabla
and ganjira.
All present were offered lunch and homemade prasad. - By Anand Subbaraman

Chinmaya Mind - A Guide to Meditation

We have all heard of the benefits of meditation and many are eager to learn the art. But how do we
even start? How do we practice it? These and other basic questions prevent many from starting on this
journey.

Swami Ishwarananda has begun a highly innovative, year-long guided meditation series called Chin-
maya Mind to unravel the mysteries of meditation and help the aspirant embark on the journey to spir-
itual awareness. And the best part? The guidance is online - no class to drive to, and the lesson can be
practiced at the recommended time or at a time suitable to the student. The goal of each session is to
prepare our mind for meditation step by step, by integrating certain core values of everyday living into
a meditation theme. These values
are Compassion, Humility, Inspiration, Nobility, Magnanimity, Attentiveness, Yoga, Awareness,
Mindfulness, Intelligence, Non-injury, Devotion (which spell out Chinmaya Mind).

Every week, the student receives an audio file of a homily on his/her phone, serenely narrated by Swa-
mi Ishwarananda, on the theme of that month. The listener is encouraged to absorb the ideas presented
in the audio and meditate upon it for that week. A daily reminder is sent to each participant when it is
time to sit for meditation. At the time of writing, the series on Compassion has been completed and
the seekers are meditating on the value of Humility.

Some quotes from the lessons thus far:
• Nature is endlessly compassionate to all of us and just gives without expecting anything from us.
In our life, we too should practice this.
• We lock ourselves in the prison of unforgiving hatred. Forgiving is to help ourselves come out of
that prison and reclaim our freedom.
• Humility is strength that eliminates humiliation.
• All that we do is because the universe is allowing us to do it. - By Anand Subbaraman

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Shvetasvatara Upanishad - A Deep Dive

Starting on Tue Jan. 21 and continuing for the rest of the week, Swami Ishwarananda resumed his discourse on
the Upanishads and took up the Shvetasvatara Upanishad. The lectures were held from 7:30 to 8:45 pm and
culminated on Saturday Jan 25 with a morning session from 7 to 8 am. In spite of it being working days, the
lectures were very well attended.

The term "Shveta Asva Tara" literally translates to "Superior White Horse". In many mythologies, white hors-
es are mentioned signifying purity and superior nature or for having exceptional qualities. The simile demon-
strates the pre-eminence of or mark of respect towards this Upasnishad. This Upanishad is also said to have
inherited the name from the Sage Shvetasvatara and signifies a person who has controlled his senses.
Chapter 1 started with many interesting questions which we contemplate all the time: What is the root cause of
everything - is it Brahman? Why are we born? What makes us live? What is the mystery of death? The hid-
den answers are brought out by a process of elimination or negation. It explains that the barrier to realizing the
Brahman lies within us and suggests a series of steps including meditation to remove that barrier. It elaborate-
ly declares Him through the Wheel of Life (Brahma Chakra), the effects of 5 turbulent streams, opposite pairs
of existence, meditation, stages and methods of realization.
Chapter 2 continued with harnessing the mind and senses to realize the truth. It further discusses the tech-
niques of preparation, place, breathing and meditation to control the mind and intellect. Concentrating on the 5
elements and senses (Pancha Boothas) as 5-fold perceptions of Yoga are explained. Through Yogic experi-
ence the Atman realizes oneness with Brahman, transcends all sins and realizes the answers to all the questions
listed in Chapter 1. These complex concepts were masterfully explained by Swami Ishwarananda with several
examples and analogies, helping the listener navigate the thought-provoking ideas and resolving seeming para-
doxes.
Interestingly, without creating any conflict, subsequent chapters of the Upanishad are expected to take us on a
journey through a logical association to all 3 philosophies: Dvaitham, Vishista Advaitham as well as
Advaitham. Akin to Bhagavad Gita, the Upanishad elaborates all Bhakthi, Jnana and other paths of spirituali-
ty. –By Narayanan Srinivasan

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Workshop for Youth Sees Robust Participation

Chinmaya Yuvakendra, the youth wing of CMLA,
kick started the year with a workshop, “Piece of
Mind,” directed towards the emotional well-being
of adolescents.
The half-day program, held on Jan. 25, began with
ice-breakers, yoga and a discourse by Swamiji.
The high schoolers then participated in a panel
discussion with mental health professionals Dr.
Irene Lara, a clinical social worker and therapist
and Namrata Shailendra Singh, a positive psychol-
ogy life coach and educator. Set in a safe space,
the eager voices of the high schoolers were heard.
The power struggle with parents brought up essen-
tial questions like ‘Can I decide for myself?’ ‘Can
I live the way I want?’ and ‘Can I make my own
mistakes and not be shielded?’
Questions on dating, friendship and trust issues,
managing panic attacks and dealing with regrets
were among the other subjects that were raised
and discussed.
The half-day session ended on a positive note with participants carrying back the message of self-
care across four dimensions: thoughts, feelings, physical and behavioral.

Giving Back One Tree At A Time

The Murphy Ranch Park in Whittier on Decem-
ber 27 saw many members of CMLA show up to
help continue the project of planting trees.
Today, studies show, thirty percent of the world
is made up of forests, forty-six percent of trees
have been felled and over 502,000 square miles
of forest have been lost. With the devastating
fires in Australia and the Amazon Rainforest,
those of there felt it was important to do our part
to help slowly rebuild our forest and communi-
ties.
Due to the heavy rain and gusty winds
earlier in the week we were unable to
plant all the trees we planned on, as the
Whittier parks and recreation staff were
concerned about the safety of the group
with the ground being saturated. None-
theless, we had the opportunity to plant
three trees.
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On our arrival, Swamiji offered prayers and all of us chanted the Gu-
rustotram. Then we began work at the spot earmarked for the planting.
Not only did it feel incredible to get our hands dirty and being close to
nature but it was also satisfying to think about the impact our action
was going to have long after we are gone. - By Ria Parikh

Brea Yuvakendra Learns About Gratitude, Compassion and Generosity

The Chinmaya Mission Brea balavihar collected 275 toys and brought cheer to recipients at a mega
event held by the LA Mission which annually gives away over 1000 toys for children who cannot af-
ford one during the holidays.
We had two weeks to collect and wrap all of
the toys so it was a very fast-paced project.
On December 23, most of us in the
yuvakendra class took the Metro train and
went to LA Mission and helped set up meals
and give away toys. It was an eye-opening
experience for all of us to see the amount of
seva done by LA Mission.

Ivan Klassan, director of LA Mission was very
happy and thanked each person involved in the
drive.

Looking at the kids walking into the audito-
rium and enjoying a full meal was so heart-
warming.
This would not have been possible without
the generous donations from the families at
balavihar. It was also a lot of fun because
we got to work with all our friends toward a
common and uplifting goal, even as we
practiced what is being taught in class. – By Rahul Mohan, Aakash Partha, CMLA Brea Yuvakendra

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Please send articles and pictures for publication to Nimmi Raghunathan at [email protected]
Many thanks for this issue to:

CMLA Media Team Members: Anand Subbaraman, Krishnaraj Pudukottai
Photo Credits: Suryanshi Pandya, Mohit Trivedi
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