The 2023 SRF World Convocation is truly a global event — a powerful manifestation of Paramahansa Yogananda’s ongoing mission “to disseminate among the nations a knowledge of definite scientific techniques for attaining direct personal experience of God,” as is stated in the first of the Aims and Ideals he set forth for Self-Realization Fellowship.
This year a wealth of seekers are benefitting from diving deeply into the practice of the yoga techniques and the universal understanding at the heart of Paramahansaji's teachings. (To see a full list of countries of those attending, online and in person, see the final section of this post.)
Special Meditation With Brother Chidananda
Convocation participants from around the world gathered Wednesday morning for a highly anticipated event — a special three-hour livestreamed meditation led by Brother Chidananda, president and spiritual head of SRF/YSS. From the SRF Mother Center atop Mt. Washington in Los Angeles, Brother Chidananda guided thousands of SRF/YSS members and friends worldwide in an experience of the peace and joy of meditation central to Paramahansa Yogananda’s teachings.
Log in or register today to view the meditation with Brother Chidananda and all the Convocation events.
What did you especially appreciate about the meditation led by Brother Chidananda? Please let us know in the comments below!
Events From the YSS Ranchi Ashram
Reflecting how Paramahansaji’s work truly unites East and West, the Convocation has featured events led by monks of Yogoda Satsanga Society of India (YSS), the name by which Paramahansa Yogananda’s work is known in India and several nearby countries. The two Convocation events streamed from India took place at the YSS Ranchi Ashram, founded by Paramahansaji in 1917.
YSS monk Swami Ishwarananda gave an inspirational talk on “Unraveling the Mystery of Life and Death” on Tuesday evening from the YSS Dhyana Mandir (meditation temple).
And immediately following the YSS monks’ kirtan group led a deeply inspiring session of devotional chanting and meditation, seated on the steps of the Paramahansa Yogananda Smriti Mandir (memorial temple). The mandir stands on the spot where Paramahansa Yogananda, in 1920, had a vision of his future American disciples — a divine call to begin his journey to the West to spread the universal teachings of Kriya Yoga to people of all religions, creeds, and nationalities.
Enjoy “I Am the Bubble,” a chant by Paramahansa Yogananda, sung by the YSS monks’ kirtan group.
Now, From India to Southern California...
On Wednesday afternoon, the SRF monks' kirtan group also led devotional chanting, from the main hall of the SRF International Headquarters in Los Angeles, offering “the opportunity to express love for God, and to lose ourselves in the presence of God,” as Brother Devananda expressed the goal of chanting at the beginning of the their kirtan.
Experience that expansion of consciousness yourself with the chant “O Thou Blue Sky” by Paramahansa Yogananda.
During Convocation, SRF offers special opportunities to take pilgrimage tours to sacred locations in Southern California where Paramahansa Yogananda lived and communed with God. Even when in-person pilgrimages were impossible for a few years, due to local health restrictions beginning in 2020, virtual pilgrimages became available — allowing participation around the globe.
Throughout this week, SRF monastics have been welcoming visitors at the SRF International Headquarters (Mother Center) and SRF Hollywood Temple in Los Angeles, SRF Lake Shrine in Pacific Palisades, and the SRF Encinitas Ashram Center in San Diego County. Local visitors and devotees from around the world are warmly greeted by monastics on these holy grounds and feel the peace and absorb the sacred vibrations left there by Paramahansaji.
And for those not able to be here in person, you can still go on virtual pilgrimage to feel the blessings of these sacred sites from anywhere in the world. Enjoy here the opening welcome from our virtual pilgrimage to the SRF Encinitas Ashram Center.
...And Everywhere In Between
A special addition to this year’s Convocation is SRF monastics visiting cities around the world to participate in Convocation events alongside SRF members and friends. From Assisi, Italy, to Bogota, Colombia, SRF monastics are greeting members of our spiritual family and leading in-person activities.
SRF groups and centers in many countries have also been hosting Convocation viewing events. In a spirit of divine fellowship, SRF and YSS devotees and spiritual seekers around the world are joining together to benefit from the power of combined spiritual effort and joyful communion with the Divine.
Below you can enjoy a small sampling of images from such events. In the next installment of our Convocation coverage, we will present more pictures and details from this special week of upliftment enjoyed by so many.
A Prediction for Convocation From Paramahansaji — Fulfilled Again
As we included in our post “Joyfully Anticipating the 2023 Convocation,” Paramahansa Yogananda declared, at the first Convocation in 1950, that participants in this special event “shall come from all parts of the world, thousands and thousands of them....”
Certainly that has been the case once again this year. We are happy to share here a list of countries from which seekers have been attending Convocation online: United States, India, Brazil, Canada, Italy, Germany, United Kingdom, Australia, Spain, Mexico, Argentina, Colombia, Japan, France, Switzerland, Netherlands, Chile, Ecuador, New Zealand, Austria, Singapore, Malaysia, Nepal, South Africa, Ireland, Sweden, Portugal, Belgium, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, United Arab Emirates, Finland, Norway, Greece, Peru, Venezuela, Costa Rica, Trinidad & Tobago, Romania, Poland, Philippines, Uruguay, Guatemala, Mauritius, Denmark, Thailand, Croatia, South Korea, Bulgaria, Indonesia, Slovenia, Kenya, Taiwan, Czechia, Hong Kong, Bahrain, Turkey, Sri Lanka, Luxembourg, Vietnam, Ghana, Iceland, Bolivia, Morocco, Oman, Israel, Serbia, Nigeria, Qatar, Barbados, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Uganda, Malta, Russia, Côte d’Ivoire, Paraguay, Hungary, Jamaica, Jordan, El Salvador, China, Curaçao, Cyprus, Tunisia, Lithuania, Egypt, U.S. Virgin Islands, Georgia, Guernsey, Panama, Angola, Zambia, Bangladesh, Benin, Bermuda, Brunei, Caribbean Netherlands, Bahamas, Belize, Kyrgyzstan, Cambodia, Suriname, Cameroon, Kuwait, Cayman Islands, Kazakhstan, Cape Verde, Tonga, Dominica, Latvia, Ukraine, Algeria, Montenegro, Estonia, Mongolia, Martinique, Uzbekistan, New Caledonia, Nicaragua, Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Honduras, Yemen, Andorra, Iraq, Réunion.
And in addition to those traveling from within the U.S., here are the countries from which SRF members and friends have traveled this year to attend in person: India, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, United Kingdom, Italy, Germany, France, Switzerland, Turkey, Columbia, Ireland, Nepal, Chile, Spain, New Zealand, Finland, Sweden, Indonesia, Bulgaria, Japan, Luxemburg, Kenya, South Korea, South Africa, Australia, Tunisia.
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Infinitamente agradecido por la visita de los hermanos Devananda y Samatananda y poder reconectar con todos los devotos que asistimos al templo de la Ciudad de México, para cargar nuevamente la batería que tanto nos ayuda en este hermoso sendero. ¡Jai Gurú!
It was a blessing participate as a tight group in SRF Mexico Headquarters in Mexico City with brothers and sisters attending from the four corners of Mexico and to watch our whole group at the slides presentation with Brothers Devananda and Samatananda at the heart of the Mexican Convocation 2023 Chapter is Such a Joy. NAMASTE! Jai Guru!
Fue muy emocionante,
ver en nuestro Templo de Saltillo MEXICO, con Pantalla y Proyector, La Convención 2023
Gracias a todos los que hicieron posible
este Gran Evento
Jai Gurú
Guruji is ever awake. He touches us in every corner of the world in our Wall-less Temple, and now, after this week, the there are so many hearts and minds resonating with the vibrations of His Perfect Presence. That Love lifts our world, purifies and glorifies us as His chelas and friends, as we are inspired to share it. So much gratitude, for another unforgettable door into His Presence, a door we can re-enter again and again to recharge and connect. ~ Jai Guru ~
Convocation 2023 was the first that I have been able to immerse myself in for an extended period of time, and it was a transformational experience. It felt like hearing the teachings for the first time, practising for the first time. Deepest thanks to all involved in making it possible. Jai Guru!
After reading this newsletter of Convocation, it was most comforting to see the event was viewed in Iraq, where I first read the Autobiography of a Yogi in 2003, 20 years ago! Convocation has always felt like a reunion in the best ways, even with a brief attendance or viewing.
Watching and attending the Convocation online has been very uplifting. Brother Chidananda’s meditation and closing programs reinforce how much we feel protected by God and Gurus, and the outpouring of love in every class and kirtan...I feel blessed to be a part of this large family.
My heart is filled with gratitude, JOY, ❤️ for all the blessings received from all the divine friendship around the world 🌎
All for God and Guru's divine spiritual friends. Loving each other, uniting as one for Peace, kindness and loyalty.
Jai Guru Jai Guru 🙏 ✨️ 💖 😊 💙
In divine friendship,
Susan
Master certainly has been working through all the beautiful human channels who have provided the magnificent offerings this week; it has been fully of grace and blessings. Immense thanks!
Dear Guruji’s monastics of SRF/YSSand Br. Chidanandaji, and all devotees who assisted in providing such an immersive convocation experience, thank you for anticipating our every need from the inspiring introductory talk of Sr Draupadi to the concluding talk and everything in between, it has been a most uplifting week. I concur with the contributions everyone has already stated above.
Our beloved Gurudev has granted about a dozen of his Atlanta devotees (2 from Tybee Island and one from Greenville) a week long stay in the enchanting north Georgia mountains to enjoy the 2023 Convocation together. We have enjoyed group EEs, meditations, kirtan, and all the talks in a secluded meditation retreat. We are eternally grateful to Guruji, Chiddanandaji, and all the rest of the YSS SRF monastics for making this year’s convo happen!
Dearest Friends, I scarcely know how to express my profound gratitude to Master, to Brother Chidananda and the entire Convocation team for making Convocation 2023 a reality. It was a profoundly transformative week for me. THANK YOU. Jai Guru.
Thank you for offering to Live Stream future Convocations.
It would be a Blessing to many. A SevAAlayam
🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼
So grateful that Convocation was again broadcast world wide to all devotees. I am fortunate to live in Los Angeles, but I am just so very grateful that all of my brother and sister devotees could join all of us for Convocation online.
My husband and I in past years could actually feel the peaceful vibrations coming from the Bonaventure hotel, as we got closer to the hotel each day. I feel that same energetic hug of the paramgurus through all space, connecting all devotees in their loving arms.
Living in the NW corner of the U.S., just 10 miles south of Vancouver BC I had, for many years, longed to attend a Convocation. Then came on-line Convocations. I put my phone on Do Not Disturb for the whole week. I intend to watch the classes again and again. . The online Convocation, also the online meditation center are wonderful connections that I thank God for every day. Jai Guru
A thousand thanks to all who organised and led events in this year's Convocation. The virtual pilgrimages really helped to immerse myself in love and devotion for God and Guru. So many inspirational talks from Brother Govindananda's on loyalty, and Sister Draupadi's opening words. So beautiful. So great also that we can revisit them on YouTube. Ooh, i also loved the little previews on social media in the run up. Thank you. Jai Guru.
Powerful doesn't come close to describing master's presence. I attended the opening program as well as took pilgrimage and visited master's study. Master kept saying, "I am with you now and always" Through the online fellowship, I was able to connect with fellow devotees, including a couple who were visiting my little town. I attended another online fellowship while sitting in my car during work. I have been making connections through the app! Master has wrapped his loving arms around me during this, my first convocation. Thank you SRF/YSS and thank you to God and Guru
I was able to take the week off and participate in all of the activities online. Highlights are meditating with Brother Chidananda, the opening program with Sister Draupadi, and viewing In His Presence. I deeply appreciate all of Convocation--the meditations, talks, kirtans, satsangas, and virtual pilgrimages. The Online Fellowship programs are wonderful as I live far from temples and groups. A thousand thanks! Jai Guru!
Actually, thanks to Master and SRF/YSS & many volunteers, it doesn’t end!…I have a business & can only participate in a few events live, but I participate in EVERY class and meditation afterwards, several times at that!…truly uplifting and powerful!…Master is feeding us every moment in the here and now…all we need to do is open the app!…Jai Guru!…🙏
Recently, I had forgotten myself and my special place as a child of God. It is easy to forget. This week my spirit has been filled with spiritual food and light and love and support from all the classes I have been so blessed to be a part of. I remember now that I am loved, seen, heard,cared for, held and blessed by the Great Ones. They didn't forget about me...I did!! THANK YOU ALL, for bringing the teachings back to my lost spirit, Thank you for reminding me, that this is the real truth, the real world that I am a part of and that is a part of me.❤️🧡💛💚
Every Convocation is special, it helps me to review where I am in relation to my practice and every year it amazes me that even if I got drawn in the business of the material world, I'm making a progress. I'm not the same since I started. I can understand others better and act with kindness and compassion most of the time (work in progress). Thank you for all the talks, guided meditations, kirtans and specially the online fellowship, this in particular help people like me to see and interact with other devotees. With gratitude, God Bless you all. Jai Guru _/|\_ <3
Brother Chidananda ji's meditation was a life time experience which no words can describe. kirtan by SRF monks/ nuns and by YSS monks was soul stirring. All the inspirational talks, question answer session made me feel uplifted and I feel I am not the same person that I was before associating with Guru ji more than two decades ago. I bow to the lotus feet of my Beloved Guru. I love you Guru ji.
Though on the threshold of concluding sessions of Convocation, the Spirit, Energy and Participation of this special annual event has been spectacular and infectious so as to attract thousands of seekers on one platform. Jai Guru! !!
Convocation 2023 has been extremely uplifting, joyous and absolutely intoxicating. I wish it would never come to an end. Blessed to be part of Convocation 2023. Grateful heart, flowing tears of gratitude for life transforming
events of convocation 2023. Unending THANKS. Jai Guru!