Opening Doors to the Divine Shelter of Paramahansa Yogananda’s Help and Teachings
Dear Friend,
We are so grateful for the many ways you participate in and share your support for Paramahansa Yogananda’s mission of uplifting individuals and bringing positive change to the world through the science of yoga and art of balanced living.
Over the past year in talks livestreamed to Self-Realization Fellowship members and friends worldwide, SRF President Brother Chidananda has highlighted that Paramahansa Yogananda’s universal wisdom and help for humanity truly provides divine sharanam — a Sanskrit term meaning “shelter or refuge.” And Brother Chidananda has shared what security and understanding come to those who are able to experience that “Kriya Yoga Sharanam” — the spiritual shelter provided by Paramahansaji through his Kriya Yoga teachings and guidance for the betterment of body, mind, and soul.
“And how blessed we are, over these last few years especially,” Brother Chidananda expressed during the 2023 Convocation closing program, “to see how that divine shelter has extended, how it has grown, how it has reached out to embrace more and more souls around the world through all sorts of different projects and initiatives….Believe me when I say, none of it would have happened without the loving support of many, many devotees around the world. So, thank you for that.”
In this Appeal and Special Report you will see how that loving support is helping to fulfill the need of so many, of all ages, to gain the true insights and practical methods Paramahansaji established Self-Realization Fellowship (SRF) to offer — that divine shelter in this world of change and challenges. SRF’s ability to enhance the spiritual well-being of seekers on the scale Paramahansaji envisioned is only possible due to your continued generosity — in the form of prayer, service, spiritual living, and financial assistance.
We are excited to share with you these projects, and to think of all we will be able to accomplish together in the future.
Release of the SRF Lessons in Portuguese — With Many More Languages to Follow!
We are very pleased to announce that the new edition of the Self-Realization Fellowship Lessons was released in Portuguese this summer. First available in English in 2019, the comprehensive edition of the SRF Lessons contains a wealth of previously unpublished material from Paramahansa Yogananda’s teachings and his complete presentation of the Kriya Yoga science of meditation. (The Lessons were also released in Italian in 2021.)
The result of countless hours of tireless effort by many SRF monastics, volunteers, and employees — the release of the Portuguese edition of the Lessons — was aided every step of the way by the gifts from caring members and friends! And it was supported by the ingenuity and creativity that come from serving wholeheartedly as a team.
Distributing the Lessons in Brazil posed complicated challenges related to international mailing and payment transactions. But SRF monastics and staff working in conjunction with a Brazilian publishing and distribution company were able to devise a solution that allowed the Lessons to be mailed from within Brazil, while also enabling Brazilian students to pay in their local currency. A moving example of what we can achieve together when looking to ensure an increasing number of people can find shelter in Paramahansaji’s teachings.
We may need to develop new solutions for distribution in other countries as well. And as seekers around the world eagerly await the Lessons — and SRF employees and volunteers busily work on translations in many languages to make that dream a reality — we are also planning much-needed improvements to the online SRF Member Portal, and implementing other vital technology required for this effort to succeed.
These are costly undertakings, so we are grateful for your financial support, which helps make all this possible — and also allows us to keep the Lessons subscription affordable, so that doors are open for seekers to receive this unbelievable wealth of Paramahansaji’s guidance.
If you feel inspired to help share Paramahansaji’s teachings with more truth seekers — of all ages! — we invite you to make a gift now. Your gift will also assist SRF to meet the many other significant expenses associated with carrying on Paramahansaji’s spiritual legacy and humanitarian work.
To all of you who support this work with your love, prayers, and continuing material assistance, we send our deepest thanks, and hope you feel a deep joy in helping to bring Paramahansa Yogananda’s teachings of universal spirituality to the world.
In divine friendship,
SELF-REALIZATION FELLOWSHIP
Mother Center
P.S. We deeply appreciate your recurring and one-time donations. To make a gift now, please use the link below. Thank you!
Note: Contributions in response to Self-Realization Fellowship’s 2023 Winter Appeal are for the general support of SRF, which includes the purposes stated in this letter. As such, gifts shall be designated as, and remain, unrestricted and can be utilized for purposes SRF determines. Donations received later than approximately twelve months after the mailing date will be credited to SRF’s most recent general appeal. Self-Realization Fellowship is recognized by the Internal Revenue Service as a tax-exempt organization. Accordingly, donations are tax-deductible as permitted by law.