Vedanta Society Of Southern California, Ramakrishna Monastery
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The monastery was originally developed in 1942 during WWII by Gerald Heard,[1][2][3][4] a disciple of Swami Prabhavananda of the Vedanta Society of Southern California an American branch of the Ramakrishna Order of India.[5] Established as Trabuco College, it was originally meant to be a religious, non-sectarian, co-ed monastery, unaffiliated with any particular religious organization.[6] Aldous Huxley, a close friend of Heard, spent 6 weeks there working on his book The Perennial Philosophy.[7]
Ramakrishna Monastery | |
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Religion | |
Affiliation | Ramakrishna Order |
Region | Orange County |
Ecclesiastical or organizational status | Active |
Year consecrated | 1949 |
Location | |
Location | 19961 Live Oak Canyon Road, Trabuco Canyon, California |
State | California |
Geographic coordinates | 33.6734°N 117.6101°W / 33.6734; -117.6101 |
Architecture | |
Architect(s) | Felix Greene |
Style | 18th Century Mediterranean Monastery |
Website | |
vedanta |
However, the experiment failed and Heard donated the land and buildings to the Vedanta Society of Southern California as a male-only monastery.[8] It was consecrated on September 7, 1949, by Swami Prabhavananda, as the Ramakrishna Monastery. It is located on a 40-acre property in the rolling hills of Trabuco Canyon, California. It bears the name of the great Indian mystic, Sri Ramakrishna, founder of the Ramakrishna Order of India.[9][10]