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==Teachings==
==Teachings==


Yogananda first introduced his teachings 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.<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>{{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 first introduced his teachings 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.<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>{{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 is continued through his organization – the Self-Realization Fellowship (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> According to author Lola Williamson in her book, ''Transcendent in America: Hindu-inspired Meditation Movements as New Religion'',<blockquote>"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">{{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=227}}</ref></blockquote>


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 also 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" />
⚫
His teachings include: his home-study lessons, writings including his autobiography, lectures, and recorded talks; oversees temples, retreats, meditation centers, and monastic communities bearing the name Self-Realization Order.<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> Yogananda wrote his ''Aims and Ideals'' as a guide for students of Self-Realization Fellowship /Yogoda Satsanga Society.<ref>{{cite book |last=Yogananda|first=Paramahansa |title=Autobiography of a Yogi |year=1997 |page=565|publisher=Self-Realization Fellowship |location= Los Angeles, CA| isbn=0-87612-086-9}}</ref>

⚫
Yogananda's teachings 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> Yogananda wrote his ''Aims and Ideals'' as a guide for students of Self-Realization Fellowship /Yogoda Satsanga Society.<ref>{{cite book |last=Yogananda|first=Paramahansa |title=Autobiography of a Yogi |year=1997 |page=565|publisher=Self-Realization Fellowship |location= Los Angeles, CA| isbn=0-87612-086-9}}</ref>{{Vague|date={{CURRENTMONTHNAME}} {{CURRENTYEAR}}}}


Yogananda wrote in ''[[Bhagavad Gita (Yogananda)|God Talks With Arjuna: The Bhagavad Gita]]'' that the science of Kriya Yoga was given to [[Manu (Hinduism)|Manu]], the original [[Adam]], and through him to [[Janaka]] and other royal sages.<ref>{{cite book |last=Yogananda |first=Paramahansa |title=God Talks With Arjuna: The Bhagavad Gita |year=1995 |publisher=Self-Realization Fellowship; 1st edition |page=578 |isbn=0-87612-030-3}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Yogananda |first=Paramahansa |title=Autobiography of a Yogi |year=2009 |publisher=Self-Realization Fellowship |page= 274 |chapter=Chapter 26: The Science of Kriya Yoga}}</ref>
Yogananda wrote in ''[[Bhagavad Gita (Yogananda)|God Talks With Arjuna: The Bhagavad Gita]]'' that the science of Kriya Yoga was given to [[Manu (Hinduism)|Manu]], the original [[Adam]], and through him to [[Janaka]] and other royal sages.<ref>{{cite book |last=Yogananda |first=Paramahansa |title=God Talks With Arjuna: The Bhagavad Gita |year=1995 |publisher=Self-Realization Fellowship; 1st edition |page=578 |isbn=0-87612-030-3}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Yogananda |first=Paramahansa |title=Autobiography of a Yogi |year=2009 |publisher=Self-Realization Fellowship |page= 274 |chapter=Chapter 26: The Science of Kriya Yoga}}</ref>


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 web|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|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>
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 web|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|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>

Yogananda's dissemination of his teachings is continued through his organization – the Self-Realization Fellowship (SRF).<ref>{{cite book |last=Goldberg|first=Philip |title=American Veda |year=2012 |publisher=Harmony|edition = 1|isbn=978-0-385-52135-2 |pages= 109}}</ref>
According to author Lola Williamson in her book, ''Transcendent in America: Hindu-inspired Meditation Movements as New Religion'', <blockquote>"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">{{cite book |first= Lola | last=Williamson|date=2010|title=Transcendent in America: Hindu-inspired Meditation Movements as New Religion |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yX4VCgAAQBAJ|publisher=New York University Press|location=New York and London|page=227 |isbn=978-0-8147-9449-4}}</ref></blockquote>


==Temples, retreats, and other facilities==
==Temples, retreats, and other facilities==
Line 64: Line 63:
Self-Realization Fellowship has over 500 temples, retreats, [[ashram]]s, centers, and meditation circles around the world.<ref name="yogananda.org">yogananda.org {{cite web|title=Self-Realization Fellowship - Online directory of all temples, centers, groups, and circles|url=https://yogananda.org/locations-map|publisher=Self-Realization Fellowship|access-date=22 September 2019}}</ref> In the U.S., there are seven temples in California: (1) Bay Area Temple, Walnut Creek, (2) Encinitas Temple, Encinitas, (3) Fullerton Temple, Fullerton, (4) Glendale Temple, Glendale, (5) Hollywood Temple, Hollywood, (6) Lake Shrine Temple, Pacific Palisades, (7) San Diego Temple, San Diego. In Arizona there is the Phoenix Temple, Phoenix. There are retreat centers at [[Self-Realization Fellowship Lake Shrine|Lake Shrine]] in Pacific Palisades, CA, Hidden Valley Ashram in Valley Center, CA, Greenfield Retreat in Front Royal, VA, Inner Retreat Bermersbach in Germany and Armação Retreat in Brazil. There are meditation centers, groups, and circles located in 54 countries.<ref name="yogananda.org"/>
Self-Realization Fellowship has over 500 temples, retreats, [[ashram]]s, centers, and meditation circles around the world.<ref name="yogananda.org">yogananda.org {{cite web|title=Self-Realization Fellowship - Online directory of all temples, centers, groups, and circles|url=https://yogananda.org/locations-map|publisher=Self-Realization Fellowship|access-date=22 September 2019}}</ref> In the U.S., there are seven temples in California: (1) Bay Area Temple, Walnut Creek, (2) Encinitas Temple, Encinitas, (3) Fullerton Temple, Fullerton, (4) Glendale Temple, Glendale, (5) Hollywood Temple, Hollywood, (6) Lake Shrine Temple, Pacific Palisades, (7) San Diego Temple, San Diego. In Arizona there is the Phoenix Temple, Phoenix. There are retreat centers at [[Self-Realization Fellowship Lake Shrine|Lake Shrine]] in Pacific Palisades, CA, Hidden Valley Ashram in Valley Center, CA, Greenfield Retreat in Front Royal, VA, Inner Retreat Bermersbach in Germany and Armação Retreat in Brazil. There are meditation centers, groups, and circles located in 54 countries.<ref name="yogananda.org"/>


SRF also has a sister organization in India called [[Yogoda Satsanga Society of India]] (YSS), founded by Yogananda in 1917 and headquartered in [[Dakshineswar]] (near Calcutta).<ref>{{cite news |last=Juergensmeyer |first=Mark |date=18 October 2011 |title=Encyclopedia of Global Religion |pages=1145 |work=University of California |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WwJzAwAAQBAJ&q=Yogoda+Satsanga+Society+of+India&pg=PA1145 |access-date=2017-07-16 |isbn=9781452266565}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Jones |first=Constance |url=http://archive.org/details/encyclopediaofhi0000jone_r9k7 |title=Encyclopedia of Hinduism |publisher=New York : Checkmark Books, an imprint of Infobase Publishing |others=Internet Archive |year=2008 |isbn=978-0-8160-7336-8 |pages=392}}</ref> YSS oversees 200 ''kendras'', ''mandalis'', retreats, and ashrams throughout India and Nepal,<ref>{{cite web |title=YSS Ashrams and Centres |url=https://yssofindia.org/ashrams |access-date=26 November 2023 |website=yssofindia.org}}</ref> along with more than 20 educational and medical facilities.<ref name=":0" />
SRF also has a sister organization in India called [[Yogoda Satsanga Society of India]] (YSS), founded by Yogananda in 1917 and headquartered in [[Dakshineswar]] (near Calcutta).<ref>{{cite news |last=Juergensmeyer |first=Mark |date=18 October 2011 |title=Encyclopedia of Global Religion |pages=1145 |work=University of California |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WwJzAwAAQBAJ&q=Yogoda+Satsanga+Society+of+India&pg=PA1145 |access-date=2017-07-16 |isbn=9781452266565}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Jones |first=Constance |url=http://archive.org/details/encyclopediaofhi0000jone_r9k7 |title=Encyclopedia of Hinduism |publisher=New York : Checkmark Books, an imprint of Infobase Publishing |others=Internet Archive |year=2008 |isbn=978-0-8160-7336-8 |pages=392–393}}</ref> YSS oversees 200 ''kendras'', ''mandalis'', retreats, and ashrams throughout India and Nepal,<ref>{{cite web |title=YSS Ashrams and Centres |url=https://yssofindia.org/ashrams |access-date=26 November 2023 |website=yssofindia.org}}</ref> along with more than 20 educational and medical facilities.<ref name=":0" />


[[File:SRF ashram on the point at Swamis.JPG|thumb|A 2007 view looking north along Swami's beach in Encinitas, the red-roofed building on top of the point is the hermitage where Yogananda wrote "Autobiography of a Yogi"]]
[[File:SRF ashram on the point at Swamis.JPG|thumb|A 2007 view looking north along Swami's beach in Encinitas, the red-roofed building on top of the point is the hermitage where Yogananda wrote "Autobiography of a Yogi"]]

Revision as of 19:28, 27 November 2023

For the meaning of the term self-realization, see Self-realization.

Self-Realization Fellowship
Formation1920; 104 years ago (1920)
FounderParamahansa Yogananda
TypeReligious organization
Legal statusFoundation
PurposeEducational, Philanthropic, Religious studies, Spirituality
HeadquartersLos Angeles, California, United States[1]
Area served
Worldwide
President
Brother Chidananda[2]
AffiliationsYogoda Satsanga Society of India
Websiteyogananda.org
Paramahansa Yogananda, Founder
Headquarters of SRF at Mt. Washington at 3880 San Rafael Ave., Los Angeles, CA

Self-Realization Fellowship (SRF) is a worldwide, spiritual organization founded by Paramahansa Yogananda in 1920.[3][4][5] Before coming to the United States, Yogananda began his spiritual work in India in 1917 and named it Yogoda Satsanga Society of India (YSS).[6][7] He founded SRF in 1920 and in 1925 the Mount Washington property became the international headquarters for SRF and YSS, located in Los Angeles, California.[3][8] Before his return visit to India in 1935, he legally incorporated SRF in the United States as a non-profit religious organization.[9] He only created SRF as the organization to carry on his work - to care for and disseminate his teachings.[3][10]

Yogananda's teachings include yoga techniques and a form of meditation that promotes awareness of one's soul and expands one's consciousness.[11] Self-Realization Fellowship disseminates and publishes his teachings, which are guided by his Aims and Ideals.[12] 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.[13][14]

Leadership

Paramahansa Yogananda founded the Self-Realization Fellowship (SRF) in 1920 and served as head until his death in 7 March 1952.[15][16]

The first president and head of SRF/YSS after Yogananda was Rajarsi Janakananda, who was president until his death in 20 February 1955.[17]

Daya Mata was the next head and president of Self Realization Fellowship/YSS from 1955 until 30 November 2010, the end of her life.[18] 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.[19]

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.[20][21][22] 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.[3][23]

On 30 August 2017, Brother Chidananda was elected as the next and current president with a unanimous vote of the SRF Board of Directors.[21][2]

Teachings

Yogananda first introduced his teachings 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.[24][25] Yogananda's dissemination of his teachings is continued through his organization – the Self-Realization Fellowship (SRF).[26] 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."[27]

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 also 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.[28]

Yogananda's teachings include his home-study lessons, autobiography, lectures, and recorded talks.[3][29] Yogananda wrote his Aims and Ideals as a guide for students of Self-Realization Fellowship /Yogoda Satsanga Society.[30][vague]

Yogananda wrote in God Talks With Arjuna: The Bhagavad Gita that the science of Kriya Yoga was given to Manu, the original Adam, and through him to Janaka and other royal sages.[31][32]

SRF funded the 2014 documentary, Awake: The Life of Yogananda, which was co-directed by Paola Di Florio and Lisa Leeman.[33][34][35]

Temples, retreats, and other facilities

Gateway to the Self-Realization Fellowship Temple in Hollywood in Central Los Angeles, California
SRF Lake Shrine looking toward the golden lotus-topped Gandhi memorial on Sunset Blvd., Pacific Palisades, Los Angeles, California

Self-Realization Fellowship has over 500 temples, retreats, ashrams, centers, and meditation circles around the world.[36] In the U.S., there are seven temples in California: (1) Bay Area Temple, Walnut Creek, (2) Encinitas Temple, Encinitas, (3) Fullerton Temple, Fullerton, (4) Glendale Temple, Glendale, (5) Hollywood Temple, Hollywood, (6) Lake Shrine Temple, Pacific Palisades, (7) San Diego Temple, San Diego. In Arizona there is the Phoenix Temple, Phoenix. There are retreat centers at Lake Shrine in Pacific Palisades, CA, Hidden Valley Ashram in Valley Center, CA, Greenfield Retreat in Front Royal, VA, Inner Retreat Bermersbach in Germany and Armação Retreat in Brazil. There are meditation centers, groups, and circles located in 54 countries.[36]

SRF also 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][28] YSS oversees 200 kendras, mandalis, retreats, and ashrams throughout India and Nepal,[38] along with more than 20 educational and medical facilities.[28]

A 2007 view looking north along Swami's beach in Encinitas, the red-roofed building on top of the point is the hermitage where Yogananda wrote "Autobiography of a Yogi"

Encinitas. After his return from India in 1936, Paramahansa 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 plus creating a permanent, foundational structure for the humanitarian and spiritual work of Self‑Realization Fellowship/Yogoda Satsanga Society of India.[41][42] This property now includes an ashram. A main temple and an overflow temple are nearby on Second St.

Hollywood. On 30 August 1942 Yogananda formally opened the SRF Hollywood Temple on Sunset Blvd., Hollywood, California which 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."[43] Meghan Markle's parents, Doria Ragland and Thomas Markle Sr. were married by Brother Bhaktananda at Paramahansa Yogananda's Self-Realization Fellowship temple in Hollywood, California on 23 December 1979.[44]

Pacific Palisades. The Self-Realization Fellowship Lake Shrine is located on Sunset Boulevard in Pacific Palisades, California. It was dedicated by Yogananda, on 20 August 1950.[43][45] This 10-acre spiritual center is dedicated to five major world religions. It is set in a hillside amphitheater, has gardens, a spring-fed lake, and is home to swans, ducks, koi, water turtles, lotus flowers, a Dutch windmill and a golden lotus archway, painted white topped with gold lotus blossoms.[43] The archway frames the Mahatma Gandhi World Peace Memorial, an outdoor shrine where an authentic 1,000-year-old Chinese stone sarcophagus holds a portion of the ashes of Mahatma Gandhi.[43][46]

SRF San Diego - Cypress trees
A view of Cypress trees at SRF San Diego Temple hand planted by Paramahansa Yogananda.

San Diego. Paramahansa Yogananda established a temple on Bankers Hill, San Diego on 5 September 1943, during the conflict of World War II. The front walkway of the temple is lined with cypress trees planted by Yogananda. He dedicated the temple as a Church of All Religions with the following prayer:

Heavenly Father, may this church be blessed with the vibrations of Self-perception of Thy presence, and when we discuss theology and philosophy, may we not get sidetracked by the pitfalls of intellectual egotism and blind emotion, but travel straight to the highway of Self-Realization and truth which leads to Thee.[47]

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.[43]

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 inner circle of disciples. There he completed his legacy of writings, including the revisions of his books, articles and lessons written previously.[48][43]

Self-Realization Fellowship Order

The Self-Realization Fellowship Order is the monastic order associated with Self-Realization Fellowship. Monks and Nuns of the Self-Realization Fellowship Order work in the ashrams and temples of the Self-Realization Fellowship, and teach others about the Fellowship and about Kriya Yoga. According to their website:

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.[49]

The SRF renunciant's daily schedule may vary depending on the particular ashram center and area of work to which he or she is assigned, but includes meditation and prayer, service, spiritual study and introspection, exercise and recreation, and time for solitude and silence.[50] There are four stages of monastic life in the Self-Realization Fellowship monastic order, representing a gradual deepening commitment to the renunciant life and the monastic vows: postulancy, novitiate, brahmacarya, and sannyas.[51] Monks and nuns of the Self-Realization Fellowship Order who take their final renunciant vows are members of the Swami Order, which traces its spiritual lineage back to Adi Shankara.[52] Paramahansa Yogananda established the SRF monastic order in the early 1930s.[53]

Reception, views and controversies

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."[54] Yogananda, who established the fellowship in 1920 to spread his philosophy of yoga and meditation, is best known for his Autobiography of a Yogi.[55] He was frequently cited by Harrison as an important spiritual influence."[56][4][1]

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.[57][4][1]

Elvis Presley often visited the Self-Realization Fellowship 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."[58]

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.[59]

Lawsuit with Kriyananda. In 1990 SRF filed suit against James Donald Walters (aka Kriyananda) and Walter's (then called) Church of Self-Realization regarding Ananda changing its name to Church of Self-Realization and on issues regarding 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. It also determined that the terms Paramahansa Yogananda and self-realization could not be trademarked.[60][58]

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, leaving no doubt, 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.[61][62]

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…”[63] 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.”[64] SRF reached the decision to withdraw the plan, when realizing it did not have widespread support from the local residents and after giving it very careful consideration.[65] In the Los Angeles Times it was stated that Brother Brahmananda, a church spokesman, said “We hope that this is a catalyst to promote greater harmony within the community.”[66]

Bibliography

Main article: Paramahansa Yogananda bibliography

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c Pal, Sanchari. "The Story of Paramahansa Yogananda,the Man Who Took Yoga Beyond Indian Shores". thebetterindia.com. Retrieved 10 July 2017.
  2. ^ a b "Brother Chidananda Elected President and Spiritual Head of SRF/YSS". Yogananda.org. Retrieved 3 September 2017.
  3. ^ 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.
  4. ^ a b c "When Being a Yogi Had an Exotic Air". The New York Times. Retrieved 7 July 2017.
  5. ^ "About Self-Realization Fellowship". yogananda.org. 21 October 2013. Retrieved 4 March 2023.
  6. ^ Bhattacharya, Saurabh. "Paramahansa Yogananda - The Yogi and His Fellowship". lifepositive.com. Archived from the original on 17 July 2012.
  7. ^ "About Yogoda Satsanga Society of India".
  8. ^ "SRF International Headquarters". Yogananda.org.
  9. ^ Works related to SRF Articles of Incorporation 1935 at Wikisource
  10. ^ Williamson, Lola (2010). Transcendent in America: Hindu-inspired Meditation Movements as New Religion. New York and London: New York University Press. p. 154. ISBN 978-0-8147-9449-4.
  11. ^ Bowker, John (2000). The concise Oxford dictionary of world religions / Self-Realization Fellowship. Oxford Univ. Press. p. 524. ISBN 0-19-280094-9.
  12. ^ Wessinger, Catherine (1995). America's Alternative Religions: The Vedanta Movement and the Self-Realization Fellowship. Albany, New York: State University of New York Press. p. 187. ISBN 0-7914-2398-0.
  13. ^ Santosanada, Brother (2011). "Yogananda's Kriya Yoga Teachings". Caduceus. Autumn–Winter (82): 12.
  14. ^ Rourke, Mary (10 November 1996). "Private Talks With God Go Public". Los Angeles Times - Life and Style, Section E. California Times.
  15. ^ Wessinger, Catherine (1995). America's Alternative Religions: The Vedanta Movement and the Self-Realization Fellowship. Albany, New York: State University of New York Press. p. 173,179. ISBN 0-7914-2398-0.
  16. ^ "Paramahansa Yogananda's Biography". Self-Realization Fellowship. Retrieved 12 April 2013.
  17. ^ "Millionaire president of yoga society dies". Los Angeles Times. 21 February 1955.
  18. ^ 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.
  19. ^ Sharma, Arvind (1994). Today's Woman in World Religions. SUNY Press. p. 130. ISBN 9780791416884.
  20. ^ "Self-Realization Fellowship elects Sri Mrinalini Mata as new leader". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 8 July 2017.
  21. ^ a b "Brother Chidananda is New Spiritual Leader Of SRF". India Journal. 17 September 2017. Retrieved 4 March 2023.
  22. ^ "In Memoriam: Sri Mrinalini Mata". Retrieved 22 September 2019.
  23. ^ Landsberg, Mitchell (11 January 2011). "Self-Realization Fellowship elects Sri Mrinalini Mata as new leader". Los Angeles Times.
  24. ^ Yogananda, Paramahansa (1982). The Science of Religion. Los Angeles, CA: Self-Realization Fellowship. p. iv. ISBN 978-0-87612-005-7.
  25. ^ Netburnstaff, Deborah (19 November 2020). "If you practice yoga, thank this man who came to the U.S. 100 years ago". The Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles.
  26. ^ Goldberg, Philip (2012). American Veda (1 ed.). Harmony. p. 109. ISBN 978-0-385-52135-2.
  27. ^ Williamson, Lola (2010). Transcendent in America: Hindu-inspired Meditation Movements as New Religion. New York and London: New York University Press. p. 227. ISBN 978-0-8147-9449-4.
  28. ^ a b c Jones, Constance (2008). Encyclopedia of Hinduism. Internet Archive. New York : Checkmark Books, an imprint of Infobase Publishing. pp. 392–393. ISBN 978-0-8160-7336-8.
  29. ^ Yogananda, Paramahansa (1995). God Talks With Arjuna. Self-Realization Fellowship; 1st edition. p. 427.
  30. ^ Yogananda, Paramahansa (1997). Autobiography of a Yogi. Los Angeles, CA: Self-Realization Fellowship. p. 565. ISBN 0-87612-086-9.
  31. ^ Yogananda, Paramahansa (1995). God Talks With Arjuna: The Bhagavad Gita. Self-Realization Fellowship; 1st edition. p. 578. ISBN 0-87612-030-3.
  32. ^ Yogananda, Paramahansa (2009). "Chapter 26: The Science of Kriya Yoga". Autobiography of a Yogi. Self-Realization Fellowship. p. 274.
  33. ^ Rechtshaffen, Michael (16 October 2014). "'Awake' a vivid glimpse of West's 1st meditation guru". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 13 May 2023.
  34. ^ Lewis, David (16 October 2014). "Movie review: 'Yogananda' gave yoga, meditation to America". SF Gate. San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 13 May 2023.
  35. ^ Gates, Anita. "When Being a Yogi Had an Exotic Air - 'Awake,' About the Life of Paramahansa Yogananda". New York Times. Archived from the original on 28 April 2023. Retrieved 5 May 2023.
  36. ^ a b yogananda.org "Self-Realization Fellowship - Online directory of all temples, centers, groups, and circles". Self-Realization Fellowship. Retrieved 22 September 2019.
  37. ^ Juergensmeyer, Mark (18 October 2011). "Encyclopedia of Global Religion". University of California. p. 1145. ISBN 9781452266565. Retrieved 16 July 2017.
  38. ^ "YSS Ashrams and Centres". yssofindia.org. Retrieved 26 November 2023.
  39. ^ Goldberg, Philip (2018). The Life of Yogananda. Carlsbad, CA: Hay House, Inc. p. 232. ISBN 978-1-4019-5218-1.
  40. ^ Goldberg, Philip (2018). The Life of Yogananda. Carlsbad,CA: Hay House, Inc. p. 263. ISBN 978-1-4019-5218-1.
  41. ^ yogananda.org Creating Self-Realization Fellowship Lessons, Temples, Retreats and writing his Autobiography of a Yogi
  42. ^ Daswani, Kavita (22 August 2014). "At SRF World Convocation, meditation and solidarity come into focus". The Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles.
  43. ^ a b c d e f Goldberg, Philip (2018). The Life of Yogananda. Carlsbad, CA: Hay House, Inc. pp. 258–260. ISBN 978-1-4019-5218-1.
  44. ^ Chhabra, Shivani (May 25, 2018). "Did you know Meghan Markle's parents got married at an Indian temple?". India Today. Retrieved May 26, 2018.
  45. ^ "Self-Realization Fellowship Lake Shrine". lakeshrine.org. Retrieved 5 March 2022.
  46. ^ O'Connor, Pauline (26 June 2008). "Pacific Palisades". The Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles.
  47. ^ "Self-Realization Fellowship - San Diego Temple". sandiegotemple.org. Retrieved 12 April 2023.
  48. ^ Yogananda, Paramahansa (1995). God Talks With Arjuna - The Bhagavad Gita. Los Angeles, California: Self-Realization Fellowship. p. xii. ISBN 0-87612-030-3.
  49. ^ "SRF Monastic Order". Retrieved 14 April 2013.
  50. ^ "Daily Life in the Ashram". yogananda.org. Retrieved 22 September 2019.
  51. ^ "The Four Stages of Monastic Life". yogananda.org. Retrieved 22 September 2019.
  52. ^ Goldberg, Philip (2018). The Life of Yogananda. Carlsbad, CA: Hay House, Inc. p. 76. ISBN 978-1-4019-5218-1.
  53. ^ "A Centuries-old Tradition". yogananda.org. Retrieved 22 September 2019.
  54. ^ Harry, Bill (2003). The George Harrison Encyclopedia. Virgin Books. p. 120. ISBN 978-0-7535-0822-0.
  55. ^ Gordon Melton, J. (2011). Yogananda, Mahasamadi of Paramamahansa (Religious Celebrations). ABC-CLIO. pp. 941–942. ISBN 9781598842050. Retrieved 13 July 2017.
  56. ^ Appleford, Eliscu, Saraceno (14 February 2002). "Harrison still giving to charity". No. 889. New York: Rolling Stone LLC.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  57. ^ Green, Joshua M. (2006). "George Harrison's Spiritual Life". New York: Hinduism Today January, February, March 2006 issue.
  58. ^ a b Sahagun, Louis (6 August 2006). "Guru's Followers Mark Legacy of a Star's Teachings". The Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles.
  59. ^ Goldberg, Philip (2012). American Veda. Harmony; 1 edition (2 November 2010): 109.
  60. ^ Doug Mattson (30 October 2002). "Jury: Copyrights violated by church". The Union. Grass Valley, CA.
  61. ^ Watanabe, Teresa (11 July 2002). "DNA Clears Yoga Guru in Seven-Year Paternity Dispute". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 11 May 2023.
  62. ^ Goldberg, Philip (2012). American Veda (1 ed.). Harmony. pp. 246–247. ISBN 978-0-385-52135-2.
  63. ^ Ramos, George (28 April 2000). "City Report Spurs Debate on Church's Planned Expansion". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 12 May 2023.
  64. ^ Ramos, George (3 April 2001). "Debate Rages Over Church Expansion". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 12 May 2023.
  65. ^ Williamson, Lola (2010). Transcendent in America: Hindu-inspired Meditation Movements as New Religion. New York and London: New York University Press. p. 73. ISBN 978-0-8147-9449-4.
  66. ^ Ramos, George (12 July 2001). "Mount Washington Church Drops Expansion Bid". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 12 May 2023.

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
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