🚀 go-pugleaf

MIT Sangam and the Chinmaya Mission present a special 3 day series:
*        The Relevance of Vedanta to the Modern World             *

We are honored to welcome Swami Chidananda, head of the San Jose
center of the Chinmaya Mission, to the Boston Area. If you can
help out with this event, please contact sahai@mit.edu.

Summary: 
 Time:    7-8:30PM Mon, Tue, Wed October 20, 21, 22
 Place:   MIT, 77 Massachusetts Ave, Cambridge MA
*         Rm 1-390 (Monday October 20th)
*         Rm 3-133 (Tue, Wed October 21-22nd)
 Cost:    FREE for everyone
 Contact: Anant Sahai (sahai@mit.edu 617-225-6679)
 Web:     http://web.mit.edu/sangam/www/events/vedanta.html
 Directions: http://whereis.mit.edu/doc/GettingToMIT.html
 FREE REFRESHMENTS WILL BE SERVED!

Details:
Swamiji has tailored his talks especially for both the undergrad 
and graduate student community and these are designed to be 
interactive. Roughly, the first 60 minutes will be presentation, 
and then 30 minutes of Question and Answer. No prior background will
be assumed and all are welcome.

*  "Knowing One's Self" (Monday)
   No matter what is our field of activity in life, if we do not
 face clearly the basic questions like, "Who am I?," "What is my
 goal?" and "Am I adopting the right means?", we will suffer
 unnecessarily in self-created entanglements and disappointments.
 The Vedanta, the wisdom of the core philosophy of the Vedas, helps
 us throw light on these most basic issues of life. A glimpse into
 the true Self in us, beyond the physical, emotional and intellectual
 layers of our personality will be given in this introductory session.

*  "Values and Relationships" (Tuesday)
   The modern times are torn between the allure of freedom of a
 permissive culture and the promise of long-range stability of the
 conservative culture. We are sometimes weary of the traditions, but
 are not sure of the new age.  What is the true meaning of
 truthfulness, loyalty to a group, and of love?  Is there such a
 thing as a `generation gap?'  How sound is the moral compass we
 are holding?  These questions are addressed from the point of view
 of Self-knowledge in this second session.  

*  "Current Issues: Vegetarianism, Cloning, etc." (Wednesday)
   Can we arrive at an ethics to face the modern controversies? What
 is the common denominator of world's great religions?  Wedded to
 modern science and common sense, can it bring a better understanding
 of the moral debates of today's world?  Vedanta's flexibility to
 bear on emerging patterns of individual and social life will be the
 focus of the third session.

Throughout, our philosophy, stories, and rituals will be looked at
not as some beautiful, but dead, relics from the hoary past, but
rather explored as a living tradition with relevance and meaning.
Swamiji has provided some points of contact with the classical
tradition. For details, please see the web-page at:
http://web.mit.edu/sangam/www/events/vedanta.html