Visiting the Self-Realization Fellowship Lake Shrine in Pacific Palisades, California.

The recent Palisades Fire surrounded the meditation gardens, thankfully all of the legacy structures and the gardens remained intact, and the temple and retreat buildings are undamaged. (However, some accommodations for the resident monks, as well as a small visitor restroom and a storage shed, were destroyed.) After closing for 7 1/2 months, the meditation gardens are finally welcoming visitors again, with the buildings reopening at a later date.

Most areas of the Lake Shrine were spared from the utter devastation that the fire caused in the surrounding community. None of the legacy structures dating from Paramahansa Yogananda’s time were burned — only a public restroom and some other buildings further away from the Lake suffered serious damage. Unfortunately, one of the buildings that housed some of the Lake Shrine monks was completely destroyed.

Because the outdoor areas were partially damaged by wildfires, including massive amounts of ash, many months of work have gone into getting the meditation gardens ready to welcome visitors. While most structures at the Lake Shrine survived the fire, the interiors of all the buildings had significant smoke damage from the thick fumes carried by the hurricane-force winds that accompanied the massive fire. Before re-opening, the buildings and their furnishings are being restored and cleaned — with items such as carpets, draperies, and upholstery being replaced where necessary. This work began months ago and will continue throughout the remainder of the year. Work on the Retreat, the main monks’ ashram, and the Temple is expected to be complete in the first months of 2026, with a full reopening of all Lake Shrine facilities in the spring. (In the months since the fire, members of the Lake Shrine Temple congregation — many of whom tragically lost homes and property during the catastrophe — have been gathering online for meditations or attending one of the other Los Angeles-area SRF temples.)

Self-Realization Fellowship founder Paramahansa Yogananda established the Lake Shrine in August of 1950 as a means of furthering the cause of world peace and spiritual fellowship. In the 75 years since then, the Lake Shrine Meditation Gardens and Temple have welcomed visitors from all over the world — receiving over 100,000 guests in 2024 alone.

Yogananda envisioned the lakeside gardens as an open-air shrine to all faiths. A prominent feature of the Lake Shrine is the Mahatma Gandhi World Peace Memorial, residing in a “temple without walls” behind a striking archway crowned by golden lotuses. The Lake Shrine also features a “Court of Religions,” an idea of Yogananda’s which includes monuments to each of the five principal religions of the world: Hinduism, Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism, and Islam. In this way, he wanted to show that his teachings welcome everyone, and that they recognize the underlying harmony of all religions and faiths.

“We must recognize the unity of mankind, remembering that we are all made in the image of God. There must be world brotherhood if we are to be able to practice the true art of living. This Shrine has been created for all religions, that all may feel the unity of a common faith.” — Paramahansa Yogananda

In the meantime, visitors can enjoy the peace and beauty offered by the meditation gardens. To make a reservation, please visit: lakeshrine.org

What is the Lake Shrine?

It is a spiritual center belonging to the Self-Realization Fellowship

It was founded in 1950 by spiritual leader Paramahansa Yogananda as a church for all religions and a place for meditation

It is a 10-acre sanctuary with a lake, gardens, waterfalls, a hilltop temple, and memorials

It includes a Gandhi World Peace Memorial containing a portion of the ashes of Mahatma Gandh