Memories of the Bodhi Tree Bookstore

In the 60s, Los Angeles was a mecca for alternative religions and new age thinking. Spiritual teachers like Ram Dass and Maharishi Mahesh Yogi (the Beatles’ guru) attracted crowds while Hindu guru Paramahansa Yogananda likened L.A. to Benares, India’s holiest city. Riding this spiritual wave was a small new age bookstore in West Hollywood called the Bodhi Tree. The Bodhi Tree offered titles on religion, spirituality, philosophy and metaphysics. Shirley MacLaine credited the Bodhi Tree in her 1983 biography Out on a Limb for inspiring a midlife spiritual quest. She wrote, “Making that simple, lazy afternoon decision to visit an unusual bookstore in West Hollywood was one of the most important decisions of my life.” <a href="https://lorenwoodcuts.medium.com/memories-of-the-bodhi-tree-bookstore-49794f635a13">Read More</a>