Letters to the Zoning Administrator Concerning SRF's Request to Create a Private Mausoleum on Mt. Washington

Back to Letters Home

Note: Opinions expressed in letters are those of individuals, and not of any organization

Dear Mr. Brown:

A few years ago I was visiting Assisi, Italy, birthplace of St. Francis of Assisi. While paying my respects to the shrine built around his body, I was stunned to see hundreds of people doing the same, in just the one hour I was there! The reason? St. Francis, like Paramhansa Yogananda, has won the love of Catholics and Protestants, as well as Buddhists and even agnostics.

What impact did this shrine to St. Francis have on the surrounding neighborhood? And how did all these people get there?

First, it's nearly impossible to find parking within a half-mile of the body. There is a huge parking lot next to the shrine to St. Francis, but it's usually full of large diesel tour buses. I've seen as many as thirty at a time, and I'm sure there must be a hundred buses or more for special occasions.

Every building within a half mile is either a souvenir shop (there must be dozens, all selling the same knick-knacks), a gift store, a restaurant, or housing for the never-ending stream of pilgrims that visit there every year.

Wait a minute, you say, this zoning change on Mt. Washington will only open the door for Self-Realization Fellowship to move Yogananda's body to their International Headquarters. It won't cause the commercialization of a quiet residential neighborhood.

Think again. There are already a growing number of non-complying commercial bed and breakfast operations running out of people's homes on Mt. Washington, all catering to Yogananda devotees. I know, because I stayed in one, just a couple of blocks from SRF Headquarters. An entire floor of this house was remodeled to hold paying guests. This was clearly a commercial operation, from the nicely turned down beds with mints on the pillows, to the private bath and kitchen, to the bookshelves with SRF books, to the guest book filled with comments from happy SRF patrons- most of them promising to return.

I'm sure there are some residents of Mt. Washington who will appreciate the new commercial opportunities available to them if Yogananda's body is moved to SRF Headquarters. And as you must see by now, zoning or no zoning, there are people who will take advantage of these opportunities.

The neighborhood in Assisi where St. Francis' body is housed was obviously once a quiet residential neighborhood, much like Mt. Washington. If you allow Yogananda's body to be moved into this quiet neighborhood, there will be no turning back. People will come. Hundreds of thousands of them.

Your responsibility in this case is not enviable. The future of an entire part of Los Angeles rests on the decision you make. I hope and pray that you choose wisely.

Sincerely,
D.W.

Back to Letters Home

HOME | A UNIVERSAL SHRINE | WHO OWNS YOGANANDA'S BODY? 
HOW YOU CAN HELP |  PARAMHANSA YOGANANDA | ABOUT US | LINKS
Email: info@yoganandashrine.org