Building a Vaisnava City

[Gauracandra]

This is just an idea posting. I know it will never (and probably shouldn’t) get implemented but I think it can open up a discussion on how to actually implement a varnashram society.

 

So here is the idea:

 

Close down all (or most) centers in the world and build a single Vaisnava city. This could be done all over the world or perhaps regionally (ie. one city in Europe, one in North America, one in South America etc…). You can never build a Vaisnava society until there is a critical mass of people. If you closed down all temples in North America and moved everyone to a central location this would give you a singular point of strength. This wouldn’t have to happen immediately, but perhaps over a period of 10 years.

 

I got this idea from the Libertarian party. They are seeking to gather 10,000 fellow Libertarians and all together move into a very small state. From there they would dominate local politics, state politics as a major voting bloc. They’d vote in Libertarian Senators, Congressmen, State legislators and such. If you had 10,000 voters in a state like North Dakota you could have some major influence. In addition, if you built your own city the state would be required to build a school for the students. A public school made up of Vaisnavas (even if it didn’t teach Vaisnavism) would be a far better environment than a public school of 20 Vaisnavas and 1500 non-devotees.

 

Now once you have concentration then internal businesses can develop. For instance, there will never be a devotee grocery store with just 100 devotees. That means whenever we purchase food we are taking devotee earned money and having it siphoned off to non-devotees. There will never be real dairy farms until we increase concentration.

 

Everything we talk about wanting, I can only see coming about by concentration. If we consolidate, we may then be able to move outwards from that point of focus.

[stonehearted]

to be sure. The first problem I see is that Srila Prabhupada wants us everywhere--in the big cities, to be sure, but small towns, villages and rural places, too--to give others the chance to receve the mercy of Lord chaitanya and Nityananda. When devotees asked Srila Sarasvati Thakura why he would give up the dhama (Sri Mayapura) for the kingdom of maya (Kolkata), he replied that it was for taking the dhama to Kolkata.

 

Also, when we start showing up in great numbers to take a place over, the locals will react very strongly. Remember the Rajneesh folks in Oregon? They never fit in, were never really accepted, and eventually their effort failed.

[livingentity]

the gangs would be non-violent and the graffiti would be transcendental.

 

I am not sure the Osho people are a good example for this - it is possible that the rolls etc kinda put the locals off a bit plus some other stuff.

 

There is a lot of open land out here where I live. You can get 40 acres really cheap and there are miles and miles of 40 acre parcels. But...then you gotta get the water wells drilled which take electricity but there is lots of sun and wind here so windmills and solar are the way to go. Nobody would even know you were there so no one would be disturbed.

 

hmmm.......

[stonehearted]

le: the gangs would be non-violent

 

God, let's hope so. (fingers crossed)

 

le: I am not sure the Osho people are a good example for this - it is possible that the rolls etc kinda put the locals off a bit plus some other stuff.

 

It was mostly the other stuff, which the locals had to put up with daily, and which they saw as a threat to the way they were accustomed to doing things. The Rollses were just something for the media to focus on. It's not the case that the local folks had to deal with Rajneesh every day, but the followers were everywhere and not shy about their intentions to establish Rajneeshpuram on the old Big Muddy Ranch, which quickly spilled into the nearby town of Antelope, which the Rajneeshis renamed Rajneesh. When the culties began to outnumber the locals, they started taking things over and even had a "Peace Force" patrolling the town and intimidating the citizens.

 

My point is that this is a lesson we should neither minimize nor ignore. If we move all the Hare Krishna followers to a city, that also means bringing those who use drugs, practice polygamy, those who sell drugs and will bring terrible violence, wife-beaters, and all manner of folks. We need to stay awake and aware of possible consequences. I think it may be better to slowly build a critical mass by example and preaching. According to statistics kept by Sat-sanga prabhu, Alachua's devotees community is the larges in the world, with over 800 devotees counted.

[livingentity]

that came to my mind was groups of devotees happily chanting though the streets of Vaisnava Village.

 

Anyway, it was the other stuff that I was focusing on with the Osho folks - and can understand why the original townsfolk got perturbed about the whole situation. Something that would need to be avoided.

 

I have heard that Alachua has a nice blend of devotees. My sister lives not too far from there and I want to try to visit next time I go.

[hare_krishna]

I think vaishnavas should be everywhere. Not on a single spot. That's how people will know them and they will know people. We don't want to be alliens. It would be nice to have some of those cities in parks or something with vaishnavas living in them. People of other groups should be allowed to visit such places. Are you aware of Radha Desh in Belgium?

 

 

[I_love_krishna_]

I saw this Telugu(my mother tongue) movie called "Rudra-veena", where the hero tries to lift every one spiritually, thus increasing their standard of living.

 

At first , In the movie the people live in poverty and most of the lower class males are drunkards who beat their wives and drink all day at the local bars, when their wives work their butts off trying to work in the fields and also taking care for their babies at the same time.

 

The hero in this is from a rich brahmin class, he sees all this and gets really compassionate for the lower class people living like that. So, he tries to stop the men from drinking alcohol.

 

After alot of struggle he finally establishes a community where every one works in the field, every one gains money and every one gets educated and where every thing is free in the community. He gets this by stopping their alcoholism.

 

This is sort of a Gandhi decentralized economic growth philosophy.

 

If we can make bunch of alcoholics give up their bad ways and start working for the good of the society. Then, we can make a vaishnava city.

 

Later I found out that there really was a guy who made 6 perfect villages in Maharastra India. He totally devotted his life to the community! what a life! /images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[Guest guest]

i've said this before, there should be a program in india

to solve a big problem, the homeless population

living on the streets and in shacks in the big cities.

 

many are well qualified and talented in various areas

but are unable to find work after leaving their villages.

 

 

there should be a government program with the help of the able(wealthy) to extablish a few vedic cities, around india.

 

first start a program to find out what the talents of the needy are, then buy land, near a river or ocean,

bring those with building talents and set up a tent city,

then construct small cities, using the best techniques

of natural rescourcing.

 

set up cottage industries to make them self substainable,and as it goes along bring more and more families in.

 

there should be no requirement of religion or ethnicity,

simply based on desire to cooperate for the good of the community is all that should be needed.

 

 

this will be an example to the world, how to solve a major problem in third world countries, but utilizing

the talents of the people who need the help the most, with the help of those who are expert at such planning.

 

 

[livingentity]

can be found in India. I receive regularly local crafts etc made in little villages from friends and am amazed at the quality and beauty of some of the items.

 

I may have misunderstood but I had heard somewhere that there was a some sort of government program for artists/craftspeople in India but that the craftspeople got the raw end of the deal and remained poverty stricken while the government bought the items from them for pennies and sold them for much more.

[I_love_krishna_]

The government of India has corrupted officials who rule not for the society, but for themselves.

 

If we examine some of the states, there is no democracy at all.

 

Many gangsters rule by forcing people to get them elected , 80% of the the population does not know politics.

 

The Political Illiteracy creates a perfect ground for the politicians to make their self interest grow.

 

There are many instances where the government tried to give funds to the various departments in the beauracracy so that it will reach the people, but most of the money has been shared by the politicians.

 

There is no security for the middle class. There is no trial by jury.

 

The whole government of India is a mixture of socialist ideas plus the laissez faire. This type of system could be successful like in sweden, it is not successful in India.

 

The parties such as Congress and BJP etc fight over their views to demean each other's party. So, no party can implement new ideas.

 

It is like the negative adds we see here during the election times. There is negativity all over the place in India.

 

The competition grows, the people who study Phds are nothing more than taxi drivers and auto rishaw drivers, because there is a lack of work .

 

It is not possible to implement anything in India, because the politicians are selfish.

 

Only now, the south is starting to really develop because of a new kind of a leader in one of the states called Andra, he is Chandra babu Naidu, he is doing alot for the state of Andra and he is trying to get funds for the poor there.

 

But he is only one man who is doing something good in the midst of 100s of people trying to loot what the barren land of India can produce in its last and final days.

 

The natural resources have been destroyed in India. The whole southern country will have no water in the near future.

[Gauracandra]

I agree with most of the points made. The Libertarians got their idea because there has developed a view that the left has done pretty much this with the state of Vermont. Apparently back in the 1970s Playboy wrote an article suggesting all the socialists take over Vermont. It used to be actually quite conservative. But within a few decades they were electing the most leftwing individuals including the only open socialist in Congress.

 

My main concern is as was said that there really should be a temple in every town and village. The only logical part that still likes this idea is that in the short run perhaps there would be a reduction. However, in the long run such a consolidation strategy may enable better focused and planned preaching. You would be operating from a position of strength. This could lead in the long run to more preaching.

 

I'm also reminded abit about the Mormons. The Mormons once had many little communities. However, due to persecution they all decided to pack up and move to Utah. From there they built a truly cohesive society. The Seventh Day Adventists and Jehova Witnesses were starting out around the same time as the Mormons, and yet they have never accomplished anything remotely as great as owning an entire state.

 

This gives great advantage to Mormons. They all send their kids to public schools because all the kids in Utah are already Mormon. Seventh Day Adventists have to create private schools and divert funds there. Since all (actually most not all) businesses in Utah are Mormon owned, all monies stay within the community.

[Guest guest]

It's called communism. Stalin did it.