I arrived today at New Vrindaban, an intentional community of Hare Krishna devotees in the hills near Moundsville, WV. Perhaps a hundred people live on New Vrindaban’s acres, with some scattered in nearby houses. But on arrival, I couldn’t tell.
There was silence. And almost no one walking around. I had no idea what to do. I’ve yet to arrive somewhere where I was left to my own devices, be it because I’m trusted or ignored. But it was kind of nice to have some time just to myself.
So I walked the grounds.
New Vrindaban’s acres are incredibly manicured, with neat lawns, placid lakes, and wildlife roaming freely. I said hello to this peacock:
And sat contemplatively by this lake, where children taunted swans:
Then, I walked by these statues of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and Nityananda:
As Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, a 16th-century monk, popularized the maha mantra, a recording of someone chanting it was constantly playing on repeat by his statues. It went:
Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna
Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare
Hare Rama, Hare Rama
Rama Rama, Hare Hare
“Hare” is a calling on divine energy, and “Krishna” and “Rama” are two names of God.
Hare Krishna devotees, technically followers of Gaudiya Vaishnavism, worship Krishna as the highest form of God, and strip away other aspects of Hinduism, from which their faith originates. According to Gaudiya Vaishnava philosophy, all living beings are distinct from their current body – the nature of the soul being eternal, immutable and indestructible without any particular beginning or end.
Souls are repeatedly reborn amongst the various species of life on this planet and on other worlds in accordance to the laws of karma and individual desire, which is consistent with the cycle of birth, disease, old age, death, and rebirth in Hindu belief.
Hare Krishna devotees differ, however, because they believe that to break the cycle, pure love of God is necessary. In fact, in many ways, the act of loving God is more important than the aim of breaking the cycle.
Gaudiya Vaishnavas believe that God has many forms, but that Krishna is the originator. His name means “All-attractive,” meaning that everything, including words and actions, are drawn to him. To many worshippers, names of God from other traditions such as Allah and Jehovah are accepted as reflections of Krishna.
Anyhow, after my walk, I found a cafe that was open by the temple, and ate a few samosas. I sat on some picnic benches, and no one passed by. I was tired, and just about to go inside, when I had the feeling I should stay just a bit longer. And what do you know? A woman passed by five minutes later, inviting me to a singing circle.
Every Thursday evening, some members of the community gather under a tent on New Vrindaban’s farm to sing songs and discuss Krishna and sustainability issues. We chanted for about a half an hour to guitars, tablas, bells, and other instruments, with increasing intensity and speed.
Then they discussed the farm. A small endeavor of only a few acres, the plot produces vegetables and herbs for the community, but not enough to sustain them. But the devotees of New Vrindaban want to become self-sustaining, and stop buying grain from the destructive, commercial culture beyond the community’s borders.
Reflective of Gaudiya Vaishnava, those who are not followers of God are under a “demoniac” influence, and will unknowingly set about destroying the world. This tendency is knocking on New Vrindaban’s doors, as the coal mines in the area are set for an explosion in productivity. Hundreds of thousands of dollars are being invested across the Appalachian Mountains to turn its richness in coal into oil, as one ton of coal can produce 1.25 barrels of crude oil.
This could mean a few more jobs for depressed West Virginia communities, but can wreak havoc on the environment. New Vrindaban, while pastoral, already has some of the worst air in the country due to surrounding coal mines, on par with Los Angeles. If the coal mines start digging under the community, it would lose its natural water supply, and be dependent on city water. It would also fall danger to sinkholes and other problems with mining.
Part of the necessity of Krishna consciousness described at the meeting was the need to protect nature and embrace sustainability as a service to God. Somehow, this is a theme that has come up many times on my trip, with Quaker, Mormons, Shakers, Buddhists, etc. Maybe it’s a trend?
But those at New Vrindaban have far to go. The largest issue to tackle seemed to be getting the community in its entirety involved, as many were too stretched with other issues. (Simpler issues, such as not using styrofoam for the community’s meals, were not mentioned.)
Anyhow, before this post gets too long, I was then invited to dine with the devotees of the farm, where two interesting things happened:
First, a folk musician devotee was strumming on his guitar all night, playing standard fold ditties, such as “This Land is Your Land, This Land is My Land.” Only, every once in a while, words would be replaced with the maha mantra. My favorite was a song which spoke of “Christ coming like a thief in the night,” only it was altered. Christ had been replaced by Krishna.
Second, I got into a conversation with a man named Adi-guru, who wanted to explain the similarities and differences among the Gaudiya Vaishnava and others. A smiling man with a bald head, bright eyes, and big cheeks, he was eager to explain his beliefs, almost to the point of being pushy. “The one main difference,” he said, “is that devotees spend their life in service. In the outside world, when you finish work, you spend your money on yourself, buying useless things. But here, everything goes to Krishna, everything is service. Speaking to you now, I am offering you service. We aim to live simply and think highly.”
