Self-Realization Fellowship Blog

Covid-19 (Coronavirus) updates for SRF events, locations, and services

July 22, 2021

COVID-19 Update: July 2021

CURRENT EVENT, LOCATION, AND SERVICE STATUS

International Headquarters (Mother Center)

  • The grounds are open Tuesday – Saturday, 11:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.

Temples

Temples are reopening at the following locations. Please visit the website of the specific temples for hours and services.

Meditation Centers, Groups, and Circles

Please contact the website of the specific center, group, or circle for hours and services. Or you may contact Center Department for information.

Retreats

All retreats remain closed.

Monastic Tours and Regional Retreats

All monastic tours and regional retreat programs have been cancelled through December 2021.

Online Inspirational Services

We continue to offer weekly online inspiration services led by an SRF or YSS monastic.

COVID-19 Update: February 25, 2021

CURRENT EVENT, LOCATION AND SERVICE STATUS

Mother Center

  • The grounds are closed
  • Christmas Open House - cancelled

Temples & Public Gardens

The Temple and grounds are closed at the following locations:

  • East Bay (Berkeley)
  • Encinitas
  • Fullerton
  • Glendale
  • Hollywood
  • Phoenix
  • San Diego

The temple is closed. The grounds are open by reservation only

Retreats

All Retreat programs have been cancelled through December 2020

Tours and Regional Retreats

All Tour & Regional Retreat programs have been cancelled through December 2020

Summer Day Program for Children and Teens

Due to Covid-19 restrictions and our concern for the safety of all involved, regrettably, we will not be able to hold the SRF Summer Day Program this year. Read full announcement.

COVID-19 Update: June 12, 2020

SRF Lessons Postal Mailings Have Resumed

We are pleased to announce that with the easing of some California stay-at-home restrictions (due to the COVID-19 pandemic), we have been able to reopen the SRF Publications Center and are now able to resume our postal mailings of the printed Self-Realization Fellowship Lessons. This includes the series of basic lessons as well as the Kriya Yoga Initiation Series.

COVID-19 Update: May 29, 2020

Important Update for the 2020 SRF World Convocation

New Dates

We are very pleased to announce the first fully online Self-Realization Fellowship World Convocation. It will be held from Sunday, August 9 through Saturday, August 15, 2020.

Program Offered Free of Charge

Because of the generosity of SRF members and friends who are donating to support this event, we are able to offer this special online Convocation free to all who wish to attend. We are doing this not only to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Self-Realization Fellowship and Kriya Yoga in the West, but also to provide solace, spiritual renewal, and divine fellowship to seekers around the world during these challenging times.

Read the full announcement

COVID-19 Update: May 7, 2020

Cancellation of SRF’s Summer Day Program for Children and Teens

Due to ongoing restrictions of the State of California’s “stay at home” orders because of the Covid-19 (coronavirus) pandemic, we will not be able to hold this year’s SRF Summer Day Program for children and teens, which was scheduled for June 22-July 3, 2020.

We look forward to continuing our services to our SRF youth in the coming months through the creation of new online activities for children, and we will share further details with you as soon as possible.

Read the full announcement

COVID-19 Update: April 27, 2020

Dates for Next Year’s World Convocation

We are happy to announce the dates for the 2021 SRF World Convocation, which will take place August 8-14, 2021 at the Westin Bonaventure Hotel in Los Angeles. We hope that having this information now will be of help to those of you who may need to reschedule the travel plans you may have made for the in-person events scheduled for this year’s Convocation.

In the meantime, details of the online program for the 2020 Convocation are currently being worked out, and as soon as we have finalized the plans, we will make them available on our website. We deeply appreciate your patience, and look forward to sharing dates and program information for the very first virtual SRF World Convocation to be held this year.

COVID-19 Update: April 20, 2020

Important 2020 SRF World Convocation Update

As most of you know, the city of Los Angeles (along with most other areas of the United States and other countries) has been under strict “stay at home” orders for some weeks because of the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic. All public gatherings and a wide range of other activities have been suspended during this time. It is not known when such activities will be allowed to resume, but a few days ago Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti announced that large public events and group gatherings scheduled for Los Angeles will not be permitted anytime soon, perhaps not even before 2021.

Therefore, after discussion with the management of the Westin Bonaventure Hotel, site of the annual SRF World Convocations in Los Angeles, we have had to cancel the in-person events scheduled for this year’s Convocation.

Though we must cancel our coming together in-person this year, we are going to present a wide range of the 2020 SRF World Convocation events online, transforming this international spiritual gathering into an event capable of reaching thousands more worldwide.

Details of our revised program are still being worked out, and we will share them as soon as possible. But we wanted to communicate the above information to you now, since it may impact your travel plans and personal scheduling.

We know that those of you who have already registered for Convocation will have questions about refunds, credit, or donation options, and we ask for your patience as we work out these details, which we hope to have completed in the next couple of weeks. As soon as we do, we will reach out to you again. For those of you who have reserved rooms at the Westin Bonaventure Hotel, the L.A. Hotel, the Kawada Hotel, and the Millennium Biltmore Hotel, they will automatically cancel your reservations. If you have made reservations at the Stillwell Hotel, please email your cancellation request directly to the hotel at your earliest convenience.

Over the years, so many of you have shared with us the profound joy and inspiration that you have experienced by attending Convocation — immersing yourselves in the sacred teachings of our beloved Gurudeva, Paramahansa Yogananda, and joining together for group meditation, kirtan, satsanga, and spiritual fellowship. We are certain that same divine joy and inspiration, through the blessings of the SRF Gurus, will be felt as we join together this year for a very special Convocation online.

As Paramahansaji reminded us so beautifully:

“Just beneath the shadows of this life is God’s wondrous Light. The universe is a vast temple of His presence. When you meditate, you will find doors opening to Him everywhere. When you have communion with Him, not all the ravages of the world can take away that Joy and Peace.”

Please know that you and your loved ones are ever in our daily thoughts and prayers. May God and Gurus ever guide, bless, and uplift you.

COVID-19 Update: April 2, 2020

SRF Lessons Available in Digital Format Only

As a result of the State of California Stay-at-Home Order, we are temporarily unable to send out any printed mailings, including the Self-Realization Fellowship Lessons and all other physical publications and products. However, during this time period, we will continue to offer the English-language edition of the Self-Realization Fellowship Lessons to SRF students in digital form via a proprietary app that is available for Apple (iOS) and Android devices. Learn more about the app.

This means you will be able to receive new Lessons as per our regular schedule, and will be able to read and study them on your digital device. You will also be able to access the valuable auxiliary material that accompanies each Lesson.

When we are able to resume operations at our Publications Center, all Lessons that you have received in digital form will be mailed to you in printed form. Under normal circumstances, we encourage you to use the printed version of the Lessons as your primary source of spiritual study. But we are grateful that the digital app makes it possible for you to receive the Lessons even during the temporary shutdown.

We deeply appreciate your understanding and cooperation during this challenging time. Please know that we hold you in our prayers, and that God and the Great Ones are surrounding you with their ever-existing divine love and protection.

SRF Lessons Applications Are Still Being Processed

While we are not able to send out any printed mailings during this time, we are continuing to process new applications for the SRF Lessons, and you are welcome to apply. We will notify you as soon as the printed Lessons can be mailed out again. However, as mentioned above, during this time period, students of the English Lessons will be able to read them on the SRF Lessons app. New Lessons will become unlocked in the app for Lessons students to view every two weeks.

Update: March 23, 2020

Please note the following:

  • The grounds are now closed at the SRF International Headquarters (Mother Center), the SRF Encinitas Ashram Center (Hermitage and Meditation Gardens), the SRF Lake Shrine, and the SRF Hidden Valley Ashram until further notice.

Update: March 18, 2020

Please note the following program changes:

  • All SRF tours and regional retreats are cancelled through October.
  • The May Kriya Initiation at Mother Center is cancelled

Important Announcement: March 12, 2020

We have been closely monitoring the evolving situation with COVID-19 (coronavirus), and are aware of the uncertainty felt by so many worldwide. After much prayerful consideration about what the right course of action should be, we have made the decision to cancel all SRF meditation and inspirational services at our temples, centers, and groups in the U.S. and in other countries where the government has suggested we do so. We will be contacting our meditation groups separately with guidance. We have also cancelled all retreat programs until further notice.

Those of you who regularly participate in group meditations and spiritual fellowship know the value and positive influence of seeking God together. We encourage you to continue participation in group meditations via our SRF Online Meditation Center services.

We are also looking into offering additional online inspirational events soon, and encourage you to check our website for updates on this.

The decision to cancel our services and retreats has been made in compliance with the request of the governor of California and the California Department of Public Health that nonessential gatherings across the state of California should be limited to no more than 250 people, and that smaller events than this should implement social distancing of six feet per person. These cautionary measures are also being requested and implemented in many other states and countries.

We recommend that you continue to follow universal health guidelines with regards to the coronavirus, which can be found on the websites of the Centers for Disease Control and the World Health Organization.

Paramahansa Yogananda expected us to use practical outer means and commonsense methods to prevent illness, but he also urged us to have a positive attitude and faith in God’s love and protection. That inner attunement felt in meditation and prayer will allow us to reach into the infinite reservoir of God’s healing power to help ourselves and all those who are in need.

In closing, let us keep in mind these words of our Gurudeva: “Whatever it is that you fear, take your mind away from it and leave it to God. Have faith in Him….Every night, before you sleep, affirm: ‘The Heavenly Father is with me; I am protected.’ Mentally surround yourself with Spirit and His cosmic energy.”

May God and the Great Ones deeply bless and watch over you and your loved ones.

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