In the past Century, from a remote village of India, Holy Mother, Sarada Devi, witnessing the blossoming of the Vedanta Center in the World, said that these centers were being built so her monastic sons could find and give refuge to her householder sons. This is exactly what the ashrams and centers of the Ramakrishna Order have being doing. Here, in Los Angeles, there is a center functioning in the Hollywood Hills. The Vedanta Temple of golden domes with an OM featured as the only external symbol emerging from the white walls, opens its doors to all who are seeking a moment of communion with him or herself, with God or with the Self.
The Vedanta Temple
As Holy Mother predicted, The Vedanta Temple in Hollywood, since its humble beginnings, has being providing refuge to spiritual seekers from different religious backgrounds, tendencies and temperaments. Plurality is its primary characteristic and the reality of plurality is what one perceives at first sight. If you visit the bookstore on any Sunday morning, you will be cordially welcomed by a nun with an Australian accent who will show you, with dedicated attention, books from all religious denominations. If you enter the shrine at midday, you may be surprised by a Japanese nun performing an intricate Hindu puja in a Zen manner. And if you are invited for lunch at the monastery you will find yourself listening to teachings on Vedanta from the lips of one of the senior-most monks of the Order. You could even discuss the origin of the Universe with popular astronomer (and former Vedanta Society monk) John Dobson.
Unity in diversity is the goal and expression of Vedanta. When a Vedanta follower is asked why this is, he or she will answer with this principle from The Upanishads: Sarvam Kalvidam Brahman, which means “All this is [verely] Brahman (the Ultimate Reality.)”
This is the philosophy, which originated with the western Vedanta Societies and is expressed in a special way in Los Angeles. In this spirit of integration, Spanish is now spoken at the Hollywood Vedanta Temple.
Five years ago, a variety of Spanish offerings began to spring forth, in an effort to respond to the Hispanic community. Today, the community holds weekly classes on the Vedas and other Hindu Scriptures. The Vedanta Temple opened a basic Spanish library and some of the monastic members direct dialogs and deliver talks in Spanish held at different philosophical institutions in Los Angeles. The classes are free of charge and the teachings honor the recognition of God in oneself as in everybody and everything else. Vedanta calls to manifest our inherent Divinity, in our thought, words and actions.
“Each soul is potentially divine. The goal is to manifest this Divinity within by controlling nature, external and internal. Do this either by work, or worship, or psychic control, or philosophy – by one, or more, or all of these – and be free.” Swami Vivekananda
And since it could not have been otherwise, Vedanta proclaims the harmony of religions and recommends the integration of all Yogas in order to satisfy the different temperaments and tendencies in the spiritual search. Karma, Bhakti, Raja, Jnana and Hatha Yoga can easily become an active part of our daily life. A correct balance between the Yogas will lead us to the expression of our Divinity in a natural way.
In Vedanta, self-realization is not based in extremism but in developing a superior yearning for discovering the Truth, which will gently unfold us to the experience.
When the soul is about to discover itself, it does it so silently, that it reminds one the unfolding of a flower; it might be waiting for this sublime moment for a long time and, suddenly, in an instant, almost imperceptibly, the petals thrill in one single main movement and there it is! A beautiful flower, its corolla exposed to the golden sun of dawn and its worthy beauty is such that it offers itself in full light, making it impossible to imagine that once upon a time it was enclosed in a tight bud.
