SRI MRINALINI MATA, PRESIDENT

INTERNATIONAL HEADQUARTERS: 3880 SAN RAFAEL AVENUE, LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA 90065-3219

TEL: (323) 225-2471 • FAX: (323) 225-5088 • www.yogananda-srf.org

IN INDIA: YOGODA SATSANGA SOCIETY OF INDIA

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“Truth alone should be the binding force of religion. Truth I have brought to you through Self-Realization Fellowship. This work is spreading because of the wisdom and blessings of the God-realized Masters behind it.”

— Paramahansa YoganandaDear Friend,

As the year 2016 draws to a close, it is a joy to reflect upon the many events that show how our Guru’s teachings are spreading around the globe and helping to uplift the lives of God-seeking souls:

• We have now translated Autobiography of a Yogi into 45 languages — which means that more than 95% of the world’s population can read in their native tongue the work Paramahansa Yogananda said would become his “ambassador.” And we are continuing to work on doz-ens of other translations of works by Paramahansa Yogananda and his close direct disciples.

• Attendance is on the increase in many Self-Realization Fellowship (SRF) temples, centers, and meditation groups around the world, and several more SRF meditation groups have acquired permanent locations — spiritual hives to gather the honey of God-realization.

• Applications for the Self-Realization Fellowship Lessons — instruction in the soul-liberating techniques of meditation taught by Paramahansaji — have surged notably in the past eighteen months.

Our enclosed newsletter offers more inspiring news about SRF’s recent developments. Also, it reports on a special restoration project at the Self-Realization Fellowship Lake Shrine that needs your support.

All that you have given in the past has allowed us to carry on the important work of spread-ing Paramahansaji’s Kriya Yoga teachings internationally and maintaining the ashram centers and shrines he established. Yet even more precious to us — and most importantly, to God and Guru — are your sincere spiritual efforts and your prayers for the growth of Parama hansaji’s sacred work. He often encouraged his followers: “Meditate and draw others to this path of Self-Realization. That is the highest service you can perform.”

Your support is vital in every aspect of SRF’s efforts to fulfill Paramahansaji’s vision for the upliftment of the world through the teaching of Kriya Yoga. We invite you to offer your assis-tance through a gift made online at donatesrf.org or by returning the enclosed reply card.

You have our heartfelt and abiding gratitude for all you do to help others receive the teachings of Paramahansa Yogananda. And we pray that you feel an ever deepening connection with our Guru’s global spiritual family and with the Great Masters who enfold us with their love and blessings.

In divine friendship,

SELF-REALIZATION FELLOWSHIP Mother Center

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The Golden Lotus Archway: Preserving a Landmark of Paramahansa Yogananda’s Legacy

The majestic Golden Lotus Archway is an iconic focal point at the Self-Realization Fellowship Lake Shrine — a wall-less temple that evokes Paramahansa Yogananda’s welcoming spirit, and where thousands have heeded a silent invitation from within to pause and feel the Divine Presence.

It was Paramahansaji himself who directed the con-struction of the Golden Lotus Archway, following his acquisition of the Lake Shrine property in Los Angeles in 1949. The lotuses crowning the archway originally came from the Golden Lotus Temple, which he had constructed in Encinitas in 1937. The archway structure enfolds the Mahatma Gandhi World Peace Memorial, constructed to honor the life of India’s revered apostle of nonviolence. In the center of this memorial sits a thousand-year-old sarcophagus that holds a portion of Gandhi’s ashes enshrined by our Guru in 1950.

Now nearly seventy years old, the Golden Lotus Archway bears the marks of the passing of time. We wish to restore this spiritual monument to its original splendor by carrying out a number of conservation ef-forts, including:

• Retrofitting the structure to meet current earthquake safety codes

• Repainting the large lotuses

• Replacing and repainting the stucco

• Protecting the structure from termite infestations

• Enhancing the landscaping of the Mahatma Gandhi World Peace Memorial

With your support, we hope to complete the work in 2017. Thank you for helping us to preserve this land-mark of Paramahansa Yogananda’s legacy for the inspira-tion of future generations.

(Above and right) Parama hansa Yogananda beneath the Golden Lotus Archway on August 20, 1950, during the dedication of the Self-Realization Fellowship Lake Shrine. In his ad-dress on that occasion, the great Guru spoke of the unity of all religions. “We must recognize the unity of mankind, remembering that we are all made in the image of God,” he said. “There must be world brotherhood if we are to be able to practice the true art of living. This shrine has been created for all religions, that all may feel the unity of a common faith.” (Below) The Golden Lotus Archway today.

Building Spiritual Hives for the Honey of God-RealizationNew Permanent Locations for SRF Meditation Groups

Paramahansa Yogananda’s mission of establishing meditation sanctuaries for true, inner contact of God is advancing not only in the landmark ashrams and tem-ples he established in California — the Mother Center, Encinitas Ashram Center, Lake Shrine, etc. — but also in more intimate venues around the world.

Many years ago he predicted: “The science of yoga will take hold in this age more than anything else. The entire religious trend will be away from churches as we know them and into schools and quiet places where peo-ple will go to truly find God in meditation.”

The growth of many Self-Realization Fellowship meditation groups in the past few years is one sign that our Guru’s prophecy continues to be fulfilled. Part of Paramahansaji’s vision for SRF was the establishment of centers for God-communion throughout the world. And recently, SRF has acquired properties to serve as perma-nent homes for SRF meditation groups in several major cities, including Kansas City, Boston, Austin, Chicago, and Denver in the United States; and Zurich, Switzer-land — spiritual hives for the honey of God-realization. As our Guru said: “Church is the hive; God is the honey. Both are necessary.”

Accomplishments such as these are always the fruits of the combined efforts of a group’s members, who gen-erously provide the necessary funds and much of their valuable time; and SRF monastics at the International Headquarters, who offer support and counsel during all phases of the process.

Although not essential for an SRF meditation group, a permanent location does offer definite advantages once a group has grown to a certain size. For example, it often allows for an expansion of services that a rented loca-tion cannot accommodate — such as more frequent long meditations, weekend retreats, study groups, and Sunday school classes. These activities are attractive to longtime members and also draw the interest of newcomers, often resulting in a notable increase in overall attendance.

As numerous SRF devotees around the world can

(Top) Brother Ritananda and Brahmachari Andy with members of the new SRF Chicago Center during a visit earlier this year. (Above left) Exterior view of the Chicago Center. (Above right) Exterior view of the new SRF Denver Center. (Below) Brother Sarvananda at the new Denver Center in December 2015, where he conducted a dedication ceremony and also led an all-day meditation and other services for Christmas. (Bottom) Brother Tyagananda leads service for members in the new SRF Kansas City Center during a visit in 2015.

testify, the experience of inner peace found in meditation at an SRF group can lead to a sincere desire and lifelong commitment to seeking God deeply. After the inaugura-tion of a new building in one city, a disci-ple expressed her gratitude in these words:

It has been a privilege and so exciting for all of us to be involved in another one of Master’s “hives” being firmly rooted on the planet, and we hope that it will serve as a beacon of light and a haven of peace for all who come there throughout the years. The vibrations there have been steadily getting stronger since we moved in….Thank you again from our hearts for giving so much to us — and thank you to Master [Parama-hansaji] and the Mother Center for send-ing [the monastics]....Master’s presence and vibrations are always so strong on these occasions.

Whether large or small, the success of a center or meditation group always de-pends upon the devoted spiritual efforts, selfless service, and financial support of its members. SRF monastics offer guidance and assistance and make visits to conduct inspirational programs from time to time. Meeting the needs of SRF’s more than 600 meditation circles, groups, and centers in 67 countries requires the full-time service of the dedicated group of monastics in our Center Depart-ment. Each year monastics visit up to 70 groups in dozens of countries, including recent “first-ever” visits to groups in Brunei, Romania, Russia, and South Africa.

Your contributions to this Fall 2016 Appeal will, in part, help support the SRF monastic order, which guides Paramahansaji’s spiritual society and serves his worldwide spiritual family in various ways. In addition to support for SRF’s meditation groups and centers, monks and nuns also provide spiritual counseling for thousands of individuals each year; over-see the dissemination of our Guru’s teachings; send divine healing prayers each day to all who request aid; and help maintain the ashrams, shrines, and meditation sanctuaries that Paramahansaji established. In many cases they serve in conjunction with dedicated lay member volunteers and em-ployees, who also make vital contributions to his mission. Thank you for helping provide the material resources that allow SRF monks and nuns to devote themselves wholeheartedly to lives of seeking God and selflessly serving others.

(Top) Brother Devananda and Brahmachari Daniel with members of the new SRF center in Austin in 2015. (Above left and right) The SRF Boston Center, whose leaders met last year with Brother Kalyanananda and Brahmachari Andre of SRF’s planning and build-ing department to discuss renovation plans for the newly acquired building. (Below) The dedication of the new Zurich Center in 2015, conducted by Brother Tyagananda.

Contributions in response to Self-Realization Fellowship’s Fall 2016 Voluntary League Appeal are for SRF’s general support and can be utilized for SRF’s spiritual work as its Board of Directors may determine. Donations received later than approximately twelve months after the mailing date will be credited to the most recent Voluntary League Appeal.

Self-Realization Fellowship is recognized by the Internal Revenue Service and the State of California as a tax-exempt organization. Accordingly, donations are tax-deductible as permitted by law.

SELF-RE ALIZ ATION FELLOWSHIP • 3880 San R afael Avenue • Los Ang eles, California 90065-3219 U.S.A . • www.yog ananda-srf .org

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From Our President: An Assurance of God’s Supporting PresenceThe SRF global family is a large one, united by spiritual striving, divine friendship, mutual ser-

vice, and prayer. Sri Mrinalini Mata, SRF’s president and sanghamata, has offered this beautiful and inspiring encouragement to persevere in our efforts to cultivate peace within through meditation:

The more life’s pressures crowd upon us, the more we need those times of stillness. If in spite of distractions you persist in your meditations, laying at the feet of God your best efforts, your offering cannot fail to touch His heart. When you least expect it, the barriers of restlessness will fall away, revealing His supporting presence. Anchored in that stable reality, you will recognize behind the confusing bits and pieces of life’s experiences God’s guiding hand, carrying out His harmonious plan for your soul’s unfoldment.

We thank you for your continued support — it is essential to SRF’s efforts to help others receive our Guru’s illuminating and solacing wisdom. May we every day feel the “supporting presence” of God that sustains us all. And may we help others to discover in themselves the same infallible source of inner strength and fulfillment.

Spreading Our Guru’s Teachings With Translations and eBooksThanks to your past generosity, and the dedicated efforts of monastics, employees, and lay-member

volunteers in SRF’s translation department, our Guru’s wisdom is spreading more and more broadly throughout the world: The words of Paramahansa Yogananda have now been translated into languages spoken by more than 95% of the world’s population. This year we are working to translate additional books into dozens of new languages. The extensive spiritual resources available on SRF’s website are also being made available in multiple languages — the Italian version, which was completed just a few weeks ago, is the latest to be launched.

Every year many people write to SRF to express how they have been inspired and transformed by Paramahansaji’s sacred writings. Recently, we received a message from a woman in China who had ordered SRF books for herself and friends:

The books written by Yogananda are really welcomed by my friends; I’ve already received many thanks from them recently, and I also want to express my gratitude to you again. The book How You Can Talk With God, especially, is an extra surprise to all of us. Although it looks so small, it could definitely awaken one’s soul. I felt that I was talking with God when I read it, and I got much closer to Him. It seems that I could feel His response, whisper, and endless love….It’s really a magic book!

Yet another indication of the growing recognition, across languages and cultures, of our Guru’s teachings were the recent honors received by SRF at the 2016 International Latino Book Awards, held September 8 in Los Angeles. The Spanish edition of Paramahansa Yogananda’s God Talks With Arjuna: The Bhagavad Gita, Vol. I, took first place for “Best Religious Book” and second place for “Best Spiritual/New Age Book”; and the Portuguese edition of Paramahansaji’s The Second Coming of Christ: The Resurrection of the Christ Within You, Vol. I, won first place for “Best Nonfiction Book (originally in another language).” Since the inception of these prestigious international awards eighteen years ago, books by Paramahansaji have been honored more than twenty times.

In addition to translations, SRF continues to publish more and more ebooks. So far seventeen have been released, including Autobiography of a Yogi, The Yoga of the Bhagavad Gita, The Yoga of Jesus, Scientific Healing Affirmations, and How You Can Talk with God. Many readers have written to express their gratitude for these definitive digital editions of our Guru’s works, and we look forward to additional releases in coming months.