Self-Realization Fellowship Hollywood Temple

06/01/2026

"The sankirtans or musical gatherings are an effective form of yoga or spiritual discipline, necessitating intense concentration, absorption in the seed thought and sound."

— Paramahansa Yogananda

05/29/2026

“When you think of God as your Friend, that relationship expresses the grandest form of love and devotion. Friendship is the touchstone by which we may know the purity of any relationship, human or divine. It has the sweetness of all forms of love without their contamination. In parental love there is a compulsion of nature; and in all other forms of human love there is some selfish compulsion — but not in true friendship. When you speak of a sibling and say, “He is my brother,” that means he is born of the same parents and you have to love him as such. But when you say of another, ‘He is my friend,” that means you offer to him your love that is pure and unconditional — that you have freely chosen to give your love to him.’”

— Paramahansa Yogananda from Solving the Mystery of Life

The Hollywood Temple is open for morning and evening services every Sunday. The Temple gates open at 9:30 a.m. The parking lot entrance is on the east side of Edgemont St., about 50 feet south of Sunset Blvd.

The schedule for Sunday, May 31 at Hollywood Temple:
10:00 a.m. - 10:45 a.m. - Meditation
11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. - Lecture Service
11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. - Sunday School
12:00 p.m. - 12:45 p.m. - Bookroom Open
1:30 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. - Temple Singers Rehearsal/Outreach
7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. - Sunday Evening Meditation with Energizations Exercises at 7:00 p.m.

For more information and directions to the Temple, please visit our website: https://www.hollywoodtemple.org/

Photos: 75th Anniversary of India Hall Celebration

05/28/2026

"Prayer is one of the most effective and immediate ways we can reach out to our world family in times of need. In that consciousness, when we learn of a situation that causes suffering, let our first reaction always be to pray — to surround those affected in God’s protecting love. In so doing, we widen the channel for His blessings to flow to them in ways that infuse a higher power into the aid brought by charitable human efforts; and we open our own hearts to His peace and reassurance."

— Sri Mrinalini Mata

Dear friends,

You are warmly invited to attend the Friday evening three-hour meditations with Kirtan, held weekly from 7:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.

We begin with a group practice of the SRF Energization Exercises on the front lawn at 7 p.m., followed by meditation at 7:20 p.m., with periods of chanting with Kirtan at the top of each hour where attendees may quietly enter or leave the temple.

We welcome you all to join us during these group meditations. Please read our Group Meditation Guidelines on our website, if you plan to attend a group meditation for the first time: https://www.hollywoodtemple.org/group-meditation-guidelines.html

In Divine Friendship,
SRF Hollywood Temple

05/26/2026

“To be spiritual is to open doors to health, happiness, and success.

— Paramahansa Yogananda from The Divine Romance

Dear friends,

Hollywood Temple Women's Hatha Yoga classes are held every Thursday from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. in lower India Hall. All experience levels are welcome.

The suggested donation is $10 per class. Please bring loose-fitting, comfortable clothing for yoga, a blanket or a mat, and water if you wish. Free parking is available adjacent to the temple.

In Divine Friendship,
SRF Hollywood Temple

05/25/2026

“The Divine Mother-child relationship is so wonderful because no matter what you are, She always loves you. Never call yourself a sinner, for you are a child of God, a child of the Divine Mother. And the Mother never forsakes you when you make mistakes, for She knows that then you need Her even more.”

— Paramahansa Yogananda from Solving the Mystery of Life - English

Photos: 75th Anniversary of India Hall Celebration

05/23/2026

05/22/2026

“Then there is the love of the son for the Mother. That has been my principal relationship. We are devoted to the father, but we love mother because her compassion forgives us when the stern reasoning of the father will not. Mother’s love is always forgiving. That is the unconditional love of God, the love of God incarnated in the mother’s heart.”

— Paramahansa Yogananda from Solving the Mystery of Life

The Hollywood Temple is open for morning and evening services every Sunday. The temple gates open at 9:30 a.m. The parking lot entrance is on the east side of Edgemont St., about 50 feet south of Sunset Blvd.

The schedule for Sunday, May 24 at Hollywood Temple:

10:00 a.m. - 10:45 a.m. - Meditation
11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. - Lecture Service
11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. - Sunday School
12:00 p.m. - 12:45 p.m. - Bookroom Open
1:00 p.m. - 2:30 p.m. - Senior Devotees’ Meeting (UI)
1:30 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. - Temple Singers Rehearsal/Outreach
7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. - Sunday Evening Meditation with Energizations Exercises at 7:00 p.m.

For more information and directions to the Temple, please visit our website: https://www.hollywoodtemple.org/

Photos: Mother’s Day Hospitality Sunday

05/21/2026

“I searched throughout India and found blossoms of truth in all teachings. But the whole garden of truth is found in communion with God. Only when you hear truth from His lips will you be fully satisfied. When you commune with Him, you will know what you should do about any problems, and you can truly say: ‘I understand the will of my Father,’ or ‘I can see the love of my Father behind all that happens to me.’ By feeling the love of God and following the love of God you will come to love everything and everyone. You will be able to transcend all limitations; for the love of God is the solution to life, to war, to struggle.”

— Paramahansa Yogananda from The Divine Romance

Dear friends,

The Hollywood Temple Senior Group meetings are held on the fourth Sunday of each month from 1:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. in upper India Hall. The next meeting will be on Sunday, May 24.

The meetings include a light lunch, a review of Master's teachings and a group meditation. Devotees 70 years and older are warmly invited to share in this fellowship with a focus on the spiritual life in the third and fourth ashramas.

In Divine Friendship,
SRF Hollywood Temple

05/20/2026

Final Update on the Hollywood Temple Ashram Seismic Retrofit

Dear friends,

With the conclusion of the ashram retrofit, we have now moved back into our ashram rooms. We send our heartfelt gratitude to each one of you for your help and prayers over the past year of this project. And for those of you who live around the ashram, we sincerely apologize for any difficulties or inconvenience this work may have caused.

The ashram retrofit became much more involved than we had originally thought. We began the project when we noticed cracks in the foundation due to settling of the building. Our initial plan was that we would just be making a seismic retrofit, but when we started doing the work, we soon discovered we had been living in a building that was reaching the end of its lifecycle.

Besides strengthening the concrete foundation, much of the wooden structure had to be rebuilt due to rot or termite damage before we could put the sheer walls up. We also found that the water pipes, drain lines and electrical wiring needed replacing, and since we had the building torn apart, we added insulation and new windows for energy efficiency and sound dampening.

The result of all of this is an ashram building that is well-built and a secure home not only for us who now serve at Hollywood Temple, but for the many generations of monastics to come in the years ahead. We sincerely thank you for your prayers and financial support that made all this possible.

It is our great joy to serve Guruji with all of you at this sacred Hollywood Temple.

In divine friendship,
SRF Hollywood Temple Monks

05/19/2026

“Divine Mother, open wide the bud of my devotion and release its fragrance, that it may spread from my soul to the souls of all others, ever whispering of Thee.”

— Paramahansa Yogananda from Metaphysical Meditations

Dear Friends,

Our next Hollywood Temple Young Adults group meeting will take place this Wednesday evening, May 20, at 7 p.m. in India Hall. Devotees between the ages of 19 and 39 are warmly invited to attend. You are also welcome to join us at 6:20 p.m. for a meditation in India Hall before the meeting begins.

Being a part of the Young Adults Group is a great way to make spiritual friends and to connect with like-minded peers while incorporating the SRF yoga principles in daily life. And be sure to follow our Temple Instagram page for reminders on Young Adult events.

In Divine Friendship,
SRF Hollywood Temple

Photo: 2026 Young Adult Winter Retreat