|
|
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 Dear Mr. Brown: The intent of Self-Realization Fellowship to build a mausoleum on Mt. Washington, and to move Paramhansa Yogananda's body to the site is an interesting and frightening proposition. I have been involved for the past 11 years in tours to Forest Lawn in Glendale so that I may visit the tomb of the man they revere as their personal Christ. Our groups have numbered from 30 to 200 at one time. The groups larger than 30 have always had to travel in large 50+ passenger buses. If the body of Yogananda is moved to Mt. Washington we will have to shuttle people up in vans making no less than 5 to 20 round trips in one day, depending on the size of the group. These visitations will not cease, for the interest in Yogananda's teachings and his role as a guru/savior/christ is increasing in the world. It then follows to reason that the resting-place of his body will be of increasing interest to people all over the world. As you may know in many eastern and Hindu traditions, pilgrimage is considered a spiritual duty. Pilgrimage to, and meditation and prayer practiced in the presence of the guru, even his body left behind after it's death, bestows great blessings upon the devotee. Even SRF claims to have hundreds of thousands of members, which one would assume are disciples of Paramhansa Yogananda. As the numbers of Yogananda's disciples grow, the desire to visit the resting place of his body will be felt by more and more people. I have recently heard of a movement, started by non-SRF devotees of Paramhansa Yogananda from around the world, to build a shrine in a more accessible place, which would be open to the public. I am strongly in favor of this over moving his body to the narrow lanes of Mt. Washington. I sympathize with Mt. Washington's residents (other than SRF) for the traffic, noise, pollution, and all that this implies. I, of course, also have another motivation -- that of not trusting SRF to keep access open to the mausoleum for those who revere Yogananda and who are not members of SRF. This would be the equivalent of one branch of the Christian religion to claim absolute rights and control over the pilgrimage sites in the Holy Land. This is the only way one can view SRF's attitude when one observes how they treat their own fellow disciples by suing them to cease and desist if they dare try to share the guru's teachings with others. There are several small non-SRF Yogananda teaching centers and organizations that have been "put out of business" by them already through lawsuits. To me this proves that SRF is only concerned about what THEY want. Rest assured that if SRF does move Yogananda's body to Mt. Washington we will still come in droves to pray by the crypt of our teacher, and we will cause a great deal of congestion. Lisa Powers |
|
HOME
| A UNIVERSAL SHRINE | WHO
OWNS YOGANANDA'S BODY? |