We are a group of Prabhupada centered devotees, who are starting a self-sufficient, varna-asrama comunity, in Belize. Our mission is to provide a model community based on Srila Prabhupada's instructions on varna-asrama, cow protection, simple living and high thinking and unity and diversity. The main focus will be farming and we are hoping that through our success we can help others start communities everywhere in the world.

This community will have an Ayurvedic Healing center, a Vedic Wisdom library, a Ksatriya Training Center, a Center for Sustainable Agriculture, a Center for Development of alternative energies and technologies that support and encourage simple living, and high thinking.

We have found a piece of property in Belize that we would like to purchase to start this community, however at this time we do not have sufficient Lakshmi to continue in our mission. Therefore we are appealing to the larger devotee community to help us make this part of Srila Prabhupada's mission a reality. Our reasons for choosing Belize as the country in which to start this project are very simple. First off we wanted to do this project in a climate conducive to simple living therefore we chose a tropical climate and Belize is also relatively undeveloped and does not have an extremely expensive cost of living. It is also easy to immigrate to and for us it is not too awfully far away.

We are asking everyone who believes this to be important to please help us continue our mission. You can make donations through Paypal of any amount from $1 to $100,000. Everything is appreciated.

Please visit thesolutioncommunity.blogspot.com to donate or for more information email rl_dasi@yahoo.com.



On the Evil of Merging
by Niscala dasi
Posted March 10, 2007

The basis of the division of service in varnasrama is that which powers the individual - his/her psycho-physical make up. Thus it separates spiritual from material power, and productive from physical power. The latter separation is necessary for good business management, for it is obviously a waste of talent for an architect to be laying bricks, and an over-expectation for a brick-layer to be trying to design buildings.

What is not so clear (the resolution of which is more pertinent to us) is why the ksatriya and the brahmana class must separate. Surely a spiritually minded ksatriya could do both? Why does Krsna recommend they separate? The answer could not be more simple when we examine the meaning of varnasrama and the basis for its class separation- psycho-physical tendencies. With this in mind, to say "could not a brahmana manage?" is exactly like saying "could not a architect lay bricks?" He could, but why would he want to? It is not in his nature... Similarly, it is not in the nature of a true brahmana to manage. He is repulsed and repelled by material power- its trappings, its use of legislative force over persuasion, its focus on smooth and problem-free management as opposed to essential principles of ethics and spirituality.

Our Problem of Paradox

But the paradox of ISKCON is that it is- or should be- a spiritual society. At least it has spiritual aspirations, and consequently, its members tend to regard those whom they consider to be brahmanas more seriously and reverently than those who are obviously ksatriyas. Thus, while it is a fact that a true brahmana will never be willing to take up the reins of management as it is not in his nature, it is indeed in the power hungry nature of a ksatriya to covet *all* the reins of power, thus rising to the top of the perceived heirarchy.

An example of this that is extant in our society is when the legislative power passes a resolution or law that its power is spiritual. This is a dead-set proof of fraud, as the very notion of defining class by passing resolutions about it, defies the authority of the Supreme Brahman who declares that the separation is based on qualities and work only, which excludes governmental decree. Thus a brahmana who is an obedient servant of the Supreme Brahman, would find it impossible and outrageously hypocritical to ever enact such a pantomime of disgraceful proportions so as to make a laughing stock of that which he regards most highly- the orders of the Supreme Brahman.

If out of pure necessity only a brahmana takes up management, he would never pass a resolution about his power still being spiritual, for he is uninterested in power per se. He would only take up the burden of management as a temporary solution to a lack of qualified ksatriyas- such as Srila Prabhupada did in the early days of Iskcon. No one can argue that Srila Prabhupada was reluctant to manage, he made it explicitly clear, but in ISKCON our managers are making sure that re-elections never happen, so they never have to give it up!

The two greatest threats to them are varnasrama and re-elections, for both are challenges to their security and accountability, yet uncomfortably both are the explicit directions of the founder-acarya (whom they nevertheless hope to place "in the center", again not by action but by decree!) They know that either will force them to step down, as they would have to face their failure to respond appropriately to crises such as child abuse, cow abuse as well as the neglect of the instructions of Srila Prabhupada and the misrepresentation of the philosophy as outlined above. Yet re-elections and varnasrama are both necessary for our long-term survival which necessitates that the spiritual concerns of all members be heard and acted upon, so as to have the kind of faith in one's leadership that make it a joy to serve.

I'd like to thank April for her thought-provoking questions. April is spring-time in many countries (though autumn in mine), a time when many dormant bulbs within the ground come to life with wonderful effects. Questions are just like the effects of the season on the bulbs of doubt and unclarity of vision. We only need to appreciate them as so, to get the effect of their full blossoming.

April asked about how to discover one's dharma, or nature. She also asked how to know whether what one chooses to do will be pleasing to Krsna. In one respect, dharma is the Lord Himself, for the Lord and the ability in wo/men are non-different, as He states in the gita. Thus to recognize one's abilities is, in one sense, to discover the Lord.

It is pleasing to the Lord, if one remembers this- that if one is creatively inclined, that it is the Lord flowing through one's hands as one is painting, writing, etc. If one is intellectually inclined, it is the Lord flowing through one's mind as one is thinking. And if one is interpersonally inclined, it is the Lord flowing through one's heart as one is loving.

One never works alone, and the only task is to find the talents that the Lord has given in seed form and recognize Him in that. The only thing that displeases Krsna is forgetfulness of Him. However in ISKCON it can be hard to find one's nature, as everyone else is telling you what you should do, moment to moent. They do not believe that Krsna can be pleased, and surrender can be perfect and complete, when one simply does what one is talented or inclined to do, and remember Him in that endeavour.

In his later pastimes, Srila Prabhupada strongly recommended introducing varnasrama to ISKCON, but this has not yet happened, possibly because our leaders fear it would lead to anarchy if they allowed everyone to follow their own nature instead of being bossed around. I believe it would lead to a situation of great spontaneity and joy, and the leaders would be seen in their role of servants facilitating that joy. There would certainly be less criticism and resentment of them, and thus everyone would benefit.



Juicy Discussions On Day Ten
by Niscala Dasi
Posted February 27, 2007

Hare Krsna Dasi's article "The Dhanurdhara Scandal- What Decisive Actions were Taken?" reflects the frustration of us all with the lack of communications from the GBC on topics that are vitally important, in this case how we deal with perpetrators of child abuse. Our movement will never have the integrity it needs to have and to hold on to people with higher virtues, when truth, transparency, human decency and compassion are constantly compromised within the leadership.

That is why the question raised on Day 9 of the meetings is so imperative- whether the GBC authority is spiritual or managerial? This essential question of whether the GBC is following Srila Prabhupada's direction to introduce varnasrama, thus separating the managerial from the spiritual authority, is the pivot on whether other issues will *ever* be taken seriously. People of ambition get lazy when they reach their comfortable situation, in this case world travel, the best accomodation, and reverent submission from the masses. Whether essential topics get discussed at all, or sufficently, or with honesty, is of little concern to them. Certainly from the reports, it was not as important as what happened when the gurukulis visited and what they refreshed themselves with on day 10.

In contrast, a varnasrama meeting would be subject to a person or group who has nothing to gain or lose in this heirarchy but whose sole interest is transparency and integrity to the philosophy, the directions of guru and sastra and the qualities our society espouses. That is the brahmana and since he is a teacher to all, not just the ksatriya, he would never keep essential details of a meeting a closed secret to the society. A brahmana is always keen to inform and enlighten everyone- what to speak of those with spiritual concerns, he would take them most seriously.

So long as men of ambition determine the direction of meetings and their reporting back to the society, the essential will never be separated from the trivial, and if essential topics be discussed at all, will not be with from the standpoint of integrity, but rather to appear as though they are doing something, just by raising the topic. Thus, people with essential concerns such as Hare Krsna Dasi will continue to be ignored and kept in the dark or fed such patronizing insults as "we dealt with it decisively!" This lack of information even on topics of our most heartfelt concern, smacks of impersonalism and hard-heartedness.

It also sends an unambiguous message that what they want from us is *blind* submission, a perfect situation from a managerial point of view, but absolutely disastrous from the brahmana's standpoint. The former wants to avoid problems and have things running smoothly, even if principles are compromised, and the latter wants principles uncompromised, even if it causes all manner of problems and headaches. Thus brahmana and the ksatriya class can never merge, as they have opposing paradigms and qualifications by definition in the gita. They are however both essential, as are the head and the arms of the body, but when all the brain you have is in your arms, you in pretty bad shape. Even with the best juice bar outside your meeting room. Even mango.