One sweet
distillment from the bitter herbs of war! To satisfy a growing
need, an inspiring little Self-Realization Church of All Religions
was built and dedicated in 1942 at Hollywood. The site faces Olive
Hill and the distant Los Angeles Planetarium. The church, finished
in blue, white, and gold, is reflected amidst the water hyacinths
in a large pool. The gardens are gay with flowers, a few startled
stone deer, a stained-glass pergola, and a quaint wishing well.
Thrown in with the pennies and the kaleidoscopic wishes of man
has been many a pure aspiration for the sole treasure of Spirit! A
universal benignity flows from small niches with statues of Lahiri
Mahasaya and Sri Yukteswar, and of Krishna, Buddha, Confucius, St.
Francis, and a beautiful mother-of-pearl reproduction of Christ at
the Last Supper.
Another Self-Realization Church of All Religions was founded in
1943 at San Diego. A quiet hilltop temple, it stands in a sloping
valley of eucalypti, overlooking sparkling San Diego Bay.
Sitting one evening in this tranquil haven, I was pouring out my
heart in song. Under my fingers was the sweet-toned organ of the
church, on my lips the yearning plaint of an ancient Bengali devotee
who had searched for eternal solace:
In this world, Mother, none can love me;
In this world they do not know love divine.
Where is there pure loving love?
Where is there truly loving Thee?
There my heart longs to be.
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