Simple Living – the Path to Happiness and Personal Fulfillment?

[Dhanesvara Das]

Simple Living – the Path to Happiness and Personal Fulfillment?

On my Gitagrad blog* I made several posts of people who are
deliberately taking to the simple life away from the cities and off
the grid. One of my friends, the devil’s advocate, wrote to me to ask
how “living in a one room cabin off-grid relates to the performance of
devotional service and the development of Daiva-varnashrama Village?
Without such commentary, the reader may think that living off grid in
small cabins will somehow solve the greater problems of the day,
which, of course, won’t.” That’s a good point. Here is how I answered
in my next post:

To begin with, let me answer by saying that without the Daiva-
varnashrama culture, simple living cannot be established in a
significant way in the present world. And without simple living there
is no solution to the problems resulting from concentrating millions
of people in densely populated areas, that threaten the ecosystems,
and everyone’s mere survival, what to speak of their mental health or
happiness. In other words, the Daiva-varnashrama culture must be
established in order to save this world from its present suicidal
course.

Daiva-Varnashrama Culture

In order to make that connection I will first summarize the idea of
Daiva-varnashrama and then explain the relationship between it and
simple living. Please note that I use these terms Varnashrama Dharma,
varnashrama culture, and Daiva-varnashrama interchangeably herein.
While there are differences between them those differences are not
pertinent here.

One of the objectives of Gitagrad is to create a place of
transcendental culture, where all activity is done for the pleasure
and satisfaction of the Supreme Lord. In fact that is the meaning of
the word “Gitagrad” – the place where we live according to the
Bhagavad-gita. Such a way of life, due to its connection with the
Supreme Fountainhead of all that be, should be satisfying, abundant,
rewarding, and the ticket to spiritual emancipation at the end of
life.

That culture, the Daiva-varnashrama culture, is the culture given to
us by God for our well-being and a spiritually progressive life. Many
aspects of that culture are prescribed in what are called the dharma
shastras. Shastra means scripture. Dharma can be translated as duties.
The dharma shastras thus prescribe the many do’s and don’ts for human
beings, and those duties are best carried out in the context of the
complete varnashrama culture. Acharya Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakur
explains the function of varnashrama culture in “Sri Chaitanya-
sikshamrita”:

"The social rules are divided into two parts: varna and ashrama, or
varnashrama. People in such a society have two aspects: their basic
nature and their stage of life. Their nature is fixed by their mental
and physical qualities, and their stage of life determines their role
in society. From the individual’s nature arise the rules of varnas,
and from the progressive stages of life comes the ashramas. As people
act in these roles their individual mental and physical qualities do
not disappear [as some may think is the result of spiritual practice],
but rather, are nourished.

"When bodily and mental tendencies gradually develop by cultivation,
they attain a fixed stage, where one quality dominates all others.
That quality is the human being’s nature. There are four natures
[varnas]: brahmana, ksatriya, vaisya and sudra. These four varnas have
arisen on the basis of the positive qualities of men. With the display
of negative qualities, the outcast from the social system arises. [In
a fully-functioning, widespread varnashrama culture] A person in such
a situation has little alternative but to give up those negative
qualities [in order to be accepted into society]."

Formerly the varnashrama social system was soundly established around
the world, and remnants of it are known to us in the West as the
medieval social system. However, due to the degrading influences of
this age the varnashrama culture has been lost. Details of how the
past social order was deliberately replaced, and how society came to
be organized by money alone is explained in Chapter Four of the first
volume of my book on Spiritual Economics.* But, it has been the desire
of the recent Vaishnava acharyas to reestablish that social
organization for the progressive benefit of all society. Srila
Prabhupada has stated that one of the aims of his Krishna
Consciousness Movement is to establish the Daiva-varnashrama culture.

There are several significant aspects to note which may help us to
understand and thus establish the Varnashrama culture. The first is
that the economic basis of the varnashrama culture is agriculture and
cow protection. Not money, nor industrial enterprises, because these
act to undermine the culture itself. (For further details on this
subject please see my post “Money and Varnashrama Culture”). The
second point is that the varnashrama culture that we seek to establish
will be significantly different from the varnashrama culture of the
past in terms of spiritual practices. Instead of following the Vedic-
marga, with the rules and regulations given in the four Vedas as was
formerly done, we will incorporate the spiritual practices of the
pancaratrika-marga and bhagavat-marga, the practices of modern day
Gaudiya Vaishnavas. Specifically we shall incorporate the yuga-dharma,
or religion for the age, the chanting of the Hare Krishna Mahamantra:
Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama,
Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. These practices give very quick
results to the serious practitioner allowing the supreme objective of
spiritual emancipation to be achieved in just one lifetime.

It was Srila Prabhupada’s desire to establish the varnashrama culture,
and it was so significant to him that he considered it to be fifty
percent of his life’s work. That work is left for us to do as he was
not given time to accomplish it. In his books and teachings to his
disciples he spoke endlessly about Varnashrama Dharma. He gave many
instructions to his leading disciples to establish Varnashrama
colleges in each temple leading to the implementation of the
varnashrama social system and culture. Despite his many admonitions to
that effect the work has hardly been pursued within the society, and
we speculate this is because it is not well understood. The
fulfillment of this desire of our spiritual master is the goal of our
efforts within our Gitagrad communities.

In his instructions to his followers for how to live in this world
Srila Prabhupada often used the phrase “simple living and high
thinking.” He wanted us to live simply, constructing simple dwellings
with local materials for habitation, produce our own food directly
from the land, and, combining that with delicious milk products from
the cow, to have delicious and satisfying food. With the time saved
from having to run hither and thither as everyone must in modern
society, one can hear the sacred texts, chant the Hare Krishna
Mahamantra, and participate in the spiritual culture with Deity
worship, drama, dance, kirtan, music, art, sculpting, woodworking,
weaving, writing, etc.

The Spiritual Aspect is Paramount

Above all other aspects of the culture, the spiritual aspect of the
varnashrama culture is its most significant, because it can give the
participants the happiness and satisfaction so desired by all people
in life, without which people cannot be satisfied with simple living
alone. The Srimad-Bhagavatam states (1.2.6-7): “The supreme occupation
[dharma] for all humanity is that by which men can attain to loving
devotional service unto the transcendent Lord. Such devotional service
must be unmotivated and uninterrupted to completely satisfy the self.
By rendering devotional service to the Supreme Lord Sri Krishna on
immediately acquires causeless knowledge and detachment from the
world.”

Thus when properly performed, devotional service brings about not only
detachment from material objects, but also gives the practitioner full
satisfaction. This is a paramount point and the connection between
Daiva-varnashrama and simple living—It is due to becoming detached
from sense gratification and being satisfied within oneself that one
can live a simple life. Without this we see in practice that it is
next to impossible for people to live the simple life for any length
of time. The villages of the former Soviet Union have been emptying
out since the fall of communism and the end of the collective farms
that once sustained them. People are enticed by the sense
gratification available in the cities with its alluring passionate
influence. That is to say that simple living, in an of itself, is not
sufficient to give people a satisfying life. Of course the Western
countries are so much more “advanced” in this regard that 97 percent
of the people now live on 3 percent of the land, urban and suburban.

Because internal satisfaction is so essential to simple living, and
because simple living is so essential to solving the devastating
impacts of the consumer culture, it is crucial that we create the
circumstances that will allow that pure devotional service to develop
quickly. Fair enough, you say, but does that necessitate crude living
in a village?

There is a growing worldwide recognition that the consumer lifestyle
constitutes a big part of our modern day problems—especially the
environmental and social problems. And with food prices escalating
quickly, causing food riots around the world, consumers are hostage to
the moneyed-interests that profit by causing food prices to rise. The
key element to note here is that city dwelling requires consumerism.
How else can one live in the city? Therefore the “back to the land”
movement that began in the late 60s and early 70s after fading is
coming back. There are large numbers of people seeking ways to make
village life a pleasant and happy experience. In Russia and central
Asia the books of “Anastasia,” written by Vladimir Megre, glorifying
the natural life have given rise to an entire movement of living close
to the earth. This movement is spreading across the Asian continent,
Europe, and continuing to North America as well. Then there are the
Transition Towns, who, taking Peak Oil as a very real threat, are
attempting to alter their lifestyles to be able to live with less oil.
They also are beginning to recognize city life as “the problem”
requiring oil dependency. There are also many people who see a real
and present danger of one form or another in modern life and who
desire to be independent and off the grid, like Bill Powers, (see my
earlier post) who chose to go it alone in a simple 12 X 12 cabin based
on his own inspiration for simple living.

Getting to the Village is Easy. How Do You Stay There?

There is one question that arises in relationship to all of these
efforts, quoting the old song: “how you gonna keep them down on the
farm?” Rural living may appear to be attractive, and the contrast with
city life is at first exciting and pleasing. But how long can it last
before it becomes boring and nothing but a lot of hard work? After
some ten years the back to the land movement became a back to the city
movement, albeit with some survivors—Steve Gaskin’s “The Farm” in
Tennessee made it to the 21st century, and of course some of the Hare
Krishna farms, and others, although many lost much of their previous
vitality through the years. Some of the recent Anastasia settlements
are even losing their once enthusiastic members after just a few short
years. Let me give a few suggestions as to why this occurs.

Typically we see that most people don’t actually move to the country—
they move but bring the city with them. That is, they do not change
their lifestyles, their economic support, or their culture. They keep
their city jobs with its income despite the longer commute, they
import the city culture via satellite dish or internet, and because
they do not produce their essentials, they must continue to shop in
the city for them which requires money, which is of course obtained in
the city. Money thus becomes a city-village umbilical cord which
people continue to depend on to survive. To become free from money
altogether requires a fairly well-developed group of people who have
the know-how, skills and tools to provide for themselves.

An example of this city dependence is the Anastasia settlement Dolyna
Djerel (Spring Valley) on the outskirts of Kiev that I visited several
weeks ago. Of the fifty homes there, none of the people who lived in
them were even trying to be self-sufficient, or even free from city
life. Everyone commutes to the city to work. Although some of the
homes were simple, judging by the other rather nice houses, they were
not even attempting to live a simple life. It would best be described
as an effort to create a comfortable community and “gentleman’s farms”
where gardening is done as a hobby but is certainly not the main
economic basis of living. This is also the case with several other
Anastasia communities that I have visited, as well as some of the Hare
Krishna farms.

There are some very important reasons that will help us to understand
the inability of people to sever their city connection completely.

The first of these is what are called “the gunas” or modes of material
nature. Again, in “Spiritual Economics” I treat this subject in
detail, and here give only a very brief introduction. There are three
modes of nature, goodness, passion and ignorance, under whose
influence this entire material world functions. Things are created in
passion, maintained under the influence of goodness, and destroyed by
ignorance. Passion is very pleasing initially, but after some time
brings distress and suffering. Goodness is unpleasant initially, but
later is actually joyful. And ignorance is trouble from beginning to
end. The city is under the influence of passion and ignorance, but the
village is situated in goodness. It is very important to note that
practically the entire world is now habituated to, or conditioned by,
the modes of passion and ignorance (including our Hare Krishna
devotees) due to city living. Due to conditioned behavior we feel
comfortable with those modes of nature, and it is therefore very
difficult to be satisfied in the village where those gunas are mostly
absent.

So here is one of the big problems that stand in the way of successful
transition to village living: a failure to become conditioned to the
qualities of goodness, especially since goodness is unpleasant in the
early stages, or unpleasant until we fully adjust to it. Initially
this new lifestyle may be pleasant due to the contrast with city life.
Kind of like going on a camping trip. But after some time that
euphoria wears off and the differences become magnified. The newcomers
may be living in older dwellings, and in a house without plumbing,
electricity or gas it will likely be impossible to have the same
standards of living that they were accustomed to in the city.
Especially if money is difficult to get, shopping is inconvenient and
they must learn to do without, there will be at least some
dissatisfaction. In these circumstances any appreciation of the
benefits of the new lifestyle may be easily overlooked. Unless the
newcomers can make it through this adjustment period and the shift in
gunas, after some time they simply conclude that the country life is
not for them and head back to the city where they feel “normal” again.
Solving the necessary problems so that the contrast is not so great
will do much to ease the transition in lifestyle. It will also help if
our expectations can be adjusted before hand, since when our
expectations are unmet we generally become unhappy.

The second thing to understand about the move to the village is that
we all must have culture. We are social beings and as such we cannot
do without culture. The question now is: where do we get culture in
the village? Typically, as stated above, people bring the city culture
to the village with them via the airwaves, satellite dish,
electronics, newspapers, literature, and recorded media. People have a
cultural dependency that is typically not recognized and therefore not
dealt with properly.

The best way to deal with this is for the villagers themselves to
create their own culture, although there are challenges to this as
well. In our modern lives we typically enjoy vicariously—through
others. We are entertained. We are passive enjoyers of others’
performances. Thus we often lack the skills for entertaining
ourselves, especially at the quality of the superstars that we are
accustomed to hearing and seeing. But village culture is not meant to
be vicarious, and that means that we must learn to enjoy by doing and
participating in activities, rather than watching or listening to
others. In order for such a village culture to develop there must be
leadership that recognizes this need and encourages, supports and even
directs the effort. The villagers themselves must also take
responsibility for dedicated practice to develop reasonably satisfying
skills. The nice thing about this is that it can be great fun.

The next question that arises is: what is that culture going to be
centered around? People generally do only what they know, which are
activities of passion and ignorance, not goodness, which further
maintains the ties to those influences. Fortunately however, our
devotees are learning how to center such activities around Sri Krishna
and His eternal pastimes, thus helping them to stay on the
transcendental platform of Krishna Consciousness.

In conclusion my thesis is that the simple life, in and of itself
cannot give the lasting satisfaction that will sustain a person’s
village effort, what to speak of sustaining a significant social
movement away from consumerism. Only the Daiva-varnashrama culture
has the ability to accomplish this. And thus, only Daiva-varnashrama
has the ability to solve the consumerism problem, the environmental
problem, the social problems and the economic problems of this world.
It is therefore essential for the future well-being of this entire
world. The only people who can bring this culture about are the
followers of Srila Prabhupada, and it is therefore imperative that
they take it up to lead the world out of their foolish ways of living
under the influence of passion and ignorance. But are our devotees
also too heavily influenced by these lower modes of nature? To averse
to the initial unpleasant nature of sattva-guna in order to take up
the simple life? Thus far it seems to be a serious challenge given the
numbers who take establishing the varnashrama culture seriously.
Indeed, I am often told by city devotees that village life is too
difficult and unpleasant. Srila Prabhupada indicated that our Krishna
Consciousness Movement can bring about a cultural conquest. But that
will only happen when the devotees themselves begin to create, and
live, that complete culture.

* http://gitagrad.blogspot.com
* “Lessons in Spiritual Economics from the Bhagavad-gita - Part 1
Understanding and Solving the Economic Problem” is available from
www.spiritual-econ.com.

[Dhanesvara Das]

My godbrother, Suresvara Dasa Prabhu, sent the following comment on
this post:

Thank you for your latest piece on the Varnasrama conference about
village life. As a survivor of several attempts to "live simply"--from
New Vrindaban to Gita-nagari to the Bhaktivedanta EcoVillage near
Udupi to Prabhupada Village in North Carolina--time and again I've
born witness to the "guna test" we always flunk. As an Amish friend
near Gita-nagari once remarked: "We started with horses and never left
'em. You started with cars, and you're trying to go to oxen? Whoa!"

Don't have time to participate in the conference, Dhanesvara Prabhu,
but go on speaking. The Cowherd and His friends are listening...Ys, Sd

My comment in reply: Indeed Suresvaraji, the transition of the gunas
is something that must be anticipated and dealt with. After all, we
are souls conditioned to the modes of passion and ignorance, and from
that perspective goodness is "well, nice, but not for me." Going from
traveling at 60-80 mph down to 2 mph is not something that everyone
can deal with, without becoming very impatient and bored. Perhaps a
horse is a good interim step! Counseling would also be helpful for
those moving to the simple life, to help them understand what to
expect both at the beginning and the end, and to work through it.
Additionally one should have a transition phase to phase in adjustment
to the simple life over a series of months, or even years. This would
help to us to focus on and appreciate what the simple life gives
instead of what it lacks. Hmm...although I didn't plan it this way, it
seems this is a good segue to the next piece I want to write for this
blog - my own transition to simple life. Coming soon.

> *http://gitagrad.blogspot.com

[Dhanesvara Das]

I sent the above post to some friends by email, and here's another
response by email from a godbrother whose name I will omit:

"I joined ISKCON in 1973 and I did not own anything but my cloths for
10 years and for another 5 years I only owed my cloths and a van for
collecting funds for ISKCON. It was not until 1989, or 16 years of
living "simply" that I separated my self from ISKCON. So the devotee
my be willing to follow but if the leaders are abusers, then you have
a breakdown of trust. I had nothing when I moved back to Alachua in
the mid 80s but Hryd. Swami had a house, a pool, etc. And that was
just in Alachua.
"Anyway, I look foward to the day that I can go back. I see that just
a few years away. Hare Krsna"

Yes, the leaders must give a perfect example. Especially when we see
sannyasis, the "renounced" order of life living 'high on the hog' it
undermines our own interest in self-abnegation. What the leaders do
the common men follow. In the 80s we had Bhagavan in Europe buying
castles and living in luxury, spending thousands on fancy rugs for his
use, and even a gold chain to lift the flapper in his toilet!, while
the women lived in the cold basements of those castles without heat or
hot water. Those leaders destroyed the enthusiasm of many devotees,
but we won't go into that any further. That is all history, and it's
time for a new chapter. The question is who is going to lead the world
into a new future? Not the devotees it seems.

Indeed "the karmis" are leading the way to a new paradigm (see today's
post on http://spiritual-econ.blogspot.com). A different future is
coming. Devotees seem to think that simply because they are devotees
that they are going to be in front of that parade. Well, think again.
As I continue to point out in my lectures to the devotees, we *do not*
follow our own philosophy, we live according to the ways of the
dominant culture. So what kind of leadership is that? NONE. We can
give up the idea of leading the world unless we are going to start
following our own philosophy. Regardless of what the 'leaders' do, we
must have the maturity to follow Srila Prabhupada's instructions on
our own, and give the proper example to others.

> ...
>
> read more »

[niscala dasi]

this is a nice post prabhu, on a vital point- that it is very attractive in the beginning to live simply, but how to keep people from getting bored? In addition to your points of culture and "bringing the city with them" I would just like to add the challenge of high thinking- challenging ones thinking, according to one's interest. One must keep the mind engaged to its utmost potential. Therefore, don't give people the same job, such as weeding, every day- challenge each person who is interested in gardening, to learn EVERYTHING about it- how to manage pests non-violently, what to grow in different seasons, how to make compost, make a worm farm, learn permaculture, reduce weeding, companion planting, moon phases- the topic is so varied and interesting--- and give them a piece of ground to work on- that they are responsbile for. Then challenge them to see what they can produce from it. No one should feel like just another cog in the machine, even if it is in a machine-less society! I can speak from personal experience that I never want to leave a place where I have established a garden- I must wait for the harvest, then after the harvest, let a few plants go to seed, then wait for the next planting to make use of those seeds- then try different things- there is always a challenge, and something to look forward to- nature always throws up challenges, but if only the head gardener is responsible, and everyone else does allotted tasks like robots, then there is no delight. Besides, having all highly skilled workers means that if someone gets sick the whole thing doesn't fall apart. The danger of VA is that people may be slid into slots, from which they may not be encouraged to emerge. Challenge must always be there, to enliven devotees:   Letter to Karandhara, 1972: "There seems to be some symptom of missing the point. The point is to be engaged in doing something for Krsna, never mind what is that job, but doing something very much satisfying to the devotee that he remains always enthusiastic...our leaders shall be careful not to kill the spirit of enthusiastic service, which is individual and spontaneous and voluntary.  They should try always to generate some atmosphere of fresh challenge to the devotees so that they agree enthusiastically to rise and meet it. That is the art of management...Krsna consciousness movement must always be a challenge, a great achievement to be gained by voluntary desire to do it."   If they are interested in philosophy, they can be challenged in that way- and then even doing menial tasks like weeding, the time flies, because the brain is engaged. So, one needs to find what people are satisfied doing, or what fascinates them, and let them fly with it. Even if they show no immediate interest in anything, be perceptive to signs of interest developing in something. It may be an obseesion in how to make good compost, or cauliflowers that don't have bugs. It may start with a complaint- "Jeez these caulis have so many bugs!" "Why don't you research that?" Anyway, if one is constantly challenged and given responsibility, not only will it be impossible to be bored, but one will not want to leave- one will want to see the outcomes of one's creative and productive potential! --- On Thu, 9/12/10, Dhanesvara Das <integ...@gmail.com> wrote: