Dwapara: work to live or live to work?

In his Autobiography, Second Edition, The Path, Swami Kriyananda recounts the most powerful speech he had ever heard, given by Yogananda in Beverly Hills, CA on July 31, 1949:

"This day," he thundered, punctuating every word, "marks the birth of a new era. My spoken words are registered in the ether, in the Spirit of God, and they shall move the West. . . . Self-Realization has come to unite all religions. . . . We must go on-not only those who are here, but thousands of youths must go North, South, East and West to cover the earth with little colonies, demonstrating that simplicity of living plus high thinking lead to the greatest happiness!"(49) I was moved to my core. It would not have surprised me had the heavens opened up and a host of angels come streaming out, eyes ablaze, to do his bidding. Deeply I vowed that day to do my utmost to make his words a reality.

Often during the years I was with Master he exhorted his audiences on the subject of this cherished dream of his: "world brotherhood colonies," or spiritual cooperative communities-not monasteries, merely, but places where people in every stage of life could devote themselves to living the divine life.

"Environment is stronger than will power," he told us. He saw "world brotherhood colonies" as environments that would foster spiritual attitudes: humility, trust, devotion, respect for others, friendly cooperation. For worldly people, too, who dream of a better way of life, small cooperative communities offer the best hope of demonstrating to society at large that mankind is capable of achieving heights that are so scornfully repudiated in this age of spiritual underachievers. Such communities would be places where cooperative attitudes were emphasized, rather than social and political "rights" and the present social and business norms of cut-throat competition.

"Gather together, those of you who share high ideals," Yogananda told his audiences. "Pool your resources. Buy land out in the country. A simple life will bring you inner freedom. Harmony with nature will bring you a happiness known to few city dwellers. In the company of other truth seekers it will be easier for you to meditate and think of God.

"What is the need for all the luxuries people surround themselves with? Most of what they have they are paying for on the installment plan. Their debts are a source of unending worry to them. Even people whose luxuries have been paid for are not free; attachment makes them slaves. They consider themselves freer for their possessions, and don't see how their possessions in turn possess them!"

He added: "The day will come when this colony idea will spread through the world like wildfire."

SRF chose not to pursue the colonies idea beyond the short stay retreat center of Hidden Valley in CA. Ananda continues to have colonies as a central theme with major centers on the US West Coast, Italy and now India. To the author's knowledge, other Kriya organizations have run with the idea but on a smaller scale, for example, Sunburst, but with little media outreach.

As of 2008, in the US, the gap between the rich and the poor is at its widest since the last great depression. The buying power of middle class salaries has eroded to the point of working to simply exist - paying off taxes, mortgages, student loans, medical bills, auto loans and credit cards since high paying jobs are in high costs of living cities. These circumstances makes the concept of moving back to the land in a spiritual context all the more attractive for reconnecting with spiritual goals, living in communities of like minded individuals and working smarter rather than harder.

In the 1950's Erich Fromm had pointed out the alienation inherent in living only for career advancement (in between layoffs) and consumerism in his book the Sane Society but for many the good life was one of upscale homes, cars, schools and trips with no end to easy credit and endless stock market and stock options growth until recent times.

With advances in technology from solar panels to the internet, it is no longer an Amish-style, Hippy, travel back in time to live away from cities.

The challenge is one of finding a creative niche from which to make, save and donate money rather than treading water in some drone-like worker role no matter what past cache the role of lawyer, doctor, professor or scientist once held.

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