Celebrating
75 years
of the Ramakrishna Monastery
The goal is to be a man of God, whether you are a Hindu, Christian, Jew or Muslim…. My prayer is that we may hold before us the idea of true renunciation in this monastery…. The world needs enlightened men….
These were the words of Swami Prabhavananda, the founder of the Vedanta Society of Southern California, on the day of the inauguration of the Ramakrishna Monastery on September 7, 1949.
Our Monastery
The Ramakrishna Monastery, a branch of the Vedanta Society of Southern California, was first conceived in the mind of an intellectual, who wanted to be remembered as “a historian of consciousness and its evolution.” We are talking about the renowned British-born American historian and philosopher Henry Fitz Gerald Heard, commonly known as Gerald Heard.
Gerald Heard (1889 - 1971) was born in London on October 6, 1889, of Irish ancestry. He was educated in England, taking honors in history and studying theology at the University of Cambridge. He later showed interest in parapsychology, religion, Vedanta, and philosophy. He was also an educator, a public lecturer, broadcaster, and a prolific author. In 1937 Gerald Heard was the chair of historical anthropology at Duke University for a single term and then moved to the United States for good, accompanied by the well known British writer and philosopher, Aldous Huxley. They both settled in California.
That was probably the time when both Heard and Huxley started attending programs at the Vedanta Society in Hollywood. Together with Christopher Isherwood, the Anglo-American novelist, they were introduced to the Vedanta philosophy under the guidance of Swami Prabhavananda. Swami Prabhavananda initiated these three men of letters into spiritual life, instructing them about the core teachings of the Ramakrishna-Vivekananda tradition of Vedanta. Their association with Vedanta in Southern California was deepened by serving their Guru, collaborating with him on translations of various Vedanta scriptures, writing articles, and acting as editors.
Swami Prabhavananda
Gerald Heard co-edited the Vedanta Society’s journal, Voice of India (later Vedanta and the West), from 1939 to 1941 and contributed many articles to it over the years. He later served as an editorial advisor to the journal from 1951 to 1962. The Vedanta Press published the bimonthly Vedanta and the West from 1941 to 1970 when it was discontinued. Philip L. Griggs (who later became Swami Yogeshananda of the Ramakrishna Order of Monks), the author of Six Lighted Windows and many other books, referring to his friend Gerald Heard, said, “Gerald Heard was probably one of the most learned and enterprising novel thinkers of his time as well as an extraordinary character. It is a pity that very few people know of him today.”
Gerald Heard had a dream — the establishment of a center or college for those wishing to dedicate themselves fully to spiritual life. This center would be a place where the study of comparative religion, together with research into and practice of, the techniques of meditation and prayer, as taught by the major religions of the world, would be carried out. He began his search for a peaceful location to build the institution he had envisioned. He discovered it in Trabuco Canyon, a then-secluded area adjacent to the Cleveland National Forest some sixty miles south of Los Angeles. In 1941 Gerald Heard, together with Aldous Huxley, founded The Trabuco College, a religious institution devoted to the study and practice of the contemplative life. The construction of Trabuco College began the same year and was completed and occupied a year later. This bold experiment in living stirred tremendous interest among a number of serious intellectuals such as John van Druten and Eugene Exman, religious editor of Harper & Brothers Publishers. Seminars were held, three periods of meditation were observed in the octagonal shrine building, and various experiments in prayer were made. In a short time, the College was to build a fine library of mystical literature, much of which is still intact. Huxley was to make ample use of the library to write The Perennial Philosophy.
During the Trabuco College years, Heard wrote several religious books on Christian and non-Christian prayer. Most noticeable is Training for the Life of the Spirit (1942), which bears some similarities to Alcoholics Anonymous’ Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions (1953).
Bill Wilson, the co-founder of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), was a close friend of Gerald Heard. It is said that it was in the Trabuco Library that he developed the twelve-step program inspired by the principles of Vedanta.
Old photo of Ramakrishna Monastery
Heard's noble experiment, however, was not to last. In 1947 financial problems and diminished activities forced Trabuco College to close its doors. The facility was made available for several projects during the next two years. None of these ventures, however, measured up to what Heard felt was Trabuco College’s original raison d’etre.
Consequently, and at his specific request, in 1949 the facilities and property were donated to The Vedanta Society of Southern California, on September 7, 1949. Subsequently, this became to be known as The Ramakrishna Monastery to honor the Vedantic World Teacher, Sri Ramakrishna. The monastery shrine was formally consecrated by Swami Prabhavananda and the Ramakrishna Monastery was born.
The Monastery has called the attention of reporters from the LA Times, The OC Register, and The San Diego Union. As an example of the growing awareness of Vedanta in Southern California by local communities, the Los Angeles Times published a full-page article on the dedication of the Ramakrishna Monastery at Trabuco sometime in 1949.
The Santa Ana Register, on Sunday, November 27, 1949, published a cherished photo with Swami Asheshananda, Philip L. Griggs, and other brothers. It pointed out that the brothers follow the doctrine that all religions are basically the same and that the real nature of man is divine.
Swami Asheshananda, the then assistant minister of the Vedanta Society of Southern California, was stationed at Ramakrishna Monastery so that Swami Prabhavananda could focus more on creating a more structured atmosphere suitable for leading a monastic life. A life based on the traditional monastic virtues of poverty, chastity, and obedience.
Although only a few men joined the Ramakrishna Monastery in the early years, it is important to highlight that Philip L. Griggs, who later became Swami Yogeshananda, was one of the first monastic brothers to lead his monastic life at Ramakrishna Monastery from 1949 to 1955. After serving in many centers in the United States, London, and India, Swami Yogeshananda decided to come back to where it all started. He joined the Ramakrishna Monastery monastic community as a retired monk in 2009 and died peacefully surrounded by his brothers on February 13, 2021, at the age of 98.
The peace and solitude that the monastery offered were soon to draw others from various walks of life. Regardless of their backgrounds, all came with a similar purpose - to live a more fulfilling spiritual life in a community setting.
Swami Yogeshananda
1923 - 2021
The Monastery Today
Today, the monastery is little changed. The shrine is still the center of life at the monastery, and its sanctity is even more tangibly felt after many decades of meditation and prayer.
The activities of this monastic community are centered in their universal approach and spiritual ideal. With a shrine dedicated to Sri Ramakrishna and daily worship, all the brothers at Ramakrishna Monastery learn to live with a sense of togetherness and belonging that expresses itself in mutual care and understanding for each other.
Apart from the various tasks assigned to each brother individually, the monastic routine is spiritually strengthened with common activities, such as meditation in the shrine three times a day, and communal meals followed by readings and discussions.
The training of novices is of core importance for this monastic community.
Public lectures by monks of the Order take place in the main refectory of the monastery at 11 a.m. on Sundays from mid-September through June. On July Fourth a special celebration is held to honor Swami Vivekananda, which attracts hundreds of visitors each year.
Two activities are held in the Monastery library. Scripture classes on Wednesdays after the evening Arati and, twice a month, on Saturday morning, Alcoholic Anonymous (AA) meetings have been held since 2012.
Vedanta recognizes the truth of all religions and accepts them as different paths to the same goal. In recognition of this, the monks designed a mile-long trail, along which, shrines to the world's major religions have been built. The walk takes about half an hour and is notable for its scenic charm and serenity.
