namahatta.org - Congregational Development Ministry

by Devaki dd

Community Development with Form and Substance

To develop a solid and healthy Krishna conscious community is not an easy task. Many attempts have been made in the past, but the successes are few.

I have been trying to analyse where we have gone wrong. Whenever I visit a yatra I ask myself: why is this temple not like Vaikuntha—what is lacking?

Many times I have seen very nice arrangements—a beautiful temple room and good ashram facilities. But at the morning program there are often only very few devotees gathering. And I am wondering: where are all the devotees?

In Srimad Bhagavatam, third canto, chapter fifteen, entitled "Descriptions of the kingdom of God," we find beautiful purports by Srila Prabhupada, describing the atmosphere of the Vaikuntha world:

SB 3.15.17:

"It appears from this verse that the Vaikuntha planets are full of all opulences. There are airplanes in which the inhabitants travel in the spiritual sky with their sweethearts. There is a breeze carrying the fragrance of blossoming flowers, and this breeze is so nice that it also carries the honey of the flowers. The inhabitants of Vaikuntha, however, are so interested in glorifying the Lord that they do not like the disturbance of such a nice breeze while they are chanting the Lord's glories. In other words, they are pure devotees. They consider glorification of the Lord more important than their own sense gratification. In the Vaikuntha planets there is no question of sense gratification. To smell the fragrance of a blossoming flower is certainly very nice, but it is simply for sense gratification. The inhabitants of Vaikuntha give first preference to the service of the Lord, not their own sense gratification. Serving the Lord in transcendental love yields such transcendental pleasure that, in comparison, sense gratification is counted as insignificant."

In the next purport Srila Prabhupada desribes further:

"The special feature of Vaikunthaloka is that there is no question of sense gratification, In the material world even an ass enjoys his sound vibration, but in the Vaikunthas such nice birds as the peacock, the cakravaka and the cuckoo prefer to hear the vibration of the glories of the Lord from the bees. The principles of devotional service, beginning with hearing and chanting, are very prominent in the Vaikuntha world."

And in the purport to verse 33 of the same chapter he says:

"In the spiritual world this religious principle of Krishna consciousness is maintained in harmony, and therefore that world is called Vaikuntha. If the same principles can be adopted here, wholly or partially, then it is also Vaikuntha. So it is with any society, such as the International Society for Krishna Consciousness: If the members of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, putting faith in Krishna as the center, live in harmony according to the order and principles of Bhagavad-gita, then they are living in Vaikuntha, not in this material world."

Srila Prabhupada is giving us the key to success for community development: it is this Vaikuntha atmosphere which we have to cultivate.

However, many times we only concentrate on the opulences of the spiritual world, thinking: if we make our temple very beautiful and attractive, then it will be just like Vaikuntha. We concentrate on the structure and form, and we forget the substance.

Of course, any project needs the development of both, substance as well as form and structure. Substance without form and structure becomes inefficient, and a structure without substance becomes like a hollow frame.

There are two basic approaches in developing a yatra. One is to concentrate on developing the structure and form. The main meditation is how to build a nice temple for Krishna and arrange for all the necessary steps towards it: collecting the funds, arranging for the design and construction, etc. The devotees will be easily caught up in waves of enthusiasm, endeavoring for the goal of building something nice for Krishna. And while endeavoring for the structure they usually neglect the substance.

As a result we end up with a very beautiful temple, but it is empty. There is no Vaikuntha atmosphere, because we have failed to cultivate the substance, which manifests in our taste for hearing and chanting.

We can hope that the structure will gradually fill up with substance, but usually this does not happen so easily, since the devotees are busy maintaining the structure. For so many years they have practised spiritual life by concentrating on the structure, and now to shift to concentrating on cultivating the substance is difficult. The taste and attraction for the substance is not there.

The second and far better way to develop a yatra is to simply concentrate on developing the substance, and let the form and structure develop accordingly. With this approach the main focus is on developing a taste for hearing and chanting. And by involving as many devotees as possible in worshiping the Deities very gorgeously we move Krishna into the very center of our lives.

By implementing the counselor system we can take care of each and every devotee in our community, and thus make them feel secure and protected in order to be able to surrender with love and devotion to their service. And by preaching and book distribution we can make spiritual life available to more and more conditioned souls and thus let the substance grow and expand.

Of course, some few devotees have to meditate on the form and structure, but it should be the meditation of a few only. The main focus has to be on cultivating the substance.

This development of a yatra is more gradual, but solid and healthy. It is long term and in the mode of goodness. And the result will be surely Vaikuntha atmosphere. It requires leaders who have deep transcentental realizations and a strong focus on hearing and chanting in their own personal lives, and who stay long enough in a yatra in order to give that taste to others.

The development through the focus on the structure is short term and in the mode of passion. It gives quick and big results, but it is rather external. It creates beautiful but empty and lifeless structures—so to speak a perverted reflection of Vaikuntha.

These days people in general are attached to externals: big and quick results. Externals are satisfying to the senses, the mind, and the false ego. It gives us the satisfaction that we have achieved something for Krishna, but it is in the mode of passion, which always ends in distress. Internals require hard work, consistency, and determination, being willing to pay the price of purifying our heart. Internals are satisfying to the soul.

Most people are attracted to externals, which somewhat eclipse the development of internals. Externals are cheaper, and the masses will easily give their applause, which makes it harder to convince people of paying the price to endeavor for internals.

Devotees who focus on internal development often feel a little misunderstood and somehwat stunted by devotees who focus on externals. Therefore we can sometimes experience some conflicts, even on higher levels. It is the external mood sufforcating and eclipsing the internal mood, not allowing it to gradually grow.

To create Vaikuntha atmosphere in our temples is not a cheap thing—we have to get the balance right: substance always has to come first, and then the form can develop accordingly.

Your servant, Devaki dd