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!