BERLIN RETREATS IN 2024 ^NEW

**To Register for a retreat/s please use the E-Mail: events.vedanta.berlin(at)gmail(dot)com

» 01. Introduction
» 02. Retreats in 2024
» 03. Details of Retreats: April - September 2024

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01. Introduction

Take up one idea. Make that one idea your life - think of it, dream of it, live on that idea. Let the brain, muscles, nerves, every part of your body, be full of that idea, and just leave every other idea alone. This is the way to success.

After having gained long experience in serving people through three centres (at Bindweide, Mühlheim/Main and Mohnweg Berlin) the members of the Vedanta Gesellschaft felt the need to combine those three centres and establish a permanent centre in Berlin to reach out to more number of sincere spiritual seekers. Monthly retreats are now conducted in the new Ashrama at Marienfelder Allee 73, 12277 Berlin.

Spanning over 16 years we have experimented on the prospect of helping people in finding their self-worth and self-respect, in finding and/or sharing unselfish empathy, in finding and/or sharing pure joy and harmony while working and living with others. We have evolved a mode of symbiotic living combined with the routine of an Ashrama which has been proving to be intensely absorbing and life changing for many participants.

The non-profit service activities of the society are meant for all without any distinction of gender, colour, nationality or religion.

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02: Retreats in 2024 at a glance

(i) Please Note: One can book for more than one retreat at a time. Interested persons can also stay in outside accommodation and attend all the programmes as day guests. We can register a maximum number of 35 perticipants for a retreat. Further details are available under item-number 3 below.
(ii) There will be scopes (a) for benefitting from guided meditation sessions after daily evening prayers, (b) Mantra recitation / practice and Satsang, and (c) for discussing, working, singing, meditating together, and so on.
(iii) Not Compulsory for those who stay in outside accommodation/s: (a) to take part in religious activities. Of course, one can join in the morning silent meditation sessions. Our offer is: Follow your own way of meditation; but let us meditate together. (b) One can skip the shrine-sessions both in the morning and in the afternoon and join in the lectures only.
(iv) Reduction of Costs: The retreat cost etc can be reduced for students and those who would ask for it.
** Important Information: As of today (17.12.2023), all accommodations in the Ashrama are already booked for Swami Sarvapriyananda's retreat in Aug-Sept 2024. Due to unavoidable reasons, we are sorry that we cannot accept any further registrations even if one wishes to stay in outside accommodation.
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12 -14 April 2024

Retreat with Swami Sarvadevānanda, Minister-in-Charge, Ramakrishna Vedanta Center, Hollywood, USA.
Topic: Preparation for Spiritual Rebirth. Or Spirituality and Our Life in Modern Times.
About the Swami:- Swami Sarvadevananda, the minister and spiritual leader of the Vedanta Society of Southern California, is a monk of the Ramakrishna Order of India. He lived near Belur Math (the headquarters of the Ramakrishna Order) from 1960 onward, and thus got the opportunity to come into contact with many monks who were disciples of Holy Mother, Swami Brahmananda, Swami Shivananda, and other direct disciples of Sri Ramakrishna.
Swami Sarvadevananda joined the Ramakrishna Order as a novice in 1965. For the next two decades, he served at Saradapitha, a major educational and technical training institution next to Belur Math. During this time, in addition to his regular duties, he also had the privilege to serve at a camp for refugees affected by the Bangladesh war in 1971.
The Swami became the head of the Ramakrishna Centre, Sikra, the birthplace of Swami Brahmananda, in 1988. While there, he initiated literacy and health programmes for hundreds of underprivileged villagers and performed relief and rehabilitation work for the homeless.
In 1993, Swami Sarvadevananda was posted to the Vedanta Society of Southern California to serve as assistant minister, under Swami Swahananda. In 2012, he was appointed the minister and spiritual leader of the Vedanta Society, Hollywood, and about a dozen other satellite centres and associates at different locations in the USA.
In addition to regular lectures and classes, Swami Sarvadevananda addresses schools, colleges, and religious groups throughout Southern California and other parts of the United States. He represented the Vedanta Society as a delegate on the Interreligious Council of Southern California and the Hindu-Catholic and Hindu-Episcopal Dialogue of Los Angeles. He serves as one of the directors of the Hindu Students’ Organization at USC, and sits on the Advisory Council of the Guibord Center.

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10-12 May 2024

Retreat with Swami Prapannānanda, Minister-in-Charge, Ramakrishna Vedanta Center, Sacramento, USA.
Topic: Retreating into Our Own 'Self'.
About the Swami:- Swami Prapannananda is a senior Swami of the Ramakrishna Order. In March 1989, he was sent to America to become the Assistant Minister of the Vedanta Society of Sacramento under Swami Shraddhananda.
After finishing his academic education at the University of Calcutta and working for sometime in an engineering firm, he joined the Ramakrishna Order. A disciple of Swami Vireswarananda, the tenth president of the Ramakrishna Order, he received his final monastic vows from his Guru in 1976.
The Swami had the good fortune of being born in the family of Swami Yatishwarananda who served in Germany as a spirtual guide before WWII. Immediately after joining the Order, the Swami was sent to Rajkot in the state of Gujarat in India where he passed twenty years of his monastic life as an important worker in various fields of the center including temple service, relief and rehabilitation, publication and book sales, dispensary and library work. He spent two years in Belur Math for scriptural studies.
After the passing away of Swami Shraddhananda in July 1996, he was appointed Minister and Teacher of The Vedanta Society of Sacramento.
Himself a great spiritual practioner and teacher, the Swami has wide experiences in spiritual life. He has been inspiring friends and devotees not only in the centre where he serves, but also in various parts of the USA and other countries. He is known for giving spiritual seekers practical solutions to their questions which help them to overcome their difficulties.

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7-9 June 2024

Retreat with Swami Nirmalātmānanda, Minister-in-Charge, Ramakrishna Vedanta Center, Sao Paulo, Brazil.
Topic: One's Own Liberation and the Welfare of the World.
About the Swami:- Swami Nirmalatmananda, is the president and spiritual director of the Ramakrishna Vedanta Ashrama of São Paulo, affiliated to the Ramakrishna Math of India. He arrived in Brazil in 1999 as the first resident monk to the newly affiliated Centre of the Ramakrishna Order.
As the first Swami of the Ramakrishna Order in Brazil, he has organized the groups and centres in Brazil for the last quarter of a century. Ever since he has been working untiringly towards spreading the message of Vedanta and the ideals of Ramakrishna Vivekananda in Brazil.
Inspired by the ideals and ideas of Sri Ramakrishna and Vivekananda, Swami Nirmalatmananda joined the Ramakrishna Order as a Brahmachari (novice) at the New Delhi Centre in October 1975, shortly after finishing his degree under the University of Madras (now Chennai).
Five years after joining, the Swami was sent to Belur Math, Kolkata, for intensive training at the Ramakrishna Order's headquarters, and in 1982 he took preliminary vows of monastic life. A disciple of Swami Vireswaranandaji Maharaj, the Swami took his final Sannyasa (monastic) vows 1985.
Before coming to Brazil, he worked for 17 years at the Ramakrishna Order's headquarters in Belur Math, where he acquired training in meditation and spiritual practices, administrative experience of the monastic order, study of the holy books, Sanskrit, Ramakrishna-Vivekananda literature, counselling and correspondence with devotees, etc.
Swami Nirmalatmananda, who lives in São Paulo, performs daily ritual of worship (Arati) followed by meditation and reading, and receives devotees for talks on spiritual themes as well as interviews for spiritual counselling. He gives lectures in various forums in and outside Brazil and conducts retreats. He regularly visits other centres in Curitiba, Rio de Janeiro, and sub-centres at Belo Horizonte and Brasília.

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2-4 August 2024

Retreat with Swami Tyāgānanda, Minister-in-Charge, Ramakrishna Vedanta Center, Boston, USA.
Topic: Nine Types of Adoration of God.
About the Swami:- Swami Tyagananda joined the Ramakrishna Order at the monastery in Mumbai in 1976 after graduating from the University of Mumbai in India. He received spiritual instruction (mantra-dīkṣā) from Holy Mother’s disciple Swami Vireswarananda.
Besides Mumbai (1976–80), the Swami served in the monasteries at Belur Math (1980–82), New Delhi (1982–83) and Chennai (1983–1997) and was sent to Boston in 1998 to assist Swami Sarvagatananda. He is the Hindu chaplain at Harvard and MIT since 1999 and, after Sarvagatananda’s retirement in 2002, he was appointed head of the Vedanta Society in Boston.
Swami Tyagananda was editor of the English journal The Vedanta Kesari for 11 years (1986–97) and has written, translated and edited fourteen books. He writes a fortnightly blog and his talks are available as audio podcasts. He has presented papers at academic conferences and he gives lectures and classes at the Vedanta Society as well as at MIT, Harvard and, on invitation, other colleges and religious groups in North America.

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30 August - 1 September 2024 (Please see below for two more talks.)

Retreat with Swami Sarvapriyānanda, Minister-in-Charge, Ramakrishna Vedanta Center, New York, USA.
Topic: The Ashtāvakra Geetā: The Art of Seamless Meditation.
** Important Information: As of today (17.12.2023), all accommodations in the Ashrama are already booked for Swami Sarvapriyananda's retreat in Aug-Sept 2024. Due to unavoidable reasons, we are sorry that we cannot accept any further registrations even if one wishes to stay in outside accommodation.
About the Swami:- Swami Sarvapriyananda has been the Minister and spiritual leader of the Vedanta Society of New York since January 2017. He joined the Ramakrishna Order in India in 1994 and received Sannyasa Diksha (final monastic vows) in 2004. He served as an acharya (teacher) of the monastic probationers’ training center at Belur Math, India, the headquarters of the Ramakrishna Math. He also served in various capacities in different educational institutes run by the Ramakrishna Order in India and as the Assistant Minister of the Vedanta Society of Southern California.
During 2019-2020 he was a Nagral Fellow at the Harvard Divinity School, USA.
Swami Sarvapriyananda is a well-known speaker on Vedanta and his talks are extremely popular globally via the Internet / YouTube. He has been a speaker on various prestigious forums such as TEDx, SAND, Google Talk etc. He has also been invited to speak at several universities across the world, including Harvard University. The swami has engaged in dialogue with many eminent thinkers such as Deepak Chopra, Rupert Spira, Rick Archer, David Chalmers and Sam Harris.
He has played a prominent role in organizing and participating in various interfaith panels and seminars, including speaking at the World Parliament of Religions in Toronto in 2018, and at the United Nations Headquarters in New York.
Some of Swami Sarvapriyananda’s popular talks have been compiled into e-books - “Who am I?”, “What is Vedanta?” and “Dissolve into Infinity” are currently available on Amazon Kindle.
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** Special Lectures in English by Swami Sarvapriyananda:
2 September 2024: In Berlin city
Topic: Swami Vivekananda's Vedantic Vision
Venue: to be announced
Time: 17:30 to 18:30
Attendance: Free Entry. Donations for sharing the incidental costs are welcome.
3 September 2024: In Ashram Yoga Hall
Topic: The Atman: Knowing Myself
Venue: Marienfelder Allee 73, 12277 Berlin
Time: 18:00 to 19:00
Attendance: Free Entry. Donations for sharing the incidental costs are welcome.

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27-29 September 2024

Retreat with Swami Mahāyogānanda, Ramakrishna Vedanta Center, Hollywood, USA.
Topic: The Importance of Habits in Spiritual Life.
About the Swami:- Swami Mahayogananda is a monk of the Ramakrishna Order. Initiated by Swami Swahananda, an illustrious monk of the Ramakrishna Order who was the spiritual director of the Vedanta Society in Hollywood, the Swami joined the order in 1997. He had the opportunity to serve in India from 2002–2008. During this period he had the great opportunity to work in the Narottam Nagar centre of the Order in Arunachal Pradesh. He served the tribal students it the school run by the Ashrama there. Thereafter, he was posted to Advaita Ashrama at Mayavati, int he Himalayas, as the assistant editor of on eof the Order's English monthly Prabuddha Bharata.
He returned to the USA in 2013, and ever since has been serving at the Vedanta Society of Southern California, Hollywood.
The Swami gives talks on a regular basis in the Hollywood centre and many of its sub-centres in the USA. On invitation he conducts retreats and gives talks in different countries outside America. Many of his talks, which are quite popular, are available on YouTube.

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25-27 October 2024

Retreat with Swami Ātmeshānanda, Monk-in-Charge, Ramakrishna Vedanta Center, Brisbane, Australia.
Topic: Life Is a Journey, not a Destination.
About the Swami:-Swami Atmeshananda joined the Ramakrishna Order in 1978 and has received his monastic training at its Headquarters at Belur Math in India. He has served in various capacities in different centres in India with the motto of ‘Service to living beings is service to God’. He was in Singapore for several years before coming to Australia in March 2001.
The tradition that he represents preaches the harmony of all religions and unity of existence. He is an exponent of Hinduism.
The Swami was responsible to oversee the construction of the brand new Ashrama in Springfield, Brisbane. He is currently serving as the resident monk-in-charge of the Ramakrishna Vedanta Centre, Brisbane, Australia.
He holds regular classes in the centre and goes to other cities and to nearby countries for giving talks and conducting retreats.

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22-24 November 2024

Retreat with Swami Ātmajnānānanda, Monk-in-Charge, Ramakrishna Vedanta Center, Washington DC, USA.
Topic: Ramakrishna-Vivekananda's Message for the West.
About the Swami:- Swami Atmajnanananda is a monk of the Ramakrishna Order, the resident minister at the Vedanta Center of Greater Washington, DC, in Silver Spring, Maryland, USA.
After completing his doctoral thesis in oriental studies from the University of Pennsylvania the Swami joined the Ramakrishna Order in 1981 at its branch centre, the Vedanta Society of Southern California. He authored Jiva Gosvamin's Tattvasandarbha: A Study on the Philosophical and Sectarian Development of the Gaudiya Vaisnava Movement, published by Motilal Banarsidass in 1986 under his pre-monastic name.
The Swami is an initiated disciple of Swami Swahananda, an illustrious monk of the Ramakrishna Order who was the spiritual director of the Hollywood Vedanta centre. Swami Atmajnanananda took his first vows of brahmacharya in India in 1992 and sannyasa in India in 1996. After the affiliation of the Vedanta Center of Greater Washington, DC, as a sub-centre of the Hollywood Ashrama, the Swami was posted there as the resident monk-in-charge in 1997.
He is a scholar in Indian philosophy and travelled extensively throughout India and Bangladesh. He has contributed various articles and translations to some of the books and magazines of the Ramkrishna Order. He travels across the USA and different countries to give talks and retreats. People are benefitted by his in-depth knowledge and analysis of topics of scholarly values and also by his discussions on spiritual matters and their practical applications.

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30 December 2024 - 01 January 2025

Year-end Retreat with Swamis Bāneshānanda & Shailasutānanda, resident monks of Vedanta-Gesellschaft, Berlin.
Topic: Organizing Life: Snippets from Earlier Retreats in 2024.
Aside from the talks on the topic the programme will include midnight celebration on 31 December, and Kalpataru Day & Holy Mother’s Puja. Note: Depending on the response from interested people, the retreat can be extended by two days more beginning from Saturday, 28 December 2024. We will announce about this change well in advance.

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03: Details for Retreats from April to September 2024

Registration: Please register your name latest before 7 days of the retreat by E-Mail: events.vedanta.berlin(at)gmail(dot)com, OR by post: Vedanta Gesellschaft, Marienfelder Allee 73, 12277 Berlin.
Retreat Cost: (per person) €100 for the 3-day retreat including food (accommodation extra), or €50 per day.
Accommodation: The Ashrama does not have many single-bed rooms. Elderly persons and ladies will be given preference in the matter of room allotment. People generally donate €35 for three-bed (3 separate beds) and €50 for single-bed rooms, per head per night.
Payment: Please pay the retreat cost in advance and also your donation, if any, to our account ‘Vedanta-Gesellschaft e.V.’ with Berliner Sparkasse (IBAN: DE58 1005 0000 0191 2293 69 / BIC: BELADEBEXXX; BLZ: 1005 0000). If it is not possible, you may send the amount to us by a cheque or pay it during the retreat.
Bedlinen: Please bring your house shoes and bedlinen. Bedlinen is also available at the ashrama. A small donation of €10 for the use of the bedlinen is welcome.
Cancellation charge for a booking of accommodation is 15 Euro.
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(As usual, the discourses will be translated sentence-for-sentence into German.)

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Links:
(i) ZOOM: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/2239332745?pwd=Uy9hV05BTy9rUmIzYlMzdVVnNTVjdz09
(ii) YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCX2XYeOK__TXU9TLhxYKhvg/live

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