July 29, 2024
“Lord, Thou hast given this monk a large family.”
In this very last line of Autobiography of a Yogi our revered Guru Paramahansa Yoganandaji envisioned each and every one of us as members of his beautiful, ever-expanding family.
Perhaps that’s why the annual Self-Realization Fellowship Convocation often feels like a family reunion. We have something so precious in common. When we gather together, all that light and love and inspiration is contagious.
Have you noticed how fast our family reunion is growing and changing?
Convocation at Greenfield
This year Greenfield Retreat Center celebrated Convocation 2024 at a new venue—at Laurel Ridge Community College in Middletown. And, yes, it was good, in so many ways:
It was well-attended. The chapel was set up to seat 48, and 49 devotees from 10 different states signed up. Not everyone was there every day; people came and went, some coming for just few days or just a few events. So there was space for everyone.
There were lots of new faces. Many of our local devotees made the trip to California. And, of course, many have day jobs and weren’t able to attend.
Attendees came from as far away as Texas and Connecticut. (And, included in the mix of attendees were devotees born in France, Ghana, Colombia, Brazil, and India.) The gathering attracted devotees who have been on the path for decades, as well as those who’ve found SRF just within the past year and have only just begun receiving lessons. So discussions around the tables at lunch were interesting indeed, filled with eager questions and stories and sharing. Family reunion stuff!
Nuns from Mother Center joined us. We offer special thanks and appreciation to Sister Vinita, Brahmacharini Ann and Ms. Rita Conrad.
Laurel Ridge Community College Makes Us Welcome
The chapel set-up was great. Devotees viewed classes and kirtans and meditations, some live-streamed, on a HUGE screen. And that happened with barely a hitch, as tech people at the college offered good support, assuring that all was functioning as it should.
Lunch—healthy, vegan, gluten-free--was brought in each day from Greenfield’s kitchen, prepared by nuns and devotees on work retreat. What could be better?
It was nice and cool inside. Almost every day, temperatures were in the high 90s. So we did energization exercises indoors, led by nuns.
Hope and Light for the Future
We opened this story with a quote from Paramahansaji. Let’s close with another from Autobiography of a Yogi. It’s especially meaningful in the light of what Brother Chidananda had to say at his closing talk on Friday night (July 19th).
“Every saint who has penetrated to the core of Reality has testified that a divine universal plan exists and that it is beautiful and full of joy… The blessed role of Kriya Yoga in East and West has hardly more than just begun.”