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Self-RealizationFellowshipV O L U N T A R Y L E A G U E ƒ Newsletter
A R e p o r t o n O u r R e c e n t A c t i v i t i e s
S u m m e r 2 0 1 1
The Lotus Tower at the entrance to SRF Hollywood Ashram Center is a unique landmark on Los Angeles’ famed Sunset Boulevard. To follow-ers of Paramahansa Yogananda, it is a monument to the message of his life and spiritually unifying teachings — so vitally needed in our world today.
In the closing years of his life, Paramahansaji expanded the facilities of the SRF Hol-lywood Temple (where he had regularly conducted services and meditations for many years) and the site became known as “India Center.” In his dedication speech on April 8,
1951, he declared: “By the constructive exchange of the best of East and West, we shall build a United States of the World,
with God as our President….This statement may be utopian, but what have most politicians done? They have brought wars, and wars, and more wars. I have no boundar-ies. I know God is our Father and we are all His children.”
Along with a new auditorium (India Hall), an ashram for SRF monastics, and other facilities, perhaps the most visually inspiring feature dedicated by the Guru that day was the newly con-structed Lotus Tower, which beckoned visitors from the busy boulevard to experience this oasis of peace and spiri-tual unity in the heart of the city.
With the assistance of a professional carpenter who eventually became Paramahansaji’s disciple, the Lotus Tower was built by the loving labor of SRF monks (see box next page). Although constructed ac-cording to established practices of its time, the sixty-year old tower is
now in need of additional safeguards to preserve it permanently — especially to protect it from earthquakes (a real threat in seismically active southern California).
Because this historic structure is at risk of damage, we would like to retro-fit the Lotus Tower using up-to-date engineering methods. At the same time, we plan to address other mainte-nance issues that are a result of the nat-ural deterioration from time and the elements, including: refinishing the lo-tuses on the top of the tower, repairing
THE LOTUS TOWER AT HOLLYWOOD TEMPLE: PROTECTING A SPIRITUAL LANDMARK
The Lotus Tower figures prominently in two scenes from the dedication of India Center on April 8, 1951. Above right: A view from Sunset Boulevard. Above: Paramahansa Yoga nanda and California Lt. Governor Goodwin J. Knight before a cake topped with a replica of this gateway to the new center. Left: Today the Lotus Tower still welcomes all to the haven of peace behind its gates.
In spring 2009 and summer 2010 issues of the Voluntary League Appeal, we told you that the roof at our SRF Publications Center had outlived its 30-year life span and needed to be replaced. This 50,000-square foot building houses many of SRF’s publication and outreach efforts.
Thanks to your generosity, we have completed this sizable repair work; the new roof should serve Parama hansaji’s work for a long time to come. Please receive our deep gratitude for helping us reach our goal for this necessary project.
PROGRESS REPORT: NEW ROOF FOR THE PUBLICATIONS CENTER
the tiles, and replacing electrical wiring.SRF members at the Hollywood
Temple have generously borne much of the expense of repairing and renovat-ing both the temple and India Hall over the years. We would like to assist them
with the estimated $82,000 to $92,000 needed for the present project with an allocation from the funds raised by this Voluntary League Appeal.
With your assistance we can ensure that this landmark of Paramahansaji’s life
and work will continue to welcome future generations of devotees and visitors to the peaceful environs and sanctuary of the Hollywood Temple, hallowed by a decade of our Guru’s divine communion and his far-seeing vision for a better world.
THE GURU’S OMNIPRESENT HELP
The Lotus Tower was the site of a miraculous inci-dent recounted by Brother Bimalananda (1923–2010) and Brother Anandamoy, two revered monastic disciples of our Guru.
In 1950 Paramahansaji assigned the two of them to assist with the construction of India Hall and the Lo-tus Tower adjacent to the Hollywood Temple. One day
they were plastering the tower; Brother Bimalananda was mix-ing the plaster and carrying it up a tall ladder in heavy batches to a waiting Brother Anandamoy, who was working twenty-five feet above the ground on the roof of the tower.
On one trip up the ladder, Brother Bimala nanda lost his balance, and the ladder pulled away from the wall. Brother Anandamoy was not close enough to help, and watched in horror as the ladder went past the vertical point and started falling backwards. He was certain that Brother Bimalananda was going to be critically hurt by the fall.
As he fell backward, Brother Bimalananda shouted, “Om Guru!” and an invisible force pulled him and the ladder safely back to the wall. Both Brother Bimalananda and Brother Anandamoy viewed this miracle as proof of the Guru’s omnipresent aid in time of the disciple’s need.
Brother Bimalananda said that his ability to call on the Master in that critical moment was a result of his habit of mentally chanting “Om Guru” during his daily activities. In fact, he said, he had been mentally chanting “Om Guru” while going up and down the ladder that day. Thus this story is not only a testament to the Guru’s protection and love, but also to the importance of constantly practicing the presence of God and attunement with the Guru.
Brother Bimalananda
Brother Anandamoy
The Lotus Tower — with its large, central lotus covered — prior to its unveiling on dedication day in 1951.
Seeing the work of Paramahansa Yogananda continue to take root in countries around the world is an ongo-ing joy for all of us. As your generosity helps to make this possible, we hope you will feel especially inspired.
In September this year we will re-lease the first volume of a three-part Spanish translation of The Second Coming of Christ: The Resurrection of the Christ Within You (above), our Guru’s ground-breaking interpretation of the teachings of Jesus. (Translations into German, Italian, and Portuguese are also under way.) In the words of grateful devotees in Spain, this new translation will offer “the more than
400 million Spanish-speaking people that have been born and brought up in the Christian tradition…the opportu-nity to become immersed in this great scripture from Guruji, which shows us the way to experience the resurrec-tion of the Christ who dwells within ourselves.”
Through your ongoing assistance of our audio-video program, several inspiring new productions are un-derway, including videos and CDs of
Sri Daya Mata, Sri Mrinalini Mata, Brother Anandamoy, and a wonderful recording of devotional Indian bhajans (below left). (We will announce all of these in our eNewsletter when they are ready; you can sign up for the free eNewsletter at www.Yogananda-SRF.org.)
Also scheduled for release this fall are : a German-lan-guage audio version of Autobiography of a Yogi (above), read by acclaimed German actor Robert Atzorn; a Por-tuguese-language edition of The Science of Religion (above right), and special
editions of the spring 2011 issue of SelfRealization magazine (which was a tribute to Sri Daya Mata) in German, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, French, and Japanese (below). We thank you for your continued assistance, which helps to put Paramahansaji’s liberat-ing teachings within the reach of all who seek spiritual understanding and a deeper relationship with the Divine.
NEW PUBLICATIONS IN 2011
LIVING AND SERVING IN THE CONSCIOUSNESS OF GOD’S LOVEOur president and sangha
mata, Sri Mrinalini Mata, para-phrasing Paramahansaji, has said: “God’s love is the great uni-fying, strengthening force — the singular divine cosmic force that unifies in this diversified uni-verse. Let us all live and serve in that consciousness — meditate,
love and help one another, and give that surrender of our souls to God with full faith and courage — so that we walk together, united, in that joy, in that love.”
Through our efforts to live the spiritual ideals taught and exemplified by our Guru, we shall surely and steadily grow in the consciousness of God’s love, and help to spread that light in a world sorely in need. To all of you who have contributed to this divine cause, we offer our abiding gratitude.
Contributions in response to this appeal will be used to meet the general operating ex-penses of SRF and to further the projects described in this newsletter. Contributions may be used for other purposes in the event of one or more of the projects being modified or canceled. Donations received later than approximately twelve months after the mailing date will be credited to the most recent Voluntary League Appeal. Under federal law, Self-Realization Fellowship is deemed a public charity and recognized by the Internal Revenue Service as a tax-exempt organization under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue
Code and a nonprofit, tax-exempt corporation under the California Revenue Taxation Code. Accordingly, contributions to Self-Realization Fellowship are deductible to the maximum extent permitted by law for income tax purposes. Deductible donations can be made through outright gifts in the form of cash, appreciated securities, mutual fund shares, real or personal property, and other types of assets, and deferred gifts in the form of charitable trusts. Bequests to Self-Realization Fellowship can be made through a will or trust and are eligible for a charitable estate tax deduction.
SELF-RE ALIZ ATION FELLOWSHIP • 3880 San R afael Avenue • Los Ang eles, California 90065-3219 U.S.A . • www.yog ananda-srf .org
Copyright © 2011 Self-Realization Fellowship. All rights reserved.Printed on recycled paper c 10264-J1995
HELP NEEDED WITH RETREAT AND ASHRAM FOOD STORAGE
Our Guru taught the value of health-ful diet as an aid on the spiritual path, and he delighted in preparing delicious Indian curries and other vegetarian dishes for his guests. In keeping with his instruction, all SRF ash-rams and retreats serve simple but wholesome and appetizing vegetar-ian meals made with fresh produce, dairy products, and other perishable foods.
Many of these foods must be refrigerated or kept frozen—and we would appreciate your help to make some needed improve-ments in our cold storage equipment.
For maximum economy, most of our food is purchased and stored in bulk quantities at one of our warehouses near the Mother Center. From there it is dis-tributed to five ashrams and three re-treats within a 100-mile radius in south-ern California.
However, this facility lacks a commer-cial walk-in style refrigerator to store the hundreds of pounds of perishable food purchased each week. This means our
bulk purchases of perishable foods are limited to what can fit in our refrigerated delivery truck that transports the food from the market to our various ashrams and retreats. As you might imagine, this significantly limits our ability to purchase in bulk at the most economical rates.
With your support we hope to purchase a walk-in refrigera-tor and freezer for this central food storage warehouse.
Just as important are major repairs now needed for the roof and ceiling of the warehouse, along with the need for more
storage racks. This will help protect the building and keep it in good repair — and allow the small and dedicated team of personnel that purchases and delivers our food to be more efficient.
We estimate these improvements will cost $145,000. We would be most grateful for your assistance in this effort, which will help us to more economically provide the thousands of meals served at Paramahansaji’s retreats annually and in our monastic ashrams at the Mother Center, Encinitas, Lake Shrine, Holly-wood, and Hidden Valley.
From SRF’s central storage warehouse near the Mother Center (above), food is delivered with our refrigerated truck to ashrams and retreats in southern California. Left: A delivery at SRF Hidden Valley Ashram.
All SRF retreats serve appetizing and wholesome vegetarian meals. Here lunch is prepared and served in the Lake Shrine Retreat kitchen and dining room.
