Sometimes in life we have to make tough decisions and let go
of something we hold dear in order to cultivate something that we will
potentially relish even more. This is
the nature of relationships and of love.
Love without sacrifice is incomplete, for sacrifice illustrates that we hold another’s interests higher than our own.
Love is dynamic and it expands and stretches our limits, making us capable of accomplishing that which we previously considered impossible. The process of bhakti is all about letting go
of our selfish propensities so that we can cultivate and express our love to
the Supreme Being. It is about showing Sri
Krsna that we love Him and would, if necessary, forgo our own comforts in order
to contribute to His.
Three and a half years ago I let something go that was very
dear to me because at the time it was beneficial to my service to the
Vaisnava’s to modify my plans for the Bhagavat Commune. Although we had around sixty beautiful acres
with picturesque cliffs and waterfalls, the property we had then was not ready
for full time residents due to periodic flash-flooding and difficulties (both
financial and technical) with a proposed bridge construction.
Due to these circumstances and a few other considerations,
we sold our first property in order to obtain a different piece of land with
more acreage, more pasture/garden area, and most importantly a house for
full time residents.
This second property served us quite well for a period of
time, but as our situation changed and we no longer had full time residents, we
realized that without the necessary manpower to maintain 180 acres, the new
property no longer suited our needs and so we sold that one also.
As fate has it, this week I was able to purchase the
original property back from a lovely couple who are also into natural building
and who have another property nearby where they are constructing a timber frame
workshop and an earth shelter.
Since the plans for the Bhagavat Commune have been modified,
our needs have changed, and now this beautiful, satvic property perfectly suits
our current and future needs.
It may be a few years before we begin holding events at the
Bhagavat Commune again, but until then I will spend a few months of the year building
natural structures to facilitate our workshops, retreats, festivals and sastric
study courses.
In the mean time, I will continue to spend about half of the
year in India doing my services for the Bhaktivedanta Academy and the Mayapur
Institute, a couple months in Europe, and hopefully while I am in Kentucky
during the summer months I will also be able to assist the devotees at
Chintamani Dham with their workshops, seminars and other projects.
I look forward to updating everyone with pictures as I
progress with the various phases of construction at the Bhagavat Commune when I
get back to the states next spring.
Hari, Hari!
