Simple Living, High Thinking #5

For the week of June 23rd-June 29th, 2008

As the worms pop out of the dirt and say hello, we do the same to you, our loyal and beloved readers, and we let you know whats going on this week in the gardens of New Vrindaban Dham.

What we got done
(Thanks to Mike Miley Prabhu for this week's list)
-Up top at the Garden of Seven Gates, three rows of potatoes (130 ft each) were planted.
-The foundation for the pavilion continued to be slowly dug out, contuning in the earthship vein.
-A nice amount of lettuce and cilantro was harvested for temple prasad and charity distribution.
-What else was planted in the Garden of Seven Gates and the Teaching Garden?? Lettuce, beets, chard, mustard greens, cilantro, kale, and collard greens




-The brave and the hardy got a lesson in the art of scything.


-Careful cultivation continued in our time-tested tasks of weeding and keeping the floating row cover on to deter the groundhogs.
-HG Tapahpunja Prabhu initiated the educational aspect of our program by giving a general farm how-to class on the hard pan and the maintenance of it, as well as different planting methods.

A green thumb

What we realized
-There was a real groundswell of inspired discussion and knowledge being spread this week on the art of self-sufficiency and the dire need of the principles of varnasrama. In between rain showers, you might've seen our intrepid farming crew in respectfully intense discussion on how to bring our headful of ideas to life. Theoretically we are on the cutting edge. Our seeds are planted with the desire to bring real security and community forwards. So now, everyday becomes a hopefully joyous struggle in that vein.

HG Parama Karuna Prabhu pulls the weeds from his heart, right before your eyes

As HH Radhanath Swami mentioned in a very inspiring talk on self-sufficiency this past week, we may not have to worry about elephants and leopards and snakes infiltrating our fences and destroying our crops and maybe even ourselves, but we have to keep on guard against the complacency that rears its poisonous head. And the lack of communication, the lack of inspiration...we have to become paradigm warriors, spiritual warriors in this great fight for our land and our souls.

To the practical end, we offer you a couple of very informative and inspired talks on the linking of the land and our soul: the fine art of spiritual sustainability. First, click here to read a transcript of the darshan held by HH Sivarama Swami that occurred on 6-20-08 here in New Vrindaban Dham, and click here to read a transcript of a lecture by HG Tapahpunja Prabhu entitled "Bad Karma Is Not Sustainable"

Please help us out! Your hands, heads, and hearts can help us restore Srila Prabhupada's vision of self-sufficency here at New Vrindaban Dham. We're out shining and even in the rain in the Teaching Garden across the street from the RVC Temple, or up the hill at the Garden of Seven Gates. See HG Tapahpunja Prabhu for all the details.

Click here for more info on the Small Farm Training Center.

Stay tuned for next week's update! Hari Haribol!

Simple Living, High Thinking #4

For the week of June 16th-June 22nd, 2008

Oh, the fun and challenges that Mother Bhumi gives us. Here's what went down in the Dham this week...

What we got done
-With the seeds in the ground and the harvest far ahead, now is the time for careful cultivation. Hard to do when those darn groundhogs keep crawling in and chomping down on our hard work. We weedwhacked (more on that below) around the Garden of Seven Gates in order to clear out brush and weeds so that we can find exactly where the groundhog holes are. Once the holes are found, then various strategies (some highly classified) can be implemented. One such strategy is the laying of floating row cover over our beans and squash to deter and confuse the little furry ones. The Battle of the Groundhogs rages on!

Covering our stash from the groundhogs hands with floating row cover

-We'd like to welcome a few new arrivals to our garden team. HG Parama Karuna Prabhu and his wife Jackie, Bhakta Mike Miley from California, and Bhakta Patrick from Chicago. Please give them a warm hand for lending their hearts and hands to the inspiration of our seva.

Mike, chillin with his shovel

-Work has begun in earnest on our new pavilion in the Teaching Garden, which will host a first-class bread oven for the pleasure of all. Devotees this week began digging out the foundation for the new facilities, which will be based on a unique construction style based around the concept of the earthship. On that note, you will be definitely seeing us packing lots of dirt into lots of tires this week. Those with a desire to build some devotional muscles are welcome to help us out.

Dig that diggin

-In dirty hands news, we filled in some gaps up top at the Garden of Seven Gates in our green beans patch. The beans, tomatoes, peppers, and kale are all coming along very nicely, despite the groundhogs and inclement and inconsistent weather.

What we realized

And now, for something a little different

A stream-of-consciousness excerpt from the latest issue of Weedwacker's Digest, by Bhakta-Chris

The grass was high and so was the thinking. It was the latest phase of the year-The Battle of the Groundhogs. Cuddly little things. Sweet and innocent. But they didn't put in the sweat, the dirt. They didn't spend the hottest day of the year pounding posts into the deep, dark plastic which reflected all of the Sun's heat right into your face, into your soul. What makes them think they can just waltz into the Garden of Seven Gates and munch away on the tender, young peppers, the soon-to-be succulent summer squash. This meant war. The weedwacker was fired up.

Six hours. My hands vibrating. That unmistakable high-pitched sound. Onions. Wild onions. I began to smell like wild onions. Shards of weeds, flying at my face, hitting, stinging. War means sacrifice. After a little cussing even, the job was done. The fenceline was clear. I had flattened a large swath, like Arjuna mowing down the Kuru soldiers, behind the fence, into the forest, where those little buggers eat, sleep, mate, and defend. Let's just say they won't be having a midnight snack in the garden....we hope.

Amazingly, on my way out, I saw one of the little buggers chomping away on something leafy and green. I uttered a primal growl and chased after him. He squeezed through the fence and plopped down into his hole nearby. As I came up to the hole, he popped out for a second to say "nice race." I didn't have kind words in return. Some can't be printed here. He went back underground to do whatever he did. I put a cement block over his hole and hoped for the best. That is all we can do in a time of war. Hope for the best.

-We were graced this week by the presence of HH Sivarama Swami, who guides New Vraja Dham in Hungary, which is one of ISKCON's most successful farm communities. As befitting his sober and realized personality, he was very straightforward in saying that the restoring of the rural responibility ethic must be a key concern in our society of devotees at large, or we will fully miss the boat, and perhaps not be able to even provide for ourselves or for devotees in urban communities if the need may arise. Maharaja also gave practical advice and encouragement to a group of devotees who are planning to restore farm life at the Gita Nagari community. We hope to have a full transcript of the talk soon.

Please help us out! Your hands, heads, and hearts can help us restore Srila Prabhupada's vision of self-sufficency here at New Vrindaban Dham. We're out shining and even in the rain in the Teaching Garden across the street from the RVC Temple, or up the hill at the Garden of Seven Gates. See HG Tapahpunja Prabhu for all the details.

Click here for more info on the Small Farm Training Center.

Stay tuned for next week's update! Hari Haribol!

Dear Lord, Please Deliver Us From Plastic!

Daniel Burd is our hero! In his science fair project at the recent Canada-Wide Science Fair, he demonstrated a technique to break down the polymers in plastic bags-which take over a thousand years to decompose-in just about three months. This is actual science!

Read all about it here!

Simple Living, High Thinking #3

For the week of June 9th-June 15th 2008

Hop on the milk crate and join us for another week on enlivening green-thumb seva, live and with dirty hands from New Vrindaban Dham

What we got done
-HG Shanka Prabhu finished up his yearly nectar planting seva in front of the temple by laying down a few rows of vibrant sunflowers.

Shanka in the ecstasy of sunflower planting

-A whole slew of green-thumb devotees had a morning marathon of planting marigolds, zinnias, and a few other fragrant varieties. Within a few weeks, the temple grounds will be overflowing with sensual delights for the eyes, ears, and soul.

Chris perfects his relaxed method of planting

-Up top at the Garden of Seven Gates, everything (except the poor cucumbers) is coming along nicely. We augmented our harvest this year by laying down a few rows of green beans next to our peppers, and we also threw some smaller rows of beans into the ground down below at the Teaching Garden.

-Tapahpunja had a very exciting question for us: "Have you ever broadcasted oats before?!". Whilst some of us have broadcasted TV and radio programs before, never before have we casted oats into the ground as Tapah showed us how to do. This is a new part of this year's planting plan, and we'll have, by the grace of the Lord, a large supply of grain for the temple by the time harvest rolls around.

Tom meets his mortal enemy....the orange fence!!

What we realized
-Some of us have developed a compulsion...something we never thought we would have...a very strong desire to weed!!! Now, even when we take a walk through the forest, our first instinct upon seeing a perfectly natural arrangement of weeds is to grab our shovel and have at them without mercy. This is strange....a wholly unplanned development and side-effect of this wonderful garden seva. Tapah, what have you done to us!?

On a slightly more serious note, engaging in the seva of the land means we are also engaging in the literal gardening of the devotional creeper in our hearts. As St. Benedict said, "to work is to pray." We work to cultivate this Holy Dham, our earnest efforts designed to bring forth the fruits of the earth for Krsna's pleasure, and by doing so, at the very same time, the garden of our heart also grows and prospers.

Lord Caitanya explains the essence much better than I can, as he speaks to Rupa Goswami in the Caitanya-Charitamrta "The living entities all over the universes are enjoying the effects of the respective fruitive results of their own work, life after life. Out of all of them, some may be influenced by the association of pure devotees and thus get the chance to execute devotional service by attainment of taste. This taste is the seed of devotional service, and one who is fortunate enough to have received such a seed is advised to sow it in the core of his heart.

As one cultivates a seed by pouring water to fructify it, the seed of devotional service sown in the heart of the devotee may be cultured by pouring water in the form of hearing and chanting of the holy name and pastimes of the Lord. The creeper of devotional service, so nourished, gradually grows, and the devotee, acting as a gardener, goes on pouring the water of constant hearing and chanting. The creeper of devotional service gradually grows so high that it passes through the entire material universe and enters into the spiritual sky, growing still higher and higher until it reaches the planet Goloka Vṛndāvana.

The devotee-gardener is in touch with the abode of the Lord even from the material plane by dint of performing devotional service to the Lord simply by hearing and chanting. As a creeper takes shelter of another, stronger tree, similarly the creeper of devotional service, nourished by the devotee, takes shelter of the lotus feet of the Lord and thus becomes fixed. When the creeper is fixed, then the fruit of the creeper comes into existence, and the gardener who nourished it is able to enjoy this fruit of love, and his life becomes successful."

Please help us out! Your hands, heads, and hearts can help us restore Srila Prabhupada's vision of self-sufficency here at New Vrindaban Dham. We're out shining and even in the rain in the Teaching Garden across the street from the RVC Temple, or up the hill at the Garden of Seven Gates. See HG Tapahpunja Prabhu for all the details.

Click here for more info on the Small Farm Training Center.

Stay tuned for next week's update! Hari Haribol!

Speaking out...on big houses or self-sufficency

We just wanted to point to you an interesting article and discussion put up recently on Dandavats by HG Satyahit Prabhu from Alachua, who was one of our esteemed guests at the recent Festival of Inspiration at New Vrindaban Dham.

What is the future of Prabhupada's self-sufficiency vision? Do we have the resources, manpower, and willpower to implement the needed practicalities to make this vision into more and more of a reality? How loud must we shout until our voice is heard by those in positions of influence and authority? Satyahit Prabhu's article represents the grass-roots devotee's opinions and frustrations. Please take time to read and consider it.

The Criminalization of Raw Milk

One of my favorite musical artists, who was rather eccentric, once said it was "safe as milk." But, the days of the friendly milkman at the door, like much of our society's innocence, is now long gone.

A startling article tells the story of a local Pennsylvania Mennonite dairy farmer who was arrested for producing raw (natural) milk on his property. A battleground has now been laid out (which is applicable to all ISKCON farm communities with milking cows) between those who believe in what comes straight from the udder, and those who would rather add the ignorance of pasteurization and bovine-growth hormone to our communal supple of "white gold." (Even poor, poor Hillary is involved!)

Click here to read all about it

Simple Living, High Thinking #2

For the week of June 2nd-June 8th 2008

It was hot hot hot! We finally were able to devote a lot of time up top at the Garden of Seven Gates, and we are happy to report that we have pretty much everyone of our crops in the ground and ready to bloom and prosper.

What we got done
-Our dearest HG Shanka Prabhu (Prabhupada's "flower boy") began his yearly seva of planting in front of the main temple building. This week he put down a series of canna plants for our aesthetic pleasure.

Prabhupada's flower boy

-Up top at the Garden of Seven Gates we put down rows of cucumbers, which are struggling right now due to a possible fungal problem. We also put in a few different kinds of peppers, including bell, cayenne, and some chilis.

Peppers....

...and cucumbers

Tom lays down posts with authority for our tomato plants

-Topping the week off within the Seven Gates saw us putting down a whole bunch of summer and winter squash, and we put up fences for our tomato plants.

If we were a pro wrestler, we'd be called "The Rotovator"

-In the Teaching Garden we harvested a bunch of bundles of lettuce, mustard greens, and cilantro, which have been appearing in our morning kichiri and lunchtime salads, to the delight of all devoted tongues.
-We also planted beets, chard, and our first bitter melon crop in the Teaching Garden this week.
-The kids from Gopal's Garden had an exciting tractor ride during their visit this week, and then harvested some mustard greens for their family prasad.
-Tapahpunja also renewed our arrangements with local charities in the greater Wheeling area to receive some of our surplus crops for their public outreach programs to the hungry and needy.

What we realized
Everyday with hands dirty, feeling the wind blow, eyeing the sky for storms, sweating in the heat...our connection to the elements is like any intimate relationship, a rollercoaster ride of joy and frustration, dependence and blessings. One begins to feel his or her place in the whole scheme of things, and the education is subtle. Every scoop of dirt, every piece of green has its own personality and its own way of teaching you how to react and how not to react.

This is our small but inspired contribution to the overall environmental, social, and spiritual good, or in other words, our effort to help bring about the other 50% of Prabhupada's mission...varnasrama-dharma. Real culture....this is what we must provide in our efforts. Not only for devotees truly committed to the path less-traveled (outside the techno-industrial sphere), but to all those who want to live by the higher ideals. Our efforts must help to build the framework to provide the opportunities, inspiration, and leadership to create the environment that is best conductive for "high thinking." We must communicate in such a way that we can learn from those willing to help us on the practical side, the external side, while we provide in return the deeper knowledge on the internal side.

Please help us out! Your hands, heads, and hearts can help us restore Srila Prabhupada's vision of self-sufficency here at New Vrindaban Dham. We're out shining and even in the rain in the Teaching Garden across the street from the RVC Temple, or up the hill at the Garden of Seven Gates. See HG Tapahpunja Prabhu for all the details.

Click here for more info on the Small Farm Training Center.

Stay tuned for next week's update! Hari Haribol!

Our Future Hope

Srila Prabhupada has voiced these words thirty years ago:
“Our farm projects are an extremely important part of our movement. We must become self sufficient by growing our own grains and producing our own milk, then there will be no question of poverty. So develop these farm communities as far as possible. They should be developed as an ideal society depending on natural products not industry. Industry has simply created godlessness, because they think they can manufacture everything that they need. Our Bhagavad-gita philosophy explains that men and animals must have food in order to maintain their bodies. And the production of food is dependent on chanting Hare Krishna. Therefore let everyone chant Hare Krishna, eat nicely and keep their bodies fit and healthy. This is ideal life style.”

Please check out these two intimate and inspiring accounts from the recent first annual ISKCON Farm Conference at New Vraja-Dhama in Hungary. All respects and glories to the devotees giving their bodies, minds, words, and hearts to helping to fulfill the above vision of Srila Prabhupada, making self-sufficiency a big part of our Society, and bringing our Society more in tune to the actual, practical realities of our current situation on this Planet Earth.

Simple Living, High Thinking #1

For the week of May 25th-June 1st, 2008

Indra finally let us have a little peace this week, as the rains let up and we were able to go full tilt into cultivation and tender caring of our Teaching Garden (the educational agricultural arm of our Small Farm Training Center here at New Vrindaban Dham).

What we got done:
-We mulched to our hearts content, and even beyond contentment as well. A pungent mix of dry grass, cow dung, and goat dung was spread over 75% of our beds as fertilizer. Our various guests from India and Guyana appreciated the non-chemical and guilt-free quality of our efforts, reminding them of days of yore back in their home lands. Old school...

Guilt-free fertilizer

-We planted two different varieties of tomatoes, a small portion of basil, a few rows of cucumbers, and we harvested a lot of radish leaf for the pleasure of our goats. Our artichokes, lettuce, cilantro, and brussel sprouts are also blooming nicely, and we sold $20 of organic produce from those beds during the Sunday feast.

Tapah tries to convince him that organic lettuce is better than Oreos

-We put up fences and posts for our cucumber and bitter melon beds.

Tom and Jeff try not to get poison ivy

-The kids from Gopal's Garden got their hands dirty planting basil, and they mulched and weeded their beds of spinach and chard. They were pretty darn blissful feeding weeds to the goats as well.
What we realized.
The opulence of the fruits of the land can be overlooked if one doesn't take the time to literally dig deeper. The roots, stems, weeds....it all has a purpose, a healthy benefit, if we know how to use it. Here, we can see the completeness of Krsna...oḿ pūrṇam adaḥ pūrṇam idaḿ pūrṇāt pūrṇam udacyate pūrṇasya pūrṇam ādāya pūrṇam evāvaśiṣyate....The way He provides for us by letting Mother Earth produce all that we need. It's a honor to get our hands dirty in this way.

Even the local primate community is pleased!

Please help us out! Your hands, heads, and hearts can help us restore Srila Prabhupada's vision of self-sufficency here at New Vrindaban Dham. We're out shining and even in the rain in the Teaching Garden across the street from the RVC Temple, or up the hill at the Garden of Seven Gates. See HG Tapahpunja Prabhu for all the details.

Stay tuned for next week's update! Hari Haribol!