Day Trip: Trabuco Canyon's Hidden Monastery

What do Trabuco Canyon and Belur Math, India have in common? It turns out they house the same order of Hindu monks.

Not many know there’s a quiet little Hindu monastery, open for visitors, tucked back in the winding rural roads of Orange County.

A Peaceful Visit

For those wishing for a quiet escape from Orange County life, learn more about Eastern philosophy, or just go for a stroll through the chaparral, the Ramakrishna Monastery has a lot to offer and is happy to have visitors.

The grounds are breathtakingly beautiful, offering views of Mission Viejo and Lake Forest. A peaceful reading room is open for those who wish to delve deeper into religious philosophy, the shrine room is available for meditation, and the inviting book store sells titles from the monastery’s own publishing press. When visiting this peaceful place one can’t help but wonder—“How did this place get here, and why didn’t I find out about it sooner?”

Now that you know it’s here, here’s more about how it got here and the wonderful retreat it offers.

The Monastery Grounds

The monastery consists of about 8 or 10 monks (called swamis in the Hindu tradition), with the exact number depending on how many are visiting from other centers. The swamis maintain the 40-acre property, including its vegetable garden and bee-keeping area.

The structures, mostly built in the early 1940s, make the monastery look something like an Orthodox Greek hermitage, but in fact they house the religious practices of a variety of Hinduism called Vedanta. 

Founding the center coincided with a rise in popularity and interest in Eastern religion, particularly Vedanta Hinduism, in the West. Gerald Heard, along with help from notables such as Aldous Huxley, Eugene Exman, and Swami Prabhavananda, founded the center in the 1930s as an interfaith prayer center. In 1949, it was given over to the Ramakrishna Order and has been used as a monastery ever since.

Covered in tall grasses, wild artichoke, and windswept views of Orange County below, the land surrounding the Ramakrishna Monastery has been kept mostly untouched over the years, even with the incredible growth and quickening pace of Los Angeles and Orange County.

Interfaith Spirituality

The swamis who live at the monastery practice a form of spirituality called Vedanta, which is a form of Hinduism largely focused on the integration of the truths in all religions. They pay particular tribute to the late 19^th century Bengali saint Ramakrishna. The monks found at Trabuco come from an order out of Belur Math, India in West Bengal, the home of the saint they revere so much. All of the monks at the center were born and raised in America before going to study Vedanta in India.

To get an idea of the basics of Vedanta, you can attend scripture classes in the reading room on Wednesday nights at 7:30 p.m. These classes are open to everyone, and can be a great way to ask questions and get to know the monks. You can also attend weekly Sunday lectures, held much like a church service, each Sunday at 11 a.m. These lectures explore such topics as universal religion, the spirituality of detachment, and the Four Yogas.

For a calendar of upcoming lecture topics, you can visit the center’s website. 

Getting There

The monastery sits on top of hills that overlook Mission Viejo, Lake Forest, and Irvine. Heading inland on El Toro Road, you’ll eventually come to Cook’s Corner (a popular motorcyclist hang-out), where you’ll turn right and head up into the winding roads of Trabuco Canyon on Live Oak Canyon Road.

Quaint, white-fenced farmhouses sit peacefully along this road, canopied with huge oak trees. After two miles, you’ll see a small sign for the monastery on the right.

Follow the paved road up the hilltop, where you’ll see plenty of wild-growing chaparral and a beautiful view of Orange County. Park anywhere in the gravel parking lot.

Upon Arrival

The main building is adorned with a bust statue of Swami Vivekananda overlooking a lily pond. To the right down the corridor and up the steps is the library, full of religious texts from all faiths, and the lecture hall used on Sundays. Follow the brick walkway to the right of the main entrance to the door of the shrine, which is open for prayer and meditation—be sure to remove your shoes before entering.

For a nice outdoor tour of the grounds, take the shrine trail, which you can catch just behind the lily pond. The trail is divided by large outdoor shrines devoted to the major world religions, in keeping with the philosophy of Vedanta that all religions be honored. The loop-trail was constructed by the monks and they keep it well maintained, and it takes no longer than 30 minutes to walk at a leisurely pace.

Visiting hours are from 9-5 daily, as well as the weekly schedule below: