From December 1951, Master's last Christmas greeting with a note to Kamala...

Note from LP: I am pleased to share this two-part correspondence I received from Kamala Silva in June of 1985.

Please note that Kamala sent me this card after I wrote her to thank her for writing The Flawless Mirror. I had just finished reading it a third time on Master's birthday, and felt compelled to thank Kamala for her great contribution to literature on Master.

Note from The Editors: LP asked us to use only initials on this submission and to blur the address on the postcard, which we have done. Kamala's typewritten and signed note in the upper corner of the second enclosure reads:

"The underlining was added many years ago as I studied our Guru's words and precepts for the Sunday Service which I prepared each week." Kamala

Jan and Dave Dunlop shared a long and happy correspondence with Kamala as admirers of her books, The Flawless Mirror and later Priceless Precepts.

The words they wrote her which Kamala "treasured" were penned by Dave Dunlop and inspired by the "heart of hearts" phrase in one of Master's chants.

To clarify which words she so loved, on January 30, 1984 Kamala wrote in a followup postcard: 

These are the melodic words:
"As you have wished us our Dream of Dreams in the stillness of our souls, so also we wish you the Grace of God in your heart of hearts." 

This was one of the last letters I received from Kamala, and I have given the original letter to KamalaSilva.org to share with devotees. I hope it will clarify and even comfort devotees of Paramhansa Yogananda as to her continued and warm relationship with Self-Realization Fellowship and Daya Mata.

Over the years that I had the privilege to correspond with Kamala, I never really asked any questions of a personal nature. The ongoing questions and discussions were about the Master, meditation, his teachings, and so forth. Part of this letter is a discussion about a young devotee in the Bay Area who had written to Kamala after reading her book, The Flawless Mirror. She had mentioned his interest to me of living in a situation or environment that had a strong focus upon the Master and his teachings. At that time, I rented several rooms in my home to individuals interested in yoga and meditation.

She also responded, however, to another question of mine. Since I knew nothing of her current relationship with SRF, I offered to purchase books and tapes for her. I knew she was retired and lived in seclusion, and she answered my question in this letter explaining that relations with SRF and Daya Mata were friendly and ongoing. She also adds comments about her own book, and also about the new recordings of Yogananda being released at that time by SRF.

I was very happy to learn that she and Daya Mata were in touch, and that they were on such friendly turns. It was also touching to know that Daya Mata remembered Kamala and Edward in this way, and personally sent them copies of various new editions. 

~Anthony Plumer 

Kamala's closest friend and confidant from the 1950s through the very end of her life was Bonnie Reed. Bonnie was her beloved secretary and also helped with editing and polishing both of Kamala's books, The Flawless Mirror and Priceless Precepts. Bonnie married Haig Koobatian in the early 1960s.

Haig Koobatian had been a high school teacher before becoming a B17 bomber navigator during WWII. When he returned home from the war, he returned to college and earned an MBA. His father was an early member of SRF, and in 1952 Master called Haig home to SRF as well. Haig became a devoted student of Master's revered disciple, Dr. Lewis, and studied with him for many years.  Haig later found his true calling as a healer. At the age of 57, he graduated from chiropractic school and went into practice. Haig still sees patients today, at age 87, ever ready to help anyone destiny brings his way.

Haig and Bonnie Koobatian were mainstays of the Sacramento Self-Realization Fellowship Meditation Group. They helped to establish the Center there, and both of them served selflessly for decades to support Master's work in Northern California. Bonnie Reed Koobatian passed away in October 2005 and is still sorely missed by many of us. Such a dear sweet soul.

Kamala's mother and dearest friend for most of her life was a loving, wonderful mom. She was, on the one hand, extremely open-minded and brave, and had no qualms about taking her impressionable daughter to see an exotic Indian Swami lecture or even welcoming him as their guest of honor into their homes. On the other hand, she was fiercely protective of her lovely child.

During their stays at the Mt. Washington headquarters, Dr. Buchanan would not take even the briefest trips to Santa Barbara without appointing a surrogate mother to fill her own shoes, going so far as insisting that her appointed chaperone had a bed to use at night in Kamala's room while she was away. An avid photographer, we have Dr. Buchanan to thank for many captivating photos of Kamala from her childhood through young adulthood. We'll be adding many of these to the site in the coming months.

This photo was taken in their newly built home, into which they settled shortly after meeting Swami Yogananda and entertaining him at their cottage in Manhattan Beach. 

Kamala had quite a few lovely and unique (to us) photos of Yogananda in her numerous scrapbooks. We have put a few of them in a slideshow for your viewing pleasure. 

To access the slideshow, please click here. 

Many devotees have asked us what Kamala's seclusion was all about. Of course, we have read in The Flawless Mirror that Yogananda told her many times,  "the price of spiritual greatness is seclusion." But many have still been curious.

Among Kamala's correspondence, we found this snippet that describes Kamala's seclusion better than we possibly could.  

Sharing tea parties and pumpkin pie is one of my favorite memories of the days I spent with Kamala at St. Joseph's. We had learned from Kamala's friends that she LOVED sweets, and even had been known to have dessert as her main course in years past. So I asked her one day shortly before Thanksgiving if she liked pumpkin pie. Her eyes lit up and she nodded, "Oh, yes!"

The Friday after that Thanksgiving and the day after every holiday when we served pumpkin pie, I would pack up my tea party picnic and toodle off to Castro Valley. I always had a special herb tea of peppermint, spearmint, linden flowers and rose petals that I'd prepare right before I left. I took especially pretty tea cups and plates, a sturdy but pretty teapot, a lap tray with a pretty placemat, and the "piece-de-resistance" --- the pie --- whipped cream and all.

When I'd walk in the door, Kamala would already know what I was up to (more stories about that later). She would be positively beaming! She'd pat the bed beside her, inviting me to climb up and join her. From her hospital bed, I'd pour our tea, but the real treat was watching her with that pie. From the first bite, she'd be in bliss.

When all the goodies were gone, we'd sit there just holding hands, enjoying the pleasure of being together, mostly silent, staring at the large photo of Yogananda that hung at the foot of Kamala's bed.  

The Friday after Thanksgiving in 1997, I had the tea party all packed, but every time I headed for the door, I felt a strong "NO!" I couldn't understand it. I called my dear friend, Catalina, and we discussed the situation. We knew Kamala was very close to the end, and I felt it was Master saying, "No, don't go. Let her go." And I realized that my presence there could actually impede Kamala's progress toward her ultimate goal. So I stayed home. Another friend did visit St. Joseph's that day, and I hope she will tell her story here sometime.

Kamala passed on the Saturday after that Thanksgiving. And every holiday since, I have wished Kamala was still there, waiting for our tea party. But how selfish of me...

I know she is happy now, with our Guru and the Great Ones.