Vendanta Retreat
in Scappoose

March 11,2021
Mileage: 5 miles
elevation: 600 Ft

There were beautiful views
could see Mt St. Helens and Mt. Adams

The Group at the Retreat Entrance

There are 12 shrines:

1) Holy Mother Shrine: Also known as Sri Sarada Devi
2) Christian Shrine - dedicated to St Francis of Assisi
3) Jewish Shrine - has box repdresenting the Ark of the Covenant
4) Buddhist Shrine
5) Native Peoples Shrine
6) Vivekananda Shrine
7) Islamic-Sufi Shrine
8) Ramakrishna Shrine
9) Siki Shrine
10) Advaita Shrione
11) Mind Mirage
12) Jain Shrine

Pictures of some of the shrines
are shown below

Shrine to native people
included a huge wooden eagle

Below is a portion of the wings

Holy Mother Shrine

Viviekanand Shrine

Ramakrishna Shrine

Hebrew or Jewish Shrine

I have a delightful video of this shrine but I could not upload it

Another Shrine - I do not have the name

There were many other shrines

In a remote, wooded setting, only 25 minutes from downtown Portland, Oregon, is a unique spiritual retreat owned and managed by the Vedanta Society of Portland since 1936.

The Retreat serves its members, friends, neighbors, and those from many different spiritual traditions. The Retreat's mission is to provide a peaceful environment to pray, meditate, or carry out personal practices that move one closer to God. It is a sanctified place made holy by the sincere intentions of hundreds of pilgrims. People from every continent have come to visit and typically have left more fulfilled.

Presently, it provides a facility for Portland Vedanta Society members to gather often during the year to participate in ancient chants, devotional songs, spiritual talks and meditations. Once per year, on the Fourth of July, the Vedanta Society organises a gathering called Interfaith Freedom Fest where it invites one or two guest speakers, offers a multimedia show focused on Vedantic teachings and another religion, and provides a guided tour of all shrines and trails. On the first Saturday of the month (from April to October) a monthly Karma Yoga is organized from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. with the help of the Friends of Vedanta Retreat. Thrice in a year Antar-Yoga is organized by its members from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Twice in a year a program called Unwind in Nature is organised. The Retreat is used by members for personal renewal. Once in a year a Yoga program is organized. Other friendly communities organize Karma Yoga and Doing Good programs.

The Retreat's unique mission began in response to a vision attained by Swami Vivekananda when he was travelling in the Swiss Alps in 1896. Swami Vivekananda, after introducing the ancient Vedanta teachings to both the United States and Europe, pondered deeply as to what was needed to promote the spiritual growth of mankind in this relatively world and in the materialistic era. Inspiration came to him to establish Ashramas in the West similar to those of the Himalayas. What would make the Western Ashramas unique would be to allow monks and householders, men and women to practice the life as promoted in the Vedantic scriptures.

Swami Devatmananda, the third minister in charge of the Portland Vedanta Society (1932 to 1954), understood Vivekananda's prescription for the modern world. Thus, in February of 1936, to commemorate the 100th birth anniversary of Sri Ramakrishna, the 120 acre logged land was purchased.

He and the pioneer members of the Portland Vedanta Society planted hundreds of trees, dozens of flowering shrubs and sacrificed through the Great Depression to nurture and shape the Retreat. The passion and hardwork of the volunteers over the years transformed the clear-cut land into a beautiful forest. By 1953, they saved the funds necessary to build an octagonal Main Temple and dedicated it to Sri Sarada Devi commemorating Her 100th birth anniversary. Exhausted, and in poor health, Swami Devatmananda returned to India leaving the new Temple building, fledgling plantings and Society leadership to Swami Aseshananda in 1955. Swami Aseshananda and the Society used the Retreat weekly for many years, increased the planting of hundreds of new trees, and in the mid-1970's, built eight shrines (one for each of the major world spiritual paths), a few meditation sites and forged trails connecting them. Following Swami Aseshananda's passing in 1996, Swami Shantarupananda took charge and continued the tradition by blessing those that visited the Retreat till his passing in 2015. Swami Chandrashekharananda arrived on December 29, 2015 and added a few shrines to the Retreat. Every spiritual tradition in the world recognizes the importance of solitude in the spiritual journey. The Vedanta Retreat in Scappoose strives to preserve such a space to continue meeting that need.

The adjacent property was added to the Retreat on March 17,2020.