Let's try something a little different.
In the past, I've received requests to visit other worship centers of different faiths and religions. For visit number 8, we team-up with ‪@WARDRADIO‬'s Cardon Ellis and Luke Hanson with a visit to the Self-Realization Fellowship Lake Shrine just blocks from the Pacific Ocean in the L.A. suburbs.
We called ahead to book an appointment, expecting to attend some sort of meditation stretching service mixing Jesus Christ with yoga.
Welp, that didn't actually happen.
Instead, we walked through a natural amphitheater containing waterfalls, fountains, flower beds, statues, and white swans gliding across the lake.
There also were a strange range of landmarks.
The first sight was a golden lotus archway in front of a Gandhi World Peace Memorial that apparently housed some of his ashes. We then sat quietly in a Mississippi-style houseboat in front of a picture of the Self-Realization Fellowship's guru founder, Paramahansa Yogananda. After that, we then went inside an authentic reproduction of a 16th-century Dutch windmill that served as a chapel. Inside, people were meditating in front of six images - one of Jesus Christ, a second of Bhagavan Krishna, and then four exalted yogi masters (including Yogananda).
We finished at the Court of Religions, which displayed symbols of five principal religions of the world (Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism, Islam, and Hinduism). Before we left, one of the signature sights is a life-size statue of Jesus Christ looking over the Lake Shrine above a waterfall.
I knew nothing coming in, and even when filming our reaction, I couldn't pronounce Yogananda's name. After the visit, I learned that he believed in an underlying harmony of all faiths with a mediation technique called kriya yoga. Yogananda teachings started in India, then introduced them to the West in 1920. His influence spread throughout the world, most notably in California with various temples being built in prime real estate locations.
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⛪ 52 Churches in 52 Weeks is a weekly spiritual series that worships at different churches throughout the United States. The project aims to exemplify love, understanding, and bridge the gap between different Christ-focused religious affiliations. If you'd like to see what happens next, LIKE, SUBSCRIBE and hit NOTIFICATIONS.
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▶️ Timestamps:
0:00 LA
0:30 Ward Radio Collab
1:15 St. Jude
2:03 Jesus and Yoga?!
5:06 Look at SRF Lake Shrine
6:41 First Reactions
10:55 Mix of Faiths
13:39 Houseboat
20:21 Windmill Chapel
27:43 Final Impressions
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🎵 Music:
Mhern - By The Harbor
• Mhern - By The Harbor ...
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