Self-Realization Fellowship: Difference between revisions
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{{Short description|American spiritual organization}} |
{{Short description|American spiritual organization}} |
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{{for|the meaning of the term ''self-realization''|Self-realization}} |
{{for|the meaning of the term ''self-realization''|Self-realization}} |
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{{Multiple issues| |
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{{Advert|date=February 2023}} |
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{{POV|date=February 2023}} |
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{{EngvarB|date=March 2015}} |
{{EngvarB|date=March 2015}} |
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{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2015}} |
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2015}} |
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[[File:SRF Headquarters at 3880 San Rafael Dr..JPG|thumb|Headquarters of SRF at Mt. Washington at 3880 San Rafael Ave., Los Angeles, CA]] |
[[File:SRF Headquarters at 3880 San Rafael Dr..JPG|thumb|Headquarters of SRF at Mt. Washington at 3880 San Rafael Ave., Los Angeles, CA]] |
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'''Self-Realization Fellowship''' ('''SRF''') is a worldwide religious organization founded by [[Paramahansa Yogananda]] |
'''Self-Realization Fellowship''' ('''SRF''') is a worldwide religious organization founded in 1920 by [[Paramahansa Yogananda]], the Indian [[guru]] who authored ''[[Autobiography of a Yogi]]''. Before coming to the United States, Yogananda began his spiritual work in India in 1917 and named it [[Yogoda Satsanga Society of India]] (YSS).<ref name=LifePositive>{{cite web|title=Paramahansa Yogananda - The Yogi and His Fellowship|last=Bhattacharya|first=Saurabh|url=http://www.lifepositive.com/spirit/masters/paramahansa-yogananda/self-realization.asp|website=lifepositive.com|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120717000259/http://www.lifepositive.com/spirit/masters/paramahansa-yogananda/self-realization.asp|archive-date=17 July 2012|df=dmy-all}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://yssofindia.org/about |title=About Yogoda Satsanga Society of India }}</ref> He came to the [[Western world|West]] in 1920 and in 1925 established SRF's headquarters at [[Mount Washington, Los Angeles]], California. Before his return visit to India in 1935, he legally incorporated SRF in the United States, designating it as the only organization to carry on his work – to care for and disseminate his teachings.<ref name="Melton">{{cite book |last=Melton, J. Gordon |first=Martin Baumann |title=Religions of the World: A Comprehensive Encyclopedia of Beliefs and Practices |publisher=ABC-CLIO |year=2010 |isbn=9781598842043}}</ref><ref name="Williamson">{{cite book |last=Williamson |first=Lola |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yX4VCgAAQBAJ |title=Transcendent in America: Hindu-inspired Meditation Movements as New Religion |date=2010 |publisher=New York University Press |isbn=978-0-8147-9449-4 |location=New York and London |page=}}</ref>{{Rp|pages=154, 227}} |
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Yogananda's teachings include [[meditation]] techniques intended to promote awareness of [[God]] and one's [[soul]]. SRF conveys these techniques through a home-study course, and they publish Yogananda's books and lectures. SRF also coordinates the Worldwide Prayer Circle, who pray for world peace and those in need. |
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Yogananda's teachings include yoga techniques and a form of meditation that promotes awareness of one's soul and expands one's consciousness.<ref>{{cite book |last=Bowker |first=John |title=The concise Oxford dictionary of world religions / Self-Realization Fellowship |page=[https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780192800947/page/524 524] |year=2000 |publisher=Oxford Univ. Press |isbn=0-19-280094-9 |url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780192800947/page/524 }}</ref> Self-Realization Fellowship disseminates and publishes his teachings in accordance with the aims and ideals listed in his autobiography. SRF also coordinates the Worldwide Prayer Circle, which it describes as a network of groups and individuals who pray for those in need of physical, mental, or spiritual aid, and who also pray for world peace and harmony.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Santosanada |first1=Brother |title=Yogananda's Kriya Yoga Teachings |journal=Caduceus |date=2011 |volume=Autumn-Winter |issue=82 |page=12}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Rourke |first1=Mary |title=Private Talks With God Go Public |work=Los Angeles Times - Life and Style, Section E|publisher=California Times |date=10 November 1996}}</ref> |
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==Leadership== |
==Leadership== |
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Paramahansa Yogananda founded |
Paramahansa Yogananda founded SRF in 1920 and served as head until his death on 7 March 1952.<ref name=":1">{{cite book |last1=Wessinger |first1=Catherine |title=America's Alternative Religions: The Vedanta Movement and the Self-Realization Fellowship |date=1995 |publisher=State University of New York Press |location=Albany, New York |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=og_u0Re1uwUC&dq=The+Vedanta+Movement+and+the+Self-Realization+Fellowship.&pg=PA173|isbn=0-7914-2398-0 |page=173,179}}</ref><ref name="NYT-2014">{{cite news |title=When Being a Yogi Had an Exotic Air |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=9 October 2014 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/10/movies/awake-about-the-life-of-paramahansa-yogananda.html |access-date=2017-07-07 |last1=Gates |first1=Anita }}</ref><ref name="Melton" /> In 1925, he established the international headquarters for SRF/YSS at Mount Washington in Los Angeles, California.<ref name="Melton" /><ref name=":3">{{cite web |title=International Headquarters |url=https://yogananda.org/locations-international-headquarters |access-date=1 December 2023 |website=Self-Realization Fellowship}}</ref><ref name=":1" /> The three-story building had originally been opened in 1909 as a hotel. SRF now calls it ''Mother Center''. After Yogananda's death, SRF preserved his bedroom in the building as a shrine.<ref name=":4">{{Cite news |last=Meares |first=Hadley |date=August 9, 2013 |title=From Hip Hotel to Holy Home: The Self-Realization Fellowship on Mount Washington |url=https://www.pbssocal.org/history-society/from-hip-hotel-to-holy-home-the-self-realization-fellowship-on-mount-washington |access-date=December 1, 2023 |work=PBS SoCal}}</ref><ref name=":3" /> |
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The first president and head of SRF/YSS after Yogananda was [[Rajarsi Janakananda]], who was president until his death on 20 February 1955.<ref>{{cite news |title=Millionaire president of yoga society dies |url=https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/access/435261802.html?dids=435261802:435261802&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:AI&type=historic&date=Feb+21%2C+1955&author=&pub=Los+Angeles+Times+(1886-Current+File)&edition=&startpage=24&desc=MILLIONAIRE+PRESIDENT+OF+YOGA+SOCIETY+DIES |work=[[Los Angeles Times]] |date=1955-02-21}}</ref> |
The first president and head of SRF/YSS after Yogananda was [[Rajarsi Janakananda]], who was president until his death on 20 February 1955.<ref>{{cite news |title=Millionaire president of yoga society dies |url=https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/access/435261802.html?dids=435261802:435261802&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:AI&type=historic&date=Feb+21%2C+1955&author=&pub=Los+Angeles+Times+(1886-Current+File)&edition=&startpage=24&desc=MILLIONAIRE+PRESIDENT+OF+YOGA+SOCIETY+DIES |work=[[Los Angeles Times]] |date=1955-02-21}}</ref> |
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until 30 November 2010, the end of her life.<ref>Woo, Elaine (2010-12-03). "Sri Daya Mata dies at 96; led L.A.-based Self-Realization Fellowship". latimes.com, 3 December 2010. Retrieved on 2012-03-16 from http://www.latimes.com/news/obituaries/la-me-sri-daya-mata-20101203,0,6781315.story.</ref> American yoga scholar [[Linda Johnsen]] wrote that Daya Mata was an example of a new wave of women who acquired leadership positions in Hindu spirituality.<ref>{{cite book |last=Sharma |first=Arvind |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dyQpNKH1oOYC&pg=PA130 |title=Today's Woman in World Religions |publisher=SUNY Press |year=1994 |isbn=9780791416884 |page=130}}</ref> |
until 30 November 2010, the end of her life.<ref>Woo, Elaine (2010-12-03). "Sri Daya Mata dies at 96; led L.A.-based Self-Realization Fellowship". latimes.com, 3 December 2010. Retrieved on 2012-03-16 from http://www.latimes.com/news/obituaries/la-me-sri-daya-mata-20101203,0,6781315.story.</ref> American yoga scholar [[Linda Johnsen]] wrote that Daya Mata was an example of a new wave of women who acquired leadership positions in Hindu spirituality.<ref>{{cite book |last=Sharma |first=Arvind |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dyQpNKH1oOYC&pg=PA130 |title=Today's Woman in World Religions |publisher=SUNY Press |year=1994 |isbn=9780791416884 |page=130}}</ref> |
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In 2010, [[Mrinalini Mata]] became the next president of SRF/YSS, with the official announcement being on 9 January 2011. She held this position until her passing on 3 August 2017.<ref name=LAT-2011>{{cite web |url=https://articles.latimes.com/2011/jan/12/local/la-me-self-realization-20110112 |title=Self-Realization Fellowship elects Sri Mrinalini Mata as new leader |work=[[Los Angeles Times]] |access-date=2017-07-08}}</ref><ref name = Chidananda/><ref>{{cite web |url= https://yogananda.org/a-channel-of-the-gurus-love-and-wisdom |title=In Memoriam: Sri Mrinalini Mata |access-date=2019-09-22}}</ref> She had been chosen by Yogananda to oversee his publications after his death, and she had held the position of SRF/YSS vice-president from 1966 until she became president in 2011.<ref name=Melton/><ref>{{cite news |url=https://articles.latimes.com/2011/jan/12/local/la-me-self-realization-20110112 |title=Self-Realization Fellowship elects Sri Mrinalini Mata as new leader |work=[[Los Angeles Times]] |first=Mitchell |last=Landsberg |date=2011-01-11}}</ref> |
In 2010, [[Mrinalini Mata]] became the next president of SRF/YSS, with the official announcement being on 9 January 2011. She held this position until her passing on 3 August 2017.<ref name=LAT-2011>{{cite web |url=https://articles.latimes.com/2011/jan/12/local/la-me-self-realization-20110112 |title=Self-Realization Fellowship elects Sri Mrinalini Mata as new leader |work=[[Los Angeles Times]] |date=12 January 2011 |access-date=2017-07-08}}</ref><ref name = Chidananda/><ref>{{cite web |url= https://yogananda.org/a-channel-of-the-gurus-love-and-wisdom |title=In Memoriam: Sri Mrinalini Mata |access-date=2019-09-22}}</ref> She had been chosen by Yogananda to oversee his publications after his death, and she had held the position of SRF/YSS vice-president from 1966 until she became president in 2011.<ref name=Melton/><ref>{{cite news |url=https://articles.latimes.com/2011/jan/12/local/la-me-self-realization-20110112 |title=Self-Realization Fellowship elects Sri Mrinalini Mata as new leader |work=[[Los Angeles Times]] |first=Mitchell |last=Landsberg |date=2011-01-11}}</ref> |
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On 30 August 2017, [[Brother Chidananda]] was elected as the next and current president with a unanimous vote of the SRF Board of Directors.<ref name = Chidananda>{{Cite web|url=http://www.indiajournal.com/religion/brother-chidananda-is-new-spiritual-leader-of-srf|title=Brother Chidananda is New Spiritual Leader Of SRF |date=17 September 2017|website=India Journal| access-date=4 March 2023}}</ref><ref name=LAT-2017>{{cite web |url=https://yogananda.org/blog/news-srf-announces-new-president|title=Brother Chidananda Elected President and Spiritual Head of SRF/YSS |website=Yogananda.org |access-date=2017-09-03 }}</ref> |
On 30 August 2017, [[Brother Chidananda]] was elected as the next and current president with a unanimous vote of the SRF Board of Directors.<ref name = Chidananda>{{Cite web|url=http://www.indiajournal.com/religion/brother-chidananda-is-new-spiritual-leader-of-srf|title=Brother Chidananda is New Spiritual Leader Of SRF |date=17 September 2017|website=India Journal| access-date=4 March 2023}}</ref><ref name=LAT-2017>{{cite web |url=https://yogananda.org/blog/news-srf-announces-new-president|title=Brother Chidananda Elected President and Spiritual Head of SRF/YSS |website=Yogananda.org |access-date=2017-09-03 }}</ref> |
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=== Monastic order === |
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SRF is run by members of its [[Monasticism|monastic]] order,<ref name=":0" /> established by Yogananda in the early 1930s.<ref>{{cite web |title=A Centuries-old Tradition |url=https://yogananda.org/monasticorder#A%20Centuries-old%20Tradition |access-date=2019-09-22 |website=yogananda.org}}</ref> SRF's monks and nuns coordinate the organization's retreats, youth programs, temple services, and publishing and translation efforts.<ref name=":0" /> They also coordinate the Worldwide Prayer Circle, a network of groups and individuals who pray for world peace and those in need.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Santosanada |first1=Brother |date=2011 |title=Yogananda's Kriya Yoga Teachings |journal=Caduceus |volume=Autumn-Winter |issue=82 |page=12}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Rourke |first1=Mary |date=10 November 1996 |title=Private Talks With God Go Public |work=Los Angeles Times - Life and Style, Section E |publisher=California Times}}</ref> |
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⚫ | According to SRF's website, the daily life of an SRF [[Renunciation|renunciant]] includes meditation, prayer, service, spiritual study, [[introspection]], exercise, and [[recreation]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Daily Life in the Ashram |url=https://yogananda.org/monasticorder#Daily%20Life%20in%20the%20Ashram |access-date=2019-09-22 |website=yogananda.org}}</ref> There are four stages of life in the SRF monastic order that represent a deepening commitment to the renunciant life: [[postulancy]], [[novitiate]], [[brahmacarya]], and [[sannyas]].<ref>{{cite web |title=The Four Stages of Monastic Life |url=https://yogananda.org/monasticorder#The%20Four%20Stages%20of%20Monastic%20Life |access-date=2019-09-22 |website=yogananda.org}}</ref> Monks and nuns of the SRF Order who take their final renunciant vows are members of the [[Daśanāmi Sampradaya|Swami Order]], which traces its spiritual lineage back to [[Adi Shankara]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Goldberg |first=Philip |title=The Life of Yogananda |publisher=Hay House, Inc. |year=2018 |isbn=978-1-4019-5218-1 |location=Carlsbad, CA |page=76}}</ref> |
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==Teachings== |
==Teachings== |
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{{See also|Paramahansa Yogananda#Teachings}} |
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Yogananda first introduced his teachings to the West during an international congress of religious leaders held in Boston, MA in 1920 while giving a talk called ''The Science of Religion''. Yogananda believed that his methods were [[Testability|testable]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Yogananda|first=Paramahansa |title=The Science of Religion |year=1982 |page=iv|publisher=Self-Realization Fellowship |location= Los Angeles, CA| isbn=978-0-87612-005-7}}</ref><ref name=":2">{{cite news |last=Netburnstaff |first=Deborah|title=If you practice yoga, thank this man who came to the U.S. 100 years ago|date=19 November 2020 |location=Los Angeles |work=[[The Los Angeles Times]] |url=https://www.latimes.com/science/story/2020-11-19/self-realization-fellowship-paramahansa-yogananda-los-angeles-history}}</ref> Yogananda's dissemination of his teachings continues through SRF,<ref>{{cite book |last=Goldberg |first=Philip |title=American Veda |publisher=Harmony |year=2012 |isbn=978-0-385-52135-2 |edition=1 |pages=109}}</ref> which he [[Incorporation (business)|incorporated]] in 1935 as a nonprofit religious organization.<ref name=":1" /><ref>{{wikisource-inline|SRF Articles of Incorporation 1935}}</ref> According to author Lola Williamson in her book, ''Transcendent in America: Hindu-inspired Meditation Movements as New Religion'', |
Yogananda first introduced his teachings to the West during an international congress of religious leaders held in Boston, MA in 1920 while giving a talk called ''The Science of Religion''. Yogananda believed that his methods were [[Testability|testable]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Yogananda|first=Paramahansa |title=The Science of Religion |year=1982 |page=iv|publisher=Self-Realization Fellowship |location= Los Angeles, CA| isbn=978-0-87612-005-7}}</ref><ref name=":2">{{cite news |last=Netburnstaff |first=Deborah|title=If you practice yoga, thank this man who came to the U.S. 100 years ago|date=19 November 2020 |location=Los Angeles |work=[[The Los Angeles Times]] |url=https://www.latimes.com/science/story/2020-11-19/self-realization-fellowship-paramahansa-yogananda-los-angeles-history}}</ref> Yogananda's dissemination of his teachings continues through SRF,<ref>{{cite book |last=Goldberg |first=Philip |title=American Veda |publisher=Harmony |year=2012 |isbn=978-0-385-52135-2 |edition=1 |pages=109}}</ref> which he [[Incorporation (business)|incorporated]] in 1935 as a nonprofit religious organization.<ref name=":1" /><ref>{{wikisource-inline|SRF Articles of Incorporation 1935}}</ref> According to author Lola Williamson in her book, ''Transcendent in America: Hindu-inspired Meditation Movements as New Religion'', "He (Yogananda) made it clear that his teachings were to be shared through Self-Realization Fellowship and not through rogue organizations that taught in his name."<ref name="Williamson" />{{Rp|page=227}} |
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Yogananda's autobiography contains a list of aims and ideals for SRF, and the first of these is to disseminate "scientific techniques for attaining direct personal experience of God". Another is "to advocate cultural and spiritual understanding between East and West".<ref>{{Cite book |last=Yogananda |first=Paramahansa |title=[[Autobiography of a Yogi]] |publisher=Self-Realization Fellowship |year=1998 |edition=13th |pages=481 |author-link=Paramahansa Yogananda}}</ref> SRF teaches methods of concentration and meditation, including a technique called ''[[Kriya Yoga school|kriya yoga]]'', for the purpose of attaining what Yogananda called ''Self-realization''. Yogananda used this term to signify the realization of one's true Self or [[soul]]. SRF presents Eastern and Western religious teachings as essentially one and the same by including passages from both the [[Bhagavad Gita]] and the [[New Testament]] in their services.<ref name=":0" /> SRF also publishes Yogananda's works, which include his home-study lessons, autobiography, lectures, and recorded talks.<ref name="Melton" /><ref>{{cite book |last=Yogananda |first=Paramahansa |title=God Talks With Arjuna |year=1995 |publisher=Self-Realization Fellowship; 1st edition |page=427}}</ref><ref |
Yogananda's autobiography contains a list of aims and ideals for SRF, and the first of these is to disseminate "scientific techniques for attaining direct personal experience of God". Another is "to advocate cultural and spiritual understanding between East and West".<ref>{{Cite book |last=Yogananda |first=Paramahansa |title=[[Autobiography of a Yogi]] |publisher=Self-Realization Fellowship |year=1998 |edition=13th |pages=481 |author-link=Paramahansa Yogananda}}</ref> SRF teaches methods of concentration and meditation, including a technique called ''[[Kriya Yoga school|kriya yoga]]'', for the purpose of attaining what Yogananda called ''Self-realization''. Yogananda used this term to signify the realization of one's true Self or [[soul]]. SRF presents Eastern and Western religious teachings as essentially one and the same by including passages from both the [[Bhagavad Gita]] and the [[New Testament]] in their services.<ref name=":0" /> SRF also publishes Yogananda's works, which include his home-study lessons, autobiography, lectures, and recorded talks.<ref name="Melton" /><ref>{{cite book |last=Yogananda |first=Paramahansa |title=God Talks With Arjuna |year=1995 |publisher=Self-Realization Fellowship; 1st edition |page=427}}</ref><ref name=":1" />{{Rp|page=187}} |
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SRF funded the 2014 documentary |
SRF funded the 2014 documentary ''Awake: The Life of Yogananda'', which was co-directed by Paola Di Florio and Lisa Leeman.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Rechtshaffen |first1=Michael |title='Awake' a vivid glimpse of West's 1st meditation guru |url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-awake-movie-yogananda-review-20141017-story.html |access-date=13 May 2023 |work=Los Angeles Times |date=16 October 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Lewis |first1=David |title=Movie review: 'Yogananda' gave yoga, meditation to America |url=https://www.sfgate.com/movies/article/Movie-review-An-introduction-to-Yogananda-5827086.php |access-date=13 May 2023 |work=SF Gate |publisher=San Francisco Chronicle |date=16 October 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Gates|first1=Anita|title= When Being a Yogi Had an Exotic Air - 'Awake,' About the Life of Paramahansa Yogananda |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/10/movies/awake-about-the-life-of-paramahansa-yogananda.html|work=New York Times|date=9 October 2014 |accessdate=5 May 2023|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20230428231455/https://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/10/movies/awake-about-the-life-of-paramahansa-yogananda.html|archivedate=28 April 2023}}</ref> |
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=== Kriya Yoga === |
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{{Main article|Kriya Yoga school}} |
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SRF initiates prepared students in a technique called ''kriya yoga'' that they say hastens the process of spiritual awakening.<ref name=":1" />{{Rp|page=183}} Through deep and regular practice, the technique is supposed to withdraw one's energy and attention from distracting thoughts, emotions, and stimuli, so that one may experience peace and attunement with God in the resulting stillness.<ref name=":0" /> SRF requires aspiring disciples to first undertake a home-study course called the ''SRF Lessons'', compiled from Yogananda's teachings. In keeping with [[Guru–shishya tradition|Upanishadic tradition]], recipients of SRF's lessons pledge not to share the contents with others. In SRF, receiving the kriya yoga technique is seen as ''[[diksha]]'' (initiation) by the [[guru]], Yogananda, and it involves an initiation rite conducted by an authorized representative. SRF sends disciples printed kriya yoga lessons even if they cannot attend the rite.<ref name=":1" />{{Rp|page=183}} |
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==Temples, retreats, and other facilities== |
==Temples, retreats, and other facilities== |
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=== Lake Shrine === |
=== Lake Shrine === |
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{{Main|Self-Realization Fellowship Lake Shrine}} |
{{Main|Self-Realization Fellowship Lake Shrine}} |
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The Self-Realization Fellowship Lake Shrine is located on [[Sunset Boulevard]] in [[Pacific Palisades, California]]. It was dedicated by Yogananda, on 20 August 1950 |
The Self-Realization Fellowship Lake Shrine is located on [[Sunset Boulevard]] in [[Pacific Palisades, California]]. It was dedicated by Yogananda, on 20 August 1950,<ref name="Temples" /><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.lakeshrine.org/ |title=Self-Realization Fellowship Lake Shrine |website=lakeshrine.org |access-date=5 March 2022}}</ref> as a 10-acre spiritual center honoring the five major world religions. It is set in a hillside amphitheater with gardens and a spring-fed lake, and it is home to [[swan]]s, [[duck]]s, [[koi]], water turtles, [[lotus (plant)|lotus]] flowers, a Dutch windmill, and a golden lotus archway that is painted white and topped with gold lotus blossoms.<ref name="Temples" /> The archway frames the [[Mahatma Gandhi]] World Peace Memorial, an outdoor shrine where a 1,000-year-old Chinese [[sarcophagus]] holds a portion of Mahatma Gandhi's ashes.<ref name="Temples" /><ref>{{cite news |last=O'Connor |first=Pauline|title=Pacific Palisades|date=26 June 2008 |location=Los Angeles |work=[[The Los Angeles Times]] |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2008-jun-26-gd-neighbors26-story.html}}</ref> |
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[[File:SRF San Diego Cypress Trees.jpg|alt=SRF San Diego - Cypress trees|thumb|A view of Cypress trees at SRF San Diego Temple hand planted by Paramahansa Yogananda.]] |
[[File:SRF San Diego Cypress Trees.jpg|alt=SRF San Diego - Cypress trees|thumb|A view of Cypress trees at SRF San Diego Temple hand planted by Paramahansa Yogananda.]] |
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=== San Diego Temple === |
=== San Diego Temple === |
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Yogananda established San Diego Temple |
Yogananda established San Diego Temple in [[Bankers Hill, San Diego]], on 5 September 1943, during [[World War II]]. The front walkway of the temple is lined with cypress trees planted by Yogananda.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://sandiegotemple.org/about/|title=Self-Realization Fellowship - San Diego Temple |website=sandiegotemple.org |access-date=12 April 2023}}</ref> In 1945, Mrinilini Mata, then fourteen-year-old Merna Brown, first met Yogananda at this temple and a year later entered the ashram in Encinitas.<ref name="Temples" /> |
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In 1945, Mrinilini Mata, then fourteen year old Merna Brown, first met Yogananda at this temple and a year later entered the ashram in Encinitas.<ref name= Temples/> |
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=== Twentynine Palms === |
=== Twentynine Palms === |
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Yogananda spent most of the last four years of his life in seclusion at his desert ashram in Twentynine Palms, California with some of his closest disciples. There he completed his |
Yogananda spent most of the last four years of his life in seclusion at his desert ashram in Twentynine Palms, California, with some of his closest disciples. There he completed his writings, including the revisions of his books, articles and lessons written previously.<ref name="Gita">{{cite book |last=Yogananda |first=Paramahansa |title=God Talks With Arjuna - The Bhagavad Gita |page=xii |year=1995 |publisher=Self-Realization Fellowship |location=Los Angeles, California |isbn=0-87612-030-3}}</ref><ref name="Temples" /> |
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==Self-Realization Fellowship Order== |
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The '''Self-Realization Fellowship Order''' is the [[monasticism|monastic order]] associated with Self-Realization Fellowship. [[Monk]]s and [[Nun]]s of the Self-Realization Fellowship Order work in the [[ashram]]s and [[temple]]s of the Self-Realization Fellowship, and teach others about the Fellowship and about [[Kriya Yoga school|Kriya Yoga]]. According to their website: |
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{{Blockquote|Monks and nuns of the SRF monastic order serve the society’s worldwide spiritual and humanitarian work in many capacities — from publishing the writings and recordings of Paramahansaji and his direct disciples, providing spiritual counsel, and conducting temple services, retreats, and lecture tours, to maintaining the buildings, meditation gardens, and ashrams; overseeing the distribution of the SRF Lessons and books; and fulfilling many administrative, office, and other duties.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://yogananda.org/monasticorder |title=SRF Monastic Order |access-date= 2013-04-14}}</ref>}} |
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==Reception, views and controversies== |
==Reception, views and controversies== |
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As of 1992, SRF had several hundred thousand members. It has enjoyed widespread influence through its publications, but it has struggled to preserve the confidentiality of the lessons from its home-study course – similar lessons have been shared by unaffiliated sources. SRF has responded by including in its publications a copyright statement and a certification that SRF is the society founded by Yogananda to convey his teachings.<ref name=":1" />{{Rp|pages=186–187}} |
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'''[[George Harrison]].''' According to Straight Arrow Press, in the United States the "proceeds from the January 14, 2002, reissue of [[George Harrison]]'s 1970 song ''[[My Sweet Lord]]'' will go to the Self-Realization Fellowship, a California organization that promotes the teachings of Paramahansa Yogananda."<ref>{{cite book |title=The George Harrison Encyclopedia |pages=120 |publisher=Virgin Books |isbn=978-0-7535-0822-0 |last1=Harry |first1=Bill |year=2003}}</ref> |
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Yogananda, who established the fellowship in 1920 to spread his philosophy of yoga and meditation, is best known for his ''Autobiography of a Yogi''.<ref name=ABC>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KDU30Ae4S4cC&q=Self-Realization+Fellowship&pg=PA942 |title=Yogananda, Mahasamadi of Paramamahansa |pages=941–942 |access-date=2017-07-13 |format=Religious Celebrations |publisher=ABC-CLIO |isbn=9781598842050 |last1=Gordon Melton |first1=J. |year=2011}}</ref> He was frequently cited by Harrison as an important spiritual influence."<ref>{{cite news |last=Appleford, Eliscu, Saraceno|title= Harrison still giving to charity |date=14 February 2002|issue=889 |location=New York |publisher=Rolling Stone LLC}}</ref><ref name="NYT-2014"/><ref name=tbi>{{cite web |url=http://www.thebetterindia.com/59103/paramahansa-yogananda-international-yoga-day/ |title=The Story of Paramahansa Yogananda,the Man Who Took Yoga Beyond Indian Shores| last=Pal |first=Sanchari | work= thebetterindia.com|access-date=2017-07-10 }}</ref> |
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=== Celebrity involvement === |
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'''[[Ravi Shankar]]''' had met the Self-Realization Fellowship founder Yogananda in the 1930s and gave his first U.S. concert at the SRF Encinitas Retreat, Encinitas, California in 1957. On visits to Los Angeles, George Harrison would spend time at the SRF retreat in Encinitas. The SRF organization strictly honored its members' privacy which Harrison appreciated.<ref>{{cite news |last=Green, Joshua M.|title= George Harrison's Spiritual Life |year= 2006 |location=New York |publisher=[[Hinduism Today]] January, February, March 2006 issue |url=https://www.hinduismtoday.com/magazine/january-february-march-2006/2006-01-george-harrison-s-spiritual-life/}}</ref><ref name="NYT-2014"/><ref name="tbi"/> |
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[[George Harrison]] frequently cited SRF's founder, Yogananda, as an important spiritual influence.<ref>{{cite news |last=Appleford, Eliscu, Saraceno |date=14 February 2002 |title=Harrison still giving to charity |publisher=Rolling Stone LLC |issue=889 |location=New York}}</ref><ref name="NYT-2014" /><ref name="tbi">{{cite web |last=Pal |first=Sanchari |title=The Story of Paramahansa Yogananda,the Man Who Took Yoga Beyond Indian Shores |url=http://www.thebetterindia.com/59103/paramahansa-yogananda-international-yoga-day/ |access-date=2017-07-10 |work=thebetterindia.com|date=21 June 2016 }}</ref> On visits to Los Angeles, George Harrison would spend time at the SRF retreat in Encinitas. The SRF organization strictly honored its members' privacy, which Harrison appreciated.<ref>{{cite news |last=Green, Joshua M. |year=2006 |title=George Harrison's Spiritual Life |publisher=[[Hinduism Today]] January, February, March 2006 issue |location=New York |url=https://www.hinduismtoday.com/magazine/january-february-march-2006/2006-01-george-harrison-s-spiritual-life/}}</ref><ref name="NYT-2014" /><ref name="tbi" /> According to Straight Arrow Press, in the United States the "proceeds from the January 14, 2002, reissue of George Harrison's 1970 song ''[[My Sweet Lord]]'' will go to the Self-Realization Fellowship".<ref>{{cite book |title=The George Harrison Encyclopedia |pages=120 |publisher=Virgin Books |isbn=978-0-7535-0822-0 |last1=Harry |first1=Bill |year=2003}}</ref> His funeral was held at SRF's Lake Shrine.<ref name=":4" /> |
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[[Ravi Shankar]] had met Yogananda in the 1930s and gave his first U.S. concert at the SRF Encinitas Retreat, Encinitas, California in 1957.<ref name="NYT-2014" /><ref name="tbi" /> |
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⚫ | [[Elvis Presley]] often visited SRF in the late 1960s. According to Louis Sahagun of the LA Times, [[Bruce Mars|Brother Paramananda]], "who left a promising acting career to devote his life to the fellowship", claimed Elvis had once said to him: "Man, you made the right choice. People don't know my life or that I sometimes cry myself to sleep because I don't know God."<ref name="Sahagun">{{cite news |last=Sahagun |first=Louis|title=Guru's Followers Mark Legacy of a Star's Teachings|date=6 August 2006 |location=Los Angeles |work=[[The Los Angeles Times]] |url=https://articles.latimes.com/2006/aug/06/local/me-swami6}}</ref> |
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'''Philip Goldberg''', author of the book ''American Veda'', wrote that hundreds of thousands of seekers have taken to Yogananda's teachings because they have improved their lives.<ref>{{cite book |last=Goldberg|first=Philip |title=American Veda |year=2012 |publisher=Harmony; 1 edition (2 November 2010): 109}}</ref> |
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=== Lawsuit with Kriyananda === |
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{{See also|Kriyananda#Legal cases}} |
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⚫ | In 1990, SRF filed suit against James Donald Walters (aka [[Kriyananda]]) and his organization, Ananda Church of Self-Realization, regarding Ananda's use of ''Self-Realization'' in their name and their use of specific writings, photographs and recordings of Paramahansa Yogananda. According to Louis Sahagún of the Los Angeles Times, SRF wanted "to secure exclusive rights to Yogananda's teachings, name, likeness, voice and use of the term 'self-realization'." The litigation lasted for around twelve years (1990–2002) and in 2002 the final jury trial was held in the [[US District Court for the Eastern District of California]]. Jurors ultimately agreed with Self-Realization Fellowship's argument that Yogananda had repeatedly made his intentions clear before dying – he wanted the Fellowship to maintain copyrights to his works. The court ordered Ananda to pay about $29,000 to SRF for its earnings from SRF's sound recordings, and a judge suggested that Ananda not remove ''Ananda'' from its name, to which it agreed. However, the court did not require Ananda to pay damages for using written works for educational or religious purposes. It also determined that the terms ''Paramahansa Yogananda'' and ''self-realization'' could not be trademarked.<ref name="jury">{{cite news | first =Doug | last =Mattson | title=Jury: Copyrights violated by church | location =Grass Valley, CA | newspaper=[[The Union (newspaper)|The Union]]| date= 30 October 2002}}</ref><ref name="Sahagun" /><ref name=":8">{{Cite journal |last=Edy |first=Carolyn |date=June 2003 |title=Who Owns Yogananda? |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vOkDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA26 |journal=Yoga Journal |issue=174 |pages=26 |via=Google Books}}</ref> |
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=== Paternity claim === |
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Ben Erskine accused Yogananda of having an illicit affair with his mother, Adelaide, a disciple and photographer of Yogananda's in the late 1920s. According to Erskine, his mother never told him who his father was but he assumed it was Yogananda because his skin was darker than his siblings. In 1995 Erskine's daughter, Peggy, took it a step further and gave SRF paternity claims along with financial demands. The attorneys for SRF initiated DNA testing with hair samples and then a second round of testing using blood samples which concluded there was no relationship. Erskine and his attorney, Shane Reed, rejected the results as biased because a monk in the order oversaw it. To settle the claims, SRF established an independent testing process. They hired a San Diego former criminal prosecutor, G. Michael Still, to compare the DNA from Yogananda's three male relatives in India to Erskine's DNA. The lab work was done in two separate labs, one in Missouri and one in Louisiana. The results from both labs were identical, showing no relationship between Yogananda and Erskine.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Watanabe |first1=Teresa |title=DNA Clears Yoga Guru in Seven-Year Paternity Dispute |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2002-jul-11-me-guru11-story.html |access-date=11 May 2023 |work=Los Angeles Times |date=11 July 2002}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Goldberg|first=Philip |title=American Veda |year=2012 |publisher=Harmony|edition = 1|isbn=978-0-385-52135-2 |pages= 246–247}}</ref> |
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=== SRF expansion project === |
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'''SRF expansion project.''' SRF submitted a draft of their expansion project for its headquarters atop Mt. Washington, Los Angeles, CA. According to the Los Angeles Times, the permit allowed, over a 30-year period, the construction of a "museum, additional office space, classrooms, counseling facilities, underground parking and more living quarters for cloistered monks and nuns…"<ref>{{cite news |last1=Ramos |first1=George |title=City Report Spurs Debate on Church's Planned Expansion |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2000-apr-28-me-24422-story.html |access-date=12 May 2023 |work=Los Angeles Times |date=28 April 2000}}</ref> and a site to reinter Paramahansa Yogananda's remains moved from Forest Lawn Memorial-Park to this site. The residents of this hilltop community became divided and overtime, the conflict grew. In the ''Los Angeles Times'' it was written, "Supporters say that the church is a good neighbor and that its expansion would not harm the community’s character. Opponents say the expansion project would be too big for a hilltop area of only 8,000 residents. As emotions have risen, some neighbors have even stopped talking to one another."<ref>{{cite news |last1=Ramos |first1=George |title=Debate Rages Over Church Expansion |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2001-apr-03-me-46113-story.html |access-date=12 May 2023 |work=Los Angeles Times |date=3 April 2001}}</ref> |
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SRF |
SRF submitted a draft of their expansion project for its headquarters atop Mt. Washington, Los Angeles, CA. According to the Los Angeles Times, the permit allowed, over a 30-year period, the construction of a "museum, additional office space, classrooms, counseling facilities, underground parking and more living quarters for cloistered monks and nuns…"<ref>{{cite news |last1=Ramos |first1=George |title=City Report Spurs Debate on Church's Planned Expansion |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2000-apr-28-me-24422-story.html |access-date=12 May 2023 |work=Los Angeles Times |date=28 April 2000}}</ref> and a site to reinter Yogananda's remains, which would have been removed from Forest Lawn Memorial-Park. This plan caused disagreement in the local hillside community. The ''Los Angeles Times'' reported that "Supporters say that the church is a good neighbor and that its expansion would not harm the community's character. Opponents say the expansion project would be too big for a hilltop area of only 8,000 residents. As emotions have risen, some neighbors have even stopped talking to one another."<ref>{{cite news |last1=Ramos |first1=George |title=Debate Rages Over Church Expansion |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2001-apr-03-me-46113-story.html |access-date=12 May 2023 |work=Los Angeles Times |date=3 April 2001}}</ref> SRF withdrew the plan when it realized it did not have widespread support from the local residents.<ref name="Williamson" />{{Rp|page=73}} According to the ''Los Angeles Times'', church spokesman Brother Brahmananda said "We hope that this is a catalyst to promote greater harmony within the community."<ref>{{cite news |last1=Ramos |first1=George |title=Mount Washington Church Drops Expansion Bid |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2001-jul-12-me-21393-story.html |access-date=12 May 2023 |work=Los Angeles Times |date=12 July 2001}}</ref> |
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==Bibliography== |
==Bibliography== |
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== See also == |
== See also == |
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* [[Lahiri Mahasaya]] |
* [[Lahiri Mahasaya]] |
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* [[New religious movement]] |
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* [[Yukteswar Giri]] |
* [[Yukteswar Giri]] |
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Revision as of 15:48, 4 June 2024
![]() | |
Formation | 1920 |
---|---|
Founder | Paramahansa Yogananda |
Type | Religious organization |
Legal status | Foundation |
Purpose | Educational, Philanthropic, Religious studies, Spirituality |
Headquarters | Los Angeles, California, United States[1] |
Area served | Worldwide |
President | Brother Chidananda[2] |
Affiliations | Yogoda Satsanga Society of India |
Website | yogananda |
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/3f/Paramahansa_Yogananda_Standard_Pose.jpg/220px-Paramahansa_Yogananda_Standard_Pose.jpg)
Self-Realization Fellowship (SRF) is a worldwide religious organization founded in 1920 by Paramahansa Yogananda, the Indian guru who authored Autobiography of a Yogi. Before coming to the United States, Yogananda began his spiritual work in India in 1917 and named it Yogoda Satsanga Society of India (YSS).[3][4] He came to the West in 1920 and in 1925 established SRF's headquarters at Mount Washington, Los Angeles, California. Before his return visit to India in 1935, he legally incorporated SRF in the United States, designating it as the only organization to carry on his work – to care for and disseminate his teachings.[5][6]: 154, 227
Yogananda's teachings include meditation techniques intended to promote awareness of God and one's soul. SRF conveys these techniques through a home-study course, and they publish Yogananda's books and lectures. SRF also coordinates the Worldwide Prayer Circle, who pray for world peace and those in need.
Leadership
Paramahansa Yogananda founded SRF in 1920 and served as head until his death on 7 March 1952.[7][8][5] In 1925, he established the international headquarters for SRF/YSS at Mount Washington in Los Angeles, California.[5][9][7] The three-story building had originally been opened in 1909 as a hotel. SRF now calls it Mother Center. After Yogananda's death, SRF preserved his bedroom in the building as a shrine.[10][9]
The first president and head of SRF/YSS after Yogananda was Rajarsi Janakananda, who was president until his death on 20 February 1955.[11]
Daya Mata was the next head and president of Self Realization Fellowship/YSS from 1955 until 30 November 2010, the end of her life.[12] American yoga scholar Linda Johnsen wrote that Daya Mata was an example of a new wave of women who acquired leadership positions in Hindu spirituality.[13]
In 2010, Mrinalini Mata became the next president of SRF/YSS, with the official announcement being on 9 January 2011. She held this position until her passing on 3 August 2017.[14][15][16] She had been chosen by Yogananda to oversee his publications after his death, and she had held the position of SRF/YSS vice-president from 1966 until she became president in 2011.[5][17]
On 30 August 2017, Brother Chidananda was elected as the next and current president with a unanimous vote of the SRF Board of Directors.[15][2]
Monastic order
SRF is run by members of its monastic order,[18] established by Yogananda in the early 1930s.[19] SRF's monks and nuns coordinate the organization's retreats, youth programs, temple services, and publishing and translation efforts.[18] They also coordinate the Worldwide Prayer Circle, a network of groups and individuals who pray for world peace and those in need.[18][20][21]
According to SRF's website, the daily life of an SRF renunciant includes meditation, prayer, service, spiritual study, introspection, exercise, and recreation.[22] There are four stages of life in the SRF monastic order that represent a deepening commitment to the renunciant life: postulancy, novitiate, brahmacarya, and sannyas.[23] Monks and nuns of the SRF Order who take their final renunciant vows are members of the Swami Order, which traces its spiritual lineage back to Adi Shankara.[24]
Teachings
Yogananda first introduced his teachings to the West during an international congress of religious leaders held in Boston, MA in 1920 while giving a talk called The Science of Religion. Yogananda believed that his methods were testable.[25][26] Yogananda's dissemination of his teachings continues through SRF,[27] which he incorporated in 1935 as a nonprofit religious organization.[7][28] According to author Lola Williamson in her book, Transcendent in America: Hindu-inspired Meditation Movements as New Religion, "He (Yogananda) made it clear that his teachings were to be shared through Self-Realization Fellowship and not through rogue organizations that taught in his name."[6]: 227
Yogananda's autobiography contains a list of aims and ideals for SRF, and the first of these is to disseminate "scientific techniques for attaining direct personal experience of God". Another is "to advocate cultural and spiritual understanding between East and West".[29] SRF teaches methods of concentration and meditation, including a technique called kriya yoga, for the purpose of attaining what Yogananda called Self-realization. Yogananda used this term to signify the realization of one's true Self or soul. SRF presents Eastern and Western religious teachings as essentially one and the same by including passages from both the Bhagavad Gita and the New Testament in their services.[18] SRF also publishes Yogananda's works, which include his home-study lessons, autobiography, lectures, and recorded talks.[5][30][7]: 187
SRF funded the 2014 documentary Awake: The Life of Yogananda, which was co-directed by Paola Di Florio and Lisa Leeman.[31][32][33]
Kriya Yoga
SRF initiates prepared students in a technique called kriya yoga that they say hastens the process of spiritual awakening.[7]: 183 Through deep and regular practice, the technique is supposed to withdraw one's energy and attention from distracting thoughts, emotions, and stimuli, so that one may experience peace and attunement with God in the resulting stillness.[18] SRF requires aspiring disciples to first undertake a home-study course called the SRF Lessons, compiled from Yogananda's teachings. In keeping with Upanishadic tradition, recipients of SRF's lessons pledge not to share the contents with others. In SRF, receiving the kriya yoga technique is seen as diksha (initiation) by the guru, Yogananda, and it involves an initiation rite conducted by an authorized representative. SRF sends disciples printed kriya yoga lessons even if they cannot attend the rite.[7]: 183
Temples, retreats, and other facilities
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/80/SelfRealizationFellowship.jpg/220px-SelfRealizationFellowship.jpg)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fe/Yogananda_Center_-_Lake_and_Swan.jpg/220px-Yogananda_Center_-_Lake_and_Swan.jpg)
Self-Realization Fellowship has over 600 temples and meditation centers located in 62 countries.[26][34] Of the temples, there are eight in the United States – seven in California and one in Arizona:[35]
- Bay Area Temple, Walnut Creek
- Encinitas Temple
- Fullerton Temple
- Glendale Temple
- Hollywood Temple
- Lake Shrine Temple, Pacific Palisades
- San Diego Temple
- Phoenix Temple
SRF also runs retreat centers:[36]
- Lake Shrine in Pacific Palisades, CA
- Hidden Valley Ashram (for men) in Escondido, CA
- Greenfield Retreat (for women) in Front Royal, Virginia
- Bermersbach Retreat in Germany
- Armação Retreat in Santa Catarina, Brazil.
SRF has a sister organization in India called Yogoda Satsanga Society of India (YSS), founded by Yogananda in 1917 and headquartered in Dakshineswar (near Calcutta).[37][18] YSS oversees 200 kendras, mandalis, retreats, and ashrams throughout India and Nepal,[38] along with more than 20 educational and medical facilities.[18]
Encinitas Hermitage
After his return from India in 1936, Yogananda took up residence at the SRF hermitage in Encinitas, California, which was a surprise gift from his disciple Rajarsi Janakananda.[39] It was while at this hermitage that Yogananda wrote Autobiography of a Yogi[40] and other writings, creating a permanent foundation for the humanitarian and spiritual work of SRF/YSS.[41][42] This property includes an ashram.[43]
Hollywood Temple
On 30 August 1942, Yogananda opened the SRF Hollywood Temple on Sunset Blvd., Hollywood, California. It is the oldest SRF temple in the US. According to Phil Goldberg, Yogananda dedicated it to "the ideal of human brotherhood and the definite realization of God as the One Father of all mankind."[44] Meghan Markle's parents, Doria Ragland and Thomas Markle Sr. were married by Brother Bhaktananda at Hollywood Temple on 23 December 1979.[45]
Lake Shrine
The Self-Realization Fellowship Lake Shrine is located on Sunset Boulevard in Pacific Palisades, California. It was dedicated by Yogananda, on 20 August 1950,[44][46] as a 10-acre spiritual center honoring the five major world religions. It is set in a hillside amphitheater with gardens and a spring-fed lake, and it is home to swans, ducks, koi, water turtles, lotus flowers, a Dutch windmill, and a golden lotus archway that is painted white and topped with gold lotus blossoms.[44] The archway frames the Mahatma Gandhi World Peace Memorial, an outdoor shrine where a 1,000-year-old Chinese sarcophagus holds a portion of Mahatma Gandhi's ashes.[44][47]
![SRF San Diego - Cypress trees](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/39/SRF_San_Diego_Cypress_Trees.jpg/220px-SRF_San_Diego_Cypress_Trees.jpg)
San Diego Temple
Yogananda established San Diego Temple in Bankers Hill, San Diego, on 5 September 1943, during World War II. The front walkway of the temple is lined with cypress trees planted by Yogananda.[48] In 1945, Mrinilini Mata, then fourteen-year-old Merna Brown, first met Yogananda at this temple and a year later entered the ashram in Encinitas.[44]
Twentynine Palms
Yogananda spent most of the last four years of his life in seclusion at his desert ashram in Twentynine Palms, California, with some of his closest disciples. There he completed his writings, including the revisions of his books, articles and lessons written previously.[49][44]
Reception, views and controversies
As of 1992, SRF had several hundred thousand members. It has enjoyed widespread influence through its publications, but it has struggled to preserve the confidentiality of the lessons from its home-study course – similar lessons have been shared by unaffiliated sources. SRF has responded by including in its publications a copyright statement and a certification that SRF is the society founded by Yogananda to convey his teachings.[7]: 186–187
Celebrity involvement
George Harrison frequently cited SRF's founder, Yogananda, as an important spiritual influence.[50][8][1] On visits to Los Angeles, George Harrison would spend time at the SRF retreat in Encinitas. The SRF organization strictly honored its members' privacy, which Harrison appreciated.[51][8][1] According to Straight Arrow Press, in the United States the "proceeds from the January 14, 2002, reissue of George Harrison's 1970 song My Sweet Lord will go to the Self-Realization Fellowship".[52] His funeral was held at SRF's Lake Shrine.[10]
Ravi Shankar had met Yogananda in the 1930s and gave his first U.S. concert at the SRF Encinitas Retreat, Encinitas, California in 1957.[8][1]
Elvis Presley often visited SRF in the late 1960s. According to Louis Sahagun of the LA Times, Brother Paramananda, "who left a promising acting career to devote his life to the fellowship", claimed Elvis had once said to him: "Man, you made the right choice. People don't know my life or that I sometimes cry myself to sleep because I don't know God."[34]
Lawsuit with Kriyananda
In 1990, SRF filed suit against James Donald Walters (aka Kriyananda) and his organization, Ananda Church of Self-Realization, regarding Ananda's use of Self-Realization in their name and their use of specific writings, photographs and recordings of Paramahansa Yogananda. According to Louis Sahagún of the Los Angeles Times, SRF wanted "to secure exclusive rights to Yogananda's teachings, name, likeness, voice and use of the term 'self-realization'." The litigation lasted for around twelve years (1990–2002) and in 2002 the final jury trial was held in the US District Court for the Eastern District of California. Jurors ultimately agreed with Self-Realization Fellowship's argument that Yogananda had repeatedly made his intentions clear before dying – he wanted the Fellowship to maintain copyrights to his works. The court ordered Ananda to pay about $29,000 to SRF for its earnings from SRF's sound recordings, and a judge suggested that Ananda not remove Ananda from its name, to which it agreed. However, the court did not require Ananda to pay damages for using written works for educational or religious purposes. It also determined that the terms Paramahansa Yogananda and self-realization could not be trademarked.[53][34][54]
Paternity claim
Ben Erskine accused Yogananda of having an illicit affair with his mother, Adelaide, a disciple and photographer of Yogananda's in the late 1920s. According to Erskine, his mother never told him who his father was but he assumed it was Yogananda because his skin was darker than his siblings. In 1995 Erskine's daughter, Peggy, took it a step further and gave SRF paternity claims along with financial demands. The attorneys for SRF initiated DNA testing with hair samples and then a second round of testing using blood samples which concluded there was no relationship. Erskine and his attorney, Shane Reed, rejected the results as biased because a monk in the order oversaw it. To settle the claims, SRF established an independent testing process. They hired a San Diego former criminal prosecutor, G. Michael Still, to compare the DNA from Yogananda's three male relatives in India to Erskine's DNA. The lab work was done in two separate labs, one in Missouri and one in Louisiana. The results from both labs were identical, showing no relationship between Yogananda and Erskine.[55][56]
SRF expansion project
SRF submitted a draft of their expansion project for its headquarters atop Mt. Washington, Los Angeles, CA. According to the Los Angeles Times, the permit allowed, over a 30-year period, the construction of a "museum, additional office space, classrooms, counseling facilities, underground parking and more living quarters for cloistered monks and nuns…"[57] and a site to reinter Yogananda's remains, which would have been removed from Forest Lawn Memorial-Park. This plan caused disagreement in the local hillside community. The Los Angeles Times reported that "Supporters say that the church is a good neighbor and that its expansion would not harm the community's character. Opponents say the expansion project would be too big for a hilltop area of only 8,000 residents. As emotions have risen, some neighbors have even stopped talking to one another."[58] SRF withdrew the plan when it realized it did not have widespread support from the local residents.[6]: 73 According to the Los Angeles Times, church spokesman Brother Brahmananda said "We hope that this is a catalyst to promote greater harmony within the community."[59]
Bibliography
See also
References
- ^ a b c d Pal, Sanchari (21 June 2016). "The Story of Paramahansa Yogananda,the Man Who Took Yoga Beyond Indian Shores". thebetterindia.com. Retrieved 10 July 2017.
- ^ a b "Brother Chidananda Elected President and Spiritual Head of SRF/YSS". Yogananda.org. Retrieved 3 September 2017.
- ^ Bhattacharya, Saurabh. "Paramahansa Yogananda - The Yogi and His Fellowship". lifepositive.com. Archived from the original on 17 July 2012.
- ^ "About Yogoda Satsanga Society of India".
- ^ a b c d e Melton, J. Gordon, Martin Baumann (2010). Religions of the World: A Comprehensive Encyclopedia of Beliefs and Practices. ABC-CLIO. ISBN 9781598842043.
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Further reading
- Dillon, Jane Robinson (1998), The Social Significance of a Western Belief in Reincarnation: A Qualitative Study of the Self-Realization Fellowship, Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of California, San Diego., OCLC 39462309
External links
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- Official website
Works related to SRF Articles of Incorporation 1935 at Wikisource
- Hindu new religious movements
- International Hindu organizations
- New religious movements
- Yoga organizations
- Paramahansa Yogananda
- Religious buildings and structures in Los Angeles
- Mount Washington, Los Angeles
- Non-profit organizations based in Los Angeles
- Religious organizations established in 1920
- 1920 establishments in California