Self-Realization Fellowship Lake Shrine

Looking toward the Dutch windmill from houseboat

The Self-Realization Fellowship Lake Shrine lies a few blocks from the Pacific Ocean, on Sunset Boulevard in Pacific Palisades, California. It was founded by Paramahansa Yogananda, on August 20, 1950 and is owned by the Self-Realization Fellowship. The 10-acre (40,000 m²) site with lush gardens and natural spring-fed lake is home to a variety of flora and fauna, including swans, ducks, koi, water turtles, and lotus flowers. The entire property is a natural amphitheater.

Features

The grounds include the Mahatma Gandhi World Peace Memorial, where a portion of Gandhi's ashes is enshrined, a small museum with exhibits on Paramahansa Yogananda's work, a Dutch windmill converted into a chapel, a houseboat, a bookstore, and a gift shop with arts and crafts from India. Also featured on the grounds is a Court of Religions featuring the symbols of the five principal religions of the world: a cross for Christianity, a Star of David for Judaism, a Wheel of Law for Buddhism, a crescent moon & star for Islam, and the Aum symbol for Hinduism.

The visitor center (left) and windmill chapel (right) are beside the lake

Looking toward the golden lotus-topped Gandhi memorial, with swans in foreground

Lake and swans

Yogananda (Paramahansa means supreme or highest swan) encouraged swans to live at the Lake Shrine. Their large nests can be seen in this locale. Only the white swans thrive on the lake. An attempt to have other species of swans who were of a different color, (One was White, one was black, and one was a white swan with a black neck,) resulted in violent confrontations, where they were fighting for the kill, and had to be separated, by dividing the lake into three parts. This led to the policy that only the white swans would stay at the lake. (Source: "Is Peace Possible in Today's World". Audio recording by Brother Abandinoy.)

Sarcophagus of the Mahatma Gandhi World Peace Memorial

Gandhi Shrine

The Lake Shrine is home for the picturesque Mahatma Gandhi World Peace Memorial, the "wall-less temple" erected in honor of Mahatma Gandhi, architect of India's freedom through nonviolent means. The focal point of the memorial is a thousand-year-old stone sarcophagus from China, in which a portion of Gandhi's ashes are encased in a brass and silver coffer. The sarcophagus is flanked by two statues of Guan Yin.

The ashes had been sent to Yogananda by an old friend, Dr. V.M. Nawle, a publisher and journalist from Pune, India, who knew of the deep spiritual bond between Yogananda and Gandhi. Following the dedication of the memorial, Dr. Nawle wrote: "Regarding Gandhi ashes, I may say that they are scattered and thrown in almost all the important rivers and seas, and nothing is given outside India except the remains which I have sent to you after a great ordeal .... You are the only one in the whole world who received Gandhi ashes outside India."

Controversy over Gandhi Shrine

Enshrining Gandhi's ashes at Lake Shrine is controversial since the Hindu cremation ritual ends with immersion of the ashes in water. One report states that Gandhi's relatives want the ashes at Lake Shrine to be immersed in water. Another report states that the descendants of Mahatma Gandhi do not want to have the ashes removed because it would entail breaking the shrines.

Waterfalls

Two waterfalls feed into the Lake Shrine, one that falls approximately 25 feet (7.6 m), and another series-waterfall, that falls approximately 10 feet (3.0 m).

Large waterfall

The small waterfall with a statue of Krishna

Address

17190 Sunset Boulevard
Pacific Palisades, California
90272-3099

External links

• Website of the Lake Shrine
• Self-Realization Fellowship's information on the Lake Shrine