|
|
Letters to the Zoning Administrator Concerning SRF's Request to Create a Private Mausoleum on Mt. Washington Note: Opinions expressed in letters are those of individuals, and not of any organization To Whom It May Concern: The reason why I don't want Yogananda's body moved to Mt. Washington was arrived at because of a personal experience I had with my wife, Lila. About 3 years ago, we were in Los Angeles visiting her parents and decided we would like to go to Master's room at Mt. Washington. I had never been, and looked forward to experiencing Yogananda's vibration in this powerful way. We arrived, and spent some time walking the grounds: energizing on the tennis court (where he led these exercises every morning, and we never had such an energized and blessed experience); meditating at the Temple of Leaves (so wonderful); and enjoying the magnificent garden. We went up to the reception desk and asked to spend a little time in Yogananda's room. The lady at the desk said that this was not a good day to do this, but she would ask the sister in charge if she would grant us a special admittance. My wife told the receptionist that I had never been up to the room, a devotee of over 20 years, and would be thrilled beyond words to do so. She also asked us where we were from. Now, if we had said Nevada City, she would have known we were from Ananda and there was a good chance we would have been denied access. So we said we were from Santa Rosa, Ca, which was partly true because I was living part time there to do work. I felt uncomfortable not being able to be completely honest. Finally after an hour of waiting, we were allowed to go up, escorted by the sister who gave the okay. It was indeed a wonderful experience I will never forget. But we were under pressure not to stay "too long." Lila had to ask me to get up twice from my kneeling place by Yogananda's shoes by his bed because the sister was getting irritated by my delay. We couldn't have been there more than 10 minutes, and we would have liked to have stayed much longer. This event made me realize that, if Yogananda's body is relocated to Mt. Washington, the same thing could easily occur. Being Ananda members, we could be given a hard time. They may finally let us be in the presence of the body, but not without a lot of uneasiness, at a time when you least want that. I love the accessibility of the crypt at Forest Lawn. You can stay as long as you want, and you feel at home with Yogananda. Please don't let his body be moved so that we may truly have the freedom to visit our guru in peace. Respectfully, Doug. J. Stone Note: Opinions expressed in letters are those of individuals, and not of any organization |
|
HOME
| A UNIVERSAL SHRINE | WHO
OWNS YOGANANDA'S BODY? |