Chinmaya-Tej

Chinmaya mission san Jose PubliCaTion

november/DecemberVol. 23, No.6

MiSSion StateMent

To provide to individuals, from any background, the wisdom of Vedanta and practical means for spiritual growth and happiness, enabling them to become a positive contributor to the society.

Chinmaya Lahari

The liberated person is one in whom the ego

has ended. The ego functions in two ways:

the ego sense, which is experienced as the

‘I’-ness and the ego feeling experienced as the ‘my’-ness. When these two

are ended, the ego is lifted. The very source of ego is the surge of desires.

In the Man-of-Perfection, the ego is ended along with its roots.

Egoless activities are no more actions. Desire is the impelling force for action.

The actor is the ego. When there is no actor, nor the impulses of desire, there

are only movements of the equipments, and not ‘action’. They can produce

no results (karma-phala) for the Man-of-Liberation because there is no ego to

claim it. The equipment in which ego has ended is the empty reed through

which the Lord sings his song divine for the benefit of mankind and for the

welfare of the world. No more does the individual mind act through him;

the total mind expresses through him as its chosen equipment divine. In

this sense, one liberated in life is to be considered as God-in-action.

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ContentsV o l u m e 2 3 , N o . 4 J u l y / A u g u s t 2 0 1 2

From the editors Desk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Chinmaya tej editorial staff . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

status of Building project . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Chinmaya-tej . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Radha-Krishna . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Chinmaya Lahari . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

the seventh pearl . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

What Does the guru Do? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Chinmaya Mission West Krishnalaya Rejuvenation . . . . . . . . . 14

a Dialogue on Inner purpose . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Lord's Chosen Flute . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Meditation with talks on Vedanta . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

Bala Vihar Locations & Choir . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Bhakti Rasamrutam . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

tapovan prasad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

scheme of study for Chinmaya study groups . . . . . . . . . . . 27

BalViHar Magazine — gita Chanting Classes for Children . . . 28

Community outreach program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

Vedanta study groups adult sessions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

satsangs with Br . prabodh Chaitanya . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

prabodhji's Classes at Bala Vihar Locations . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

prabodhji's Classes at sandeepany . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

swami tejomayananada’s Itinerary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

CHInMaya tej eDItoRIaL staFFeDItoR Uma Jeyarasasingam / umakj@sbcglobal.net

Co-eDItoR Rohini Joshi

eLeCtRonIC eDItoRIaL aDVIsoR Satish Joshi

ContRIButoRs Subbu Venkatkrishnan, Swamini Saradapriyananda, Swami Tejomayananda

DesIgn & Layout four waters media,West Sacramento, CA

pRIntIng PigMint Press, Redway, CA

Data Base Kapil Vaish

MaILIng Autozip, Ukiah, CA

ContaCt www.chinmaya.org Ph: (650) 969-4389 Fax: (650)428-1795

FRoM tHe eDItoRs DesKTej, is a bi-monthly publication of Chinmaya Mission San Jose. CMSJ is in the process of getting the necessary permits to build the New Facility.

The City of San Jose is studying the building drawings and when they are approved we shall begin the construction of our New Building.

We are happy to show you some elevation drawings of the projects. We invite you to visit the site when you can.

News and events update via e-newsletter on CMSJ web-site is serving our timely announcements. Please keep us updated with your e-mail addresses and send them to Cmsj-news@chinmaya.org

If you do not hear from us e-mail or Chinmaya Tej, please forward your address and e-mail to me indicated on this page.

Chinmaya Tej is also available for viewing on our website.

Chinmaya-Tej will be mailed to all Sponsors and Members of Chinmaya Mission San Jose. Send your subscription marked, Chinmaya-Tej, CMSJ, 1050 Park Ave., San Jose, CA 95126.

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Hari Om!

Chinmaya Vision – A Commitment to Excellence

As Bala Vihar enrollment and attendance at events grows, the Chinmaya vision - “to provide maximum happiness, to the maximum (number of) people, for the maximum time” - continues to inspire the entire Chinmaya Mission San Jose community. In the midst of increasing challenges, our commitment to excellence remains strong as ever. It is quite evident that the present Sandeepany San jose Facility is not adequate to support needs of our activities: Balavihar, Yagnas, Pujas & Festivals. Our need for a new facility emerges from this situation.

We started the New Building project on Maha Shivarathri in 2006 and acquired the property - an old church - on 10160 Clayton Road in San Jose, in January 2008 (2 buildings, ~11,000 sq ft total, 1.7 acres) at a cost of $2.6M and are in the process of building a new ashram from the ground up on the property. Architectural plans for the new ashram have been approved by the City of San Jose and we have been granted a Planned Development permit.

status new building

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Current Status as of November 06, 2012

We are very pleased to inform every one that with God's Grace, Pujya Gurudev's blessings, and continuous support of everyone in the Chinmaya Mission community the construction phase of new building project is now very much underway! Thank you for your patience and understanding over the past many months during which we were deeply engaged with the city of San Jose to procure the construction permit - all that is now behind us and with the bank loan secured, the construction has begun in full swing!

Details

1. We are now in the process of demolishing the existing structure - asbestos abatement as per city regulations and guidelines was just completed

2. The heavy equipment demolition of the entire facility will be next - it began during the week of 11/5 and will continue for about 3 weeks

Going forward, we will continue to keep you up-to-date on the progress with a report every month.

Getting to this point in the new building project would not have been possible without generous and continuous financial support by many in the community. Now, as 2012 draws to a close, we sincerely urge all those who are yet to fulfill their pledge of donation made earlier in the year to do so as soon as possible.

Thank You and Warm Regards, CMSJ Board of Directors

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Chinmaya ~ TejThank you for asking about Chinmaya Tej. Pujya Gurudev initiated and launched the CMSJ Newsletter in 1988. Later, finding the CMSJ Newsletter to be, in his words, “like a catalog”, i.e., woefully inadequate for the purposes he had in mind, he gave detailed guidelines to transform it into a formal, informative, useful, and high-quality publication. Thus Chinmaya-Tej was born.

The manifold purposes of Tej, as laid out by Gurudev, are as follows:

1. It is the voice of CMSJ.

2. Gurudev wanted CMSJ’s publication to be of high quality and comparable to CMW’s Mananam and other Chinmaya Mission Publications.

3. It is the official publication of CMSJ. When CMSJ was first registered as Non-Profit Organization, there were queries from various government agencies as to whether CMSJ had an official publication, from which they could learn about CMSJ, our history, mission, and values. Tej served that purpose.

4. Tej is CMSJ’s mode of outreach and communication to spiritual seekers beyond those who are able to attend CMSJ’s discourses in person. Extra copies of each issue of Tej are printed so as to be available for new seekers.

5. Gurudev also instructed us to cover Vedanta topics in the Tej. Accordingly, Tej has articles on Vedanta topics for beginners as well as advanced readers.

Other Details about Tej:

1. The annual cost to produce 6 issues of Chinmaya Tej is $21,000. It is paid for by CMSJ’s Annual Membership contributions, Bala Vihar revenues, and general donations.

2. Chinmaya Tej is also available online. Hard copies of Chinmaya Tej are distributed only to members of CMSJ who reside in California.

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Some years before the birth of Swami Tapovan Maharaj, there was at Kuzhalmannam, a greatly revered yogi and tapasvin by the name of Shankara Iyer. His hermitage was known as Shankara Madhom. In the fullness of age, Yogi Shankara Iyer passed away. Older residents of Kuzhalmannam remember an unusual incident that took place at the mahasamadhi ceremony of the yogi, which caused much wonderment at the time, and became the talk of the village. Like all other prominent persons to the village, Kunchamma’s father had gone to attend the final rites, taking his daughter, then about fourteen, with him. At the conclusion of the rituals, the monk who was performing them broke a coconut and placed one half on the body of the yogi. He then

went into a trance, and as if

The Yogic Heritageby LeeLa Tampi

(from Tapovan Prasad 2007)

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guided by an unseen power, singled out Kunchamma from all those present and gave the other half to her, with the instruction to partake of it as prasadam, which she did. It is believed in the village that the accumulated spiritual power of the great yogi was thus transmitted to Swami Tapovan Maharaj through his mother and that this explains at least in part the miraculous saintliness that unfolded in him from his earliest childhood.

Kunchamma, mother of Swami Tapovan Maharaj, was well known for her unusual beauty of form and feature, and her nobility of nature, in the village of Kuzhalmannam. Women of the village recall being told by their elders about the ethereal beauty and the sweet temperament of Kunchamma. She was the loveliest young woman anyone in the village had ever seen. Her complexion was so fair and delicate that it was translucent, almost lustrous. Even now she is remembered in the village with deep affection and deference.

Kunchamma and Achyuthan Iyer named their son ‘Subramanian’. It was soon evident that Subramanian’s spiritual endowments were of a phenomenal nature. Like Prahlada, the child devotee of immortal fame, Subramanian reached the heights of profound devotion, when still in his childhood. He learned by heart many devotional hymns and would sing them melodiously during the morning and evening prayers. He would worship at the family temple every day. He would also visit the nearby temples as often as he was given the chance. He delighted in the company of other devotees and would sing bhajans and hold discussions with them, often seeking information about such subjects as Vedantic cosmology. He would also listen with great concentration to the daily reading of the Puranas in his house, and would ask penetrating questions.

Even at that tender age, Subramanian was irresistibly drawn to the Muni of Kailas, whom he worshipped as the embodiment of spiritual knowledge and renunciation. In his father’s house at Karipode, where he was growing up, he converted a room into a shrine and all by himself installed a Shiva Linga in it. With precocious devotion, he would offer regular ritualistic worship to the image with flowers and food offerings. Subramanian would also keep up the devout chanting of the ‘Namashivaya’ mantra given to him by his father.

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Bring out Your Best

Be a noble person in life. The tides of circumstances and the tussle of happenings may toss us hither, may buffet us

up and down, but stay noble in your thoughts and actions... you will be ever safe.

This nobility in your heart must shine out in your actions, in your conduct, in your work. To be moody in

and disgusted with the responsibilities and to drag yourself through life, is a painful, unproductive existence.

Never complain, about the number of hours you have put in, to do a job. Your nobility must

estimate how much of you was put into each hour of your daily work.

Work is love made visible. To bring into vivid expressions your love for others is work... to drag yourself through

each days schedule, morose, unhappy, miserable is labour. Work alone brings achievements, never

labour. Grow up to be a man of sheer achievements through loving work.

Swami Chinmayananda

T h e N i n t h P e a r l

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As we enter the second half of life, if we are sensitive, we will begin to suspect that we cannot put our trust in any changing relationship based on physical attraction, or even in a relationship based on sympathy of mind or intellect. All these shift and alter with the passage of time. The only relationship that is permanent is the relationship between the Self in you and the same Self in others; the spiritual relationship in which we forget ourselves in living for the welfare of all. As the Upanishads say, “A wife loves her husband not for his own sake, but because the Self lives in him. A husband loves his wife not for her own sake, but because the Self lives in her. Children are loved not for their own sake, but because the Self lives in them. All creatures are loved not for their own sake, but because the Self lives in them.”In personal relationships we should try to observe the kind of restraint Epictetus recommends. “Remember, to behave in life as you would behave at a banquet. When something is being passed around, as it comes to you, stretch out your hand and take a portion of it politely. When it passes on, do not try to hold on to it; when it has not yet come to you, do not reach out for it with your desire but wait until it presents itself. So act toward children, toward spouse, toward office, toward wealth.”Don’t try to cling to people and hold them to you: everything changes, and if you try to arrest relationships and hold on to others, making them conform to your own needs, the light of love is extinguished very soon. This is the real meaning of detachment. It’s not running away from life, but having no particular, private, personal attachments: not the absence of love but the fullness of love for all.

�he �rea� Eknath Easwaran

�wa�enin�

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The word detachment has a cold sound in English, but it is only when we have this kind of perfect spiritual detachment that our compassion extends to every creature. We will see in the death of any creature the fate of us all. “Never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee,” as John Donne said. Whenever any creature or any person dies, we lose a part of ourselves.The key to this universal compassion is given in the Bhagavad Gītā: “beyond the reach of ‘I and mine.’” If you want to ascend the highest peak that a human being can climb, this is one of the most agonizing qualifications: no sense of “mine” at all, neither with things nor with people. And as if that weren’t enough, the Gītā adds “not a trace of Ahaṁkāra.” Ahaṁkāra is one of those simple yet profound Sanskrit words that is impossible to translate into English. Made up of two smaller words, ahaṁ, “I,” and kāra, “maker,” it implies egotism and self-will in general, too great a measure of self-regard and too great a following after our own passions and inclinations. Saṁnyāsa, perfect detachment, ultimately means detachment from our own selfish impulses and inclinations.The remedy for Ahaṁkāra, in the Buddha’s language, is nirvāṇa, from nir, “out,” and vāṇa, “to blow.” You keep blowing for years and years and one day the fire of selfishness goes out. You don’t snuff it out in one day; you have to keep blowing away, in meditation and then during the day, especially in your relationships. This world is a blacksmith’s shop, with fires all around, where we return good will for ill will and love for hatred, work harmoniously with others, and put other people’s welfare before our own. All these are for putting out the fire of of selfishness, which brings a deep sense of wellness to body and mind alike.To have perfect detachment, the Gītā says, we have to rise above not only “I and mine,” but also pleasure and pain. This is precise, universal advice. Whether you live in America or in Asia, in a palace or in a hovel, you cannot escape the duality of pleasure and pain that is woven into the very fabric of life. A permanent state of security can never come to any person who is dependent upon external circumstances and satisfactions, for these all have a definite beginning and a finite end. No lasting joy, no lasting security can be ours if we pursue finite things, things that pass away.

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But it takes a long time for most of us to learn that pleasure is not permanent. Most people get frustrated because unconsciously this is what all of us are trying to do: isolate ourselves in a pain-free world. That is the desire behind a great many technological advances, particularly where drugs are concerned. I am not opposed to painkillers in the hands of a wise physician but I know too that whatever we do, pain is an integral part of life.Hostility, too, is an unavoidable part of life. Even if you have ninety-nine persons cheering you, there will always be a hundredth to slander you. That is the nature of life, and to deal with it, we have to learn not to be always on the outlook for appreciation and applause. If people say, “Oh, there is nobody like you,” don’t get elated. Don’t pick up your telephone and call your friends and tell them all the nice things that are being said about you. That’s why so many people sink into depression when fortune seems to frown. During reversals of fortune, which will come to all of us, we can maintain our equanimity and tranquility. We do not need any external support because we are complete in ourselves.

Beyond Change and DeathIn our ancient Hindu tradition, we say that within every human being there are two forces deep in consciousness. One is the force of infatuation: selfish attachments, delusion, compulsion, hostility and violence. It is from these that the death-force draws its power. There is infatuation for money, infatuation for pleasure, infatuation for prestige, and the worst, infatuation for power. Jesus warned us of this force when he said, “All they who take the sword shall perish by the sword.” The violent force of selfishness drives us toward death, but when we renounce violence and hostility, we go beyond death in this very life.The sages of both East and West say that detachment and selflessness are a second force, which takes us over death into eternal life. If you can renounce all that is selfish and petty, you will attain the supreme state in which you know you are neither your body nor your mind, but the one Self, utterly beyond change and death.In my ancestral family, at least when I was growing up, people who were approaching the evening of life made preparations for the great journey. This is the glory of Buddhism and Hinduism:

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people know that the boat is coming, and they know that they have to put their house in order and prepare to leave their luggage behind. When the time comes, they are prepared. And then a quite extraordinary thing happens: for them Death is no longer a frightening ogre; Death is a doorman. When the time comes, he opens the door and says, “After you!”

From the unreal, lead me to the real, From darkness, lead me to light.

From death, lead me to immortality.

This sublime prayer for immortality has been repeated in India for thousands of years, and it is as meaningful today as it was millennia ago. Living for pleasure is living in an unreal world, a dark world. The satisfaction that wealth and pleasure can give is as transient as a dream. Living for others — for our family, our community, our country, the whole world — is living in light.This body of mine is not me but the car I drive. I rent it here; I leave it there. I rent it for a selfless purpose, and after many decades, when it is no longer functioning well, I will leave it...quietly, with no fuss and no regrets.“Once we attain that abiding joy beyond the senses,” the Bhagavad Gītā says, “there is nothing more to be desired. We can no longer be shaken even by the heaviest burden of sorrow.” When you have received this gift, what more can the world give you? What temptations can the world hold?Without Self-realization, every satisfaction, every pleasure, every reward will be taken from us sooner or later by death. This is not a morbid reflection. It enriches life, gives it meaning, keeps us aware that every moment is precious. The sooner we begin to wake ourselves up, the better, for there is far to go. But at any age, the best time is now, because Death is walking close beside us.Any day death can claim any one of us. But if you can wake yourself up, as the Buddha did, you live in freedom everywhere, in this world and the next. Terms like heaven and hell become

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pointless. Wherever you go is home, and whatever you do will bear good fruit. It doesn’t matter when or where. You lose all curiosity about where you are going in your next life. Wherever you go, your life will flower and bear fruit for all.Just because this body is shed, my life is not at an end. I know that there is a presence inside, a divine resident who will endure. Even after I have shed my physical body, all the love in my heart — which is not physical, not limited by time and space — will continue, and I will come back in a new body to be re-united with those I have loved and who have loved me — over and over again. This realization removes all fear of death from our hearts and gives us not only courage but understanding in the face of death.In the Buddhist ideal, the bodhisattva is one who takes a vow to be reborn again and again to help relieve the suffering of others. You have reached the end of sorrow, yet you are free to say, “That green earth I lived on has become polluted. I can’t just stay here and bask in bliss; I have to go back and do whatever I can to help. War is still stalking the earth, and I don’t want even one young person to suffer. Let me go back and help to bring people together in harmony.”Your next life is not dependent upon a throw of the dice. It is dependent entirely on you. As you live today, so will your life be tomorrow. No outsider dictates it. As you live in this life, so will your life be next time; no fate ordains it for you. Instead of being afraid of death and what comes after, you can almost look forward to it just as you look forward to a new day, by preparing for your next life here and now. This is the joy of the Buddha’s message: take your life in you hands, learn to practice meditation, change selfish modes of thinking into selfless, make your mind secure where it is insecure, extend your love to embrace all life, and then give and give and give.

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by Swami advayananda

[Vedic sentences like That Thou Art (Tat Tvam Asi) or I am Brahman (Aham Brahmāsmi) which reveal the identity of the

inner Self (pratyagatman) with Brahman are called mahāvākya. Swami Chinmayananda used to define mahāvākya in the most

unambiguous way as “identity revealing statements.” This identity between the pratyagatman and Brahman is technically called jiva-

brahma-aikya (jiva the inner Self, Brahma Brahman, and aikya identity or oneness). Since the inquiry into these identity-revealing

statements is the only means of liberation from saṁsāra, these statements are given the greatest honor in Vedantic literature.]

Even though any Upaniṣadik statement, which has jiva-brahma-aikya as its theme, is a mahāvākya, we find only four of them are popularly described as mahāvākya. That is because, in the Vedantic tradition, one mahāvākya from each Veda is taken as representative of all the mahāvākya of that Veda. The Vedas being divided into four (ṛgveda, Yajurveda, Sāmaveda, and Atharvaveda), the total number of representative mahāvākya also becomes four.

The selection of these four mahāvākya is not at random, but is based on the strength of their directness and brevity. But it is equally important to note that the popularity of this set of four mahāvākya does not disqualify the other jive-brahma-aikya-bodhaka-vākya from being termed as mahāvākya.

The following tabular column gives some additional details of this popular set of four mahāvākya:

Mahāvākya Meaning Upaniśad VedaPrajnānam Brahma Consciousness. Aitreya

Upaniṣad (3.3) ṛgveda

Aham Brahmāsmi I am Brahman.

Brhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad (1.4.10)

Yajurveda

Tat tvam asi That thou art.Cāndogya Upaniṣad (6.8.7)

Sāmaveda

Ayamātma brahma

This Self is Brahman.

Mandukya Upaniṣad (1.2) Atharvaveda

Mahāvākya

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Dramatization

At times, these four mahāvākya are beautifully connected by dramatizing and weaving a story through them, which sometimes aids in understanding the underlying process of sādhanā.The disciple approaches the Guru and requests him to explain the nature of the ultimate Truth. Naturally the Guru first defines the Truth to the student -- prajnānam brahma (Consciousness is Brahman). Since this statement defines Brahman, it is called lakṣaṇa vākya, or a “statement of definition.”The student reflects upon it and gets inkling that the subjective Consciousness, which is ever being experienced as the “I” is what is being pointed out by the teacher as the Truth. But this vague knowledge is riddled with doubts because the student had always thought that the ultimate Truth is somewhere beyond him. Hence, he comes back to the Teacher seeking further clarification. The Guru now declares clearly that the very seeker is the Sought by propounding tat tvam asi (That thou art). This upadeśa, or “teaching,” is called the upadeśa vākya, or the “statement of instruction.”Now the student, being free of doubts regarding the Teaching, sits in meditation and overcomes his habitual thinking of the Truth being something apart from him and that it is to be searched for outside. He gets rid of the notion that the upādhi are the Self and begins to actualize (aparokṣa-anubhūti) the Self as one with Brahman. His experience is of the nature of aham brahmāsmi (I am Brahman). This becomes the anubhava vākya or the “statement of experience.”Once he is established in his real nature, the Guru advises him to revel and abide in the Knowledge constantly. The nature of his abidance is ayam ātmā brahma (This self is Brahman). The student never loses sight of this experiential Knowledge even when perceiving the world of objects around him. This mahāvākya is called the “anusandhāma vākya” or the “statement of constant practice.”Please note that the above is only an interesting dramatization with an intent to connect all the four mahāvākya in a logical sequence, thereby providing us hints on the road map of our personal sādhanā -- listen, reflect, meditate, experience, and abide. Nothing more is intended than that. Every mahāvākya is complete by itself, and each has within itself the potential to grant liberation to a fit aspirant without the requirement of other mahāvākya. Sometimes, we find that the same four mahāvākyas are presented in a different order of dramatization. This only goes to prove that all the mahāvākya are the same, equally potent; they unanimously give only one message, viz., the jiva-brahma-aikya.

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Swami Tejomayananda

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One curious fact present in the midst of all our joys and sorrows, difficulties and struggles, is that we are surely journeying toward freedom. The question is practically this: “What is this universe? From what does it arise? Into what does it go?” And the answer is: “In freedom it rises, in freedom it rests, and into freedom it melts away.” This idea of freedom you cannot relinquish. Your actions, your very lives will be lost without it. Every moment nature is proving us to be slaves and not free. Yet, simultaneously rises the other idea, that still we are free. At every step we are knocked down, as it were, by Māyā, and shown that we are bound; and yet at the same moment, together with this blow, together with this feeling that we are bound, comes the other feeling that we are free. Some inner voice tells us that we are free. But if we attempt to realize that freedom, to make it manifest, we find the difficulties almost insuperable. Yet, in spite of that, it insists on asserting itself inwardly, “I am free, I am free.”

Struggle for FreedomIf you study all the various religions of the world you will find this idea expressed. Not only religion — you must not take this word in its narrow sense — but the whole life of society is the assertion of that one principle of freedom. All movements are the assertion of that one freedom. That voice has been heard by everyone, whether he knows it or not, that voice which declares, “Come unto Me all ye that labor and are heavy laden.” It may not be in the same language or the same form of speech, but in some form or other, that voice calling for freedom has been with us. Yes, we are born here on account of that voice; every one of our movements is for that. We are all rushing toward freedom, we are all following that voice, whether we know it or not. As the children of the village we are attracted by the music of the flute-player, so we are all following the music of the voice, without knowing it.

A Life of Freedom

by Swami Vivekananda

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We are ethical when we follow that voice. Not only the human soul, but all creatures from the lowest to the highest have heard the voice and are rushing toward it; and in the struggle are either combining with each other or pushing each other out of the way. Thus come competition, joys, struggles, life, pleasure, and death, and the whole universe is nothing but the result of this mad struggle to reach the voice. This is the manifestation of nature.

What happens then? The scene begins to shift. As soon as you know the voice and understand what it is, the whole scene changes. The same world which was the ghastly battle-field of Māyā is now changed into something good and beautiful.

We no longer curse nature, nor say that the world is horrible and that it is all vain; we need no longer weep and wail. As soon as we understand the voice, we see the reason why this struggle should be here, this fight, this competition, this difficulty, this cruelty, these little pleasures and joys; we see that they are in the nature of things, because without them there would be no going toward the voice, to attain which we are destined, whether we know it or not. All human life, all nature, therefore, is struggling to attain to freedom. The sun is moving toward the goal; so is the earth in circling round the sun, the moon in circling round the earth. To that goal the planet is moving and the air is blowing. Everything is struggling toward that. The saint is going toward that voice — he cannot help it, so it is no glory to him. So is the sinner. The charitable man is going straight toward that voice, and cannot be hindered; the miser is also going toward the same destination. The greatest worker of good hears the same voice within, and he cannot resist it, he must go toward the voice; so with the most arrant idler. One stumbles more than another. The one who stumbles more we call bad, and the one who stumbles less we call good. Good and bad are never two different things, they are one and the same; the difference is not one of kind, but of degree.

Goal of all ReligionsNow, if the manifestation of this power of freedom is really governing the whole universe, then apply that to religion, our special study, and we find this idea has been the one assertion throughout. Take the lowest form of religion where there is the worship of departed ancestors or certain powerful and cruel gods; what is the prominent idea about the gods or departed ancestors? That they are superior to nature, not bound by its restrictions. The worshipper has, not doubt, very limited ideas of nature. He himself cannot pass through a wall, nor fly up into the skies, but the gods whom he worships can do these things. What is meant by that, philosophically? That the assertion of freedom is there, that the gods whom he worships are superior to nature as he knows it. So with those

by Swami Vivekananda

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who worship still higher beings. As the idea of nature expands, the idea of the soul that is superior to nature also expands, until we come to what we call monotheism, which holds that there is Māyā (nature), and that there is some Being who is the ruler of this Māyā.

Here Vedanta begins, where these monotheistic ideas first appear. But Vedanta philosophy wants further explanation. This explanation — that there is a Being beyond all these manifestations, superior to and independent of Maya, attracting us toward Himself — is very good, says Vedanta. Yet, the perception is not clear; the vision is dim and hazy, although it does not directly contradict reason. Just as in the Christian hymn it is said, “Nearer my god to Thee,” the same hymn would be very good to the Vedantin, only he would change a word, and make it, “Nearer my God to me.” The idea that the goal is far off, far beyond nature, attracting us all toward it, has to be brought nearer and nearer, without degrading or degenerating it. The God of heaven becomes the God in nature, and the God in nature becomes the God who is nature, and the God who is nature becomes the God within this temple of the body, and the God dwelling in the temple of the body at last becomes the temple itself, becomes the soul and man — and there it reaches the last words it can teach.

He whom the sages have been seeking in all these places is in our own hearts; the voice that you heard was right, says Vedanta, but the direction you gave to the voice was wrong. That ideal of freedom that you perceived was correct, but you projected it outside yourself, and that was your mistake. Bring it nearer and nearer, until you find that it was all the time within you, it was the Self of your own self. That freedom was your own nature, and this Māyā never bound you. Nature never has power over you. Like a frightened child you were dreaming that it was throttling you, and the release from this fear is the goal; not only to see it intellectually, but to perceive it, actualize it, much more definitely than we perceive this world. Then we shall know that we are free.

Then and then alone, will all difficulties vanish, all perplexities of heart be smoothed away, all crookedness made straight. Then the delusion of manifoldness will vanish. Maya, instead of appearing to us as something horrible and hopeless, will be seen as something beautiful. Even dangers, difficulties, and all suffering will become divinized for us and will show us that behind everything, as the substance of everything, He stands as the one real Self...

The Changed VisionThus, be free; hope for nothing from anyone. I am sure if you look back upon your lives you will find that you were always vainly trying to get help from others which never came. All the help that has come was from

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within yourselves. You only had the fruits of what you yourselves worked for, and yet you were strangely hoping all the time for help. A rich man’s parlor is always full; but if you notice, you do not find the same people there. The visitors are always hoping that they will get something from those wealthy men, but they never do. So are our lives spent in hoping, hoping, hoping, which never comes to an end. Give up hope, says Vedanta. Why should you hope? You have everything, nay you are everything. What are you hoping for? If a king goes mad, and runs about trying to find the king of his country, he will never find him, becauase he is the king himself. He may go through every village and city in his own country, seeking in every house, weeping and wailing, but he will never find him, because he is the king himself. It is better that we know we are God and give up this fool’s search after Him; and knowing that we are God we become happy and contented. Give up all these mad pursuits, and then play your part in the universe, as an actor on the stage.

Our whole vision is changed, and instead of an eternal prison this world has become a playground; instead of a land of competition it is a land of bliss, where there is perpetual spring, flowers bloom, and butterflies flit about. This very world becomes heaven, which formerly was hell. To the eyes of the bound it is a tremendous place of torment, but to the eyes of the free it is quite otherwise. This one life is the universal life; heavens and all those places are here. All the gods are here, the prototypes of man. The gods did not create man after their type, but man created gods. And here are the prototypes, here is Indra, here is Varuna, and all the gods of the universe. We have been projecting our little doubles, and we are the originals of these gods; we are the real, the only gods to be worshipped.

This is the view of Vedanta, and this its practicality. When we have become free, we need not go mad and throw away society and rush off to die in the forest or the cave; we shall remain where we were, only we shall understand the whole thing. the same phenomena will remain, but with a new meaning. We do not know the world yet; it is only through freedom that we see what it is, and understand its nature. We shall see then that this so-called law, or fate, or destiny occupied only an infinitesimal part of our nature. It was only one side, but on the other side there wa freedom all the time. We did not know this, and that is why we have been trying to save ourselves from evil by hiding our faces in the ground, like the hunted hare. Through delusion we have been trying to forget our nature, and yet we could not; it was always calling upon us, and all our search after God or gods, or external freedom, was a search after our real nature. We mistook the voice. We thought it was from the fire, or from a god or the sun, or moon, or stars, but at last we have found that it was from within ourselves.

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Within ourselves is this eternal voice speaking of eternal freedom; its music is eternally going on. Part of this music of the soul has become the earth, the law, this universe, but it was always ours and always will be. In one word, the ideal of Vedanta is to know man as he really is, and this is its message, that if you cannot worship your brother man, the manifested God, how can you worship a God who is unmanifested?

Do you not remember what the Bible says, “If you cannot love your brother whom you have seen, how can you love God whom you have not seen?” If you cannot see God in the human face, how can you see him in the clouds, or in images made of dull, dead matter, or in mere fictitious stories of our brain? I shall call you religious from the day you begin to see God in men and women, and then you will understand what is meant by turning the left cheek to the man who strikes you on the right. When you see man as God, everything, even the tiger, will be welcome. Whatever comes to you is but the Lord, the Eternal, the blessed One, appearing to us in various forms, as our father, and mother, and friend, and child — they are our own soul playing with us.

As our human relationships can thus be made divine, so our relationship with God may take any of these forms and we can look upon Him as our father, or mother, or friend, or beloved. Calling God Mother is a higher ideal than calling Him Father; and to call Him Friend is still higher; but the highest is to regard Him as the Beloved. The highest point of all is to see no difference between lover and beloved. You may remember, perhaps, the old Persian story, of how a lover came and knocked at the door of the beloved and was asked, “Who are you?” He answered, “It is I,” and there was no response. A second time he came, and exclaimed, “I am here,” but the door was not opened. The third timehe came, and the voice asked from inside, “Who is there?” He replied, “I am thyself, my beloved,” and the door opened. So is the relation between God and ourselves. He is in everything, He is everything. Every man and woman is the palpable, blissful, living God. Who says God is unknown? Who says He is to be searched after? We have found God eternally. We have been living in Him eternally; everywhere He is eternally known; everywhere He is eternally worshipped.

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Shiva abhiSheka & Puja at SandeePany San joSeConduCted by Mission MeMbers

time: 7:30-8:30 pm / every 2nd Monday of the month

bala vihar locationS 2011-2012

FreMont Washington High school 38442, Fremont Blvd. Saturdays: 1:30 pm CONTACT: Lakshmi Prakash / (510) 490-1266

san raMon California High school 9870 Broadmoor Drive/San Ramon, CA 94583 Saturdays: 4:30 pm ContaCt: Meena Kapadia / (925) 680-7037

san Jose Lincoln High school 555 Dana Avenue, San Jose Sunday: Session I-9:00am, Session II-10:30am, Session III-11:45 am CONTACT: Uma / (650) 969-4389

San JoSeChoir sessions are held every alternate Sundays between 2:00 - 4:00 p.m. Venue: Sandeepany / San Jose teaCHers: Prema Sriram, Jaya Krishnan, and Jayashree Ramkumar ContaCt: Prema Sriram: NANSUK@aol.com

Those who are interested in joining the choir as a vocalist or musicians may please contact Prema at the address above.

San RamonChoir sessions are held once every two weeks, Saturdays at 2:00pm - 3:00pm Venue: California High School 9870 Broadmoor Drive, San Ramon, CA 94583 teaCHer: Shailaja Dixit / Contact: Shailaja at (925) 309-4837

Those who are interested in joining the choir as a vocalist or musicians may please contact Shailaja at the above number.

FRemontChoir is held weekly on Saturdays, 12 noon - 1:00 pm Venue: Washington High School / Fremont teaCHers: Natana Valiveti and Rajashri Iyengar ContaCt: Natana at natana@yahoo.com

Those who are interested in joining the choir as a vocalist or musicians may please contact Natana at the above address.

Swaranjali youth choir

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Saturday / 6:30-8:00am / Sandeepany Ashram Guided Meditation & Mandukya Upanishad Brahman is the only Reality. Nothing else is real. All the Universe, consisting of the evershining Sunday, moon and stars, is a dream - a long, long dream. How can this everlasting Universe perceived in the waking state be a dream? In the great Mandukya Karika, the illustrious Seer and Acharya, Sri Gaudapada tries to answer this question. The Karikas explain clearly and proves with various inferences and logic that this Universe is nothing but a dream.

Saturday / 1:30pm-3pm / Fremont BV Location Bhagavad Gita - Ch. 6, Yoga of Meditation The Lord teaches the path of meditation by which one can attain the highest possibilities in life. To a true seeker, a thorough study of this chapter is sufficient direction and guidance to attain the highest through meditation.

Saturday / 4:30pm-6pm / San Ramone BV Location Bhagavad Gita - Ch. 1. Yoga of Arjuna’s Grief. The seed of all grief in our lives is our mis-understanding of our true nature. Lord in Srimad Bhagavad Gita reveals our true nature by giving Upadesha to Arjuna.

Sunday / 9am-10am / San Jose BV Location Bhagavad Gita - Ch. 14: The Yoga of the Three Gunas; Ch. 15: The Yoga of the Supreme Spirit. Continuing further from Ch. 13, the Lord expounds in detail about the world of plurality and the Three Gunas. The Lord also explains that the Three Gunas decides in which womb (good or bad) one takes birth, etc. Chapter 15 is one of the most famous chapters in the Gita, often recited as a prayer before meals. Lord gives direct teaching by which the Infinite is indicated.

Sunday / 10:30-11:30am / San Jose BV Location Discourses on Atma Bodha. Bhagavan Shankaracharyaji expounds on the nature of the Self and the means to attain realiSaturdayion whereby one can be free from the cycle of birth and death.

Monday / 10am-11:30am / Sandeepany Ashram Discourses on Sri Ramacaritamanas of Sri Goswami Tulasidas. One of the most popular texts of Hindu Philosophy is the Ramayana wherein we learn about the life, trials and tribulations of the Lord, Sri Rama and His Beloved Consort Sita. Dive deep into the manasa lake of exploits of Lord Rama and discover your true Lord within.

Chinmaya Mission san jose — september 2012 Class schedule

Meditation with talks on Vedanta

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Sandeepany aShram 1050 park avenue, san jose, Ca 95126

San JoSe BV Location Lincoln High school, 555 Dana avenue, san jose, Ca 95126

Fremont BV Location Washington High school, 38442 Fremont Blvd .,Fremont, Ca 94536

San ramon BV Location California High school, 9870 Broadmoor Drive, san Ramon, Ca 94583

hoMe satsang with Br. PraBodh Chaitanya

1st Friday of each month / 8pm - 9pm TExT: sat Darshanam

Kirtida and Kamlesh Ruparel’s Residence 20668 seaton ave, saratoga, Ca 95070 / ph: 408-867-9550

2nd Friday of each month TExT: Dakshinamurty stotram

geetha & sanjay Rao’s Residence 22314 Cupertino Road, Cupertino, Ca 95014 / ph: 408-863-0595

sweta & jnana Dash’s Residence 6789 glenview Drive, san jose, Ca 95120 / ph: 408-268-5056

aLL cLaSSeS and mediTaTion SeSSionS are free please visit www.chinmaya-sanjose.org for more information.

Wednesday / 10am-11:30am / Sandeepany Ashram Kathopanishad: Dialogue with Death revealing the Truth about the Self. Nachiketa deMondaystrates the qualifications of an ideal student and his dispassion for the world which makes him fit for the Self Knowledge. Lecture folloWedesday by guided meditation.

Tuesday & Thursday / 6:30am-7:30am / Sandeepany Ashram Brahma Sutra: Brahma Sutras constitute the central text of Vedanta Philosophy. The Vedanta doctrines enshrined in the Vedas, Upanishads, Bhagavad Gita, Puranas, etc. are summarized in the Brahma Sutras. These are also known as Vedanta Sutras, the Sutras that give exposition of Brahman as revealed by the Vedas.

Tuesday & Thursday / 7:30pm-8:30pm / Sandeepany Ashram The Brihadaranyaka Upanishad The Brihadaranyaka Upanishad is the greatest of the Upanishads by its size as well as substance. The six chapters are divided into three kandas which deal with upadesha, upapathi or exposition and meditation.

3rd Friday month Srimad Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 2

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A Monthly SpirituAl of ChinMAyA MiSSion

WorldWide

Published by Chinmaya Chinmaya Mission Worldwide

It is Internationally acclaimed Publication filled with articles

and reports that are inspiring and educational.

Hindus living all over the world keep in touch with their spiritual

heritage through Tapovan Prasad.Annual Subscription by Airmail:

US $25 (12 issues)Make checks payable to

Tapovan Prasad, and mail to Chinmaya Mission

No.2, 13th Ave., Harrington Rd, Chetput, Chennai, 600 031, India

Our thanks to all our Sponsor families who have continued to support us for many years and to all Member

families who have found our programs to benefit their children thereby supporting us. We have room for more

Sponsors and Members. Please invite your friends to join the larger Chinmaya Family of the Bay Area.

CMSJ SPONSORSHIP . . . . . . . . . . Annual Contribution $500

CMSJ MEMBERSHIP . . . . . . . . . . . Annual Contribution $200

Chinmaya - Tej . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Annual CT Sponsors $300

Chinmaya - Tej . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Annual Subscription $50(Receive Chinmaya-Tej only)

tapoVan pRasaD

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1 . self unfoldment

2 . tattva bodh

3 . Bhaja govindam

4 . atma bodh

5 . Manah shodhanam

6 . upadesa saram

7 . narada Bhakti sutra

8 . Meditation and Life

9 . Bhagavad gita Introduction – Ch .1 & 2

10 . jnanasarah

11 . Kenopanishad

12 . gita, Ch . 3 – 6

13 . Dyanaswaroopam

14 . Kaivalya upanishad

15 . gita, Ch . 7 – 9

16 . Isavasya upanishad

17 . gita, Ch . 10 – 12

18 . Bhakti sudha

19 . gita, Ch . 13 – 15

20 . Mundaka upanishad

21 . gita, Ch . 16 – 18

22 . sat Darshan

23 . Vivekachoodamani

Vedanta Study Groups held in the Bay Area are listed in this issue of Chinmaya Tej and you may contact them if you wish to join a Study Group.

C h i N M A Y AstuDy gRoups

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Kids' Own Magazine...BalViHar

Parents...This is a monthly magazine published by Central Chinmaya Mission, Mumbai for Children. It is packed with stories, puzzles, arts and craft ideas, children’s contributions of essays, riddles, games, and much more. You can subscribe to it directly. The annual subscription is

$30 and you will receive it monthly by air. We suggest that you subscribe in your child’s name so your child will have the pleasure of receiving his or her own magazine from India.

Make your checks payable to Central Chinmaya Mission Trust and mail it to: Central Chinmaya Mission Trust

Sandeepany Sadhanalaya, Saki Vihar Road, Mumbai 400 072, India

Gita ChantinG Classes for Childrenby maLLika Subramanian

San Jose: Lincoln High school / every sunday Contact: (408) 245-4915

Fremont: Washington High school / every saturday Contact: (510) 490-1266

San Ramon: California High school every saturday (3:15pm - 4:15pm)

Contact: (510) 490-1266

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SAN joSeAre You Willing to Volunteer or Just Sponsor the Program?

If yes, please call Krishna Bhamre: (408) 733-4612 or e-mail sbhamre@yahoo.com

We need VOLUNTEERS for preparing and serving Hot Meals for the Homeless. Lunch bags are prepared at

Los Altos Community Center. All Youth volunteers are required to sign up with Krishna Bhamre.

Meals For The Homeless Program: Served at San Jose’s Emergency Housing Consortium at Orchard Drive off

Curtner Avenue (Adult & Youth Volunteers & Sponsors).

FReMoNTFremont BV sponsors Sandwiches For The Needy.

On the 2nd Saturday/Washington High School in Fremont.Parents of Bala Vihar and the kids prepare 70 Sandwiches,

bag them and provide chips, fruit and juice. The Sandwiches are delivered to the Tricity Homeless

Coalition, where they are served to adults and children.The Shelter is located on 588 Brown Road, Fremont, CAIn addition, last Christmas, Fremont Bala Vihar donated new blankets, sweaters, sweat shirts, and infant warm

clothes etc. to the homeless at the shelter.

C h i N M A Y A M i S S i o N S A N J o S E

Community outreach program

seva opportunit ies

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VedANTA STUdy GRoUPSA d u lt S e SS i o n S

Concord: Bhagavad Gita, Ch. 11 Sevak: Vipin KapadiaContact: Meena Kapadia (925) 680-7037 Time: 7:30 p.m. (Wed.)

Cupertino: Kathopanishad Sevak: Sreeharsha Contact : Ram Mohan (408) 255-4431 Time: 7:30 pm (Thur.)

Fremont: Viveka Chudamani Sevika: Priya BathejaContact: Priya Batheja (510) 490-1926 Time: 7:30 pm (Mon.)

Los Altos: Bhagavad Gita Ch. 3 Sevak: Uma JeyarasasingamContact: Ruchita Parat (650) 858-1209 Time: 7:30 p.m. (Mon.)

Milpitas Vivekachudamani Sevika: Uma JeyarasasingamContact: Suma Venkatesh (408) 263-2961 Time: 7:30 pm (Tue.)

Mountain House: Self-Unfoldment Sevika: Padmaja Joshi Contact: Padmaja Joshi (209) 830-1295 Time: 8:00p.m. (Wed.)

San Jose: Bhagawad Gita Ch. 4 Sevak: Jayaram ReddyContact: Krishna Reddy (408) 257-9587 Time: 8:00 pm (Wed.)

Satsangs with Br. Prabodh Chaitanyaall events are from: 8:00-9:00pm

1st Friday of each month: Kirtida & Kamalesh n. ruparell

text: ABC’s of Vedanta • Ph: (408) 867-9550

2nd Friday of each month: Geetha & sanjay rao

text: Srimad Bhagavatam - Kapil Gita • Ph: (408) 863-0595

3rd Friday of each month: sweta & Jnan ranjan dash, almaden

text: Aparokshanubhooti • Ph: (408) 268-5056

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San Jose Clayton Facility Self Unfoldment Sevak: Ramana VakkalagaddaContact: Ramana Vakkalagadda (408) 564-2749 Time: 8:00 pm (Fri.)

San Ramon Bhagavad Gita, Ch 9 Sevak: Bela PandyaContact: Sireesha Balabadra (925) 804-6102 Time: 7:30 p.m. (Wed.)

San Ramon/Calif HS Bhagavad Gita, Ch 7 Sevak: Vipin KapadiaContact: Vipin Kapadia (925) 680-7037 Time: 3:15 p.m. (Sat.)

Saratoga: Self-Unfoldment Sevak: Kalpana JaswaContact: Kalpana Jaswa (408) 741-4920 Time: 7:30pm (Thur.)

Redwood City: Bhagvad Gita, Ch. 6 Sevak: SreeharshaContact: Sunil Jeswani (650) 364-1074 Time: 7:30 pm (Fri.)

Walnut Creek: Kaivalya Upanishad Sevak: Vipin KapadiaContact: Rakesh Bhutani (925) 933-2650 Time: 9:30 am (Sun.)

A l l c l a ss e s h e l d w e e k l y u n l e ss o t h e r w i s e s t a t e d

Prabodhji's Classes at SandeepanyMondays: 10-11:30 am Sri Ramacaritamanas

Wednesdays: 10-11:45 am Kenopanishad (followed by Sanskrit class)

tuesdays & thursdays: 6:30-7:30 am Brahma Sutra tuesdays & thursdays: 7:30-8:30 pm Brhadaranyaka Upanishad

Saturdays: 6:30-8:30 am. Guided Meditation and Mandukya Upanishad

Prabodhji's Classes at Bala Vihar Locations Fremont: session 1:30-3 pm Bhagavad Gita Ch 3

danville: 4:30-6 pm Gitas from Tulsi Ramayana

san Jose: session 1: 9 am Bhagavad Gita Ch 11 session 2: 10:30 am Gitas from Tulsi Ramayana

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date Location / eVent phone

23 Jan - 30 Jan Chinmaya Mission +(91-491) 252-7366 Palakkad 678 001 Kerala, india

Gita Chap. 9 1 Feb - 7 Feb Chinmaya Ashram (91-998) 626-6502 Shripadakshetra Bengaluru Karnataka, india Gita Chap. 5

8 Feb - 14 Feb Chinmaya Mission (91-40) 2340-0674 hyderabad Andhra Pradesh, india Tulasi Ramayana (in English)

16 Feb - 23 Feb Chinmaya Vibhooti (91) 901-100-4542 Po Kolwan, Taluka Mulashi Pune 412 108 Maharashtra, india Bhagavat Saptah

25 Feb - 1 Mar Rajan Nursing home (91) 981-404-3214 Patiala 147 001 Punjab, india Tulasi Ramayana (in hindi)

swami tejomayananadai t i n e r a ry

WInteR 2012

“Be a tapasvin and learn to tap the very source

of all life and joy, which is verily in thyself.

Go inwards towards the lord in thee.”

~ Swami Chinmayananda

Join the Chinmaya Family as SPONSORS… We invite you to join our Sponsorship program so that you can help us to promote, sustain and continue to teach adults and children, alike, the Hindu Dharma which is our Heritage. Chinmaya Mission began its service to the Hindu Community some 20 years ago in the Bay Area.We are funded by public contributions. Your contribution, as a Sponsor, goes towards the operation of Sandeepany. Many families who are taking part in the various classes that we offer to adults and children, have enrolled themselves as Sponsors. They enjoy many benefits and become an integral part of the spiritual family at Sandeepany. Sponsorship is an annual contribution of $500 per family. The donation is tax deductible and can also be paid bi-annually, quarterly or monthly.

What Do Our Sponsors Receive?

• They enjoy all the classes offered at Sandeepany Schools for adults and children.

• They will receive the journal, MANANAM and the bi-monthly Newsletters: Chinmaya Tej and CMW Newsletter.

• Sponsors are invited to attend Weekend Retreats held periodically at Sandeepany.

UNiTeD Way CONTRibUTiONS

Your contributions to United Way can now be designated to Chinmaya Mission San Jose (United Way I.D. No 212100). The Mission is enrolled to receive such contributions with

United Way Agency in Santa Clara.

Chinmaya Family would like to thank you for your support.

Non-Profit Organization U.S. Postage

PAID Piercy, CA

1050 Park Avenue San Jose, CA 95126

Ph. (408) 998-2793 Fax (408) 998-2952

www.Chinmaya.org

Chinmaya Mission San JoseSandeepany San Jose

If travelling South on 101 Take Guadalupe Expressway Exit Then go past the airport about two (2) miles and get off at Park Ave. exit

At the bottom of the ramp, and at the light, make a right turn

If travelling South on 280 Take the Meridian North Exit Go to Park Ave. and make a right turn

If travelling South on 880 Take the 280 exit to San Jose Get off at the Meridian North Exit Go to Park Ave. and make a right turn

If travelling South on 680 Get off at Race Street Exit At the bottom of the ramp, at the light, make a right turn Go to Park Ave. (3rd light) and make a rightD

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