Krsna Conscious Farm Communities - Why

[Guest guest]

Here's my perspective to add to those being considered.

 

*****************************************

 

In the Bhagavad-gita Krsna states:

 

By following his qualities of work, every man can become perfect. Now please

hear from Me how this can be done.

 

By worship of the Lord, who is the source of all beings and who is all

pervading, a man can attain perfection through performing his own work.

 

(18:46-47)

 

The performance of work which is according to one's own nature is supposed to

be

a means to spiritual perfection -- for persons on any position in the social

scale -- not just brahmanas or religious leaders, but right down to farmers and

workers. Our daily work is supposed to be a potent form of prayer. It is

supposed to be bhakti-yoga -- the most potent means of spiritual elevation.

 

However, we in a modern society -- whose very economy is founded on the four

degrading principles of meat-eating, intoxication, illicit sex and gambling and

speculation -- find that our mundane and contaminated occupations do not

provide

us with spiritual opportunity and do not lead us to spiritual elevation.

Whatever spiritual awareness we have is generally in spite of the daily work we

do to earn our livelihood -- not because of it, as is the original intent of

the

Lord revealed in the verses above. In fact, referring to the hellish work in

modern civilization, at Gita-nagari Srila Prabhupada called modern civilization

"soul-killing civilization."

 

To remedy this situation, Srila Prabhupada has kindly laid out as a goal the

establishment of simple farming villages, which are as self-sufficient or

self-reliant as possible, and which are simultaneously centered around a core

of

worship of Krsna. One of Srila Prabhupada's basic goals in establishing a

Krsna

conscious society was the idea that we could cooperate together to live a more

simple life.

 

1. This is the fundamental reason why we want to develop Krsna conscious farm

communities -- to advance in spiritual realization. And not only to help

ourselves advance, but to provide a potent preaching environment where we can

attract others to Krsna consciousness. We are seeking a means of work which is

pure enough to be turned into the prayer of bhakti yoga -- for remembering

Krsna. Srila Prabhupada has stated that by living as Krsna lived, in a simple

farming village, we will find it much easier to remember Krsna. This is our

wish.

 

2. Beyond this primary reason, we are also motivated by a heart-sickness to

see

that Bhumi-devi, the Personification of the Earth and a very great devotee of

Lord Krsna is being devastatingly abused by the sinful practices of modern

industry and commerce, the most heinous example of which is the global cow

slaughter industry. Thus we want to provide a positive spiritual example which

is an alternative to these things.

 

3. Furthermore, we are concerned for the physical, moral, psychological and

spiritual well being of our children in the environment of the modern cities.

We want to provide them with something that will help them develop as devotees.

 

4. And finally, we have no real faith in the modern system of life, which is

based on such uncertain foundations at exploitation of fossil fuels, stock

market speculation, capitalist exploitation, and complicated intrigues and

quarrels between entities ranging from great nations to small warring factions.

We fear that the current system has revealed itself as lacking in knowledgeable

leadership, unstable, dangerous and violent. Therefore, as much as possible we

want to create a peaceful alternative which is less dependent on the ability of

these other entities to get along with one another and less vulnerable to their

unperdictable and erratic activities. As much as possible, but without

becoming

cultish or isolationist, we seek to distance ourselves from this instability

and

remove ourselves to a more peaceful environment.

 

**********************************

your servant,

 

Hare Krsna dasi

 

 

 

 

 

"ISCOWP (Balabhadra Dasa & Chaya Dasi - USA)" wrote:

 

> Dear Prabbus,

>

> PAMHO. AGTSP>

>

> I think we need to focus on a unifying WHY and then go down the outline. As

> we go we will come across the topics we have been discussing and then we can

> agree in what should and should not be written. If we can stick with the

> steps we will in an organized manner touch all the concerns. What can we

> agree on as to the WHY?

>

> Ananda Maya wrote:

> We need something to focus and bring along a large sector of

> > our(and all) society.

> >

> Mark Wrote:

> Pre-amble or Project Why

> There is a general perception and feeling in many parts of the world today

> amongst a growing number of the world's citizens that the path of

> development that is being undertaken is unsustainable. An unsustainable

> world will, as the word describes, not be sustained for long before inherent

> factors in the development process will bring forth situations that prevent

> the long-term sustenance of living beings upon the resource-base of the

> planet. Such a situation can only lead to environmental, social and economic

> chaos in varied forms. Measures are being undertaken throughout the whole of

> civic society to address the inballances inherent in unsustainable

> develoment and to ultimately bring the varied development processes

> throughout the world into a sustainable form. It is with the latter points

> in mind that this document is presented as a further aid to bring forth a

> sustainable manner both materially and spiritually.

>

> Chayadevi edited:

> Pre-amble or Project Why

> There is a general perception amongst a growing number of the world's

> citizens that the current path of development undertaken is unsustainable.

> Inherent factors in this unsustainable development process will bring forth

> situations that prevent the long-term sustenance of living beings upon the

> resource-base of the planet. Such a process can only lead to environmental,

> social and economic chaos in varied forms. It is with the latter points in

> mind that this document is presented as a further aid to bring forth

> sustainable development both materially and spiritually.

>

> or Chayadevi's first why

>

> > Not long before he left the planet, Srila

> > Prabhupada was going to Gita Nagari to establish Varnasrama. He said that

> > Gita Nagari, at the time, had the food problem solved. Krsna Conscious

> > rural communitees can provide food, employment, and shelter, espescially

> > during times of world turmoil. Therefore we are presenting an outline of

> > necessities for developing and maintaining KC rural communities for the

> > purpose of realizing Srila Prabhupada's mission.

>

> Mark edited:

> Therefore we are presenting an outline of necessities

> for developing and maintaining KC rural communities

> for the purpose of realizing Srila Prabhupada's

> mission.

>

> What does everyone think?

>

> Your servant,

> Chayadevi

 

--

Noma Petroff

Academic Department Coordinator

BOWDOIN COLLEGE

Department of Theater & Dance

9100 College Station

Brunswick ME 04011-8491

 

Phone: (207) 725-3663

FAX: (207) 725-3372

e-mail: npetroff (AT) bowdoin (DOT) edu