The Meditation Center

On Summer Break! The Sunday Morning Book Study Group with Swami Ma Radha, Michael Smith, and Emilio Bettaglio.
2025-06-15 10:00 - 11:30, 2025-06-29 10:00 - 11:30, 2025-07-06 10:00 - 11:30, 2025-07-13 10:00 - 11:30, 2025-07-20 10:00 - 11:30, 2025-07-27 10:00 - 11:30, 2025-08-03 10:00 - 11:30, 2025-08-10 10:00 - 11:30 (America/Chicago) and 3 more dates
On Summer Break!
SUNDAY BOOK STUDY GROUP VIA ZOOM
WITH SWAMI MA RADHA BHARATI, MICHAEL SMITH, AND EMILIO BETTAGLIO
10:00 A.M. – 11:30 A.M.
The Sunday Morning Book Study Group with Swami Ma Radha, Michael Smith, and Emilio Bettaglio is now on summer break.
Stay tuned for the announcement regarding the new book title. The Sunday Study Group will resume in the early fall after the August Dunrovin Silence Retreat. Watch for updates at the end of the summer.

Postponed - Special Sunday Book Club Study Group Session via Zoom : A Book Report with Susana Matos Allongo - "Cave in the Snow"by Tenzin Palmo - June 22, 2025
2025-06-22 10:00 - 11:30
Postponed …stay tuned for the new date.
Special Sunday Book Club
Study Group Session via Zoom with Susana Matos Allongo
June 22, 2025
10:00-11:30 a.m.
Susana will present a book report on “Cave in the Snow” by Tenzin Palmo (1998)

This is the incredible story of Tenzin Palmo, a remarkable woman who spent 12 years alone in a cave 13,000 feet up in the Himalayas.
At the age of 20, Diane Perry, looking to fill a void in her life, entered a monastery in India — the only woman amongst hundreds of monks — and began her battle against the prejudice that had excluded women from enlightenment for thousands of years.
Thirteen years later, Diane Perry a.k.a. Tenzin Palmo secluded herself in a remote cave 13,000 feet up in the Himalayas, where she stayed for twelve years. In her mountain retreat, she faced unimaginable cold, wild animals, floods, snow and rockfalls, grew her own food and slept in a traditional wooden meditation box, three feet square. She never laid down.
Tenzin emerged from the cave with a determination to build a convent in northern India to revive the Togdenma lineage, a long-forgotten female spiritual elite.
She traveled around the world to find support for her cause, meeting with spiritual leaders from the Pope to Desmond Tutu.
She agreed to tell her story only to Vicky Mackenzie and a portion of the royalties from this book went to help the completion of her convent. (Synopsis of book written by Michael Smith)

Sunday Morning Book Study via Zoom with Swami Ma Radha, Michael Smith, and Emilio Bettaglio: Begins September 14, 2025, 10:00-11:30 a.m CT
2025-09-14 10:00 - 10:30
Sunday Morning Book Study Group via Zoom
with Swami Ma Radha, Michael Smith, and Emilio Bettaglio
Begins September 14, 2025
10:00-11:30 a.m CT
OUR NEXT BOOK FOR THE SUNDAY BOOK STUDY:
“The Essence of Spirtual Life”
formerly published with the title “Sadhana”

Namaste Everyone,
The Book Selection Committee met on Friday, September 5th, to decide what the next book selection would be for the Sunday Morning Book Study Group, which will begin again on September 14, 2025
The criteria which were used to decide were:
1. Is it a book which received a significant number of votes in the book selection survey sent this past summer to all Book Study Group participants?
Click here to read the results of the book selection survey.
2. How long is the book?
3. How easy is it to acquire?
4. Is it a “stand-alone” book or tied to a longer series?
5. Is the material new and fresh?
6. Is it relevant to the issues that people are facing presently, such as aging and
living in a polarized society in a potentially violent world?
7. Is it primarily an academic book or for more general yoga audience?
8. How many people have actually read the book and could endorse it highly?
9. Has it been recommended by AHYMSIN?
10. Does the book have a friendly readable structure as read aloud?

The book the Selection Committee chose is THE ESSENCE OF SPIRITUAL LIFE (2002) by Swami Rama. It was first published in 1996 (hardbound, with the title SADHANA) and has been very popular over the years. It is a relatively short book of profound quotations by Swami Rama.
The Selection Committee chose THE ESSENCE OF SPIRITUAL LIFE because it is recommended by AHYMSIN for the month of September, and it also commemorates the 100th anniversary of Swami Rama’s birth. It is also easy to acquire and relatively short, so we would be able to finish it by the end of the year, and possibly even read another short book by Swami Rama. And then, in 2026, we could begin reading one of the most chosen books by Swami Veda.
If we finish THE ESSENCE OF SPIRITUAL LIFE quickly, we thought that CONSCIOUS LIVING, another book by Swami Rama, would be a good follow-up to it.
And then, in 2026, we could go to Swami Veda’s SILENCE, VOL. I, GURU-DISCIPLE RELATIONSHIP, VOL. II, or YOU AND YOUR EMOTIONS.
We look forward to seeing you at the Book Study at 10:00 a.m., on Sunday, September 14th, for a wonderful new season of learning, discussion and camaraderie.
Shantih!

Sunday Morning Book Study Group via Zoom with Swami Ma Radha, Michael Smith, and Emilio Bettaglio, 10:00-11:30 a.m CT
2025-09-21 10:00 - 10:30, 2025-09-28 10:00 - 10:30, 2025-10-05 10:00 - 10:30, 2025-10-12 10:00 - 10:30, 2025-10-19 10:00 - 10:30, 2025-10-26 10:00 - 10:30, 2025-11-02 10:00 - 10:30, 2025-11-09 10:00 - 10:30 and 6 more dates
Sunday Morning Book Study Group via Zoom
with Swami Ma Radha, Michael Smith, and Emilio Bettaglio
10:00-11:30 a.m CT

“The Essence of Spirtual Life”
formerly published with the title “Sadhana”

The book the Selection Committee chose is THE ESSENCE OF SPIRITUAL LIFE (2002) by Swami Rama. It was first published in 1996 (hardbound, with the title SADHANA) and has been very popular over the years. It is a relatively short book of profound quotations by Swami Rama.
The Selection Committee chose THE ESSENCE OF SPIRITUAL LIFE because it is recommended by AHYMSIN for the month of September, and it also commemorates the 100th anniversary of Swami Rama’s birth. It is also easy to acquire and relatively short, so we would be able to finish it by the end of the year, and possibly even read another short book by Swami Rama. And then, in 2026, we could begin reading one of the most chosen books by Swami Veda.
If we finish THE ESSENCE OF SPIRITUAL LIFE quickly, we thought that CONSCIOUS LIVING, another book by Swami Rama, would be a good follow-up to it.
And then, in 2026, we could go to Swami Veda’s SILENCE, VOL. I, GURU-DISCIPLE RELATIONSHIP, VOL. II, or YOU AND YOUR EMOTIONS.
We look forward to seeing you at the Book Study at 10:00 a.m., on Sunday, September 14th, for a wonderful new season of learning, discussion and camaraderie.
Shantih!

Cancelled for December 21, 2025 - Sunday Morning Book Study Group via Zoom with Swami Ma Radha, Michael Smith, and Emilio Bettaglio, 10:00-11:30 a.m CT
2025-12-21 10:00 - 10:30
Cancelled for December 21, 2025
Sunday Morning Book Study Group via Zoom
with Swami Ma Radha, Michael Smith, and Emilio Bettaglio
10:00-11:30 a.m CT

“The Essence of Spirtual Life”
formerly published with the title “Sadhana”

The book the Selection Committee chose is THE ESSENCE OF SPIRITUAL LIFE (2002) by Swami Rama. It was first published in 1996 (hardbound, with the title SADHANA) and has been very popular over the years. It is a relatively short book of profound quotations by Swami Rama.
The Selection Committee chose THE ESSENCE OF SPIRITUAL LIFE because it is recommended by AHYMSIN for the month of September, and it also commemorates the 100th anniversary of Swami Rama’s birth. It is also easy to acquire and relatively short, so we would be able to finish it by the end of the year, and possibly even read another short book by Swami Rama. And then, in 2026, we could begin reading one of the most chosen books by Swami Veda.
If we finish THE ESSENCE OF SPIRITUAL LIFE quickly, we thought that CONSCIOUS LIVING, another book by Swami Rama, would be a good follow-up to it.
And then, in 2026, we could go to Swami Veda’s SILENCE, VOL. I, GURU-DISCIPLE RELATIONSHIP, VOL. II, or YOU AND YOUR EMOTIONS.
We look forward to seeing you at the Book Study at 10:00 a.m., on Sunday, September 14th, for a wonderful new season of learning, discussion and camaraderie.
Shantih!
