In Buckingham, Virginia there is two Light of Truth Universal Shrines (LOTUS), (1 Lotus Plaza Satchidananda Ashram-Yogaville) and the other in India, built in 2014, and both these shrines look precisely like the other. In these temples, there is a plethora of religious practices, from Hinduism, Judaism, Shinto, Taoism, Islam, Sikhism, African Faiths, and Native American faiths, including Buddhism, with the mention of other known faiths and faiths still unknown. The person who took up the responsibility was Sri Swami Satchidananda, who was made an ordained monk in 1949 by the man that founded the Divine Life Society in Rishikesh, India, Sri Swami Sivananda. Unlike temples built for a specific reason and religion, like Churches and Temples which are mainly for Buddhists, Sri Swami Satchidananda advocated for an interfaith movement. His motto is “Truth is One, Paths are Many.”
A photo of the LOTUS building near a lake
Swami Satchidananda Saraswati was an Indian Guru born in India on December 22, 1914, and passed away on August 19, 2002, in his homeland. He brought his teaching to the west and became not only the founder of LOTUS but also founded and was the guide for Integral Yoga International with a published book named A Vision of Peace. LOTUS is also founded through donations. Sri Swami Satchidananda believed in the possibility that there are plenty of religions connected to nations that use it like a weapon and as an excuse like God to wage wars and commit genocide. Swami Sarchidnanada wants that type of thinking gone and believes the one thing called the Spirit is what connects everyone. “Truth is One, and Paths are Many.” Many different paths and people leading to one goal. His Integral Yoga combines a 5,000-year-old philosophy, Yoga, Hatha Yoga, and mediation. The Hatha yoga is connected to the Vajrayana Buddhist, also known as the “Diamond Vehicle,” a form of Tantric Buddhism from neighboring countries in India, mainly Tibet.
Sri Swami Satchidananda is known as The Woodstock Guru after giving a speech to some 500,000 people at the 1969 Woodstock Music Festival. After coming to the west, he taught the classical yoga tradition, including yoga postures, meditation, and introducing a vegetarian diet, much like Shunryu Suzuki. His yoga milestones also created the first yoga teacher training, the first yoga programs in prisons and drug rehab centers. He would lecture at medical schools and conferences, inspire health pioneers like Dr. Michael Lerner, and advance his understanding of the mind-body connection, and create the first vegetarian health food store.
A photo of Swami Satchidananda Saraswati
There is a reason why the Shrine is built in a certain way for both Virginia and India. From an aerial view, the Shrine is shaped like a yantra from tantric traditions. It is a yantra-like design with measurements of the building adding up to the mystical and sacred numerology of 108. From the exterior of the Shrine and inside from floor to ceiling. Each measurement connects to the sacred number 108. The reason for the lotus shape building was inspired by a sacred design. The Shrine is in the shape of a lotus due to its meaning, as the lotus flower contains all five elements: earth, water, fire, air, and ether. The flower grows out of the earth into the water and air, and the pink petals represent fire and the ether, which is an element that allows humans to connect spiritually and, as this website explains it, “the space the other elements fill.” There is a reason why the Shrine is in Buckingham, Virginia, as the spot it was built on is also connected to all five; Blue Ridge Mountains, James River, fresh air from rural region, Homas, and fire ceremonies conducted at the Shrine. The five elements are critical to the atmosphere of this building; by putting them all in balance, reliable healing energy is created. Not only is the building sacred in its design, but the road everything leading up to LOTUS has a meaning, including the roads, which symbolize a spiritual journey. As passengers drive through Buckingham, VA, they will notice a change as they have now have to drive on the left side of the road instead of the right. There is a reason for that. Swami Satchidananda changed the flow of traffic and thus driver’s way of thinking, as they realized they now must change their thought processes and habits, for they are now on a journey entirely different from the norm. On the road, a scene comes into eyesight as soon as the scenery of the forest is done, a scene of LOTUS. This living metaphor is how spiritual revelation happens, once in darkness, now in the light once at the Shrine, there is a gopuram, and everything becomes symmetrical. Sri Swami Satchidananda’s message is throughout the landscape after passing through the gopuram. The symmetrically of the place shows the information in the many paths,
“We are given all the information we need for the world to live together peacefully.”
Once walking up to the building, there is a reflecting pond- so one can reflect on their life before walking into all faith-building and thoughts begin to process. At the end of the pool, two elephants symbolize earth elements, strength, and knowledge. The flowing waterfall is to invigorate energy as the human is charged by water through cleansing rituals. Inside the building is a sculpture of multiple types of glass people holding hands surrounding the world named “One World.” The art also connects to Sri Swami Satchidananda’s motto, as everyone is different, comes from different places, and ideals that could balance the world if they work together.
Much like Buddhist teachings from the original Buddha story, Sri Swami Satchidananda shows the world that through understanding that there are different paths towards the Truth, like his saying and much like Buddha’s story. His teachings changed the life of many Westerners worldwide. Integral Yoga is central to Sri Swami Satchidananda’s teachings; it is all about the individual, “all aspects of life, bringing about the opportunity for personal transformation.”
There are seven pathways for Integrative Yoga it is easeful body, peaceful mind, and valuable life and the barony, balance, integration, and self-realization. His teachings are composed of six classical branches of Yoga: Hatha is a form of meditation with asana, pranayama, mudras this is listed under physical practice of yoga. Raja Yoga goes along the spiritual growth of a persona and focuses on concertation and meditation. Japa Yoga is the practice of repetition and Karma Yoga focuses on selfless service. Bhakti Yoga uses the practice of openness and nourishing spiritual hearts while Jnana Yoga is more focused on self-analysis and systematic difference between consciousness and change.
The Light of Truth Universal Shrine has many branches of Buddhism, from the connection to Swami Sarchidananada Sarawati with Vajrayana Buddhism and general ideas of Buddhism. In the Lotus Building, there is a display of Buddhism in the All Faiths Hall, a collection of iconographies, statues, quotes, a chalice, a fan, and flowers, presumably lotuses. There are five images of Buddha sitting and about nine slaps of wood with the Hindi language inscribed. The Vajrayana Buddhist teaches that one can reach enlightenment in a single lifetime. When getting on the home website, press More and go to the More Information screen, and the link to “All Faiths: learn more about all the faith that are represented in the LOTUS through quotes and passaged of holy scripture.” There are twelve religions posted, from Hinduism to Faith Sill Unknown. The Buddhism page shows the Dasa-sila (Ten Requisites of Good Behavior), which is a list of ten abstinence from…and The Ten Perfections. His teaching and, therefore, the Buddhism in the temple is Tibetan.
A photo of the Allfaith symbol
On the website of LOTUS, he writes about a primary goal, reaching Nirvana, and they define it as “the end of change,” with the literal meaning being “to blow out.” It goes on to the story of the first Buddha, born into a royal family in the Himalayan foothills. The censorship of the Buddha’s life was vast, and he did not know about pain, old age, sickness, and death until he faced them. In this, he renounced worldly procession, including money, and became a wandering monk. He traveled the world searching for the ultimate unanswered question, to which he picked up many practices and learned from many spiritual teachers, never finding the answer. It was not until Buddha sat under a fig tree that the answer Truth was revealed, and after seven weeks of meditation, he became enlightened. After becoming enlightened, Buddha spread his doctrines like the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path and knowledge of living life through the wisdom of the middle path. The full practice in this shrine varies from the individuals as there are different branches of Buddhism therefore the shrine accommodates to these variations. For instance, there is a summary of each religion they have so far represented, for the Buddhist summary they make sure to include basic information including sects, beliefs, golden rule, and holidays. There is also music for Tibetan Mantras for Turbulent Times named Compassion: Om Mani Padme Hum by Deva Premal and The Gyuto Monks of Tibet.
By Sydney Kidd Finneran
SOURCES:
“Lotus – Light of Truth Universal Shrine: Truth Is One, Paths Are Many.” LOTUS Light Of Truth Universal Shrine. Accessed December 3, 2022. https://lotus.org/.
“Home.” Sri Swami Satchidananda. Accessed December 3, 2022. https://swamisatchidananda.org/.