A new paradigm for Sustainability - serve the soul + environment
Radhika Gopinatha dasa
Professor of Vedic Theology and Religious Studies: Present society needs a new paradigm of devotion to God.
Introduction:
There are two kinds of sustainability. One that is material - saving the elements, CO2 reduction, etc., and the second spiritual+material which while saving the planet, also saves the soul. The First South America Conference on Sustainability in Spirituality was conducted on June 17, 2017.
Story time:
"Once upon a time, in a village called New Vrindaban, Pennsylvania, USA, a group of young villagers experienced how service to the cows, coupled with worship of Sri Sri Radha Vrindaban Chandra, defined their daily routine and consecrated their love for Srila Prabhupada’s first farm mission. With the cows and Deities in the center of the community—it was a one minute walk from the temple to the barn–the villagers saw fresh milk—liquid religiosity—travel from milk bucket to Deity kitchen to pujari room to altar and then back to the villagers as Maha Prasadam."
"They saw ox teams hauling in logs, horses and men mowing the hay, and the flourishing of vegetable, herb and flower gardens. As the village grew in size, many guests became attracted to the pure devotional atmosphere. Accommodations were needed. The villagers turned their attention towards expanding their preaching outreach. Prabhupada’s Palace bloomed. Guest houses were erected, pastures were dozed into parking lots, and the villagers were asked to travel in pursuit of seeking donations." [1]
Why spiritual+material sustainability:
"We are duty bound to reclaim the energy of Krishna–earth, water, fire air and ether–in the service of Lord Krishna. Secondly, Srila Prabhupada’s specific Western mission–to deliver the Western countries from the spell of voidism and impersonalism–is unachievable if our mood is one of cavalier indifference towards the environment we depend on."[1]
"Beyond the world of compost piles, worm castings and root cellars is the exciting realm of Krishna conscious eco-outreach. Devotees are uniquely postured to define sustainability through the lens of transcendence, thanks to Srila Prabhupada’s acutely comprehensive teachings. Below you’ll find a partial checklist of cutting edge topics that revolutionize the worldwide dialogue on sustainable development."
Questions asked of a spiritual community like the ISKCON or the Amish:
The principles of Daivi Varnashrama Dharma (DVAD) - Intentional Spiritual Sustainability:
The principles?of DVAD [2] which must be approximated as closely as possible in whatever form the modern community manifests include:
1.Dharmic?social intercourse and division of labor:
Everyone?serves interdependently?(cooperative teamwork, like parts of a body) according to their natural qualities and capacity following the?scriptural codes of conduct?for their particular?var?a?and?ā?rama. [Unfortunately, many people today choose their occupation according to how many dollars per hour it pays rather than according to their natural inclination for work. This is due to the monetization of work.]
2. Self-sufficiency–wealth is generated and needs are met internally:
Work?and production are?not monetized, and the internal economy is?not?fueled by?profit motives?but by gifting and sharing of one’s goods and services. There is no competition between community members.?Income is not obtained through outside employment. Rather, goods and services (if they happen to be in excess) may be offered to those external to the community in exchange for monetary payment, since money is needed to pay for things such as property tax and for purchasing those things which the community cannot produce for itself. (In this paper we will regard this as?self-sufficiency since the?revenue is generated internally?rather than from outside?employment.)
3. Bhakti-yoga?maturing gradually into?ananya-bhakti:
Every production is made and every service is done as an?offering to K???a. [Whereas in a typical material community one person’s hour of work is considered monetarily more valuable than another’s, in an interdependent DVAD community,?all work is understood to be?devotional service. Thus one person’s hour of service is considered to be as valuable as another’s. Such vision enables devotees to happily and honestly work according to their propensity, and eventually with real love, instead of being wage, or result, conscious.]
4. Sustainability:
Education and training?of community members facilitate ongoing following and passing down of the previous three principles.
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5. Vegan and Animal Rights:
The rationale for saving animals from abuse and slaughter is meritorious. Not eating any food that is a byproduct of exploitation is also praiseworthy. Making the case, however, that responsible draft animal power is unethical flies in the face of indigenous cultures worldwide who value the animals — especially the cows and bulls — as the ecological cornerstone of a sustainable village life.
6. "Sustainable" Bad Karma is Not Sustainable
We offer a definitive explanation of cause and effect, not rambling, hodgepodge personal opinions about why “stuff” happens. To make a clear karmic case for the consequences of indiscriminate eating or the plundering of natural resources is to assign responsibility to the individual (personal karma), the leaders of society (accelerated karma for politicians) and collective karma for the society as a whole. The real meaning of sustainability — using Lord Krishna’s creation in His service — has been hijacked by the meat-eating class. They think they “own” the definition because they raise and then slaughter animals using sustainable methods. There’s nothing “sustainable” about accruing bad karma. Is there anything more unsustainable than losing the human form of life? We need to
7. Macro-Environmentalism:
Srīmad Bhāgavatam unveils the?big picture?of how the universe works, including colossal events that rocked the three planetary systems. Topics like puranic (cyclic) time vs. linear time are game changers because they debunk misconceptions about the age of the earth or the idea that mankind is, by nature, a greedy, flesh-eating competitor. Universal scale environmental calamities, such as the earth’s plunge into the Garbodaka Ocean at the hands of Hira?yāk?a, provide a theistic counterbalance to Darwinian mythology.
8. Natural Techniques of Weed elimination and fertilizer:
Roundup was a revolutionary herbicide, or weed killer in the 1970s. It contains the active ingredient glyphosate. Recent research has produced evidence that these pesticides cause cancer in people who are exposed. Using goats as weed killers is a technique known to people Bharat (India). this does not require fuel, or animal slaughter, or cancerous side-effects. Cow dung composting is a technique used in India for hundreds of centuries. [5]
Transcendence
Because our approach to sustainability recognizes the futility of trying to make a permanent home in a temporary place, we embrace?permaculture as a stepping stone to premaculture (culture of Love of God).
From Hungary with Love:
Elsewhere in Hungary HH Sivarama Swami has a functioning Varnasrama farm.
"As well as its 600 fruit trees, the community also keep over 400 different indigenous Hungarian fruit-tree types, as part of a gene bank that keeps indigenous species alive. There is also plenty of forest on the farm—during the seventeen years of Krishna Valley’s existence, devotees have planted a quarter of a million trees." [4]
"As well as the grain it sells, the community also makes income from the 30,000 paying tourists that visit every year and eat at its Govinda’s restaurant (which does use produce from outside sources)." [4]
“Last year we launched our own line of Govinda’s organic drinks, which have proven quite popular,” says Radha Krishna. “They come in three flavors: William?Pear, Peach, and Vitamix (pumpkin and carrot), and have 100% fruit content with all-organic ingredients including an organic sugarcane sweetener.” [4]
"Krishna Valley also has its own zero-energy, zero-chemical reed-bed waste treatment system, and each family has its own water well. Meanwhile, a pipeline is under construction that is expected to provide devotees with their own drinking water from a 1,300 foot-deep mineral water well within the next year. Since it is owns all this outright, the community will not have to pay anything for either its water or sewage system." [4]
As the only Eco Village in Hungary that shows actual long-term results in social, economic, and environmental sustainability, one of Krishna Valley’s main goals is to help others develop their farms and agriculture. This autumn, community members will hold a workshop for two fledgling Hungarian farms, and are developing training courses for other such efforts.
Conclusion:
The world’s oldest continuously existing culture is Bharat - India with Vedic culture. India is home to over sixty million small-scale farmers, and therefore shelters the oldest farming model and dietary regimen on Earth. Following the lead from traditional vaishnava culture may be that new paradigm for sustainability.
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