Welcome to Self-Realization Fellowship Glendale Temple
Glendale Temple
Nestled in the sunny hills of Glendale, California, this temple is a branch of Self-Realization Fellowship, the international nonprofit society founded by one of the preeminent spiritual figures of our time -- Paramahansa Yogananda.
Since its inception in 1920,
Self-Realization Fellowship (SRF) has introduced truth-seekers worldwide to India's age-old philosophy of Yoga and its time-honored tradition of meditation.
The Glendale Temple is the result of a generous gift to SRF and to all truth-seekers. Everyone is welcome to attend our weekly public lectures, meditations, Sunday School classes for children and other events aimed to disseminate the timeless teachings of Paramahansa Yogananda and help us create spiritually harmonious lives, and a more compassionate and peaceful world.
*The Glendale Temple Young Adults Group -- people between the ages 18 - 39 -- will be gathering today for fellowship. Look for them near the bookroom after the service. If you are 40 or above you'll have to wait for your next incarnation.
*The Glendale Temple Annual Craft’s Faire will be a part of our Fall Festival again this year. We are looking for creative people who like to make beautiful and/or useful things. Do you sew? Do you like to work with wood or decorate with plants? Are you an artist, a photographer, a maker of jewelry or do you just like to help out? If so, please come meet with us on Saturday, September 11th at 11:00 am in the Temple Social Hall. We look forward to sharing ideas with you.
*September's Day of Service is on Saturday, September 18th. If you're looking for ways to get involved with this temple, this is a great opportunity to meet fellow devotees, and to serve God and Master. The opening meditation begins at 10a.m. A delicious Chilean vegetarian lunch will be served at 1:20p.m.
*We welcome you to join us in commemorating the Mahasamadhi of Lahiri Mahasaya on September 26th with a meditation at 5p.m. and a devotional service at 8p.m. It is traditional to bring a flower to symbolize devotion.
*All are invited to celebrate Lahiri Mahasaya’s birthday on September 30th with a meditation at 6:30p.m. and a devotional service at 8p.m. It is traditional to bring a flower symbolizing devotion, and an offering as a symbol of loyalty to the Guru and his teachings.
*Lake Shrine Retreat Weekend for Glendale Temple members which was originally scheduled for October 8th, 9th and 10th has been canceled. Those who wish to plan a private retreat at Lake Shrine are still welcome to do so.
On Sunday August 2, 2010 over 400 devotees from around the globe joined fellow truth seekers for an uplifting morning of spiritual fellowship. The morning began with a guided meditation, which was followed by a devotional lecture service.
The talk focused on various aspects of living the spiritual life, including the necessity of bringing God into the now. Also mentioned was the need to create inner peace in order to construct balance in a world where outer chaos is inevitable.
At the end of the service Brother Satyananda invited Reverend Bonnie Rowsell, who donated the building to SRF, to stand with him in the greeting line. Devotees from Master’s world-wide spiritual family delighted in the chance to greet and thank Reverend Bonnie. As they left the service that day, visitors commented that they felt inspired and uplifted as the week of convocation was about to begin.
This month’s spiritual homework is taken from my Convocation presentation during the first week in August 2010. The discussion was focused on a 4-staged model of living during ancient times in India as described by our Guru below:
4 ASHRAMS OF VEDIC LIFE:
MASTER: In the early days, the ordinary family life was called a life of the hermitage. The family man knew that there were four ashrams or shelters through which we must pass: brahmacharya (celibate student life); garhasthya (married householder life); vanaprastha (retirement and contemplation); and sannyas (monastic life). Life then was not an endless struggle after money until all ended in disease and disillusionment. (God Talks with Arjuna, pg. 486)
I explained how this follows a universal progression of human needs as we pass through life:
Youth needs training and wisdom guidance
Middle age needs structure, clarity and purpose
Older age needs more freedom for spiritual renewal
Elderly needs new heights of spiritual striving
Please click Read More to view Brother Satyananda's spiritual homework for August 2010.
BHAGAVAD GITA 9: 26: The reverent presentation to Me of a leaf, a flower, a fruit, or water, given with pure intention is a devotional offering acceptable in My sight. (God Talks With Arjuna, pg. 763)
Master teaches us that offering ourselves completely is the greatest gift and that God happily accepts and is well-pleased with any offering given with the right spirit.
On Sunday, June 6, 2010, I gave a presentation on making offerings to God. The special theme was focused on sharing ourselves—our lives, our experiences, our love—with God. We imagine that our offerings must somehow be perfect in order to be pleasing, but the message of scripture and the testimony of saintly souls say that the spirit with which we share is more important than the gift itself.
Please click Read More to view Brother Satyananda's spiritual homework for June 2010.
Blog Talk Radio's Karen Monroy conducted an Internet interview on Thursday, May 28, 2010 with Brother Satyananda on meditation practices and the teachings of Paramahansa Yogananda.
During the course of their conversation Brother Satyananda discussed how calming the mind can positively impact all aspects of life. He focused on how finding a higher purpose, moving out of "spiritual poverty", can sustain us through difficult times.
Master: Do not take your earthly experiences too seriously. The root cause of sorrow is in viewing the passing show with too much emotional involvement. (Man’s Eternal Quest pg. 239)
In a Sunday lecture on May 2, 2010, I discussed the value of taking life’s experiences less seriously. I drew from our Guru’s commentary on chapter 3, verse 23 of the Bhagavad Gita, to illustrate the way we often become identified and influenced by the changing conditions of daily life. If, through discipline, we can train the mind and emotions to be less dependent upon outer conditions and more inwardly dependent upon God, then great personal freedom can be attained.
I shared the way in which I first began working toward achieving this—by playing a game: I declared one day each week to be “Take Nothing Seriously Day.” At the beginning of the day a prayer was offered and a resolve initiated that no matter what happened that day, it would not be taken too seriously. Doing this, one day per week, proved an invaluable exercise in lightening and liberating my consciousness from mundane worries.
Please click Read More to view Brother Satyananda's spiritual homework for May 2010.
At Glendale Temple’s Day of Service, volunteers from our congregation continued renovation on the Temple’s exterior. One team of volunteers worked diligently to prep and paint the front of the Temple, while another group began the process of landscaping one of the front planter beds. Inside the Temple, others worked with care to clean the Temple Sanctuary and surrounding areas. Wherever people served, laughter and fellowship abounded.
As reward for everyone’s service, following a monastic-led meditation, the volunteers were treated to a gourmet Italian lunch prepared by our congregation’s chefs. All in all, the day was a tremendous success! For our next DOS, we will continue to paint the trim around the main temple and the gardening crew will be ready to plant spring flowers! Please join us for the July DOS and become a part of TEAM GLENDALE!
We look forward to meeting, eating, and serving with you!
Click Here to learn more about the many volunteer opportunities that await you at Glendale Temple!
Located off of the main lobby, Glendale Temple’s bookroom offers the teachings of Paramahansa Yogananda, including the timeless classic The Autobiography of a Yogi, now available in multiple languages. The bookroom carries inspiring books, magazines, CDs, DVDs, pictures, and gifts related to the SRF spiritual path.
Asimismo, en nuestra Librería nos complace poner a su disposición la selección completa de los libros en español de Paramahansa Yogananda y de algunos de sus discípulos, entre los que se encuentran la agenda anual Destellos de inspiración, Autobiografía de un yogui, los cuadernillos de la serie "El arte de vivir", La ciencia de la religión, La ciencia sagrada, Meditaciones metafísicas, La búsqueda eterna, El gozo que buscas está en tu interior, el DVD titulado La vida de Paramahansa Yogananda: Sus primeros años en América, y otras obras.
Please click Read More to view the entire feature article.
Le rogamos pulsar Read More a fin de ver el artículo completo.
Those entering the temple recently from the East Lobby entrance have probably noticed a new tile surface in the atrium patio. The design represents a koi pond with swans and lotuses. Designed by a temple member, with the help of a graphic artist and our minister, the project began last December.
Please click Read More to view the entire Focus On feature article and for links to the East Lobby Atrium Tile Project photos.
