Oakland’s Scottish Rite Center Sells for $9 Million to Group Tied to Indian Guru

An Oakland landmark has sold for $9.2 million to an entity linked to the Art of Living Foundation, a spiritual nonprofit founded by Indian guru Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, nearly a century after Freemasons built the ornate temple.The Oakland Scottish Rite Center at 1547 Lakeside Drive in Oakland recently sold for $9.2 million, as the SF Business Times reports. The four-story building spans 85,000 square feet and overlooks Lake Merritt, where its elaborate facade and Egyptian-inspired engravings have made it a distinctive feature of the waterfront. The buyer is reportedly an entity linked to the Art of Living Foundation, a nonprofit founded by Indian spiritual leader Sri Sri Ravi Shankar in 1981, with meditation centers throughout the Bay Area promoting meditation, breathing techniques, and stress management, along with humanitarian and environmental initiatives. Jasbir Singh, a foundation board member named in the sale documents, could not immediately be reached for comment about the group s