Dedicated to Holy Mother

Sri Sarada Society

Notes

Spring 2013 Volume 19, Issue 1

SPIRITUAL FRIENDSHIP
Approaching retirement from a long career as university professor, Janet Walker shares reflections on the enduring value of friendship founded on
a shared spiritual commitmentillustrating an aspect of satsanga or holy company.

ost of us form our closest friendships as adults with people with whom we work on a daily basis, sharing work and organizational goals and tasks. But I have heard that, unless there is some other basis for the friendship, after retirement such
friendships last about two years and then unravel, as common goals and tasks no longer unite the retiree and those still
working. Spiritual friendship is different: it is founded on shared spiritual goals.
The Western medieval Christian tradition knew spiritual friendship between monastics of both genders. In nineteenth- and early twentieth-century
Bengal, Sri Sarada Devi experienced friendship with Gauri Ma, Golap
Ma, and Yogin Ma, referred to as her companions in the literature, as an
important part of her daily life. An unusual friendship for Sarada Devi was
formed with one of the Western women disciples of Swami Vivekananda,
Margaret Noble (later Sister Nivedita), a relationship captured forever in a
beautiful photograph taken at Niveditas residence in Kolkata in November
1898. The close bond between Sarada Devi, who was 14 years her senior,
and Nivedita, which some have considered more that of mother to daughter
than a friendship between equals, lasted until Niveditas death in 1911. The
cross-cultural friendship between the Indian Sarada Devi and the Irishwoman
Margaret Noble provided a model for spiritual friendships among Vedantists
in the West. At American centers I have witnessed numerous such spiritual
friendships forged across culturesfor example, that between an American
and an Indian woman at the Boston Center, which continued for years as
they cooked and served food together. The two friends are now separated
due to circumstances beyond their control, but the feeling between them is
still there, and it continues to nourish spiritual growth.
In the American Vedantic context, and among women devotees, spiritual
friendship is practiced in other ways. One is the friendship and companionship between what Sister Gargi called Third Order monasticslay people
who live a quasi-monastic life outside of a monastery or convent. Groups of women in various parts of America spend their days in
individual and communal spiritual activities, linked by their aspiration to lead a spiritual life devoted to Sri Sarada Devi. Another
is the friendship between women who have the same spiritual teacher. I can call two disciples of my guru who have become nuns
and are living in a convent in California my spiritual sisters, and though I virtually never see them, that sisterhood is real to me,
just as my deceased guru is real to me. I also had a spiritual sister who lived a Third Order monastic life until she died of cancer
a number of years ago. What links me to these women is a spiritual bond that transcends geographical distance, and even death.
In her introduction to a translation of the treatise S piritual F riendship by the 12th century English monk Aelred of Rievaulx,
Marsha L. Dutton writes that for Aelred, Human friendship is fragile and frequently interrupted both by lifes demands and by
death but begins and ends in God.A spiritual friendship is thus grounded in the Ground of our Being. If one loves and honors
the Other as the Self, it is a divine bond. If this spirit prevails in the friendship, that friendship will last. If something should disturb the friendship, a disagreement or a hurt, one only has to recall the basis of it to recover the spiritual bond that is, ultimately,
a bond with God.
Editors Note: We regret an error appearing in the last issue of S ri S arada S ociety N otes . In Stanford Smiths article, B ehind the M asks , the
quote from Swami Vijnanananda encompasses the first two sentences only. The authors commentary resumes with So Sri Ramakrishna...

In Mothers Words (In reference to Westerners) My child, they too are my children.
I must accommodate everyone. Can I ever be exclusive?

2y

SWAMIJIS
HEROIC EXAMPLE

t is often said that Swami Vivekananda gave his lifes

blood in order to share the principles of Vedanta with
the world. But what exactly does this mean? Most of us
have some vague notion. We know, for example, that he left the
body at age 39, after only nine years of teaching. We may recall
this or that account of some challenge he endured, without fully
grasping either the extent or the significance of his struggles.
Thus, with the publication of G limpses of S wami V ive kanand s H eroic S truggle Swami Tathagatananda, minister
of the Vedanta Society of New York, has done a tremendous
service to not only the memory of Swamiji himself, but to all
who might learn from his example. An expanded version of
the booklet, which was originally published in India, will be
released in commemoration of Swami Vivekanandas 150th birth
anniversary during the Vedanta Society of New Yorks celebration May 1719. This small volume vividly lays before readers
the extent and variety of hardships met by Swamiji, including
physical distress and human betrayal.
While one may come away with a renewed admiration for
Swamiji, careful reading of his response to each struggle affords
valuable lessons. As with the Holy Mother and her dealings
with those around her, Swami Vivekananda also emerges as a
role model. Considering his responses to the suffering he faced
leads us to conclude that he faced each directly and consciously,
applying his intellectual understanding and spiritual principles
for perspective.
First of all, he admitted that his own baggage played a role
in the difficulties that came his way. Unhesitatingly, he would
trace his suffering to his emotional nature and the effects of
attachment. We can be reminded by Swamiji to be aware that
our desires and samskaras (tendencies) motivate our actions,
either consciously or unconsciously. What we project out into
this world, be it hatred or love, misery or gratitude, comes back
to us. We thus contribute to our future experiences. Bravely
examining our own contribution to an unpleasant experience
can mitigate its effect on us now or in the future.
Next, Swamijis conviction that suffering was his own great
teacher also pertains to us. It allows us to learn. He wrote:
I fervently wish no misery ever came near anyone; yet it is that
alone that gives us an insight into the depths of our lives, is it not?
In our moments of anguish, gates barred forever seem to open and
let in many a flood of light. We learn as we grow.
Swamijis affirmation of the Vedanta principle that what happens in the universe (macrocosm) is happening by and large in
the life of an individual (microcosm) gives us another perspective for accepting both success and suffering. As the oceans have
their ebb and flow, so too, our individual lives reflect the same
pattern. Vivekananda saw this pattern in his own life, stating:
I am always in the midst of ebbs and flows. I knew it always and

preached always that every bit of pleasure will bring its quota of
pain, if not with compound interest. I have a good deal of love
given to me by the world; I deserve a good deal of hatred therefore.
I am glad it is soas it proves my theory of every wave having
its corresponding dip on my own person.
Through his acceptance of adversity as part and parcel of
life, he challenges us to do the same. As he tells Miss Mary
Hale: Be brave and face everythingcome good, come evil,
both welcome.
As if his own understanding of sufferings role evolved, toward the end of his life, Swamiji rested more and more upon
the divine Self (the Atman), transcending suffering, all rational
thoughts, all intellectualism.
It [the world] is a land of dreams; it does not matter whether
one enjoys or weeps.I am attaining peace that passeth understanding, which is neither joy nor sorrow, but something above
them both....
Swami Tathagatananda writes: Drawn by the sufferings of
humanity, heroic spiritual personalities come in every age to
reawaken the healthy spiritual values of life. They accept the
prison of the human body in their earthly exile. They bear the
sufferings of others and their own without comfort. They are
supreme exemplars of spiritual purity, compassion, universal
love, fearlessness and self-sacrifice.
Swami Vivekanandas heart became one with all. Facing his
own liberation, he heroically embraced further suffering in order to serve others: May I be born again and again and suffer
thousands of miseries so that I may worship the only God that
exists, the only God I believe in, the sum total of all souls.
Joan Shack and Jayanti (Pamela Hoye)

.ETERNAL EMBRACE
Shraddha (Merchi Vendrell) shares this poem inspired by thoughts of
her guru.

My ritual is my love for You.

I think of You when the moon shines.
When the sun warms me I feel Your love.
When I smile,it doesnt show in my face,
Yet You see my identification with joy and feel happy with me.
For You, I am as the day awoke and saw me.
You love me when I speak wisely;
also when I roam through all sorts of foolish thoughts.
Everywhere I go You love me.
No matter what I do, I walk towards You,
and Your Embrace is Eternal.
I wear Your coat of knowledge.
It is a companion I take with me, to shield me
as I cut through the worlds.
My mantra is my sword.
Beware, O mind! I do not look back.

Who We Are Sri Sarada Society is a nonprofit association of spiritual aspirants interested in the application
of the universal ideals of Vedanta with Holy Mother, Sri Sarada Devi, as our inspiration.

y 3

I BLESS THESE THOUSAND ISLANDS

This is the second installment in a series of articles on the life of Sister Christine by Joan Shack.

n S wami V ivekananda

in the

W est , N ew D iscoveries , Marie Louise Burke, sets the scene:

Two strangers, wet, bedraggled, and terrified by their own boldness, knocked one dark and rainy night at the front door of Miss
Dutchers cottage located in Thousand Island Park on Wellesley Island.

Thus it was that Christine Greenstidel and her friend Mary Funke completed the circle of twelve whom Swami Vivekananda
accepted as his disciples for seven weeks of study in the summer of 1895. Secluded, commanding a grand view, and built on huge
boulders, the cottage was symbolically and practically speaking the ideal setting. From the heights of spiritual consciousness, a
realm he knew well, Vivekananda taught with an authority and with the passion of one who wanted nothing more (or less) than
for others to know that realm too!
From Christines accounts we read that he declared that God was real, a truth verified by the greatest spiritual geniuses known
to humanity, the Buddha, the Christ, Zoroaster, Lao Tze. He expounded on the heights that each reached. And if there was a
reverberating high note, Christine emphatically declared that, without a second, it was his call to freedomFreedom from the
bondage in which maya has caught us, in which maya has enmeshed all mankind. She wrote, He drew aside the curtain for us
into the region beyond life and death and planted in our hearts the desire for that glorious freedom.
Swamiji also had a second objectiveto train them to carry on his work in America. In a letter to Miss Philips, he expounded
on this goal: Vedanta would never succeed in America until Americans themselves become teachers..., adding that he would
be prouder of the success of one of his pupils (at Thousand Island Park) than of a hundred of his brethren in India.
In his talk entitled Is Vedanta the Future Religion? he states that anything we do ourselves, that is the only thing we do. Anything
that is done for us by another never can be ours. Though taken out of context, at its face value this quote is a reiteration of his
exhortation to stand on your own feet under all circumstances. Swamiji believed in and stood for the power within the individual.
In the evenings the upstairs veranda of the cottage became the classroom, the training ground. Each individual was called upon
to make a speech based on their own thinking. There was no escaping this ordeal. At other times, someone was suddenly put on the
spot to answer a question posed by another. Christine mused, Did he know that if we could conquer our self-consciousness in his
presence, could speak before him who was considered one of the great orators of the world, no audience anywhere would dismay us?
She remembers him as an ever loving, gentle father during these evening hours. He might prod their thinking but never dictated.
Of the twelve at Thousand Island Park, Swamiji initiated two into the monastic life. Swami Kripananda (Leon Landsberg) was
the first to be sent out to teach. Swami Abhayananda (Mme. Marie Louise) held classes at the newly established Vedanta Society
in New York City. To her Swamiji wrote: Each one is quite independent to teach,
quite free to preach whatever he or she likes. If you have the spirit within, you will
never fail to attract othersIndividuality is my motto. Five women, including
Christine, were given vows of brahmacharya.
Returning from India in 1914, Sister Christine lectured in Detroit on a variety
of aspects of Indiaits history, culture, and philosophy. From the accounts of
friends who attended her lectures, we gain insights into the art of her presentation and its contents. Mrs. Elizabeth King commented on her faultless diction,
exquisitely modulated voice, and priestess-like stature. Achsah Barlow Brewster
vividly recalled the following sceneSister Christine seated on a platform with
several other speakers including a Divine Science healer, a New Thought healer,
and a Spiritualist.
Each one in turn arose and announced that she was Miss X and lived at 5 East
Street or that she was Mrs. Y of 10 North Street.
When Christine rose,
Her voice pealed forth, I am not the body, nor the mind, nor the organs of the mind
for I am Existence Absolute, Knowledge Absolute, Bliss Absolute. I am ThatI
am That.
Clearly her identification was no longer with name and form; instead, I am
ThatI am That. In his remembrance of Sister Christine, her friend Boshi Sen
wrote that her lectures on this theme were given with such wealth of illustrations
Continued on Page 4: I B less T hese T housand I slands

Closing paragraph from a letter written on November 8, 1910.

Images and content of Christines letters to Swami Paramananda,
quoted in this article, were made available to S ri S arada S ociety
N otes from the archives of the Cohasset Vedanta Center.

Contacting Us Sri Sarada Society, P.O. Box 38116, Albany, New York 12203, Phone (518) 869-6088
Fax (518) 869-6084, Email [email protected], Holy Mothers Website http://www.srisarada.org/

4y

BY THE TRANSFORMING
HAND OF MOTHER
Eddie Acebo, a resident of the Ramakrisha Monastery in Trabuco,
California, tells of the simple and unexpected evolution of Holy Mother
Mission, a service organization that came into being and continues primarily through the dedication of local devotees.

How Holy Mother Mission came about is a mystery to me.

Because I am of Mexican decent, I began to translate books
about Vedanta and the Ramakrishna tradition into Spanish in
1997. Before I knew it I had various books finished, including
H oly M other by Swami Nikhilananda, and wondered how I
was going to publish them. I knew nothing about this business.
A few years later, I cant remember the date, Swami Medhananda came to live with us in Trabuco after working in India
(in Mysore) for eleven years. He began to study the possibilities
of assembling the equipment for a print shop and we soon were
printing and binding our books. At that time I was expanding
the vegetable garden and we soon had a surplus of fruits and
veggies. So we set up a table under a tree and started selling
fruits and veggies and jams and jellies as well. Meanwhile,

Swami had begun getting printing orders for books and soon
had a surplus of cash. We transformed the garage into a book
shop and then began wondering how we could put our money
to work for the good.
We had devotees who were willing to help, so we started
making sandwiches every afternoon and bagged them with fruit
and cookies, etc. We took them the next day to the street corners
where the day laborers stood waiting to be hired for day jobs.
We also wanted to help the families of these men but didnt
know how, because to do this we would need larger amounts
of provisions, which meant we needed a lot more money. We
began to look into local food banks and found one called Second Harvest. Here we could get many pounds of food a week
for pennies on the dollar. To join we had to have a nonprofit
status, and so Holy Mother Mission was born. We help at most
30 families, most of whom are Spanish speaking. The work is
done mostly by householder devotees.
Needless to say, Mother Herself is behind this whole project.
Swami Medhananda left the Order and we sold all the printing
equipment. However, the Holy Mother Mission is still hale
and hearty.

Continued from Page 3: I B less T hese T housand I slands

and variety of aspects that you found yourself rooted and immovably fixed in that knowledge.
The outbreak of World War I prevented her from returning to India for ten years, a very welcome and beneficial occurrence
for the group of dedicated students who gathered around her in Detroit. From her letter to Swami Paramananda, minister of the
Boston Vedanta Center, dated November 8th 1910, there apparently was a crusade for forming a Vedanta Centre in Detroit.
The plan didnt materialize. Christine visited the Boston Center oftentimes on her arrival from and departure to India, expressing
her appreciation for the atmosphere [that is] so spiritual [that] I feel at home. In fact, she identified with Swami Paramanandas
work by referencing our work and people in a letter to him. She also spent time at the Vedanta Society of New York and gave
lectures there.
In an essay explaining why discipleship is necessary, Sister Christine noted: One torch can light others, until hundreds, thousands are aflame.... Being among those blessed to receive Vivekanandas commission at Thousand Island Park, as a torch set on
fire by him Christine ultimately fulfilled Swamijis vision by becoming a torch for others!

Newsletter Staff Editorial Joan Shack, Janet Walker, Jayanti Hoye, Ellen Paull
Circulation Hari and Lakshmi Reddy Layout Ellen Paull, Jayanti Hoye

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