Chinmaya Study group involves five to fifteen people who meet at a mutually agreed time, place and day for about ninety minutes each week. The group studies and discusses scriptural texts according to a prescribed syllabus that offers the seeker a systematic exposure to Vedanta. There are several study groups in the triangle area, the details and locations can be found here.
Even as we go through a busy life actively chasing our dreams and ambitions, at the back of the mind we are aware of nagging doubts about
- What do we really want from life?
- What is happiness? When will we be happy? Is true happiness even possible?
- Why should we even be ethical or moral or religious? Is ethics just another word for fear of punishment?
- What is meditation? We sometimes hear it leads to peace of mind or alleviates depression, but can it actually help us?
- What is rebirth? What is karma? Isn’t there free will?
he answers to these questions are fundamental to how we should lead our everyday life, yet we never think about them – Much of the unhappiness in our lives is directly attributable to this ignorance. Vedanta provides deep insights into each of these questions, and enable us to achieve our true potential. In the adult study groups, we read and discuss the Upanishads, Bhagavad-Gita , and other Vedantic texts. The discussion is structured in such a manner that we can immediately apply what we learn from these texts in our everyday life in order to achieve inner peace and happiness. To quote the words of Swami Chinmayananda:
“You are destined to be great. So is everyone else on this planet. Success should be your habit!”
Yet, millions of people in the world are suffering. They live disorganized lives; they suffer the agony of failure. If we look around us we see that for every happy and successful person, there are hundreds who are disappointed and unhappy. People manage to get themselves crushed in the world of material competition and the rat race of the work-a-day world.
The spiritual literature of the world says: This unhappy state need not be ours. If each individual learns the art of approaching life correctly, everyone can be fully happy and successful. Each one of us is essentially perfect; the possibilities hiding within us are infinitely great. We have within ourselves all the resources, abilities, energy, and power for building up supremely happy and successful lives, not only for ourselves, but for others around us also.
Gurudev’s words on study group
“Mere listening to my yajnas will not add to your beauty. These ideas are to be reflected deeply and digested slowly. This process is hastened only when you discuss what you have studied with others. Study groups constitute the heart of our mission. The ideas gathered by you, when discussed with others, not only become deeply rooted in yourself, but as they become clearer in your own understanding, they also inspire those who listen to you. Thus, each student, while trying to strengthen his own understanding, can become an instrument for the spread of this knowledge. This process is the dynamic STUDY SCHEME followed in the Vedantic tradition. This is not a Chinmaya methodology, it is the most ancient Vedantic tradition of study.”