![\"\"](\"http:\/\/dandavats.com\/wp-content\/uploads5\/2014-11-13_09-58-49.jpg\")
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
By Dusyanta dasa<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cWhere there is agriculture there must be cows. That is our mission: Cow protection and agriculture and if there is excess, trade. This is a no-profit scheme. For the agriculture we want to produce our own food and we want to keep cows for our own milk. The whole idea is that we are Iskcon, a community to be independent from outside help. This farm project is especially for the devotees to grow their own food. Cotton also, to make their own clothes. And keeping cows for milk and fatty products.<\/strong><\/p>\n Our mission is to protect our devotees from unnecessary heavy work to save time for advancing in Krishna consciousness. This is our mission. So there is no question of profit, but if easily there are surplus products, then we can think of trading. Otherwise we have no such intention. We want a temple, a Goshalla and agriculture. A community project as in Europe and America. We are making similar attempts in India in several places. Immediately I\u2019m going to Hyderabad to organize the farm project there. We have 600 acres. We have the permission from the government. There is no question of ceiling.<\/p>\n You may call the Goshalla: ISKCON Goshalla and Farm Project Trust. The trustees shall be; myself as chairman, Pranlal Bhogilal, yourself, Gopala Krishna, Mahamsa, Hamsaduta, Karatieya Mahadevia, Aksayananda, and the life member you have mentioned in your letter (You haven\u2019t mentioned his name, but you say that he is an actor and has a farm of his own).\u201d 8th<\/sup> Dec 1976. Srila Prabhupada Letters.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n I love that statement by Srila Prabhupada that \u201c..we are Iskcon, a community to be independent from outside help.\u201d<\/p>\n This is the standard that we are and Srila Prabhupada instructs and expects Iskcon to be independent from outside help because our farm projects, through agriculture and cow protection make us so. There are a number of crucial points made in this letter by Srila Prabhupada that indicate the nature of the function of cow protection. Our cow protection projects along with the agricultural projects are just for one thing. For our independence from outside help. We are not making a business from them and it is a non-profit scheme. We are only engaged in these activities for our (Iskcon) benefit, we don\u2019t have ulterior motives and we don\u2019t have hidden agendas and we are not trying to support ourselves financially from agriculture and cow protection. Rather we are saving ourselves from paying out for 2nd<\/sup> and 3rd<\/sup> class food grown with chemicals and violence.<\/p>\n Why do we (Iskcon) want to be independent from outside help? Firstly we want to become our own masters, to employ our skills in our own service. We want first class, mode of goodness food that is grown as violent free as possible, minimum violence. (S.Bhag.3.29.15.) We want to avoid over endeavour in providing for our income. We should be satisfied by what is offered to us by Krishna. (S.Bhag.3.27.7\/8.). The capitalistic western influence and teaching is to go get what ever you dream for. Krishna\u2019s instructions are to grow grains, not open factories and work endlessly. So just by working a little our primary problems of economy are solved. The holistic lifestyle then provides all our requirements. Food, energy, mode of goodness living buildings for a fraction of the cost of the housing market, and we can trade excesses to obtain cotton for clothing. Then we can begin to build community to establish social needs like education, governance, medical needs and employment. We gain independence from outside help.<\/p>\n There are two scenarios that we can include in this thesis. One is, Iskcon cow protection and agriculture with Iskcon resources and Iskcon devotees at official Iskcon established projects. These must be run according to how Srila Prabhupada describes the projects. In other words Iskcon agricultural projects are for self-independence, non-profit making, and to protect the devotees of Iskcon from all the hard working principles of capitalism. That\u2019s the model He is describing here.<\/p>\n The other scenario is where a grhasta wants to protect his own cows and farm his own land according to Srila Prabhupada\u2019s instructions but also wants to make a business by supplying other devotees the products from this agricultural project. It becomes a private enterprise but based on community principles rather than capitalistic principles and related to devotees, not just anyone. We are not wholesaling or retailing.<\/p>\n Iskcon community projects take on different qualities according to the modes of nature. But here we are learning that our community projects are non-profit making schemes. They are based on cow protection agriculture not capitalistic enterprises. Their aim is exclusively for the members of Iskcon and comprehensively operated within the mode of goodness. This is the protection that Iskcon devotees require from the unnecessary pressures of overworking for their income, for the artificially inflationary costs of buying a house and paying extortionate bills for the rest of their lives, why? So devotees remain fixed on their Krishna Conscious activities and are secure and supported within their own community facilities. The safe place to take shelter so all their social needs are catered for automatically. <\/p>\n The Iskcon principled cow protection project is situated on community concerns of Iskcon members only, no outside considerations at all. Cow protection in Iskcon properties are only for Iskcon devotees and for self-independence. This is a very strong point made in this connection. The food grown is for devotee\u2019s consumption, the milk produced is for devotee\u2019s consumption and any other produce is for devotee\u2019s consumption. The only other point is that when there is excess then that can be traded in a non-profit scheme for other commodities that the community require.<\/p>\n Now we are getting to the nub of how cow protection functions within the Iskcon dynamic. It has to be related to community. That means the symbiotic relationship level has to be present and engaged in cow protection otherwise what is the point of cow protection in an Iskcon scenario. Srila Prabhupada is describing exactly how a cow protection project must function to be within the definition of Iskcon. And that principle is that cow protection must manifest the symbiotic relationship to function as required. And it must be within the relationship of community, the community of Iskcon devotees, they are the ones who must benefit from the cows produced milk and from the agriculturally produced food. Iskcon is not going to all that effort to produce milk and food for outsiders. Srila Prabhupada describes the milk as \u201cour own milk\u201d and the agricultural products as \u201cour food\u201d.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n That\u2019s one consideration from this letter that deals with the produce of cow protection and agricultural activities. The second point that Srila Prabhupada raises is the considerable point about \u201ccommunity\u201d. \u2026\u201d a community to be independent from outside help.\u201d That is a massive consideration. He wants a Temple, a Goshalla, and Agricultural activities and a farm community all linked together. In other words each time we establish a Temple type model then simultaneously cow protection and agriculture are also present and that\u2019s the standard Srila Prabhupada is setting. Even in city situations a farm must be established alongside to supply, engage and practice our principles. Obviously a farm cannot exist in physical proximity to a city Temple building but the principle is that a farm must be related\/linked to a city Temple community, to provide all the food products for the devotees and the many other considerations.<\/p>\n Now the huge consideration that Srila Prabhupada is describing here is that we establish our farms as we establish our Temples, they are both crucial components of the preaching for Iskcon properties. The reason that a farm has to be established is many. <\/p>\n To engage the devotees in work, not outsiders.<\/p>\n To establish the principle of community.<\/p>\n To produce food in the mode of goodness.<\/p>\n To bring the community of devotees closer together.<\/p>\n To illustrate community as an alternative to capitalism. <\/p>\n To protect cows as a way to manifest the highest principle of society.<\/p>\n Some devotees would describe all this as a way to illustrate Varnashrama Dharma, that\u2019s partly true but it is more than just that. Actually what Iskcon is trying to establish is the perfect example of Vedic life style as well as varnashrama. In other words how Vaisnava\u2019s, who are spiritually transcendental, function in the material world through the established principle of community. The idea of community is based on commune with God not the different aspects of varnashrama through quality and activity. A Vaisnava devotee is transcendentally situated and is beyond the Varnashrama institution but nevertheless still has to function socially because families, children and cow protection agriculture are present.<\/p>\n The outcome of all these different components of Vaisnava life in the material world is spiritual \u201ccommunity\u201d. How this functions is subject to a massive debate within Vaisnava circles but the principles are based on communion with God, protection of Cows, and the mode of goodness culture of lifestyle, self-governing principles of Istaghosti and harmonious activities. Practically speaking the antithesis of capitalistic type lifestyles. The two concerns that always arise are; <\/p>\n 1.Our own personal considerations of lifestyle and <\/p>\n 2.The preaching activities. <\/p>\n We are not for or against anything when it comes to preaching but personally and individually we are only for Krishna. So that is where the skilful application of how we approach situations appears. It\u2019s like an interface of engaging the material energy for preaching and for our own personal lifestyles. We have two distinct modes of operations and the skilful application means that those two modes don\u2019t meet or overlap unwittingly.<\/p>\n That\u2019s the whole point of establishing devotee communities so that Vaisnavas can personally and individually practice their own mode of goodness standards and how to apply them within the community dynamic through association from elders to neophytes, by learning how to discriminate positively to choose the higher principles and to produce all their own goods through their own endeavours. Then when it comes to preaching, the differences are patently obvious and are recognised as \u201cpreaching tools\u201d not \u201clifestyle options.\u201d <\/p>\n The dynamics of community are comprehensive from the beginnings of establishing community to its completion and all the steps and stages along the journey. The Temple model of Iskcon on its own is not enough to engage in community building, so the establishment of farms, agriculture and cow protection alongside Temple situations balances out the otherwise emptiness of experiencing the social presence of Vaisnava life. The preaching lifestyle and the Social lifestyle both need to be present so that the experience of both are juxtaposed with each other to identify the differences so they can be applied appropriately. Temple life cant be applied socially nor vice versa, but both exist so we have to understand how they exist and where they exist to be able to apply both, otherwise the \u201ctemptation\u201d is to apply \u201cpreaching tools\u201d to our personal life and if we overlap them inappropriately then it becomes misplaced, self-indulgent and eventually the lower modes of nature take over.<\/p>\n The relationship in cow protection and agriculture is based on symbiosis and community infrastructure for devotees. We are not making money from them, nor are we trying to be entrepreneurial. The whole idea is for community and cow protection to exist hand in hand. We are just producing food for the community by the community; the cow\u2019s milk is for our own devotees. We are not growing cash crops, we are not trying to sell our produce, and we are only growing food for ourselves, nothing more than that. It\u2019s a social framework infrastructure that excludes any outside standards and influence. It is created by devotees for devotees to \u201c\u2026. become independent of outside help.\u201d<\/p>\n On that level of community it is quite a straightforward understanding to produce food. Scripturally we are instructed in B.Gita As It Is, (3.14), to grow grains not grow industrial factories so it\u2019s an easy principle to conclude that an agrarian lifestyle is what is being alluded to. That basic economic understanding is the first step of the goals of community. But when we look towards the next step of community it includes all the social requirements. And one of these issues is the purpose of bringing the devotees closer together and living a simple lifestyle. It\u2019s a direct, primary and premiere, purpose of Iskcon particularly for the members of Iskcon.<\/p>\n This purpose of Iskcon can only be reached through the advent of community Iskcon. The Temple model of Iskcon cannot be applied to the totality of Iskcon, and the evolutionary answer is to create the agrarian social community model that is established exclusively for the members of Iskcon. Its not a preaching model per se, its not a copy of the Temple model but it is a social community model that is for specifically seeking self-independence. <\/p>\n What makes this model of community so special is that devotees can fulfil all the social instructions from the Acharayas that are in place to fully benefit the devotees. For example all our emotional support that each individual requires to fully function as a devotee. The release of the mode of passion within the dynamic of the mode of goodness social community. Because community dynamics provide a social system that does not exist within the Temple model then all sorts of social problems can be resolved holistically and a much more balanced, stable social system is established and accessed.<\/p>\n A very real problem within our Society is gender attraction. For all members and for both genders the answer to this problem is the holistic social system of community. Our philosophical understanding is fully played out within this dynamic so that the mode of passion is minimised for each member and our practice of what we preach is implemented organically. Community means working together realistically not artificially so we see members of community in their real nature not as an opposite gender. Those gender identities slowly dissipate as the mode of goodness takes over from the mode of passion, not artificially but organically. That\u2019s what a real community is by definition, its not just a physical group of devotees, it\u2019s a socially organised dynamic that is focussed on the one goal of holistic living. It\u2019s the most natural environment that we can exist in outside of the spiritual world. The mode of goodness community based on an agrarian lifestyle with cow protection and food production as the common goal.<\/p>\n In effect from a philosophical point of view it means we are positively dealing with Anartha Nivrtti by identifying the blockages in our hearts together rather than banging our heads against a brick wall individually. Community association fluidises how we deal with the unwanted weeds by the social effect of unity. Our western conditioning dissipates and support, trust and forgiveness become the normal way of life. We get help to deal with our Anartha\u2019s from our peers and from ourselves because we feel good about our community situation, our feelings and ourselves, which helps to progress ourselves spiritually. <\/p>\n Because most devotees were conditioned by capitalism and business influences it has become our 2nd<\/sup> nature. Sometimes we do things without thinking, without realising what we are doing, by habit and these can be misappropriated. A good example from the simple life is looking after Bees. There are many levels of exploitation that we can follow by looking after Bees. And capitalism and a sense of business can always creep into honey production. Cow protection is another example of how we tend to imitate and follow commercial practices of animal husbandry; almost unconsciously we copy many of their principles.<\/p>\n Another example is lifestyle. We take so many capitalistic principles for granted. With massive mortgages and high rents we unconsciously decide that paying for a dwelling will cost a lifetime in income. We pay commercial market lead prices for bricks, mortar and wood and glass just to live in, which take a lifetime to pay for and drains Iskcon resources. It\u2019s an artificial imposition on our lives that we take for granted and accept. <\/p>\n I saw some pictures recently where a devotee was harvesting the Bees honey. He was packaging the honey in hundreds of small sized glass jars with labels on. The only reason to package honey in such small amounts would be to sell the honey in a commercial setting. It\u2019s an unnecessary waste of packaging and it\u2019s an imitation of a commercial process that is not applicable to devotee community. As we trawl through the activities that devotees perform in an economic setting its apparent that we have not learned the higher ways of lifestyle through the limited availability and access to community. This same copying dynamic exists all throughout our activities outside of devotional service. If we were to make community part of our devotional activities that we perform on a regular basis then so many changes would have to be made. To be Iskcon, \u201ca community to be independent from outside help\u201d then we have to address this sooner rather than later and start adopting mode of goodness activities rather than copying capitalistic ones. Just take a look around our community and agricultural projects and see how we really have not learnt to follow our own standards yet.<\/p>\n This is one of the main reasons that the community model does not work; because our cow protection projects and our agricultural projects are not self-independent of outside help so they have not been integrated with the Temple model and community. To become the full model of the totality of Iskcon we need to integrate these three components fully.<\/p>\n The temple model of Iskcon.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n The cow protection and agricultural projects.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n The community of devotees.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n Thus with these three components in place then it is possible to become self-independent from outside help as Srila Prabhupada is instructing. It becomes possible to solve all our economic problems through the mode of goodness and minimum violence, and it becomes possible to demonstrate the highest possible attainment of civilisation. That\u2019s what the totality of Iskcon represents.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The relationship in cow protection and agriculture is based on symbiosis and community infrastructure for devotees. We are not making money from them, nor are we trying to be entrepreneurial. The whole idea is for community and cow protection to exist hand in hand. We are just producing food for the community by the community; the cow\u2019s milk is for our own devotees. We are not growing cash crops, we are not trying to sell our produce, and we are only growing food for ourselves, nothing more than that. It\u2019s a social framework infrastructure that excludes any outside standards and influence. It is created by devotees for devotees to \u201c\u2026. become independent of outside help.\u201d <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,69],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-14161","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-articles","category-cow-protection"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14161","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=14161"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14161\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14163,"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14161\/revisions\/14163"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=14161"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=14161"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=14161"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}\n
![\"Hare](\"http:\/\/dandavats.com\/wp-content\/uploads5\/2014-11-13_09-59-51.jpg\")
By Dusyanta dasa<\/strong><\/p>\n