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Conferences

The First International Conference on "Economics of Non-violence and the Vision of a Sustainable World" December 5-7, 2005: New Delhi, India)

The Invitation Letter to the Conference

Sent: Wednesday, October 26, 2005 5:56 AM
Subject: Conference on Economics of Non-violence and the Vision of a Sustainable World, New Delhi, Dec 05


Dear friends

We cordially invite you to participate in a vitally important two-day conference being organized jointly by ANUVRAT GLOBAL ORGANIZATION (ANUVIBHA), a transnational center for peace and nonviolent action associated with UN DPI and IILM ACADEMY OF HIGHER LEARNING, Jaipur Campus from 5th December to 7th December, 2005 in New Delhi under the auspices of His Holiness Acharya Mahapragya and Yuvacharya Mahashraman - the two apostles of ahimsa who have been telling the world that survival of humanity will be difficult if the principles of modern economics are not recast and moulded in view of the galloping poverty and rapidly crumbling ecological and environmental system. Acharya Mahapragya, a celebrated spiritual thinker and head of a well known movement called Anuvrat Movement believes that the commitment of the people to the observance of basic vows propagated by it will go a long way in protecting environment, preserving ecological and social harmony, ending economic exploitation and disparities and in abolishing hunger from the planet.

A culture of peace can be created only through sustainable living and global nonviolence. The inhabitants of this planet will have to switch over to a new lifestyle embedded in a sense of universal responsibility and ethical conduct. According to Prof. Glenn D. Paige, the author of the best seller Nonkilling Global Political Science, 'the pursuit of human aspirations by violence in the modern era has resulted in incalculable bloodshed, material deprivation, and psychological traumas reverberating across generations. The hopes of humanity in the past two centuries have been emblazoned on banners bequeathed by the French Revolution - "liberte, egalite, fraternite." Killing for freedom has been the legacy of the American revolution. Killing for equality has been the legacy of the Russian and Chinese revolutions. Killing for peace has been the heritage of two centuries of war, revolution, and counterrevolution. The lesson to be learned is that true freedom, equality, and the fraternity-sorority of peace cannot be realized without fundamental uprooting of the legacy of lethality. The mountains of massacred who have been sacrificed for good and evil cry out for us to learn this lesson.'

The Dec. 2005 Convention of concerned citizens of the World, irrespective of their work and profession, will not only probe into the root causes of violence from an economic perspective but will also evolve an achievable action plan for a sustainable world.

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Dignitaries: Several dignitaries including the President, the Vice President and the Prime Minister of India are expected to participate in the Conference.

Theme of the conference: "Economics of Non-violence and the vision of a sustainable world" Sub themes
1. Economics of Non-violence and Sustainability
2. Globalization V/s Galloping Poverty
3. Spiritual Foundation for Developing a New Model of Economic System
4. Indian Ancient Model of Economic System-Is it relevant today?
5. A Healthy and Educated Society as the key to Economic Prosperity
6. Convergence of Values- Spiritual, Political & Economic

Workshops: In addition to the six plenary sessions there will be six workshops.
Those who want to make plenary presentation or presentations at workshops should write their proposals with a title and give a summary in 100 words.
Those whose proposals are selected will be informed by 10th November, 2005 or even before.
Registration: The last date for the registration of overseas delegates is 31st October, 2005.
Free Local Hospitality: The organizers have decided to extend free local hospitality to the first 100 overseas delegates on the first come first basis including accommodation for three nights i.e. 5th December, 6th December and 7th December, 2005 and their meals and refreshment.
No registration fee will be charged.

Those whose registrations are accepted and are selected for three nights free local hospitality at Delhi will be informed by fax, email or phone on November 1 and 2, 2005. Fresh invitation to confirmed participants will be emailed.

Venue: The venue of the Conference is: Adhyatma Sadhana Kendra Chhatarpur Road, Mehrauli, New Delhi-110 030 INDIA

The contact person in Delhi is Mr. Tej Karan Jain (Surana).
His Mobile No. is 91-98100-28754

Briefing Session:
All delegates must arrive in New Delhi by 6.00 PM of the 5th December, 2005.
The delegates will be accommodated at Adhyatma Sadhana Kendra Guest House.
The briefing session for all delegates will begin at 8.30 PM sharp at the venue on 5th December, 2005. The presence of the delegates who have been selected for free local hospitality is a must.

Arrival & Reception: Though the conference is to be inaugurated in the morning of 6th December, 2005 at 9.00 AM at the above venue most possibly by the Prime Minister of India or the President of India, the conference begins on 5th December, 2005 itself with the briefing session at 8.30 PM on 5th December.
The delegates who want to be received at Indira Gandhi International Airport or at Domestic Airport or at the Railway Station must email their flight numbers and itineraries.
Conference Reception Committee will make arrangements for their pick up and transportation.

I look forward to hearing from you soon,
Yours sincerely

Dr. S.L. Gandhi
International Coordinator and International Secretary General
Anuvrat Global Organization (ANUVIBHA)

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Economics of Non-violence

- Acharya Mahapragya

Relativistic Economic System

(1) Both himsa (violence) and parigraha (possession) are intimately connected. The policy of economic development in the modern economics is not ahimsa-sapeksha (nonviolence-oriented) hence wealth is becoming instrumental in expanding violence. It is being used more in violent activities than in fulfilling the needs of human life.

(2) Economic development is neither nonviolence-oriented nor ethics-oriented. Hence, dishonest and deceptive practices are on the increase in business and industry.

(3) Economic development is not ahimsa-sapeksha; hence, greed for wealth and corruption is increasing.

(4) Economic development is not ahimsa-sapeksha; hence, the necessity of big industries and big businesses is being advocated, small industries and cottage industries are being neglected. The result is that the rich are becoming richer and the poor are becoming poorer.

(5) Economic development is not ahimsa-sapeksha; hence, machine is becoming more important than human labour. As a result both unemployment and hunger are galloping.

(6) Economic development is not ahimsa-sapeksha; hence, our view of wealth is perverted. Wealth, in fact, is a means of fulfilling the needs of our life, but it is becoming an end in itself.

(7) Economic development is not ahimsa-sapeksha; hence, we have a deluded view of accumulation of wealth. The inevitability, necessity and utility of accumulation of wealth have become secondary. Instead, individual consumption has become primary and it has also become a tool of exhibitionism. The primal drive of sangraha is proping the activity of sangraha (accumulation).

(8) Economic development is not ahimsa-sapeksha; hence, the policy of investment is not right.

(9) Economic development is not ahimsa-sapeksha; hence, wealth is being consumed limitlessly. It is causing reactionary violence.

(10) Economic development is not ahimsa-sapeksha; hence, industrial development is promoting individualism. As a result, society is being ignored, social interests are being neglected and the aspect of community consciousness is becoming effete.

(11) Economic development is not ahimsa-sapeksha; hence, individual selfishness and hedonistic mentality are escalating.

(12) Economic development is not ahimsa-sapeksha; hence, the stream of compassion is drying up; the orgy of cruelty and exploitation has become unbridled.

(13) Economic development is not ahimsa-sapeksha; hence, the vital problem of eliminating hunger is not being given a top priority.

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Sapeksha Arthvyavastha ke Sutra

(Principles of Relativistic Economic System)

- Acharya Mahapragya

(1) The first principle of relativistic economy is the conciliation between human labour and machine. Not only the activities that utilize human labour should increase, but the value of human labour should also be increased in proportion to its need. The right value of human labour plays a dominant role in shaping a society without exploitation. In addition to increase in opportunities of employment, exploitation of human labour should be ended.

(2) The second principle of Sapeksha Arthvyavastha (relativistic economy) is the importance of investing in community-oriented priorities. There should be greater investment in the production of commodities which are used commonly by people. Instead of investing in the production of the items of luxury, investment in the production of the items that fall into the category of needs is necessary.

(3) The third principle of Sapeksha Arthvyavastha (relativistic economy) is the conciliation between today and tomorrow. Its main condition is striking a balance between the available resources to be used by the present and those to be used by the future generations. This makes preservation of the environment inevitable. Natural resources should not be exploited to so great an extent that the future generations are confronted with the problem of their scarcity.

(4) The fourth principle of Sapeksha Arthvyavastha (relativistic economy) is the nurturing of decentralized economy, i.e., exercising restraint over human propensities for centralization, exhibitionism and devastation.

(5) In 1931, the eminent economist Keynes had predicted, "capitalism would be competent enough to fulfill the basic human needs in a span of 100 years. Let us put aside the question of the distinction between morality and immorality till then." But today, seventy-five years have already relapsed. The main problems of economy, i.e., economic disparity, hunger and unemployment are still rampant. It has now become imperative that we think over an alternative economic system. Let us hope that the principles of Sapeksha Arthvyavastha (relativistic economy) will emerge as the stepping stone to the fulfillment of this thinking.

 

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Globalisation and Poverty

Speech delivered by Dr. Leo Rebello, World Peace Envoy, at the First International Conference on Economics of Non-Violence and Sustainable Development, in New Delhi, India, on December 6, 2005

Ladies and Gentlemen: I shall leave with you a few dynamic ideas working on which we may be able to remove Poverty from the face of this Earth, in our lifetime (repeat in our lifetime). Because we cannot leave poverty as a legacy for our future generation.

United Nations Organisation was primarily launched to unite the world by removing poverty and illiteracy, by sharing resources. Giving veto power to five countries was its nemesis. But as humanity grows in spirituality and development and progress takes place, addressing the world problems is easier today than say 50 years ago.

If we accept the Darwinian Theory, then the human race evolved from monkeys, though our ancestors will NOT indulge in half the crimes that we commit against our own people, as this poem aptly puts.

Three monkeys sat in a Coconut tree.
Discussing things as they're said to be.
Said one to the others: "Now listen you two,
there's a certain rumor that can't be true.
That man descended from our noble race
-- The very idea is a dire disgrace.
No monkey ever deserted his wife,
starved her baby and ruined her life.
And you have never known a mother monk
to leave her baby with others to bunk.
Or pass them on from one to another.
And another thing.
You will never see a monk build a fence
'round a coconut tree and let the coconuts go waste.
If I were to put a fence around this tree,
starvation would force you to steal from me.
Here's another thing a monk won't do.
Go out at night and get on a stew.
Or use a gun or club or knife.
To take some other monkey's life.
Yes, man descended, the ornery cuss.
But brother, he didn't descend from us.

Poverty is a world problem and unbridled Globalisation is further going to exacerbate this problem, unless we check the transnational corporations, some of which can buy over the sovereign nations. I am a Holistic Healer by profession and as such I would first like to identify the causes of poverty and accordingly lasting solutions, for hidden in every problem is the solution that we must look for.

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Let us therefore list the causes of poverty

1. Nuclear weapons, spread of nuclear capability, threat of nuclear war, and of nuclear winter which could result from the explosion of only 20 to 30 bombs [Leadership poverty].

2. Other weapons of mass death and destruction and countries like USA and UK trying to take these weapons into space in order to establish their supremacy to the detriment of others [Political poverty].

3. How to safely dismantle nuclear weapons and obsolete nuclear power plants, because half-lives of some radioactive elements are thousands of years [Scientific poverty].

4. Trillions of dollars spent annually on war preparations, dominating civilian priorities, wasting money and resources, and subverting the world’s scientific talents, instead of sharing the knowledge and resources [Management poverty].

5. Imminent collapse of global financial infrastructure because of third world debt and distorted growth or deliberate sabotage of sustainable development [Economic poverty].

6. Rapid increase of carbon dioxide in the astmosphere from death of phytoplankton in the oceans due to ozone holes, burning fossil fuels, massive deforestation, and demineralization of soils, may result in cataclysmic climatic changes [Planning poverty].

7. The universal haze, transnational air pollution, water pollution, acid rain and snow, and disasters like Tsunamis, Katrina, unprecedented floods in Mumbai (Bombay) - it is predicted that Mumbai may sink shortly and floods were the warning sign [Foresight poverty].

8. Mal-distribution of world food supply, resulting in widespread malnutrition, amounting to widespread mental malfunction, endangering the human civilisation itself. In Western countries people get sick and die prematurely due to over-eating, in third world countries they die due to malnutrition [Moral poverty].

9. Worldwide use of harmful pesticides which enter into food chain messing up with our lives and making pests more virulent. Genetically modified food is another danger with untold future ramifications [Judgement poverty].

10. Disposal of great quantities of toxic wastes on the earth, in the water and in the air [Intellectual poverty].

11. Rapidity of technological changes resulting in unemployment, social and community instabilities, unforeseen adverse ecological impacts; displacement of natural raw materials by synthetics, resulting in disruption of livelihoods of people [Planning poverty].

12. Regulation of MNCs which destroy governments, their economies and play havoc with people’s lives by dumping marketing strategy, price wars and creating unnecessary demands and supply of spurious goods, corruption, etc. [Leadership poverty].

13. Restrictive trade practices, inflated tariffs, trade barriers, biopiracies, vast disparities in wage levels, inequitable access to resources and markets, movement of industries to exploit people and facilities or to avoid restrictions, indiscriminate globalisation benefiting few to the detriment of the multitude [Social and Spiritual poverty].

14. Deliberate spread of diseases like AIDS, SARS, Bird Flu, Cancers through PSYOPS, lethal vaccinations, as an ethnic cleansing or population control programme, as per the blueprint entitled "The Useless Eaters" [Political poverty].

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15. Communalism, Casteism, Corruption, Criminalisation of Politics; ethnic, religious, racial and political intolerance and human rights violations on large scale inspite of civilised norms and protocols in place [Cultural poverty].

16. Half the countries of the world are still not free. The remaining so-called democratic countries also do not adhere to democratic norms. Example, USA using veto indiscriminately, attacking Iraq for plunder in spite of world opinion against it and continuing its illegal occupation of another country, destroying their historical, cultural, civilisational basis etc. by imposing its decadent culture and selfish agenda on others [Mental poverty].

17. Terrorism engineered by a few countries to keep its arms and drug industries going. May it also be noted that barring US and its allies Israel and UK, the other so-called terrorists are only pawns in the hands of these mercenaries.

18. Difficulties for leaders of national governments to conceive of the kind of global political structure which are required to solve world problems peacefully. For example, preventing Turkey from joining European Union because it is a predominantly Muslim country. Likewise, SAARC countries not uniting as in European Union, and wasting major funds on military expansion by keeping non-issues like Kashmir burning and destroying that heaven on earth.

19. Language barriers, world communication blocks, America trying to capture and control free Internet medium after capturing print and electronic media; America using UNO as its personal fiefdom and the Private Ltd. Company called World Bank trying to destroy the world economy by mercenary loan structures and influencing or interfering in budget making exercises of various nations.

20. General lack of well-informed and well-motivated people with humane and global outlook to cope adequately with inter-related problems of living peacefully on Earth [Educational poverty].

All these problems emanate from – Spiritual Poverty, Mental Poverty, Intellectual Poverty, Leadership Poverty, Political Poverty, Economic and Social Poverty as enumerated above. These are the root causes of our downfall. We have degenerated from the lofty ideals to crass commercialization, from Vedic techings of Vasudhaiv Kutumbakam to Life Boat Ethics and oil politics.

As I said, Poverty is a Global Problem. Consequently, only a conference of this nature can find a Global solution to Sustainable Development. Let me briefly put before you some suggestions.

(a) Recognise that religions are decadent cults. They divide people rather than unite. Let us therefore adopt one Global Religion called Humanism.

(b) Animals in the jungle live in peace. Birds in the sky live in peace. Fishes in the ocean live in peace. We too should learn to live in peace. Global Understanding.

(c) All human beings have the same fears, aspirations, same blood, and same needs. Therefore, do not discriminate on the basis of religion, caste, colour, creed, country, poor or rich, male or female. Global Philosophy.

(d) Teach your children not to use drugs, dogmas, and dangerous weapons. Teach them to say NO to joining the military or NO to invading other countries. If necessary, as parents you should challenge the laws of your country and recall the corrupt politicians. Global Education.

(e) Refuse to inoculate or vaccinate your children. That is the first rape you commit on their bodies and make their bodies and minds weak. Instead embrace Holistic Healing Modalities like Nature Cure, Yoga, Ayurveda, Siddha, Homoeopathy, Acupuncture, etc. Global Health Consciousness.

(f) Recognise that faith, love, peace, safety, good health, equality, justice and fair play are the sine qua non of our very existence. Money, riches, living in ghettoes, national boundaries, force, arms, drugs, dogmas are all there to enslave and subjugate you. Discard them. Global Awareness.

(g) Learn to live with dignity with your heads held high, in unity and solidarity and work for safety and peace till you achieve it, or else there will be the peace of the graveyard because of the machinations of a few. Global Awakening.

Let each one of us become a voice.

I’d be but a voice
That I may sing the songs
That wing the souls of men
So that they rise from wrongs.

I’d be but a voice
To prophesy and warn
That men may shun the dark
And hearing, seek the morn.

I’d be but a voice
Repeating once again
The words of power and love
That greed and hurt restrain.

I’d be but a voice
Impersonal and just,
That those who doubt may hear,
And hearing, see and trust.

 

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Delhi Declaration

- By Dr. Ashok Bapna,
Organizing Secretary-General

The first International Conference on "Economics of Non-violence and the Vision of a Sustainable World" was held at Adhyatma Sadhna Kendra, New Delhi during 5-7 December, 2005.

After two days of intense deliberations and consultations with national and international experts on the link between Economics and Spirituality, on the solemn advice and direction of Acharya Mahapragya, the following Declaration is being issued.

1. We believe that in the present day world, economic development is violence oriented. That's why it has given rise to serious problems like wide-spread corruption, unemployment, hunger, organized violence, extreme selfish mentality leading to economic exploitation and social inequalities in the world. Both the developing and the developed countries have become the victim of these ills and are now seeking an alternative model of development which can save them from the impending dangers and disasters.

2. We believe that in the alternative model of economic development 'Ahimsa' should be at the center-stage which means that there should be a limit on wants and desires, wealth should be regarded as a means of human welfare, not an end of it, there should be a check on the accumulation (sangraha) and possessiveness of individual wealth and also on its use for personal consumption.

3. There should be a greater emphasis on employment-oriented, poor-oriented and village-oriented development and to operationalise it, small sector development should be preferred as against large sector and mega sector development. Economic largess is mainly responsible for the present day economic ills like exploitation and joblessness. It is only under this alternative model we would be able to achieve the goal of a balanced, coordinated and development of the relative economy.

4. A detailed economic road map on the basis of non-violence, ethics and truth should be prepared so that humanity may be saved from the impending crises. The earlier it is, the better it would be. Elimination of hunger should be, at the top of the alternative agenda of 'Relative Economic System'.

5. To carry out the vision of Acharya Mahapragyaji an "International Research Centre for Relative Economic Systems" is being established with a view to give a concrete shape to evolve the strategies for all sorts of exploitation.

6. We believe that it is imperative to bring about a change of heart of the people for achieving this objective. Human labour should be given full attention and adequate compensation and should be protected from all sorts of exploitation.

7. In order to bring about a fruitful revolution, it is imperative that an effective technique to bring about the change in the systems of human body which are responsible for human attitude & behaviour is implemented. Some techniques such as meditation, yoga and the science of living are already available which may be experimented in this field also.

Jaipur Declaration, November 14, 2008

The Third International Dialogue on Economics of Non-violence was held at Jaipur (India) on November 13 and 14, 2008. It deliberated on the global existence of unending disparities (economic, regional, social, etc.) and looked at policies, economic programmes and growing concerns for reduction in poverty, which is accompanied by violence, erosion in human, moral and spiritual values.
It was felt that the Delhi (2005) and Udaipur (2007) Declarations, which preceded this conference needed reconsideration/reaffirmation based on the current dialogue and hence this Declaration by participants (both physical and conceptual) and interested activists. The blueprint for an action plan and a roadmap for practical implementation, must be drawn by the concerned activists, thinkers and all stakeholders. It must be achieved through interaction, cumulative experience and both local characteristics and local parameters, while always keeping in mind the ideal of making economics more 'humane'.

  1. At the root of surging anomalies and disparities, is unending desire and greed. These erode ethical approaches and moral values. Accumulation by even a few, will obstruct distribution & fruits of growth in any society. Poverty is basically economic, but it encompasses human capital in terms of education, health, etc. and the solution lies in human capital's proper use.
  2. A sea change in economic and social concepts is warranted to make a shift in focus from 'profit/wealth' to 'human welfare'. There is an assumption that economic growth is essential, but it should never be at the cost of social and environmental degradations and it should happen without causing conflicts (regional, economic and social).
  3. The age-old basic concept of 'Vasudhaiv Kutumbkam' (Universal Brotherhood) should precede the dominance of 'I', 'Me' and 'My'. As a first step, it requires concern, compassion and care for all human beings.
  4. The principles of morality, ethics and righteousness do impact the human behaviour and thinking. 'Human Values' should be an essential part of all education, training modules and spiritual discourses.
  5. Basic tenets of 'Aparigraha' (non-accumulation), 'Anekant' (respecting the views of others), 'Ahimsa' (Non-violence) and 'Anuvratas' are the building blocks for Relative Economics.
  6. Development should focus on meeting the basic minimum human needs and 'quality' (not the standard) of life.
  7. Quest for a new economic order should focus on 'Relative Economics' specific to regions, mankind and character so that gaps and differences of all kinds are eliminated in due course.
  8. Any action plan for implementation has to begin with 'self', and progressively include family, and society. Every human-being is a stakeholder in this journey.
  9. A formal research centre needs to be established to chart out action plans, demarcate responsibilities for implementation, overseeing the journey and mid-term course corrections. A definite time-frame can be laid down only after a concrete action plan becomes operative.

 

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Maryland United for Peace and Justice Conference 4/2006, Baltimore and 4/2007 in Silver Spring

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Washington, D.C. Social Forum 3/2007 at Catholic University

Registration Submitted to Washington D.C. Social Forum, 03/2007

Spiritual laws are meant since the beginning of times to guide human relations and interactions but they are missing from our social and economic systems. This is true for capitalist and socialist systems alike, both past and present. Something similar has been clearly noted by environmental economics, which is attempting to restore the use of natural laws to the study of economics. They recognize 1) that there are limits to growth; 2) that not all goods are fungible; and 3) that we cannot exteriorize costs forever. Along the same path, we propose a necessary further step in recognizing spiritual laws and accepting them as guidelines or boundaries for our socio-economic interactions. We assert that this is the only hope for humanity to be able to create a harmonious and peaceful planet. The other possibility is a continued experience of suffering and poverty for the majority of humankind.

Spirituality is not a religion, and still in its purest form all forms of religion contain the basic spiritual teachings. These basic teachings are 1) that we never die, that some part of us, the central 'I', or the spirit lives forever; 2) that in each one of us this central part is a spark of the one Creator, thus that deep inside we are all pure and God-like, which means that ultimately we are the same; 3) that beside originating from the same source, we are also different individuals who experience the world in a unique way. This is the doctrine of unity in diversity. This is also the reason for our common sufferings and common joys and our common desire to be good and to do the best we can. And 4) that as humans we also have common responsibilities to life on Earth; that we need to be stewards of the planet and its resources.

Our background is Yoga. Yoga means union. Yoga is not a religion; it does not conflict with any belief system. Yoga is a spiritual science, the most practical one among the ancient Indian philosophical systems. It combines the science of self-healing with the science of social healing. Yoga starts at the individual level by attempting to bring forth those universal human qualities, which we need to possess for harmonious living. Yoga is also high thinking and simple living. Our belief is that we can start practicing yoga at the individual level in our social and economic relations by accepting the '7 best practices' or tenets of Aparigraha Economic Paradigm. This way we do not have to wait for the whole system to change in order to start doing things in a new way. And each one of us can "be the change we want to see", as advised Mahatma Gandhi. We also should try to change the larger systems, but we start with ourselves and work outwards and influence through our own actions. We prepared the Aparigraha Work Book, which we will be using in the second half of this workshop for 45 minutes, so you can start working with the principles of Spiritual Economics from today on.

The name for our spiritual economic paradigm comes from India. The word Aparigraha means non-greed, non-possessiveness, non-acquisitiveness. We chose this word because we believe that the biggest problem we humans face today is our never-ending desire to acquire and possess something better or bigger than what we have today. This desire is simply called greed. We believe that greed has become such a destructive driving force in our economic theory and practice as well as in our every day thinking and way of living, the negative impact of which is now threatening the possibility of acceptable living conditions for as soon as the life of our own children. The most serious manifestations of greed can be seen among the people of the most advanced nations, who seem to have too much money, own too many things and selfishly waste too much of the precious resources of the Earth. This kind of lifestyle was always, and can only be, maintained by taking resources away from other people in the world. This undermines the notion of fairness and equity and ultimately leads to exploitation and oppression of the so called lower or poorer classes in our own society as well as those in other parts of the world.

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But for clarity, we also must state that we can see direct connection between greed and violence. So Aparigraha Economic Paradigm has one of its most important tenets also Ahimsa, which means non-violence; another Indian word, the first ethical code of Yoga. This is because greed ultimately leads to violence. At the very bottom, deeper than greed and the resulting violence however is fear - fear that there won't be enough for us, so that we need to take whatever we can from whomever we can from.

Yoga explains this very clearly. Similarly to other Eastern philosophies, Yoga teaches that there are seven subtle energy centers, chakras in the human body. These are located along the spine and connect our physical bodies with our mind, heart, and soul. The first three are related to survival, desire and power, which are all tied to fear. Thoughts, feelings and actions originating from these three lower centers are primarily instinctual and demand a fight or flight attitude. Fear and greed together manifest as anger, violence, and war. Our society and present economic system devoid of higher human values stimulate these lower chakras. The goal of Yoga and other spiritual practices is to activate the other four, higher centers so that our thinking, feeling and actions may become loving, respectful, humble and compassionate. These are unifying values.

What does this have to do with economics? In any college textbook on economics, we see that the point of departure for the study of economics is what is called the "problem of scarcity". Or that "There's not enough to go around, so what can we do but compete or fight?"

According to spiritual economics and Aparigraha Paradigm, this is a basic error, and any structure of theory and practice you build on this will eventually collapse since its foundation is wrong. What economists are telling us is that basically the planet is not designed well. But let us think a bit! Who is in control here? Who are the stewards of this planet? We or who? The teachings of ancient times and cultures knew the answer better; they stated that Creation Is Perfect, and thus that there is plenty to go around. So by accepting the ancient teaching of Abundance, the basic problem of economics "the problem of scarcity" becomes man-made. And the good news is that we can un-do it.

How? By starting to respect those spiritual laws, which we have violated, when we have given in to fear, greed and violence.

These are 1) The main Axiom: Abundance replacing the notion of scarcity, and the following tenets 2) Cooperation replacing competition, 3) Aparigraha - non-greed actions replacing the ever growing accumulation of things, 4) Ahimsa - non-violent actions replacing exploitation and oppression, 5) Brahmacharya - self restraint replacing profit maximization, 6) Right Motivation or Karma (Selfless) Service replacing incentives, and 7) Right Livelihood, which allows for honest and simple living with a responsibility for stewardship for the planet replacing current pollution and waste. Incidentally, when we start practicing these guidelines, we achieve our spiritual goal of activating our higher chakras, which as stated earlier correspond to love, respect, humility and compassion. These are also what we call the rules for Fair Trade, which according to Aparigraha Paradigm replaces the free market system.

Our economics simply has to do with supplying to the legitimate needs of humans. Aparigraha Paradigm has established Food, Shelter, Clothing, Health and Education as the five basic areas of concern for economics. The majority of our agriculture and various industries supply for our need of food, shelter and clothing. Our personal and societal health and system of education contribute majorly to who we are and who we may become on both the individual and the societal levels. In each of these five areas, we recommend to use such economic practices that are based on the 7 best practices of Aparigraha above described. We are currently working on showing you those economic practices related to the five areas of economics, the adoption of which both at the personal and the societal levels, are fully respecting the seven tenets of Aparigraha.

Those are the basic ideas of this paradigm, and now we will discuss some ways that this paradigm is being put into effect.

 

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United States Social Forum 6/2007, Atlanta

Application for United States Social Forum

Breaking the Shackles of Economic Slavery

Project Background and Description
GCFP (Global Coalition for Peace) is a 501 © 3 educational non-profit formed to address the response of the US government to the events of 9/11. Our preoccupation with the exacerbation of violence promoted by that response led us to search for an answer. It was clear that neo-liberal imperialistic practices across the globe had been fueling resentment. The use of military force turned resentment into desperation, stirring people to sacrifice their lives in self- immolation.
Economics pervades all areas of life and international relations; therefore looking at it from the perspective of Yoga we saw that the main problem with the prevailing economic system was its violence. Therefore the idea of an economics of non-violence became one of our main concerns.
Four years of research yielded a four-volume compilation of alternative strains of economic theory and practices. (They are available on our website: www.globalcoalition forpeace.net). Some common themes found were: movements toward economic decentralization-including local currencies, efforts to buy and produce goods locally, and regional self-sufficiency; democratic participation in government and business, with special emphasis on cooperatives vs. corporations; and conservation of the environment, best exemplified by Deep Ecology, which recognizes that capitalist development is extractive and linear, whereas nature is cyclical and self-renewing. It was inspiring to find so many like-minded people and groups.
At the same time, meetings were held with prominent economists in the IADB and World Bank, who were also yoga students of GCFP's founder and director, Victor (Vyasa) Landa. The goal of this working group was to identify the flaws of the world economic systems. Some of the members soon realized that the prevailing capitalist system cannot be modified to become more humane and ethical-it must be completely replaced, as all its fundamental tenets are essentially destructive, based on misunderstandings of how nature and the universe work, and stimulating and encouraging the very worst side of human nature. Thus the size of the group decreased! But some of us persevered, and are developing Aparigraha-a Sanskrit word which means Non-Greed-A New Economic Paradigm for a Culture of Peace.
In our papers, power points and presentations we do not detail how the policies of corporate and governmental imperialism oppress people of color, women and the working class. We have found this is adequately done by a wealth of existing material. What we offer is what we consider the vital missing element in many of the alternative models we have seen-an understanding of human psychology as expressed in the great spiritual and social as well as moral teachings of all cultures, in all ages. These include Spiritual Science and all faith traditions, such as Buddhism, Islam, Judaism, Christianity, Hinduism, and the mystery schools associated with them. The solution to the problem of violence in the world economic system came from looking at the problem from the perspective of Spiritual Science, more specifically from Raja Yoga. From them we have distilled fundamental practices which could form the basis of the world economic system: Abundance; Cooperation; Right Motivation (Karma Yoga); Aparigraha (non-greed); Ahimsa (non-violence); Brahmacharya (self-restraint); Right Livelihood; Stewardship of the Earth, Saucha (purity), and Santosha (contentment).

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This work, even though still in process, has already been presented in several forums, in India (2005) for the First International Conference on Economics of Non-violence and the Vision of a Sustainable World, New Delhi, Dec. 2005, at the Maryland United for Peace and Justice (MUPJ) annual conference 2006, and more recently at the Washington DC Social Forum. It has also been discussed with private groups at the RM06 (Rethinking Marxism 2006) bi-annual conference in Amherst, Massachusetts, and at the 2006 Biodynamic Conference in Spring Valley, New York.

Practical Applications of the Paradigm
In a sense, the paradigm is a theoretical formulation of practices which members of the AEP working group have been engaged in for years, as founders and members of sister organizations and projects. One is the Spiritual Food Community Supported Agriculture (CSA), wherein a group of people pre-pay for the harvest of local Biodynamic farmers. (Biodynamics is a special form of agriculture whose aim is to heal the soil. It predates organics by thirty years and has far higher standards.) This CSA has been running on a volunteer basis for 8 years, often serving over 100 local families and supporting several farmers. Another is the Spiritual Food Mail Order Service, which helps market Biodynamic farmers' products nationwide. Spiritual Food also runs a self-serve store completely on the honor system, which provides healthy food to the community. The Women's Self-Reliance Program is currently operating in Guatemala. Women learn intensive gardening and micro-enterprise, making them largely food self-sufficient and economically independent. This project has encouraged and facilitated the formation of a cooperative where these women members can receive 0% interest loans to start their own businesses, with a commitment to support each other's businesses. So far over 90 women have learned intensive biodynamic square grid gardening, and there are 30 women in the cooperative. Finally, another application of the AEP principles is found in Cooperative Games, which we distribute in an effort to teach children and adults cooperative strategies and modes of relating.

Workshop Format
We hope to bring the concepts of Non-Violent Economics, as well as our accumulated knowledge gained from years of working with these principles, to the U.S. Social Forum. We have developed an 8-step Pledge of Economic Non-Violence, presented in a workbook, which-- in easily understandable language-presents the concepts, stimulates self-reflection, and prompts to take action. This material is ideal for discussion in small groups, which people can then take home to use in every day life. After a power point presentation and the work in small groups during the first two hours, we would like to show parts of the film "The Corporation," to highlight specific challenges we face, further illustrating the way in which economic slavery is imposed on people and how we unknowingly contribute to it.
Our ideal is to work in union with people to identify specific ways we can all start now to create a new culture of life-affirming economic relations, in choosing what we buy, the goods and services we help produce, and how we interact with the people we buy from, sell to, and work with. Also we will discuss ways on how we can create alternatives to corporate agri-business-which is destroying our environment, poisoning our bodies, and exploiting farmers and workers-via a sattwic diet; forming CSAs; growing some of our own food; and land leasing-a strategy to reclaim the Commons (air, water and land) for the people. Other simple but vital actions for non-violent, non-cooperation with the neo-liberal capitalist system will also be discussed (including boycotts, boycotts, and so on.)

 

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Fifth International Marx Conference - Alterglobalism / Anticapitalism - For an alternative cosmopolitics, October 3-6, 2007, Universite de Paris

Registration

Human beings are inter-dependant. We depend on a constant exchange with our environment every second in order to survive-the air we breathe, the food we eat, the clothes we wear, the love we seek to give and to receive, are all fundamental exchanges we make with the world around us. For some of these exchanges to happen we do not have to think twice or decide on how to go about it as they happen automatically and even involuntarily like it is with breathing. For others however we need to engage in some sort of exchange with both Nature and other human beings. Economics is the term we use to describe this organized system of exchange of the goods and services we produce for our need to stay alive, and to live well. Therefore, economy touches all aspects of our lives. Today, however, many features of the economic system destroy the very means to live - in damaging our land, water, and air -, and bring misery and hurt to people, instead of happiness and security.

Therefore, we need a way to relate to each other economically that is non-violent and life affirming, We can each influence our immediate environment in powerful ways by the way we spend our money, produce goods and services, and treat people we buy from, sell to, and work with. This ancient concept of individual responsibility is characteristic to all spiritual systems, including the philosophy of yoga, which is our point of departure to address the problems of current economics. We are proposing a total shift in the approach to the present economic practice, which is aimed to abolish economic slavery and replace it with a life affirming and liberating system. Its name is Aparigraha, A New Economic Paradigm for a Culture of Peace. Aparigraha means non-greed in Sanskrit.

This Paradigm affirms that economics should have to do with supplying the legitimate basic needs of people as Food, Shelter, Clothing, Health and Education as the five basic areas of concern. In reality we have strayed far from this basic purpose. The economics of today is full of what Marx called almost 150 years ago "product fetishism", which today we might interpret as the compelling attraction to the production and consumption of unnecessary goods. The result is a waste of resources in some areas of the world and by certain classes while on the other hand an inability for others to meet their basic needs. Agriculture and various industries supply for our need of food, shelter and clothing while our personal and societal health and system of education contribute to a great extent to who we are and who we may become on both the individual and the societal levels.

Capitalist and communist systems alike, both past and present, have guided human relations and interactions without taking into consideration elements that are fundamental for the well being of the people. As a result the majority have experienced continued suffering and poverty. What we want to offer is a new vision, a new paradigm that is inclusive of all members of a global society and that will cover all aspects of the individual; body, mind and spirit. We believe that this paradigm offers a way in which humanity will be able to co-create a harmonious and peaceful planet. Spiritual teachings in general, and among them yoga in particular - yoga means union - aim to help in such transformation. They state that a society that aspires to live in peace and prosperity must be based on certain principles that are in harmony with what we call the Natural or Universal Laws or Principles.

Therefore, Aparigraha Paradigm, which aims to lead to both individual and societal harmony and peace suggests applying the following 3 principles and 5 tenets, the expression of our Love in the area of economics; the 3 Principles are: 1) Abundance as opposed to the notion of scarcity, on which our current system is based, 2) Cooperation as opposed to competition, which is the driving force in the current system, and 3) Right Motivation or Dharma and Selfless Service as opposed to an external incentive system, and the 5 Tenets are: 1) Non- greed, non-acquisitiveness (Aparigraha) as opposed to greediness, 2) Non-violence (Ahimsa) as opposed to violence: economic slavery; exploitation and degradation of humans, animals and the environment, 3) Self-restraint, non-indulgence (Brahmacharya) as opposed to over consumption, 4) Right Livelihood or honest and simple living and the production and consumption of useful goods and services as opposed to profit maximization, and 5) Stewardship of the Planet as opposed to exteriorizing the costs of environmental damage. If these principles and tenets are fulfilled in our economic relations, we created what we may call Fair Trade, which may lead to individual and societal peace and harmony, the opposite of greed and violence resulting from the current free market system.

Years of collaborative research and meetings yielded a four-volume compilation of alternative strains of economic theory and practices, which are available as Supplementary Material on our web site http://www.globalcoalitionforpeace.net. However our work is more than research as this paradigm is a theoretical formulation of practices which members of the Aparigraha group have been involved in for the last ten years in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. We are founders and members of sister organizations and projects such as a biodynamic and organic Spiritual Food Mail Order Service nationwide, a Spiritual Food Community Supported Agriculture group locally, a self-serve community store, and the Women's Self-Reliance Program, currently operating in Guatemala. In this last program by now over 90 women and their families learnt a form of intensive gardening and use a form of micro-enterprise, which has encouraged and facilitated the formation of a cooperative where these women members can receive 0% loans to start their own businesses, with a commitment to support each other's businesses. Another application of the AEP principles is found in Cooperative Games, which we distribute in an effort to teach both children and adults cooperative strategies and modes of relating.

 

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Aparigraha, a New Economic Paradigm for a Culture of Peace
Presented at the Fifth International Marx Conference in Paris, at Nanterre University, Sorbonne
Oct 6, 2007

 

Welcome Everyone! Thank you for coming and attending this session. This is an International Marxist Conference and Global Coalition for Peace, a not-for profit foundation, I am representing, is not a Marxist group. But we have common goals and interests with those who are seriously working on creating an alternative to the present economic and social system; which is driving humanity and this planet to a series of serious disasters. I am happy to be here and discuss with you what our group believes is a viable alternative economic system. What I am going to talk about is not a Utopia - we actually live some of this already and the number of those who are participating in our programs locally, nationwide and in some cases globally is growing. Dreamers are actually those who are in favor of the current free-market capitalist system because they are living in a dream with a world of infinite

resources, a so called 'never ending growth', a disregard for the growing gap between the rich and the poor, a deliberate destruction of ancient cultures and indigenous peoples as well as a destruction of our eco-system; soil, water, air, animals and plants.Three weeks ago, we listened to the speakers at the conference on "Confronting the Global Triple Crisis - Climate Change, Peak oil, Global Resource Depletion & Species Extinction" organized by The IFG at George Washington University. As a beginning, I would like to share with you what international scientists in the fields of oil, energy, water, soil, bio-diversity and species extinction said there:

  1. Latest IPCC report: expecting 2-7 meters see level rise; must stop temperature increase below 2 C
  2. Stern Review: cost of ignoring climate change is 20% of Global GDP, while acting now to curb CO2 emissions is 1%GDP, we must curb CO2 emissions within 5-10 years.
  3. 1/5 of humanity is supplied with water by the Arctic and the Himalayan glaciers, in 20-30 yrs these will be dried out
  4. As GDP grows, the Living Planet Index declined by 30% in last 50 years.
  5. Global Asset Ownership: 1% owns 40% assets, next 1% owns next 11%, & 50% owns 1%.
  6. Cheap oil is gone, tough oil remains (environmentally or politically hazardous, i.e. conflicts, WAR).
  7. In past 2 decades, 1/3 of the planet is gone; globally, daily 200,000 people move from land to city.
  8. 2 billion people live in a territory severely water stressed; we have polluted surface water and are over mining ground water, i.e. creating deserts.
  9. Acceptable is 1 species to go extinct per year, only in birds 1 out of 10,000 species are dying out.

This is not happy news. Actually it is rather disturbing! If you are not sleeping at night, this might be the cause of it. Even if you are unaware of this, this could be the cause of some sleepless nights as everything on this Planet is interrelated. You and the Planet are connected. Maybe your emotional body feels the suffering of those, who do not have the daily portion to feed or clothe their family, those who have no option but to drink polluted water or not drink at all, those who contract lung disease when mining cadmium, which makes up the battery to our cell phones, those who have no dignified work to earn their living, or those who are driven off their ancient land by giant projects that supply us with energy, land and water; and I have not yet discussed the suffering of Nature: rocks, plants and animals. The figures also tell that close to half of humanity still lives under a few dollars a day. And those who do not, they are called the rich and they are destroying the planet. But who is 'the rich'? We all are 'the rich' if we spend more than a few dollars a day. So the solution is in us. Let's turn now to what we, individuals can do to avoid the impending disaster. Individual actions are important, as they may become a force of societal change.

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Framework:

Let's discuss an alternative economic system, which we call, Aparigraha Economic Paradigm. It is what we might call a initial attempt to merge two vast sciences, those of economics and spirituality. (The closest science to spirituality in the West is philosophy. However, western philosophy is mainly intellectual while spirituality is mainly experiential.) We may also call this the economics of non-violence or the economics of peace. This is a new paradigm, neither capitalism nor Marxism. We believe we need to move away from the way of thinking that has been dominant for centuries under both of the systems mentioned above. Thus we need a paradigm change. A paradigm change is a major shift in the way we look at the world.

So, what is spiritual economics? Spirituality is first and foremost concerned with morality. And economics have to do with how we get what we need for living, or when we talk about a system of economics, then, how we get to the masses of people what they need for living. So when we combine the two we may have this introductory, simple definition of spiritual economics: it is how we get to the masses of people in an ethical or moral way what is necessary for living. Neither capitalism nor Marxism answers this question. Capitalism is mainly concerned with capital, i.e. money and profit as well as production and consumption and it is a system that leads to inequality, creates distorted values both on the market and in a moral sense, it fuels increasing growth, competition and consumerism, as well as greedy, selfish and egotistic behavior, which then ultimately ends in environmental destruction, violence and war. Traditionally, Marxism is mainly concerned with production and consumption and while it aims at equality through distribution of the means of production, it could not accomplish that aim. Marxism also suppresses spirituality and religion, and other philosophies, does not tolerate human uniqueness and diversity, leads to abuse of power, massive resentment, environmental destruction, and violence or war. In summary, both systems focus on material production and turn societies and the world into economies of war, lead to suppression of personal and collective freedom, measure primarily material production and consumption as well as their growth. They do not reflect true values, e.g. income distribution or loss of the natural environment.

Both in capitalist and Marxist systems, that is under the current paradigm, materialistic values dominate, which are based on human-made-laws that stimulate basic instincts, i.e. hoarding, greed, selfishness, abuse of power and violence. In the new paradigm we are concerned with looking at reality in both a material and a spiritual way, so we will use natural, cosmic, spiritual laws, which are not man-made but are the laws of this planet, thus work to sustain our universe from the beginning of times to the end through cultivating higher levels of consciousness, e.g. altruistic love, non-violence, cooperation, sharing and compassion. The vision of this paradigm is that human beings are the stewards of creation with the responsibility - by virtue of brotherhood- of making its wealth available to all creatures so that their sustenance and evolution is possible. (Excuse me please for what some may believe a sexist use of words, sisterhood easily could stand here instead of brotherhood! We are hoping to express the true meaning of the word. We are for gender equality.)

While the prevailing system divides, the new paradigm unites. The main characteristics of the current economic system are the notions of scarcity, competition, incentives, free market, human-made laws, looking at human beings and nature only in a physical sense, violence between human beings, societies and towards nature, greed and acquisition, over-consumption, profit maximization, hidden costs, linear processes, and valuing material success. The new paradigm is based on the notion of Abundance (with self-imposed limits to allow others also to have a dignified life), Cooperation, Right Motivation (Dharma-Be your best) and Selfless Service (Karma Yoga), Solidarity Based Exchange (needs first, limited wants, not-for-profit cooperatives), Natural Laws, looking at the human being in a physical, psycho-emotional and spiritual sense, non-violence (Ahimsa), Non-greed (Aparigraha), Self-restraint (Brahmacharya), Right Livelihood (honest and simple living and the production of useful goods and services), Stewardship of the Planet (taking care of Mother Nature), cyclical eco-humanistic processes and material as well as spiritual success. In a longer presentation, we would now give some more words to help us understand the difference between Abundance and Scarcity, Competition and Cooperation, Incentives and Motivation as well as the Free-market and Solidarity-Based-Market-System. Pictures may also help us express the difference.

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Aparigraha Paradigm mainly draws on the timeless wisdom of Western and Eastern spiritual traditions and teachings; amongst these are the teachings of 1) the Essenes recorded primarily in the Dead-Sea Scrolls translated from the original at the beginning of the 19th century by Szekely. The Essenes of more than two thousand years ago lived in a sharing and egalitarian society that accomplished a great socio-economic system. This system was based on the best use of values to satisfy the necessities of life. These were values that pertained to the individual, the family and the society. 2) of anthroposophy which talks about a three-fold human organism and corresponding social system where the economic life is related to the value of Altruism, the public rights life is related to the value of Equality and the cultural life is linked to Freedom. And 3) of the wisdom of the East specifically Ayurveda, Yoga and Buddhism. Out of the Eastern wisdom emerged a social model called PROUT (Progressive Utilization Theory) designed by an Indian Yogi called Sarkar about sixty years ago. PROUT talks about "maximum utilization and rational distribution within the limits of the eco-system", economic democracy, balanced economy, and three-tiered ownership, quadri-dimensional economics and production for human needs. The two most interesting things with these models are that they are based on the values of the new paradigm mentioned above and that there are communities in growing numbers all around the world that are built up this way.

The essence of this paradigm is the teachings of the so called Perennial Philosophy, which is the basis of spiritual science, world faiths and folk wisdom revealed in all times and in all cultures by individuals who are capable of understanding and translating it. The main teachings are: Love, Compassion, Sacrifice and Non-violence. Altruistic Love, which is the equivalent of giving as opposed to taking, is the most powerful force in the universe. This Love is expressed in economics as the notion of Abundance and in action as Non-greed, Non-violence, Self-restraint, and taking care of each other and the rest of Creation, i.e. Solidarity Based Exchange, Cooperation, Right Livelihood, Stewardship of the Planet, Right Motivation (Dharma) and Selfless Service (Karma Yoga). When these moral values are upheld in economics and business, we work towards Peace and Harmony and express our Love. Peace and harmony are the signs of Love.

The following requirements are then set for an economic system that is in harmony with Perennial Philosophy: 1) first we need to satisfy essential needs of all on this planet including future generations, then satisfy other needs as they become relevant. Here we must be able to distinguish between needs and desires, and spiritual values need to be considered at all levels. 2) economic actions need to be life sustaining and all means should be consistent with that end. This also means that the new paradigm cannot be imposed; the people based on the content of its message must embrace it.

The new definition for the science of Economics is a normative social science that studies social behavior seeking means to provide for the satisfaction of universal, finite needs and specific, limited wants. This is in order to ensure the happiness of all human beings based on their spiritual, physical, mental, emotional and psychological make-up. Economics as a spiritual and material science guides the allocation of the planet's abundant, natural, material, manufactured and human resources to enable people to cooperatively live productive, happy and meaningful lives and to act as responsible members of society. The priorities of economics are the basic needs for all people; food, clothing, housing, health and education.

Agriculture, health and education In Depth:
Life is our most precious possession. Life is a manifestation of subtle, cosmic forces, i.e. Planets, Ether, Air, Fire, Water and Earth. The quality of life depends on our health and the health of our environment. A healthy system shows a balance of cosmic forces received by its food intake (physical: air, water, solid food and emotional and mental inputs). Our physical food depends on agriculture, which uses the manifestation of these subtle forces, i.e. land, water, and air. Aparigraha economic paradigm states that sound economy equals sound land use, which is based on sound agriculture, which provides sound food, which results in sound health and sound life. The Essenes used ecological health gardening, anthroposophy uses biodynamic agriculture and PROUT has its teachings on agriculture as well. Based on these spiritual methods of agriculture, Aparigraha states that the Commons (Cosmic forces, Ether, Air, Fire, Water, Earth) are prerequisites for life and their protection is necessary. It advocates relative ownership of land, which means no land to be sold, only leased by the community to the relative owner. The lease revenues are distributed to local governments providing local services. In zoning, first priority is for agriculture, second is for recreational areas and third is for urban, commercial and industrial development. The providers of agricultural services are encouraged to adopt cooperative organizations, to maintain limited size and to choose local services to build economy.

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Agricultural and Farming Priorities: 1) Priority is to reestablish healthy soil conditions based on natural laws, i.e. natural composting methods and biodynamic preparations. 2) Food quality is preferred over quantity. 3) Produce what provides healthy nutrition to animals and humans, i.e. predominantly fruit, vegetables, grains, dairy and eggs without the use of chemicals, pesticides, insecticides, hormones, etc.
4) Use intensive gardening methods, i.e. compost rich soil, less water. 5) Use sacred geometry in agriculture. 6) Priority is to grow locally and supply locally. 7) Establish fruit orchards, home and community gardens and community or city markets with direct farmer-consumer trade. 8) Educate young children with hands on experience about agriculture, i.e. school gardens. 9) In higher education, plan for 1 out of 10 citizens to be educated as a farmer utilizing natural laws in agriculture.

For the Essenes health is harmony, disease is disharmony.Health is more than freedom from pain, discomfort and disease. It is a possession and exercise of vitality. Health means joy of living and working. They used what is called Biogenic Cosmotherapy to reestablish disturbed harmony between man and the Cosmos; e.g. bones are related to earth element and geotherapy is used. The Basic health essentials are pure air, fresh & pure water, wholesome natural foods, rest/relaxation/sleep, adequate exercise, good thoughts & emotions. Anthroposophy has its medicine, which uses subtle, invisible forces of nature. They state that in health, the force of growth and expansion and the force to limit and organize this growth, which determine the structure and form of cells are operating in harmony. This medicine is based on the followings amongst others, that man has a triune division; head and nerve-sense system (thinking), rhythmic system (feeling) & metabolic and limb system (will); that each man is unique but they use 4 temperaments to classify human beings and they also pay attention to the age of the patient. They state that it is not physical substances, which are the most important in the food we eat, but those that are there in miniscule amounts and that the most important thing about the process of digestion is the forces that the food we eat calls forth in the body. Ayurveda and Yoga are sister sciences. Ayurveda is the science of healing, which uses both outer and inner therapies while yoga is the science of philosophy, which uses practical disciplines for knowing the self. Here external factors - wrong diet and pathogens are the cause of physical disease while internal factors: wrong use of senses and negative emotions result in mental disease. They teach that we are all unique beings and use the 3 biological humors and the 3 gunas to classify us.

In harmony with these teachings but going further, in Aparigraha health is a balance of cosmic forces, which creates a level of vibration in the living organism that supports it to fulfill its mission of existence. The mission of a human being living on Earth is to learn to bring forth in thinking, feeling and willing those universal qualities of higher consciousness, which contribute to the expression of altruistic love and a life in peace & harmony with one's own self & our environment.

Aparigraha Health Priorities:
1) Maintain health and prevent disease, this starts with a pure diet. 2) Utilize both ancient and modern knowledge on cosmic forces and how they effect us; i.e. fire - Sun, water - Moon, food - Earth, air - Stars. 3) Learn about our unique nature (physical, mental and spiritual) - how forces, diet and impressions affect us. This is a lifelong endeavor. 4) The human being has subtle bodies, which need to be in balance. We need to use comprehensive healing modalities, which include physical, psychological, social and spiritual factors to impact these various bodies. 5) Health essentials are pure air, fresh & pure water, wholesome natural foods, rest /relaxation/sleep, adequate exercise, good thoughts & emotions. 6) In healing use those same natural elements that make up the organism, i.e. both physical and subtle elements.

The Essene teachings on education, which are over 2000 years old teachings, still apply today. They taught of three paths to education: the path of consciousness, of nature and of culture. For them Moses was the greatest teacher, who discovered the iron law of cause and effect. Moses said that through harmony with this Law we reach freedom and security and showed that man's life is linked with the Universal Life. He saw man as a unit of energy. The Essenes taught that man needs to free himself from life's 7 bondages to attain freedom. This is symbolized as Man's Egypt and gaining freedom as Man's Exodus. Anthroposophy offers us Waldorf Education, which is by now a worldwide spiritual education with over 1000 schools. This is an education ranging in age from childrens' garden to high school, which aims to bring forth love and compassion in the students. It aims to connect science and morality through religion and art. It teaches life skills; e.g. knitting, cooking, baking, sawing, woodwork, farming and movement, music, singing, and science. Here education is a process of healing; a path towards fullness, thus an integrated method of head, heart and hand is used. There is respect for age and individual differences. Learning methods change with age: imitation ( up to 7), authority and pictures (7-14), universal love (14-21). In the schools there is community life, love of nature, parent education about this holistic philosophy, and service opportunities. Buddhism and Yoga teach the control of desires, self-restraint and moral life. Raja Yoga, which is the integral path of yoga starts with ethical codes of non-harming, truthfulness, non-stealing, self-restraint, non-greed, purity, contentment, zeal, knowing yourself, surrender to God, as a way to reach personal and societal peace and harmony. Yoga uses various methods of devotion, knowledge, service and purification.

In Aparigraha education is the most effective and a non-violent method for personal and societal development. The aim of education in general ought to be to raise the level of consciousness of the individual and that of society; to develop free thinking, compassionate, loving and altruistic human beings, who are able to make and live in peace and cooperate with fellow beings.

Priorities for education: 1) Firstly we need moral education, secondly skills and talents. Thus we need to teach reverence towards Nature and about the life of Saints and altruistic individuals. 2) We need to teach about the story of Creation, the cosmic elements, the Fall of Man, the unity of mankind and the interdependence of various life forms. 3) We need to teach basic life skills: knitting, cooking, baking, sawing, woodwork, building and farming. It is very important what and how we teach girls as they become mothers. 4) We need to use healing therapies in education; i.e. movement therapies, live music, learning instruments, sound therapy and singing. We need to educate the mind, the heart and the will at the same time. 5) During teaching we need to have respect for individual differences and use a teaching in harmony with the age of the child. There are specific age limits to introduce the various subjects, e.g. logical thinking and judgments in education. 6) We need to teach about simplicity, to realize the difference between needs and desires, Cooperation, as well as the concepts of Dharma (Be your best), Cause and Effect, Non-greed (Aparigraha), Non-violence (Ahimsa) and Self-Restraint (Brahmacharya).

 

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Seminars on Spiritual Economics, July 14, 2009, Budapest, Hungary

Invitation Letter


You are cordially invited to attend a whole day event on Spiritual Economics on July 14th, 2009 between 9:00 AM and 6 PM in Budapest, Hungary.

Lecture topics:

Dr. Sfeir-Younis, founder of the Zambuling Institute for Human Transformation speaks on moral and spiritual economics, and its place in the world today. (For further information on the lecturer, please visit: http://silentpeacemeditation.com/ziht/)

Prof. Bhushan Bhardwaj, a doctor of ayurveda and international expert on Gandhian non-violent politics and economics speaks on his experiences of grass root community building and volunteer organizations. (For further information on the lecturer, please visit: www.gandhitopia.org)

Eszter Szabó outlines the principles of the economics of non-violence and non-greed (Aparigraha), speaks on the work of Global Coalition for Peace and shows a video recording on PROUT with Dada Vimalananda. (For further information, please visit www.aparigrahaeconomics.org)

Location: Csíki-Bege Autóplaza, Budapest, III. Pünkösdfürdo u. 52.

Directions:
By car, motorcycle or bicycle:

  • From Árpád híd: going out of town on Szentendrei út
  • From Pest: either crossing Árpád híd or Megyeri híd
  • From Szentendre: via Road 11 (11-es foút)
  • By hév: Batthyány tér - Szentendre hév, stop Békásmegyer
  • By bus: buses # 34, 42, and145

Fee: 5.000 HUF, including snack and drinks.

Please RSVP by e-mail to the organizer below and by transferring 5.000 HUF to account CIB Bank Rt. 11101301-73220670-33000007 (dr. Madari Tibor).

For further information, please contact: dr.Tibor Madari, madari@madari.hu, , 06-20-9573753.

Sponsors:
Morális Hitel Egyesület
Gyógyító Gondolatok Egyesület
Magyarok Szövetsége
Madari Ügyvédi Iroda

 

Letters and Suggestions for topics to be covered by dr. Arya, No.1 by Graham Davey, Gandhi Foundation from UK

Dear Arya,
I think it would be more appropriate for you to speak about the Gandhi Foundation than simply the GF Summer Gathering. You will not have time to say much but the main points in this section of your talk might be:

The Gandhi Foundation was formed in 1983 following the successful film of Gandhi's life made by Richard Attenborough. It aims to spread knowledge and understanding of the teachings of Gandhi and their relevance today.

It does this through a number of activities:

1. A multi-faith celebration held on the anniversary of Gandhi's assassination to promote increased understanding between members of different faith communities;

2.An annual general meeting normally including a workshop or presentation on nonviolence in action;

3.The summer gathering - a residential week for about 30 people living simply, eating only vegan or vegetarian food, having a daily presentation based on a theme for the week, taking part in craft work in the afternoons and social/learning activities in the evenings and practising non-violence all the time;

4.A public lecture held near Gandhi's birthday, 2nd October when a distinguished speaker expands on some aspect of Gandhi's teaching and example;

5.The International Peace Award is the annual presentation of a statuette of Gandhi to a person or representative of an organisation that has done a lot to promote peace or social development without any previous public recognition;

6.The publication of a quarterly newsletter, 'The Gandhi Way' with articles about Gandhi and the work of Gandhians in UK and abroad. Books on relevant subjects are also bought in bulk and sold;

7.The Gandhi Foundation has an office at Kingsley Hall, a community centre in the east end of London where Gandhi stayed in 1931. Educational materials are being prepared for use in schools in the area with the aim of reducing racial prejudice and gang culture;

8.The Gandhi Foundation works with other organisations concerned with peace, social justice and development and takes small grants to support worth-while projects overseas.

I don't know whether this might inspire anyone to start a similar organsiation in Hungary but it would be excellent if it did. I hope the seminar goes well.

Yours, Graham

 

Letters and Suggestions for topics to be covered by dr. Arya, No.2 by Riccardo Gramegena, Europian Co-ordinator, Gandhi-in-Action

Oh, Arya, dear brother…. For sure the list of proposed topics is wide and it seems they want to know a lot….. well I will try to contribute some notes for your ‘promemoria’.

Gandhi In Action – I have found a booklet with this definition:

A global network of contacts of cooperation among people and groups that actively practice (as they understand it) nonviolence, in their hearts and actions, in their family relations, in their working and social environments within their local communities, thinking positively, acting locally and living globally.
“Originally started to create an open bridge connecting the gandhian communities, associations and individuals in India with the expanding movement of goodwill people active in creating a change of consciousness in the western world.

Environmentalists, human rights advocates, peace movement activists, spiritual awareness promoters, together with a variety of small groups inventing and pioneering new ways of service and cooperation within their local communities, whenever they wanted to communicate their commitment to nonviolent strategies and their determination to search peaceful ways to facilitate the changes that humanity have to face, … all have used the ‘icon’ of Gandhi…. but they knew little about nonviolence as an inner attitude of the soul. They were fighting against… with violence in their hearts, violence against violence, feeding the conflict and often giving their opponents strength and power… In the mean time, in India, the gandhian movement was passively confronting the westernization of India. Gandhi’s pictures were hanging from the walls in offices and schools, but Indians had forgotten his spirit and his values. So our initial mission was.. lets give Indians the consciousness of the relevance of Gandhiji’ legacy, let us remind them of Vinoba, let us inform them that all over the world there are people that are inspired by them… and in the mean time, let us give opportunities to the western people to learn more how to be really nonviolent and succeed in changing their enemies into friends. I remember you told me once that nonviolence stands on 4 principles, like a table stands on 4 legs: Fearlessness, (for what I have understood you get this when you know you are not the body, but the soul that lives in it. So your body might die, somehow someway sometime, but you live eternal life. Therefore no fear to die, no fear at all ).
Truthfulness, (to my experience, unconditional love gives the perception of truth… as it is. Conditional love instead, creates judgement towards what is (truth) and preference for what it should be (thought.. illusion.. maya) Voluntary poverty, (non possession, no property, no attachment… real freedom) Service to the lasts (without expecting fruits of the actions and not even gratitude)
I feel these are important topics for your presentation.

I think you need not to brag on what Gandhi In Action had done (we can proudly say we are not an ‘organization’) but focus more on the need to understand well what nonviolence is and put in practice. All this anti-something movements do not realize that their attitude doesn’t work… it feeds the game of the power and doesn’t change the heart. Any pressure against, creates defence and need of more security… (at the recent G8 there were 15.000 soldiers, policemen, security to protect the ‘red area’ of the meeting!! And not counting the CIA agents, secret services af all nations represented!! And moreover to the fascist components of this huge security display it is easy to infiltrate agents to provoke fights and destructions so that the whole movement seems ‘violent’ to the eyes of the people watching the media! (remember Genova) Therefore, at present, there is no much hope that these ‘anti’ movements will produce a change in the world, but it’s ok… the change is happening anyway! The old world (globalization of western values and style of living) is collapsing on its own, at all levels and people need to have visions and viable, sustainable alternatives in order to survive the catastrophe and create the ‘new world’. An old monk, a franciscan, told me sometime ago that in ancient greek the word Apocalipse means the end of the ‘old world’ and the contemporary revelation, manifestation of the ‘new world’. (Now it is circulating voices about 2012 as mayan prophecies for the end of the world) So… our new mission, I feel is to talk of the creative process of transformation.. we need to focus on education and constructive actions and projects. Talk on Vinoba, boodan, gramdan, as many do not know him.. and give them some hints on his ‘passwords’ Satya, Prem, Karuna.. Jai Jagat as a vision of OneWorld, geopolitical boundaries gone, a new global order… gram swaraj/Jai Jagat…….. Swaraj as an alternative to “democracy” … You need not to talk about me or Pierre or many others… just let them know there are many pioneering the “think positive, act locally, live globally” style of living.. many are planting the seeds of the new culture of the new humanity.. and wherever a man or a woman is standing with courage, sincerity and love for the freedom and welfare of all… for us, there.. there is a “Gandhi In Action”.

Talk out of your heart and thoughts will flow…. I know you are going to do a good job!!! Auguri

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Savitri's Summary of the Seminar

Greetings to All:

I would like to share with you a short report about our event on Spiritual Economics in Budapest two days ago. I am a Hungarian born mother who lives in Washington D.C. and I regularly visit my home country in the summer. In the last nine years yoga, spiritual science and non-violence became one of my main interest. Tibor Madari, a Hungarian lawyer and a friend approached me based on the project I have been involved through Global Coalition for Peace, Aparigraha, A New Economic Paradigm for a Culture of Peace to see if there would be a possibility to organize an event on spiritual economics in Hungary. I attended the First International Conference on the Economics of Non-violence or a Vision of a Sustainable World organized by the Jains community in New Delhi, in December, 2005. So I thought this would be a great opportunity to bring the message of Aparigraha to Europe.

Tibor is involved with three newly formed Hungarian organizations who would like to learn how to influence Hungarian politics and economics in a positive way. There is a lot of negativity, violence, anger, frustration and disappointment amongst people in Hungary. This was the case during the communist times and this is the case now after 19 years of experimentation with capitalist or free market economy.

I offered to invite two major players in the field of spiritual economics whom I know through my spiritual teacher, Victor Landa, Director and Founder of Global Coalition for Peace in Bethesda, MD, USA. I was very fortunate to receive commitments from both Alfredo Sfeir-Younis and Dr. Arya Bushan Bhardwaj. We had a very succesful event with about 45 participants from all walks of life, and full of interest in spiritual economics.

Alfredo talked about the following topics: 1) symptoms, which indicate that a major change is needed, 2) what the next steps are, 3) simple meaning of spirituality, 4) loosing our sensitivity towards diffenet forms of interdependence, 5) the tragedy of the commons and that today's world crisis is a spiritual crisis, 6) three principal forms of interdepenendence, 7) why are we out of focus? 8) need to reestablish some fundamental spiritual laws, and 8) the foundation of spiritual economics. He titled his paper ”The Life of Economics or The Economics of Life? It is You Who Decide!”

Dr. Arya talked about his motto Think Positivly, Act Locally, Live Globally. He said that today is the time when the so called horizontal/progress and success development paradigm is ending and thus he erged us to enter the so called vertical growth path. Positive thinking is vertical growth. He said that physical growth needs to lead to mental growth, which needs to lead to spiritual growth. He stated that economy is a part of of our life but that life is not just economics. He talked about the Vedic thinkers who taught about dharma, artha, kama and moksha. This is the thinking Gandhi followed and through this he gave satyagra (stick to the thruth) to the world. He said that in order to find thruth, one needs to keep oneself away from untruth.

I talked about the work of Global Coalition for Peace focusing on the main projects, which are Spiritual Food for the New Millennium, Aparigraha and Make Gardens Not War. A local PROUT representative gave a talk on the work of Prout.

Om Shanti (Peace)

Notes of Dr. Arya's Presentation

Note 1 for Aprigraha on Spiritual Economics Seminar in Budapest

As I have said in the beginning, one of the oldest traditions for running Society smoothly, healthily, happily and peacefully had been Vedic Traditions. These traditions had laid down a four-fold goal for human life. First was Dharma, which means one should do his/her duties as per the voice of her/his 'Inner self' and not on outwardly compulsions. Second was Artha. It means do your socio-economic-political routines according to your Dharma. The third one was Kama, which means enjoy all worldly momentary pleasures including sex with a spirit of renounciation. Fourth and final goal was Moksha, which means freedom from the vicious circle of birth and death. Which is the ultimate supreme goal of human life according to all religions of the World except Charvak. Terms used may be different. Hindu says Moksha, Cristians say Salvation, Islam says Bahishat, Budhist say Nirvana. But the central idea is Freedom from the vicious circle/cycle of death and birth.

Actually speaking if we direct our daily-life activities according to the three goals of Dharma, Artha and Kama, the fourth goal will automatically be achieved. Which means one need not do rituals for achieving Moksha in his/her life specially. What a simple and rational approach for the Spiritual life. But for this we have to think, and that too 'Think Positively'.

The so-called Democracy has no space for thinking, much less for "Thinking Positively". That is why modern radical political thinkers like Thoreau, Leo Tolstoy and Gandhi were not in favour of the Democratic System at all. No one paid much heed to these great thinkers, except paying lip service to these illumined-souls.

But everything is not yet lost. There is hope and I am optimistic. There is vast majority of ordinary people all over the world who have been working under-current but it is seen rarely over-current like the Fall of notorious Berlin Wall in 1989. The whole world was amazed. And coincidentally, I was told that this small but great country Hungary had played a crucial role. Who knows this tiny gathering may light the candle.

I can humbly say, with my past 45 years of experiences of working at the grassroots, with ordinary people round the World, that there is hope in their hearts. I have myself seen millions and millions of homes with the Peace Flags for days and months together, while our so called World leaders (I call them Misleaders) have been justifying Iraq War through media ignoring the billions of ordinary-people crying for peace all over the world. Therefore I repeat my humble motto in the end, Think Positively, Act Locally and Live Globally. Jai Jagat.

Note 2 for Aprigraha on Spiritual Economics Seminar in Budapest

Actually speaking, Economics is just how Society manages its day-to-day socio-economic and political affairs in this World. It has little to do with the spiritual side of the human life. From time immemorial, there have been some basic guidelines to run the earthly life simply, smoothly and peacefully. With the advent of Industrial Revolution in Europe, in the eighteenth century, there has been a revolutionary change in the human mentality. More and more materially oriented, competitive life has been the central goal. This brought two new social values. One was an outwardly social-status -consciousness and the other was competitive economics.

There was nothing wrong in these new social values. But the result was that the human being started following only a horizontal development-progress paradigm blindly. It resulted in slowly forgetting the hard fact that the human being is gifted with multi-dimensional growth faculties also, and not only horizontal development-progress paradigm. These two factors have changed the entire social-structure and dimensions on the whole globe. The new phenomenon that had emerged was the so-called Democracy, that is, the rule of the majority over the minority. It looks very fine from the outside world. People at large, supposedly, are taken for granted and it is to be in their favour.

But the hidden fact was quite opposite. When the human being started becoming conscious of Democracy and there by of his/her false pride of freedom, of outwardly expressions, the entire socio-economic pattern changed. Ordinary people got more and more busy and got lost in earning their daily bread by all sorts of means. No time was left for them for thinking. Much less space was there for Positive Thinking. On the other hand microscopic-minority of the elites put their whole thinking to horizontal development-progress paradigm. Human psychology has changed altogether. There is hardly any space left for Positive Thinking either for the masses or for the elite-classes. This is what the overall view of the whole globe is in. What else could have been expected other than what we have been helplessly witnessing? Increasing individual and social violence and a widening gulf between the haves and have-nots. Miseries are increasing, the "Dukha", in Gautom Buddha's words.

The positive side is that there are few groups that are still there and sincerely trying to Think Positively and putting their heads together to break present impasse. This Seminar is an example in that direction. The traditional word 'Spiritual' has been confined to as the agenda for the 'Other World'. It has very little to do with the present World. Though thousands of institutionalized religious groups all over the World have been spending tons of money to keep their name alive.

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Presentation of Alfredo Sfeir-Younis, Zambuling Institute for Human Transformation

"The Life Of Economics or The Economics Of Life?
It Is You Who Decide"

For the most part, economiccs could be defined as the science of human behaviour under conditions of material scarcity. Thus, the work of economists is to predict human behaviour under those conditions. This is not an easy task, as it involves millions at variables and possibilities, and a unique set ot skills to be able to be truly predictive, with those variables anchored in so many different professions (e g., psychology, behavioural sciences).

Many people could argue that economics is not really a science, but a very limited art of some sort. What is evident at this very moment is that economics has some strong names and connotations, like market economics, global economics, classical economics, neoclassical economics, institutional economics, social economics, socialist economics, communist economics, etc. Those names either point out to the economic vision behind those forms of economics, or to the instrument(s) that is (are) relied upon in order to get the desired results. One example of a key instrument is related to the immense reliance on market mechanisms, free trade, and perfect competition (as a horizon). However, as if those names were not sufficient to understand what economists are trying to do, or should do, this document proposes and addresses yet another form of economics: "spiritual economics".

This is not a new proposal as I have spoken on this subject matter for more than 2-3 decades. Only recently, this subject matter has had more attention and many people are contributing to its enrichment.

To suggest such a new name -spiritual economics- requires a number of introductory steps or remarks, which are to be taken into account in order to find a very synergetic common ground.

The Symptoms That A Major Change Is Needed

Herewith there are a few of the dimensions which are important and useful to identify and to define such a common ground. These dimensions are not presented in any given order or hierarchy of importance. The descriptions below simply touch either on unresolved issues or on the opening of new windows of opportunity to practice a different form of economics.

First, speaking of economics as the science of scarcity will only make sense when we are holding a major aspect of the problem as "constant". In fact this selected "constant" is the one responsible for that notion, or factual reality, deriving from scarcity. In this respect, something that is to be variable, boundless and limitless has been held constant: i.e., "human consciousness". Most economists have not paid attention to the role of human consciousness in economics. In particular, if attention is being given to the boundless role played by human consciousness, then economics will become the science of abundance instead of the science of scarcity. Economics must become the science of nurturing the value of life. This is such an important issue, which this document will come back again and again. Different levels of human consciousness will yield different forms of human behaviour under conditions of material scarcity and, thus, different economic outcomes.

Second, there is a value and belief system driving the said behaviour under conditions of human scarcity. These values are often very different from those values driving the science of abundance. In the case of material scarcity we are really driven by competition and exclusion, with a major emphasis on values and belief systems anchored in individualism rather than on notions of a human collective destiny, or the values of interdependence, caring, sharing, solidarity, stewardship, freedom, justice ... This is not just a general statement but we know this well in an empirical and practical way. The notion of material scarcity represents the most powerful vehicle to the self realization of individualistic and materialistic values and belifs, and this is to be changed if we want different results from economics. A radical shift in values and belief must take place.

Third, economics should be analyzed by its results and not as an outcome of an ideological debate; most of which have been inconclusive and very confusing. On the one hand, it is evident that humanity has experienced major material progress, but on the other hand, this material progress has been distributed very unevenly. One example may suffice here to prove the point. Of the total consumption of several trillions of dollars a year, nearly 87% is consumed by the top richest 20% of the population, while those in the bottom 20% of inccme, only consume l.5% of the total. The same applies to issues of technological change, and human material welfare in general. There are many aspects of human life that are the results of economics: environmental destruction, diseases, human insecurity and human conflict.

Fourth, all economic and financial transactions are subject to a major asymmetry at the institutional and organizational levels. The present world crisis reflects in many ways this asymmetry as there is no organizational arrangement to manage and control the banking system at the global level. There is simply no one collective organization. The same applies to all global public goods, including ozone layer depletion, global warming and biodiversity depletion, human insecurity, war and conflict. The same applies to issues linked to the opening to trade and globalization of natural resources. The decree of free trade may take just a few hours to be enacted while it may take decades for the people to settle the property rights over those resources. As a result, one sees major depletion of forestry resources. This institutional asymmetry is most responsible for the ultimate destruction of our natural resource base. The market, as an instrument of exchange and of settlement of disputes, does not have any automatic trigger mechanisms to resolve this asymmetry issue. One has to recourse to market interventions and normative instruments, including the assignment of property rights.

Fifth, targeting the poor and the environment is not easy and there are not too many effective instruments to do so. These have become structural problems and we see how little is being resolved. In part, this is due mainly to the fact that economics is governed by strict notions of economic efficiency and both poverty and environment are residuals rather than the points of departure of economics as it is practiced today.

Sixth, as the market has to be intervened despite of the desire for free trade, we witness the proliferation of a large number of governance systems, each of which rather difficult to manage and control effectively. These governance systems must be explicitly recognized and we need to learn more about them and how, as a package, these governance systems may improve the welfare of most people. This is a matrix that it is not easy to manage; on the contrary. As one involves more and more actors (e g., government, private sector, NGOs, unions, international organizations) the matrix of governance systems expands and complicates accordingly.

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Seventh, the market is marked by failures of all sorts. These market failures may be of two distinct natures: (a) spatial externalities -unaccounted benefits or costs across the space (upstream and downstream effects) and (b) inter-temporal externalities - unaccounted benefits and costs over time (intergenerational equity issues). These choices are difficult to make and involve inequities of all sorts. In general, one could also say that the market reflects better individual preferences and transactions than collective preferences and transactions. This has been an economic dilemma since economics exists as a separate branch of human inquiry. The dilemma has been expressed in many different ways. One is related to the ways in which the attainment of an individual optimum will ever reach the collective optima. In fact, Adam Smith in The Wealth of Nations suggested an important instrument that he called the "Invisible hand". It was this invisible hand that would make the trick. In addition economists have offered all sorts of public sector interventions to ensure the collective optima: taxes, subsidies, rights, rules, regulations... These forms of interventions are plagued with ethical, moral and value-laden related issues and concerns. Other forms of interventions include those involving culture, religion. spirituality and social norms (development of the existing social capital).

Eighth, the individualistic nature of economics runs counter to the many, and ever increasing, forms of collective existence and collective interactions. These collective dimensions of human transformation are greatly influenced by population and demography, environmental destruction, war and conflict, human insecurity, spread of economic diseases, other global diseases (HIVAlDS, flu), globalization of economics and finance, the dominance of the corporate culture everywhere, and the fact that we live in a world without frontiers or borders.In a world like this. it is important to heighten the relevance of self identity as well as collective identity. This has not been the case and many countries are losing from their positioning within the globalization process. One needs to add the role played by technology: It has been biased in favour of capital and against labour.

Ninth, there is a major dissatisfaction with the outcomes of economics, politics, many forms at organization, and religion. The system as it stands is corrupt and bankrupted. There is massive poverty despite the billions of dollars that have been spent in the name of poverty alleviation. Furthermore, we are experiencing also major environmental destruction which is affecting our material and spiritual transformation processes. The establishment, as revealed by the existing power structures and the excessive dominance of a few, continues to lead in the direction of benefits for a few and poverty for the largest majority. In many ways, this is due to our insensitivity and disconnectedness from others, nature and our own spirit. All of these are accelerated via stress, high levels of toxicity, and the inability to self realize important humanistic and spiritual values. Our daily lives are suffering as a result.

Tenth, existing empirical evidence seems to demonstrate that it is easier to self realize individualistic and materialistic values. Thus, we witness the failure to self realize our collective values. Individualistic values are driven by certain notions of what it means to be succcessful, as well as by the values of competition, productivity and exclusion. Contrary to that, there are a number of important collective values that are much less self-realized. Examples of these collective values are: freedom, interdependence, equity, justice, solidarity, security, sharing, caring, peace... This leads to a very important question having to do with more thinking and research about different indicators of human welfare, like social indicators and gross national happiness.

Eleventh, it is important to pay much more attention to the evolution of individual and collective consciousness. In the mind of most people, "something is not working". And it needs to be fix. People have a deep sense of dissatisfaction and a major awareness that material wealth should not be equated to happiness. People want to feel more rather than to know more. There is a neccessity to involve ourselves in all sorts of processes of inner development. This has led to a major shift in priorities and more and more people are interested in self improvement and going inwards. There is a great deal of importance of the self and the other.

Twelve, for most economists, the future of economic growth depends on higher levels of consumption. And, it is in this context that there are major efforts to expand consumption, credit and, simply, debt. This is done as much as at the country level and at the individual level. This model is not working today, in addition to embody a series of problems with excessive consumption and indebting people and countries to the limits. Humans are "human beings" and not human consumers"; this is to say, there is much more to humans than doing more and having more. Even if for some people this appears to be somehow an esoteric comment, in practice it is not. In essence what is being said here is that economics should be at the service of human beings and not human beings at the service of economics. For the moment, economics is like a new form of slavery. Failures in the economic system are accompanied with major levels of stress, social stress, as a result of unemployment, income differentials, excessive debt, the breakdown of the family, and the like.

Thirteenth, it is important to make explicit the fact that economics act via exclusion. Even if in principle,welfare economics states that the gainers have to compensate the losers, it is to me morally unacceptable that some people are made better of at the expense of others who are made worse off. In practice there are many institutional, political, and organizational constraints that make all these compensation criteria inapplicable. In the end, massive poverty arises.

As you well know, there are many more aspects that should be announced here.

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What Are The Next Steps?

Where do we go from here?

Do we keep intervening the market with more instruments of correction, or shall we in the end move to a different form of economics?

I am one of those who prefer the latter rather than the former.

But, to even move away from the present system, or to suggest so, it is essential to know the real foundation of economics. Otherwise we will not have the capacity to move to a better state of human welfare.

As many of you know, there is no consensus on this matter.

However, to me, the manifested layer is what we see at the material level: production, consumption, trade and more.

At a more subtle layer we are to recognize that economics is driven by a set of values, which, in turn lead to a series of economic decisions. Thus, one possible move ahead to a new economics will demand to create and implement a revolution in values!! This is not obvious and self evident, particularly as values are not words but different states of being. Thus, freedom is not a word but a state of our inner reality. The same applies to every possible value.

Values are not fixe. Values evolve as humankind evolves.

One of the greatest influences in the nature of human values is our collective existence. This is a new phenomenon accelerated by population, demography, communications and transport. Our increased levels of interconnectedness are essential to understand how this revolution in values is to take place, so that we self realize equity, equality, caring, sharing and all the values of our human collective.

But, the deepest layer is that of human cunsciousness. That state of reality that creates the spaces for those values to be self realized in the firs place. A new economics needs a new human consciousness. The old level of consciousness that resulted in all the suffering we see today does not posses the solutions or the new path to enhanced human welfare.

The Simple Meaning of Spirituality

Before continuing, it becomes important to define the meaning of spirituality, so that the whole sense of spiritual economics is well understood.

Spirituality is the group of instruments, processes, practices, actions and self realization, with the view to remembering our mission in this lifetime. We all come with a mission. Unfortunately, we have forgotten this mission. And, it is essential to remember the mission so that we are happy and fullfilled, we avoid suffering and diseases, and we self realize that mission in everything we do.

An enlightened person is that one who knows it mission and it is self realizing such mission.

Losing Our Sensitivity Towards Different Forms of Inferdependence

The Tragedy Of The Commons. The present world crisis, if not managed properly may end up in a major tragedy. When I was a student of environmental economics, it was central to learn, interpret and apply the fundamental lessons of "The Tragedy of The Commons". This was based on a journal article by Garrett Hardin, Science, 162(l968):l243-1248. Most of the attention of this article focuses almost on one single issue: how to manage an asset hold in common, as it is population, pasture lands, climate, ozone layer, oceans, forests, biodiversity, etc (see below).

Let me start by outlining some of the issues raised by Hardin:

The role of technology and technical solutions to humanity's problems. Here a statement is made in relation to the fact that a technological solution often fails to yield any positive results. To rely only on technology will simply not do. Hardin raises this issue in the context of military power and the arms race. He quotes J. B. Wiesner and H. F. York who concluded that: "Both sides in the arms race are... confronted by the dilemma of steadily increasing milltary power and steadily decreasing national security. It is our considered professional judgment that this dilemma has no technical solution. If the great powers continue to look for solutions in the area of science and technology only, the result will be to worsen the situation."

This is fascinating and defeats technocrats who see technologies as the solution to all humanity's problems. In this case, Hardin cites the concept that a technical solution may be defined as one requiring a change only in the techniques, demanding little or nothing in the way of change in human values or ideas of morality. This is so central, as most of what we will be discussing here is about values and to some extent, about morality (redefined).

Within the debate on population, Hardin states that the "population problem," as conventionally conceived, is a member of this class: no technical solution. He added something essential to our discussions today most people who anguish over the population problem are trying to find a way to avoid the evils of overpopulation without relinquishing any of the privileges they now enjoy. They think that farming the seas or developing new strains of wheat will solve the problem - technologically. But, he says that the solution they seek cannot be found. The population problem cannot be solved in a technical way.

The nature of individual welfare in relation to collective welfare. Another collateral issue has to do with how we, individuals, make sure that our actions lead to higher collective welfare. This rs to say, we need to assess whether individual actions, based on individual self-interest must, in the end, lead to benefitting all people - i.e., the collective interest. For the moment, what we witness around us is, in most cases, a situation where individual behaviour diminishes the welfare of society as a whole, rather than increasing it. Thus, for example, we know that a major increase in industrial output, will result on, or will happen at the expense of, more pollution for the rest of the world.

One of the classic books in economics which discusses the dilemmas we face between finding the individual optimum and the social optimum is entitled The Wealth of Nations (1776), by Adam Smith. In that book, and as a way to reconcile individual choices and collective welfare, he proposes the idea of an "invisible hand". Here, Smith asserts the idea that an individual who "intends only his own gain," is, as it were, "led by an invisible hand to promote... the public interest."

· Is this possible?
· What is the nature of the invisible hand?
· What is or, What are the intervening variables that make individual decisions arrive at collective welfare?
· Is it human Consciousness the true nature of the invisible hand?

In many quarters Smith views have been interpreted in an extremist way and this is probably one of the main reasons why we are in crisis everywhere. In particular, this view has been translated in to a major principle of decision-making and institution-building: to assume that decisions reached individually will, in fact, be me best decisions for an entire society. If this assumption is correct it justifies the continuance of our present policy of laissez-faire as we are experiencing in today's context of grobalization. No one is to stop free trade. No one is to stop corporations from pursuing their own objectives and goals.

Given the present world crisis resulting from this attitude and philosophy, this assumption does not appear to be correct. In some ways, we have not found the correct intervening variable to move societies to our social optimum. Therefore, we must examine the true meaning of our individual freedoms and assess which ones are desirable and defensible.

The Tragedy of the Commons Proper. This is Hardin's most powerful contribution to humanity, and the text will follow closely to his original text and not lose some fundamental points.

He states that the rebuttal tothe invisible hand is to be found in a scenario first sketched in a little-known Pamphlet in 1833 by a mathematical amateur named William Forster Lloyd (1794-1852). We may well call it "the tragedy of the commons". The tragedy of the commons develops in this way. Picture a pasture open to all. It is to be expected that each herdsman will try to keep as many cattle as possible on the commons. Such an arrangement may work reasonably satisfactorily for centuries because tribal wars, poaching, and disease keep the numbers of both man and beast well below the carrying capacity of the land. Finally, however, comes the day or reckoning, that is, the day when the long-desired goal of social stability becomes a reality. At this point, the inherent logic of the commons remorselessly generates tragedy. As a rational being, each herdsman seeks to maximize his gain. Explicitly or implicitly, more or less consciously, he asks, "What is the utility to me of adding one more animal to my herd?"

Does this situation sound familiar to you?

In today's world, we are not only adding sheep but we are also adding production, consumption, trade, wars and conflicts, weapons, diseases, etc, all of which with a tremendous negative impact to humanity as a collective (e.g., environmental destruction). Thus, what is the incentive and the net gain of adding yet one more industry?

At times, I see people thinking that bringing these elements into a general conversation, represents yet another platitude. In a sense, this is a great form of denial. In Portugal (2008), for example, this denial was so great among some people that they are saying "There is no world crisis". "This is an artificial issue". "This is only in our minds".

Is it, really?

There are some reasons why this is happening. In some cases it is due to the perception that availability of our resources is at infinitum. Again, a technocratic view at its core, in the hope that technology will resolve the problems we face in light of material scarcity. This has not proven right and the prices of oil, gold, etc, and of other primary commodities are proofs of that.

Many decision makers have proposed as the solution of this tragedy, to sell the common resources of the Earth to the private sector: to privatize the "commons". Privatization of the "commons" will bring a crucial intervening variable at play: exclusion. This exclusion may happen as a result of pricing the services of the "common", or as a result of property rights, rules and regulations.

We are seeing that global stability is a resource held in common. To attack the banking crisis has led to the proposal that we should create a supra national regulatory body. Whether this will be accepted or whether it will work, nobody knows.

In the case of the environmental destruction we witness around the world, Hardin states some important thoughts: The tragedy of the commons as a food basket is averted by private property, or something formally like it. But the air and waters surrounding us cannot readily be fenced, and so the tragedy of the commons as a cesspool must be prevented by different means, by coercive laws or taxing devices that make it cheaper for the polluter to treat his pollutants than to discharge them untreated. We have not progressed as far with the solution of this problem as we have with the first.
Indeed, our particular concept of private property, which deters us from exhausting the positive resources of the earth, favours pollution. The owner of a factory on the bank of a stream - whose property extends to the middle of the stream - often has difficulty seeing why it is not his natural right to muddy the waters flowing past his door. The law, always behind the times, requires elaborate stitching and fitting to adapt it to this newly perceived aspect of the commons.

Incentive Structures: How to Legislate Temperance (abstinence). What is then the incentive structure we are to put in place to address The Tragedy of The Commons? Are there incentives for people to abstain from destroying the planet (temperance)? Are traditional economic, financial, institutional and social means doing the trick?

In some ways we could answer the above by the results we are seeing in front of our eyes. In my personal view, this tragedy is real and it demands a tremendous reordering of our material and spiritual existence.

This is not a rhetoric statement.

Traditional means have failed to give the proper results.

It is in this case that other means have to be proposed including "moralisation". Will a new moral code do it?. What is evidently clear is that morality has to change according to the state of the system we are into. This is to say, the moral act of using the services of a given resource in common, in the middle of downtown New York City, is very different to the same act in an area where only few people live in a million square kilometre radius. In essence, morality is system sensitive and we must be aware of it.

Is it relevant to think about shifts in human consciousness as intrinsic in Adam Smith "invisible hand". How does human consciousness play a role in avoiding The Tragedy of the Commons? This is central to everything I will be saying today.

Is it relevant to think about an "invisible hand" that is fed by instruments that are coercive and legally bound? Do we need a new normative system, and would this normative system suffice? This theme will not be developed here much.

Is it relevant to think about the creation of a new social contract for the whole world to be involved? Naturally, the idea that contracts are system sensitive also applies here. Not only to what is morally correct. If we have a very large community as the world is, it is more difficult to arrive at a consensual and universal social contract.

The Earth Charter is an example of the content and scope of a social contract.
Now, all of the above has assumed that human necessities are constant. That we need to feed the rich as it is fed now and the poor as it is fed now. However, maybe the key to resolve The Tragedy of The Commons rests on changing radically our consumption patterns. Maybe we are to change the concept ot necessity.

One interesting example may illustrate the point.

The measure of poverty around the world is more or less 1.2 dollars a day. This is to say, I am poor if I make less than 1.2 dollars a day. This is 36 dollars a month, and the equivalent of 432 dollars a year. I guess for a family of four it is equivalent to 1700 dollars a year. In contrast to that number, and in a lecture at the University of Michigan (March 2009), I was told that the minimum income defining the poverty line in Michigan was 54000 dollars, for a family of four.

No doubt that one of the intervening factors is the way in which "necessities" have been defined.

Where do we take the poor? To 1700 dollars a year? Or to 54000 dollars a year?

However, today, we are inside a consumption trap. Many economists are creating incentives to resolve the crisis via expansion ot consumption. Maybe we should completely reverse these desired trends into drastically diminish consumption and profits. Maybe a world prize should be assigned to a country of highest welfare with zero growth rates.

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Today's World Crisis: A Spiritual Crisis. It is important that we say a few words about the present world economic and social crisis.

I believe we can learn lots of things about this crisis that may illustrate our own crises.

First, I have participated as an active actor in 5 world crises. The first was in 1973, the first oil crisis when the price of a barrel went from $3 to $38. That was a huge shock in the system. Then, in 1979 the second oil crisis. I was in the USA and remember very well the long lines we had to make in order to get just a few gallons of gasoline. Then, following the second shock, it was 5 years of the debt crisis of Latin America. There was a shortage of liquidity to pay for the oil and other primary commodities. Most of the debt was paid with selling renewable and non - renewable resources. The environment paid for it. Then. there was the Asian crisis which, to my surprise, lasted only a couple of years. Finally, we have the world crisis that we are seeing and experiencing today.

Second, the crisis we are experiencing now is a collective crisis. Its origin is collective and its destiny is collective. This is a unique characteristic when compared with the previous ones. In fact, the previous crises were resolved mostly at the individual country level. This crisis needs collective instruments, collective institutions, and collective action. Otherwise we will keep deepening as we go along until the system sinks. This crisis is affecting every nation and every person in the Planet. This is why the solutions must be collective.

Third, we do not have collective institutions and organizations to address the crisis. This may become a dramatic oversight from our part. The World Bank is not a collective international organization, even if the title embraces the word: world. Each country acts based on its own country interest. There is not a collective vision of the world to which each country is aspiring. Just to say that one is trying to alleviate poverty is not a sufficient condition to be a collective institution. It must be engaged in the creation of collective wealth, the equitable distribution of collective wealth, etc. The United Nations, International Monetary Fund, or World Trade Organization are not collective organizations. Despite all the criticisms, the IMF may be the most prone to act in a collective fashion.

Fourth, this is the only time that humanity is concern mainly with the poverty of the rich. This is a new theme as, in the past, we have been mainly concerned about the poverty of the real poor. There are not too many antecedents as to how to address the poverty of the rich, of the big banks, of the major corporations. This has a unique implication: we are asking the poor to pay the rich via nationalization of banks, and by disregarding the huge social impact and disintegration affecting the poor. This is being paid, for example, via using the government moneys (our moneys) to pay for the flagrant mistake,. the salary bonuses, etc. appropnated by the rich. Very few are really concerned about the poor and the homeless. I believe that this crisis has created more poor people than ever in the history of humanity. This has been accompanied by stress, unhappiness and serious destruction of grassroots forms of organization and human interactions.

Fifth, we are a human collective that is governed with individualistic and materialistic values. And, most of what is being proposed is based on the same individualism and materialism. People must change their notions of material possessions, even houses. This is very difficult to say to those who believe it is their right to act independently, and in an individualistic fashion. My car is my car. Ok, but who is the pollution of your car? My house is my house. Ok, but who is the one responsible for paying your debt and for paying the huge negative disaster of the capital market that resulted from that debt? This can be repeated in almost every activity of human life. For every right there is an individual and a collective responsibility.

Sixth, this crisis is not about banks but about bankers. This is not a crisis about government but of those who govern. And so on. There is a specific actor to each and every aspect of this crisis. These actors must be specified with names and locations and they need to accept responsibility. The case Madoff is one of the best examples of irresponsible behaviour. We must evaluate the behaviour of the actors.

Seventh, and most important than all of the above points, this crisis demonstrates that we do not have the collective vehicle to move into the state of non-crisis. This collective vehicle is to be constructed.

All of the above calls for a radical change in the economic and social paradigm as it exist today. Marginal solutions will not do.

This is a spiritual crisis. This is a crisis of our inner consciousness. We know that the inner is like the outer, and the outer is like the inner. Thus, it is essential to re-order our inner garden so we can enjoy a better outer garden.

The world is not failing out of individualistic values. We know how to compete, how to exclude, we know how to produce, consume and trade, etc.

The world is failing out of the inability to self realize our collective values: love, compassion, caring, sharing, equity, solidarity, interdependence, freedom, security, peace, stability... This is our true failure.

Thus, we need to establish new grounds for the self realization of these collective values. These are collective states of existence and human transformation. It is imperative that we attain those states.

Today, I am firmly suggesting that the total must be greater than the sum of its parts. Otherwise, the world has a very weak and fragile future. We are seeing that right now with the price of food and oil, two essential commodities in our material human welfare. One of the main reasons for this total to be greater than the sum of its parts has to do with the existence of many forms of collective interdependence. We are completely interdependent, in every possible sense of the word. And the nature and scope of this collective interdependence is such that it must change, modify and reform every organization. Those who believe we are not interdependent must rethink their strategy in life.

  • They need to move from me, me, me, to us, us, and us.
  • They must embrace the "together".

But, the nature of togetherness is easier said than done. Otherwise we would not score so badly on poverty, hunger, misery and marginalization. We would not score so badly on environmental degradation and destruction. And, so much more.

We live in the era of the "collective" in full "interdependence" with each other.

We have a pretty good idea that knowledge, for example, is essentially a collective matter. Knowledge has been essential in moving humanity for the last several centuries. The era of Pisces has been governed by the rule of knowledge. In particular, the golden rule is "So I know, so I act".

However, there is more to this value of interdependence.

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Let me develop this theme another step further, as this represents the fundamentals of spiritual economics. This new economics is based on three principal forms of interdependence.

The Three Principal Forms of Interdependence. I would like to highlight three fundamental forms of interdependence. This is the interdependence of three genetic codes: The Genetic Code of Human Beings, The Genetic Code of Nature, and The Genetic Code of The Spirit.

The Genetic Code of Human Beings (GCH). We all know the existence of our DNA, our material imprint that manifests in every part of our body, and that greatly influences our human welfare (physical, emotional). In this case, human welfare is understood as being not only on the physical plane but also on the emotional and psychological planes as well. This is an area of great research and findings. As a matter of fact, many have won the Nobel Prize as a result of finding different dimensions or characteristics of this genetic code. The splicing of genes and the separation of DNA parts and components are examples. As it is presented later on, this genetic code does not exist in isolation of the ones of each and every individual.

The Genetic Code of Nature (GCN). The foundation of nature and its processes of transformation and evolution (including all living beings) are rooted in Natural Law. We know and experience Natural Law every day. The sun rise and the sunset are part of this Natural Law. The movement of oceans, the wind currents, and the water cycle are also examples of this Natural Law. Perhaps the most evident example is that of the cycle embodied in summer, fall, winter and spring, and the corresponding implications it has in our material and spiritual welfare. We all know this. However, and perhaps less understood. is the influence of Natural Law in everything related to our human existence. Nothing escapes Natural Law. Not even our spirituality. Many of the solutions to our ills and challenges are found in the alignment or realignment with Natural Law. It is also true that many of the problems are due to the violation of Natural Law. An example of this violation is the rapid and deep process of environmental destruction. For some people the unnecessary killing of animals is a (the) major violation of Natural Law.

The Genetic Code of the Spirit (GCS). One fundamental premise is that every living being has a mission on Earth. In particular, human beings have not come here at random. They are part of an Organized Order, within which all beings belong to (e.g., sentient beings, holy beings, human beings). In order to fulfil that mission, one is to have the toolkit and the foundation to do so. No one is thrown 'naked' to fail here on the mission. Thus, this paper refers to the genetic code of the spirit as the architectural foundation (structure) of that mission. This is an individual and a collective mission at the same time. Each mission has these individual and collective components (again, heightening the fundamental theme of interdependence). As for the previous genetic codes, the genetic code of the spirit plays a fundamental role in human welfare in general. Those who are not in the path of their mission will never maximize their contribution to either themselves or to the rest of all living beings. Equally important, those who are not in their mission will have serious problems as regards the other two genetic codes. More often than not, this situation translates in suffering, illnesses, and the like. The genetic code of the spirit is our Spiritual Imprint. Thus, it is essential to know our mission and the nature of this genetic code. For example, if someone is to be here on Earth to self-realize compassion, the genetic code of the spirit will contain the road map and every aspect of that process of self realization. The same applies to every mission on this Planet.

When human consciousness is very low, most people do not have meaningful experiences of, and thus, do not recognize the fundamental interdependence and interconnectedness of these three genetic codes. As a result, they act accordingly -in a dualistic fashion. This duality means that people act as if the existing interdependence of those genetic codes have neither to contribute to each other nor to our human transformation. Contrary to the above, this new paradigm embraces several important dimensions and postulates that one should take carefully into account. Herewith the
principal ones:

First, that the genetic code of each human being is interdependent and connected to all the other human beings. Here, human interdependence is embraced at the core of human existence and human transformation. Therefore, what is happening to one human being is affecting each and every one else. In essence, what is being described here is the fact that there are many elements of the Oneness in life at play. For many people this is a daily experience and it does not need much explanation. These interdependence may be physical, emotional or of any other nature. And, for those who are sensitive to human interdependence and meaningful interactions, this represents an essential dimension of their lives. They nurture those forms of mutual interdependence. Thus. it is often the case that when one close relative or a friend is sick or suffering emotionally, one feels that state in its entirety, or even gets deeply affected by those situations. Therefore, there is an individual and a simultaneous collective existence that is not only happening at the social level, but it is also deep rooted in our most subtle genetic codes of life. There are some spiritual practices that may greatly enhance this experience of interdependence in relationship to the three genetic codes.

Second, that the genetic code of human beings are interdependent with the genetic code of animals and all parts of nature (e.g. trees, land, rocks, minerals, water, air, space, and all fundamental elements of life's existence). There are many aspects of the human genetic code that cannot be self-realized without a component from nature. One of these aspects is physical renewal. Eating from nature's products is the most basic one to be considered. This is a fundamental form of interdependence. Another has to do with renewal of your emotional and spiritual bodies. In particular, when people are tired and need rest they often goto pristine natural environments. In most cases, 'vacations' mean to reconnect with the genetic codes of nature. This is nothing new to most people, although their relationships with nature are not always in sync with such postulate. On the one hand, they are ready to pay huge prices to visit with those pristine places but, on the other hand, they are numbed to nature's devastation, which are to maintain unnecessarily high levels of human consumption, or to the inappropriate development of many forms of human habitats. This is a very powerful and negative form of duality. Nevertheless, most people have experienced the contrary -i.e., a positive form of interdependence - and they are very willing to get involved in nature's conservation programs.

Third, that the genetic codes of human beings and the genetic code of nature are interdependent with the genetic code of the spirit. As explained earlier, the latter spiritual code refers tothe architectural structure of one's mission on Planet Earth. The mission is what you need to accomplish (self realize) here, in order to be able to continue your spiritual evolution within the realm of the spirit. This experience and direction of transformation apply to both, human beings and animals, as there is also a spiritual genetic code for all sentient beings. Separating these three genetic codes (human, nature and spirit) is the main source of suffering, as suffering often arises from the fact that we are not performing the mission we came to perform in this life time. When, in essence, we are lost and, thus, we are addressing situations and issues outside the domain of our insertion within the Organized Order. In other words, this happens when we are not on the road to resolve the "core issue" that brought us or gave us the opportunity to become flesh. This happens specifically when we are not aligned to those actions that will lead to the self realization of "something" that is key in our spiritual transformation as spiritual beings. It is a rather abstract concept if one does not have the experience of the type of reasons why did we become human and sentient beings.

In sum, these genetic codes constantly interact and exchange information. They are sensing each and all those involved. These three spheres are constantly moving and maximizng their levels of interconnectedness.

Part of the duality we live today is due to a cultural understanding of the intelligence of nature. In the past, there has been a strong view that states that there is a state of unequal intelligence in creation. A state of unequal intelligence means that some sentient beings are more intelligent than others, and thus, they are understood as being superior to others. This concept of superiority/inferiority is often translated as the superior beings having the capacities to be totally independent and sell-sustained in relation to all those perceived as less intelligent or inferiors. In particular, many advocate for example that human beings are more intelligent and, thus, superior to nature. In my personal experience, including my spiritual experience, this is not possible.

All in creation has equal intelligence.

If unequal intelligence were the case governing our relationships with nature, you should not feed yourselves with nature products (like fruits and vegetables) because as a result, in the longer-term, these less intelligent aspects of nature will indeed diminish our own intelligence, even at the cellular level. In many ways, the fundamental question today is to ask why do some people feel and advocate this theory of unequal intelligence. Another example is that which is reflected upon how we have diminished our respect for Indigenous People's knowledge and spiritual practices, rooted in nature. Their connections with nature have been seriously been misunderstood. This dualistic form of existence is like a camera that is out of focus. Why are we out·of·focus and thus feel in our bones that our genetic code is independent of the other two.

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Why Are We Out Of Focus?

When we see the above three genetic codes as separate entities, we experience a life that is out of focus. This is also to say that we bring the real economics out of focus. Thus, it becomes important to identify some specific aspects of our lives that are causing this state of being "out of focus". Herewith some important ones:

Going With Your Emotions. Emotions are inner blockers. This may surprise many people. However, it is very difficult to come into focus when you are dominated by your positive or negative emotions. Many believe that in a positive state you will be able to focus your life better. This is not the case, and the results are usually the creation of negative emotions a few days later. Neither the positive nor the negative emotions help you to refocus. The real refocusing takes place within your neutral mind. It is there where you will be able to go back to the fundamental canvas of human transformation.

Constantly Experiencing Stress. Stress is the most devastating element in your personal and collective transformation. Stress may be understood as an individual as well as a collective factor. Communities are subject to stress. Cities are subject to stress. Countries are subject to stress. The Earth is now being subjected to stress. Under stress all your dimensions go out of focus. The mind fixes itself into the immediate and disregards all the rest in your life.

Living in Constant Fear. Fear is a major source of negativity and a stopper of spiritual transformation. There are many sources of fear: uncertainty, unknown, incapacities, etc. To get rid of fears is a major issue and it often takes a life time to do, particularly when the causes and conditions are difficult to identify and tackle. It is to a large extent disappointing that there are so many fear factors in our lives and to see how these factors become increasingly important and influential.

High Levels of Toxicity. Toxicity is very prominent in our society. People get intoxicated with drugs, cigarettes, alcohol and much more. However, we are also intoxicated with bad thoughts, intent and actions. The negativity involved is very powerful and destructive. Toxicity numbs our senses and as a result, we do not have the right perception of reality. Also, we may get very passive and inactive as a result. Many of our societies are intoxicated. It is essential to change directions and detoxify as much and as soon as possible.

Our Values and Belief System. Our values and belief system is a major filter in our lives. At times, it looks like it is our correct compass and the right source of orientation, when in fact, it is often the contrary. This implies that we always need to review and revise our values and see whether these are leading us in the right direction. Some people maybe sinking in their own value system.

The Discriminating Mind. The discriminating mind is now excessively developed. While its importance is essential, this development has quieted or diminished the power of the non discriminating mind. That mind that is in the neutral space and is basically non judgmental. If we live discriminating we tend to pay too much attention to the outside and little to our inner existence. The mind gets attached and excited by external factors and it loses the ability to search for the essentials of inner development and transformation. Everything gets out of focus.

Not Being In The Path of Our Mission. Our mission is the true point of reference of every aspect of our lives. Nevertheless, many people do not know what their mission is and, thus, walks life disoriented and dissatisfied. When someone is not within the path of one's mission, everything becomes random or outside the domain of centeredness. Too much friction. suffering, and decay are the result of the reminder missions and paths in life. To be in focus means to be delivering your mission. There are no other criteria so fundamental for refocusing.

Need To Re-Establish Some Fundamental Spiritual Laws

To refocus of our lives, and experience the essence of the new economic paradigm, we must re-establish some important spiritual laws.

The Law Material and Spiritual Evolution. There is no long-term sustainable human transformation without advancing equally the material and the spiritual aspects of our lives. For the moment, and judging by the external conditions we hold in our lives, most societies are promoting a pattern of transformation that accelerates the material transformation alone. These are societies which are materially rich but spiritually poor. This is also reflected in the lives of individuals, families and groups in our societies. There will be no sustained material evolution without the corresponding spiritual evolution. Otherwise we will lose our identity, horizon and scope of living.

The Law of Symmetry. There is a total symmetry between the Quality of the external environment and our ability to attain higher and higher levels of spiritual transformation. This is why many of the most well known spiritual masters have spent time in naturally pristine areas of our external environment. Thus, environmental destruction is leading towards our own inner spiritual crisis. We are trapped into lesser inner development and we feel constrained by such destruction. The quality of the environment is not only of interest to human beings but to all sentient beings in matter and spirit, waiting for higher attainments in the spiritual or material realms.

The Law Of Total Unity. Nothing in our lives is separated from everyone and everything else. Separateness and duality between you and the rest of reality is a problem rather than a virtue. It is this separateness that is responsible for most of your illnesses and suffering in this life time. There is unity among all possible genetic codes in existence: the genetic codes of humans, the genetic codes of nature and the genetic codes of the spirit. All is one and one is all. When these genetic codes are separated, we have separated from nature and our spirit; this is a prescription for a very low level of human welfare. An effort needs to be made to get in union again and this is not very easy.

The Law of Collective Interdependence. We are all interdependent. Thus we are neither dependent nor independent. Co-equality is essential in our lives and we need to restore these connections and connectors. This interdependence is with other humans and with all that exists in nature (e.g., animals, trees, rocks, water, and fire).

There are many other laws that enter into the process of nurturing Oneness with every sentient being and nature.

The Foundations Of Spiritual Economics

Let me end this presentation focusing mainly on the implications that all the above-mentioned issues have in the foundation of spiritual economics.

To start, there are many other dimensions to be considered when human beings make efficient decisions about the material scarcity they confront on a daily basis. And, it is here where the criticisms to traditional neoclassical economics begin.

  • Economics is not only the science of scarcity, no matter how important material scarcity is.
  • Economics is not only about private and individualistic choices concerning that material scarcity.
  • Economics is about collective choices in relation to that material scarcity. It is about collective, societal, global choices.
  • Economics is the science of abundance and how should, or we expect people to behave under conditions of abundance.

We know from daily realities that the total (collective welfare) is becoming much less than the sum of its parts (summation of individual welfare). This is to say, if someone is better off it does not necessarily mean that all of us are better off too. The net gains for all are much less than the net gains by those who were better off from industrialization.

Economists, in their basic economic calculus have widely accepted the notion of some people being better off and others worse off, if the collective is in the end better off. I have always felt that this criterion is not only wrong but unethical. It is imperative that we create economic systems that do not sacrifice a huge number of people for the welfare of a few.

I believe that there is a much simpler ways to address the evils of economics as it is practiced today, and not get entangled with theoretical discussions.

The crisis we are facing today is about our collective destiny. It is collective crisis that has to be addressed with collective instruments and collective solutions.

There is not a consensual vision about the future of humanity, despite the many attempts to do so in the past.

An eminent person who participated in the 60th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Paris, September 2008, stated that if the UN would attempt to draft a declaration of human rights today, this declaration will never be approved. What a tragic statement. We have regressed rather than progressed.

There are many ways to interpret this moment and we must make the right decisions if we want to promote positive individual and collective transformation. Despite what we might say about "material progress", for many people, life is a major struggle. It seems essential to assess whether we are adequately addressing the challenges and directions of the large majority of people.

No matter where we are, whether we are rich or poor, black or white, Asian or Latino, or whether we live in the North or South, we are all seeing incredible changes in our existence. These changes manifest within an environment characterized by so many contradictions and contrasts: for example, peace and war, wealth and poverty, health and illnesses, happiness and suffering, and karma (action) and yoga (union).

Many scientists are moving fast in their search for ultimate answers and, as a result of their research, they are making discoveries that will change the way we view life. For example, quantum physics has discovered that the atomic world is nothing like the world we live in and it contains many clues as to the fundamental nature of the universe. String Theory has emerged and is at present the best hope to give concretely computable answers to fundamental questions such as the underlying symmetries of nature, the quantum behaviour of black holes, the existence and breaking of super symmetry. and the nature of quantum mechanics and space and time. All these discoveries point out that the ultimate source of matter is non-matter. Also, biologists can look with greater detail the elements that make up life and they are able to work with many of these elements. Many of the other sciences are doing the same in their own domain and within their established boundaries.

The closer we get to the "ultimate" state, the more we realize that all fields, professions and people's lives have so many dimensions in common. In particular, the awareness in many domains that the ultimate source of "matter" is "non-matter" (from Quantum Physics) is affecting tremendously the structure, content and options offered by the old paradigm. This awareness is fundamental to be perceived before we fill the above mentioned new open spaces with more 'matter' and 'materialistic elements'.

Today, we know that our non-material existence is at the roots of what we see, touch, smell, and hear. In effect, this non-material existence is found, for example, in the subtle intelligence of our vision, and it is this intelligence the one that determines what we actually see. The same applies to all our senses and their respective inner wisdoms.

We know that we are much more than the sum of our physical parts. Thus, this is a materialistic understanding of life as a paradigm that had reached its limits in explaining human reality. This paradigm has reached the limits of wisdom, effectiveness, capacity, and the limits that would explain the ultimate source of change and human transformation.

Can economics -and economic development as its expressions - be exempt from an investigation of its ultimate source ? In my view, this is neither possible nor acceptable.

The success or faliure of development in many societies cannot be explained by, or be based exclusively on, a narrow notion of material progress or material welfare.

For example, in Bhutan, the government is not just focusing on progress in the Gross National Product (GNP), which as we know, is a very materialistic way to see both material and non-material existence, but also on the new concept of Gross National Happiness (GNH). Those who still view matter as the ultimate reason for human existence will ridicule the idea of GNH, and continue to argue that the ultimate source of economics is only material.

Few economists -a recent exception being Amartya Sen - are asking themselves the question of what is the ultimate source of economic development. Amartya Sen, a Nobel Prize winner, has linked development to human freedoms. This paradigm represents a major shift in economic thinking.

There is no doubt that modern economies has made a significant contribution in many fronts, particularly in explaining human behaviour under conditions of material scarcity; i.e., when needs are more than the resources available to satisfy them. Economists have explained to private and public decision makers the consequences of ignoring the dimensions and dynamics resulting from material scarcity. This has been done via concepts such as opportunity cost, productivity, comparative advantage, competitiveness, benefit cost relationships, shadow (economic and not market) prices, and others.

If we do not try to answer this question, policy makers will produce policies that will end up not being suited to the real world as a boat that was built by someone who does not understand the effects of wind and waves. Economic policies and programs will continue to be short-term palliatives and not fundamental instruments for human and social transformation.

Now, the major focus is on people as the subject of development. This new emphasis is not random. Ex-post evaluations of development effectiveness have clearly shown that success depends in most cases on "someone" and not on "something". It is "a someone" who makes the something to play a critical role in human development and transformation and not the other way around. Therefore, human development is not just a phrase, but a fundamental pillar of whatever we do in development. Human development is not simply more schooling or information dissemination. It is about people, their needs, their human betterment, and their happiness.

The shifts we would like to see in the future will by design pay more attention to the quality of development: quality of development in the public and private sectors. This is why many businesses are addressing the issue of "Corporate Social Responsibility", which in a sense represents a form of institutional space within which entrepreneurs, managers, owners, workers, stockholders, and investors decide whether to embrace a new set of corporate values for the good of humanity and not just the corporation. We must embrace some agreed notion of social and human "responstbillty" that is to guide economic thinking and practice.

Furthermore, economics cannot be practiced in an ethical and moral vacuum. Therefore, we must open the doors for a revolution in values: values that are humanistic and spiritual. It is these new values that must form the basis of a new economics called: spiritual economics. This science, art, or practice should not focus just on human behaviour under material scarcity but should be based on attaining the highest levels of human consciousness and awareness.

Spiritual Economics should be based on:

  • the self-realization of humanistic and spiritual values;
  • the fundamental importance of our non-material existence;
  • the superior value of human betterment in which all aspects of matter and non-matter must be aligned;
  • the value of the inner experience and inner development of all living beings;
  • the principles of universality and inclusion, no matter who and no matter where;
  • the view that every aspect of human transformation is an organismic component of the laws of nature;
  • the premise that people come first, not as numbers or emotions, but as a matter of unconditional commitment for all to benefit from development and progress;
  • the understanding that for human beings to prosper, caring for nature and the natural environment is a key component of these values;
  • the notion that the welfare of the collective is to be pursued, with great importance to the collective creation and distribution of that welfare.

The idea of spiritual economics is not an esoteric one. It is not rhetoric for the sake of rhetoric. The proposition comes from subtle forms of human reality, and it expresses the fact that human beings DO NOT have as their sole motivated existence the satisfaction of material needs.

The material needs approach has become central to the practice of what we should label 'outer economics'. This is an economics where the fulfilment of those needs is found solely outside of us. Because outer economics has benefited only a few, it is time we try to develop also inner economies (the other side ot the same coin) that can strengthen outer economic actions and propositions.

Outer and inner economics must become one strong and powerful discipline.

It is the existence of an outer and inner human reality that will enable us to create what we may call The 200% Society. This will be a society where people will be materially and spiritually abundant. It is spiritual eoonomics that will enable us to create societies where individuals accumulate and share both material and spiritual wealth.

Therefore, being materially rich cannot be the end of our human story; it is just one dimension of our existence in human-material-form. We must create societies that are also spiritually rich via the economic paradigm.

The risk we run by accepting the idea that we are only "human having" and "human doing" and not "human knowing" and human beings is to condemn humanity to a life that may end up being both materially and spiritually poor. This would be a world of no hope, filled with violence, intolerance, and human suffering.

It is imperative to advance at the same time in both fronts, the material front (i.e., having, doing) and the spiritual front (i.e., knowing, being) until they become one and the same.

In practice, this means that a pro-growth policy or program will have to become pro-material growth and pro-spiritual growth, and when we talk about pro-poor policies, we will need to address material and spiritual poverty at the same time.

If we are to alleviate poverty, protect the natural and human environment in its highest expression (both material and spiritual), and provide for future generations, it is spiritual economics that will provide the foundation of our lives in this new millennium.

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References

Aiken, W. & J. Haldane, (eds.). Philosophy and its public role - Vol. II. Essays in Ethics, Politics, Society and Culture.

Arrow, K. J., Sen, A. & Suzumura, K. (eds.) 2002. Handbook of Social Choice and Welfare. Vol. I. North Holland-Elsevier, Amsterdam and London.

Corporacion Andina de Fomento 2005. Integrando Espiritualidad, Ecologia y Economia para el Desarrollo Sostenible. CAF. Caracas.

Green, Brian. 2005. The Fabric of the Cosmos: Space, Time, and the Texture of Reality. Alfred A. Knopf, New York.

Farmer, P. 2003. Pathologies of Power: Health, Human Rights, and the New War on the Poor. University of California Press, Berkeley, California

Oakeshott, M. 1975. On Human Conduct. Oxford, London.

Rae, A. 1986. Quantum Physics: Illusion or Reality? Cambridge University Press, London:

Sen, A. 1993. Markets and Freedom. Oxford, London.

Sen, A. 1999. Development as Freedom,. Alfred A. Knopf New York.

Sen, A. 2002. Global inequality and Human Security Lecture 2, Ishizaka Lectures, Tokyo, on line: www.ksg.harvard.edu/gei.

Sfeir-Younis, A. 2004.: The Violation of Human Rights as a Determinant of Poverty. UNESCO. ISSJ 180. Blackwell Publishing, Oxford, UK and Malden, US.:

Sfeir-Younis, A. 2004. Violation of Human Rights as a Threat to Human Security. In: Conflict, Security & Development, Vol. 4 (3). Carfax Publishing, London.

Sfeir-Younis, A. 2003. Human Rights and Economic Development: Can they be Reconciled? A View from the World Bank. in Van Genugten, Willem, Paul Hunt and Susan Matthews World Bank. IMF and Human Rights, Nijmegen, Netherlands: Wolf Legal Publishers.

Taylor, J. 2005. Ethical Business: How a New Breed of Business is Changing the World. New Economics Foundation. UK. On line; http://www.neweconomics.org/gen.

Usher, D. 1985. The Moral Standing of Market Social Philosophy and Policy, Vol. 2(2).

World Bank. 1993. Natural Resource Management in Nepal. Operations Evaluation Department. World Bank. Washington DC.

 

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Sustainability Circle: Non-violent (Sustainable) Community School Kitchen Project

Sustainability Circle Introduction

The Sustainability Circle (SC) founded at the Washington Waldorf School is a volunteer organization comprised of parents, faculty and friends. The Circle's primary mission is to promote service and sustainability in the area of education, starting at the Washington Waldorf School as well as in its greater community, as we believe that these two goals go hand in hand.

In order for members as well as potential supporters to understand the specific mission of this spiritual service organization, an organization for the 21st century, the following material may be helpful. We hope that this material serves as an inspiration to those who read it. The need for a lengthy introduction is necessary as one yogi philosopher put it "Action without philosophy is a waste of resources while philosophy without action is meaningless." There are various inspirations below, which we hope will help understand our ideals and goals. Following this is a list of SC projects.

Inspiration #1

"The fruit of silence is prayer, the fruit of prayer is faith, the fruit of faith is love, the fruit of love is service, the fruit of service is peace." Mother Teresa

Inspiration #2

Divine Light,
Christ Sun.
Warm our hearts,
Enlighten our heads,
That good may arise,
In what we from our
Hearts would found,
In what we from our
Heads would guide
Into willing.

Rudolf Steiner

Inspiration #3

Main teaching of the Bhagavad-Gita

"Perform your actions without any expectations for the fruit of them,
perform them as an offering to God,
realizing that you are only an instrument and not the doer."

Inspiration #4

Excerpt from the" Essene Gospel of Peace" by Edmond Bordeax Székely (pgs. 19-20)

"For your heavenly father is love.
For your earthly mother is love.
For the son of man is love.
….For love is eternal.
Love is stronger than death.

Though I speak with the tongues of man and of angels,
but have not love, I am become as sounding brass or a tinkling cymbal.

Though I tell what is to come, and know all secrets, and all wisdom;
and though I have faith strong as the storm which lifts mountains from their seat,
but have not love, I am nothing.

And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor,
and give all my fire that I have received from my Father,
but have not love, I am in no wise profited.

Love is patient, love is kind. Love is not envious, works not evil, knows not pride;
is not rude, neither selfish; is slow to anger, imagines no mischief;
rejoices not in injustice, but delights in justice.

Love defends all, love believes all, love hopes all, love bears all;
never exhausts itself; but as for tongues they shall cease,
and, as for knowledge, it shall vanish away.

For we have truth in part, and error in part,
but when the fullness of perfection is come,
that which is in part shall be blotted out….

Now we know in part, but when we are come before the face of God,
we shall not know in part, but even as we are taught by him.
And now remain these three: faith and hope and love;
but the greatest of these is love."

Inspiration #5

The Credo of the International Biogenic Society composed in Paris in 1928 by Romain Rolland and Edmond Bordeaux Székely

We believe that our most precious possession is life.

We believe we shall mobilize all the forces of Life against forces of death.

We believe that mutual understanding leads toward mutual cooperation; that mutual cooperation leads toward Peace; and that Peace is the only way of survival for mankind.

We believe that we shall preserve instead of waste our natural resources,
which are the heritage of our children.

We believe that we shall avoid the pollution of air, water, and soil, the basic preconditions of Life.

We believe we shall preserve the vegetation of our planet: the humble grass which came fifty million years ago, and the majestic trees which came twenty million years ago,
to prepare our planet for mankind.

We believe we shall eat only fresh, natural, pure, whole foods,
without chemicals and artificial processing.

We believe we shall live simple, natural, creative life,
absorbing all the sources of energy, harmony and knowledge.

We believe that improvement of life and mankind on our planet must start with individual efforts, as the whole depends on the atoms composing it.

We believe in the Fatherhood of God, the Motherhood of Nature and the brotherhood of Man.

Inspiration #6

"One person can make a difference, and everyone should try."
John F. Kennedy

Inspiration #7

"All life of the planet is interrelated … each species has its
own ties to others, and… all are related to the earth." Rachel Carson

 

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Inspiration #8

Two excerpts from the book "Bengal Fire" by Hajnóczy G. Rózsa. The original title in Hungarian is "Bengáli Tuz". English translation might not be available so I provide it here.

The first excerpt is an account of Rabindranath Tagore's speech to the faculty of his ashram university in Santiniketan in July 1929. Santiniketan in Sanskrit means 'abode of peace'. This excerpt is from pages 230-231 in the original Hungarian version.

"My ideal is the collaboration of nations, peoples and races. This can only come about through mutual understanding. In the human soul we need to find and save not the bad but the good that wins over everything. Man is not bad or good in absolute terms. All peoples have outstanding qualities. One folk may be brave and fierce, another may be philosophical, the third may be artistic while the fourth is sweating its brow in tilling the earth. Each one is uniquely one-sided. When they all work together, they will prosper but when they attack each other because of jealousy, they will all end in misery. In Santiniketan, I have attempted to found the university of nations. It depends on you to create a new synthesis for all of the rest of cultured humanity through peaceful coexistence. Science cannot be devoid of art. Art springs from the depth of the human soul as does science. A true scientist is also a true artist as he sees beauty beside what is right. The true artist and scientist fights for the victory of the good, but he/she also is a priest. This ashram is a sanctuary of truth, morality and art. We ought to want to understand everything so that we may see the good in all and be able to bring the good into our deeds."

Inspiration #9

The second excerpt is an account of M. K. Gandhi's teaching in May 1930 to the student visitors from Santiniketan to his ashram in Sabarmadi. This excerpt is from pages 478-480 in the original Hungarian version of "Bengal Fire" by Hajnóczy G. Rózsa.

"I proclaim to all feeble man a religious faith in Divine Truth. Based on this faith I demand freedom. For me, God is truth. This is my simple philosophy. It is not logic, but feeling that guides me, and I see the righteousness of my thoughts and deeds in relationship to the harmony of feelings…. Truth awakened in me in South Africa as a response to suffering. There white people, who were enjoying a sunnier side of life and despising their brothers shivering with cold in the shade, oppressed my Indian fellows. They looked down upon and exploited the workers from India…. Albeit God created all man equal, He has given various skin color and various face features to people, but He formed all man to resemble His own image. The religion of white people teaches this also. And still they force their colored brothers to live like animals while they sit piously in church every Sunday. It seems like they have not yet understood the words of God. Hate is not a human feeling, but a serious disease. Oppression is not only the pain of the oppressed, but it is also the shame of the oppressor….. Injustice afflicts not only the victim but also the one who commits the crime as truth is God himself and the offender smites God as he raises his hand.

A question from a student: What is truth? Does truth exist at all? ….. As an answer Gandhi shares some real stories about injustices and says the following: My dear children, it is unnecessary for me to answer. It is the moral uproar flaring up from the depth of your souls when hearing these stories that clearly supports my statement. Truth lives in us!….

Gandhi: My son, you refer to logic. I studied neither philosophy nor logic, I only know that logic is a creation of the human mind, and thus it is finite as human mind is finite. There is something that is more noble than logic; this is truth, humility and sacrifice. The philosophy of the Greeks' and the Romans' similarly to that of the Hindu sages' created an almost perfect system, but the world was not made either happier or better by atom theory or the theory of dynamics. As His command God sent us Christ, his only son, who brought us love, faith and sacrifice, and who then died on the Cross…. Christ is the eternal living reality. He is the one giving salvation to the world and not philosophy….

It is only through the Christ-struggle that individuals and nations could become strong. Joy does not originate in causing pain to others, but it is a result of the pain we voluntarily bear for others. It is the obligation of the weak to endure and to suffer not only in order to free himself but also in order to convince the oppressor of the injustice of his oppression as well as to save him from the sins of his actions…. My experiences tell me that science does not contribute to man's morality. The mind along with dreary science is the same violence as weapons. The world is kept in balance only by morality."

Projects of the Sustainability CircleSM

Prior to and since its foundation in January of 2008, members of the Sustainability CircleSM have worked on a number of initiatives at the Washington Waldorf School, including:

  • Delivering Biodynamic Flour for bread baking in 8th grade
  • Organizing a kibidango party for grades 1-3 when eurytmysts performed a traditional Japanese folk story at the school
  • Building an outside pizza oven as a class project
  • Creating and maintaining a drop off point for Spiritual Food Community Supported Agriculture at the school
  • Operating a Zero Waste Sustainable Luncheon Program, serving vegetarian, organic (and when possible, biodynamic) meals to members of the community. Most grains, legumes, fresh fruits and vegetables and other ingredients are purchased from local vendors and farmers at area markets that engage in sustainable practices. All proceeds from the meals will go towards the rehabilitation of the school kitchen as well as furthering this program.
  • In WWS advocating for a snack program, which serves the nutritious needs of young children and which is in line with the principles of sustainability.
  • Creating a biodynamic peace garden for the school's gardening project.
  • Advocating for a sustainable life style including composting, the 4R's - reduce, reuse, recycle and repair and the use of biodegradable plates and utensils in the day-to-day operation of the school, the school kitchen as well as during other school events such as the Bazaar, Grandparents' Day and Gala.
  • Commenting on WWS strategic planning and other school governance issues, and
  • Inviting discussions on issues related to social inclusion and school class trips.

 

We welcome constructive and positive input and participation by everyone! Please note that the Circle hopes to serve as a birth place for ideas in line with Waldorf philosophy, that it hopes to become a bridge between members with Waldorf or other true community interests and the rest of the community including the Faculty, Administration and the Trusties Council, but that it is not the place where individual differences between families and school governance or philosophy is resolved. We encourage a non-violent behavior, which manifests in respect, patience, understanding, calmness, tidiness, cleanliness, altruism, compassion, politeness, humbleness, and gratitude.

To find out more about the Sustainability Circle or to lend your service, please contact Eszter Szabo at eszabo@verizon.net or (301) 263-9325.

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Resume of Founder

ESZTER SZABO
Sustainability CircleSM
7608 Cayuga Ave.
Bethesda, MD 20817, USA
Phone: 1-301-263-9325, E-mail: eszabo@verizon.net

EDUCATION UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND
College Park, MD
Business Master of Business Administration. Completed May '93.
Concentrations: Finance / International Business.
Peace International Scholarship Recipient, '91-'93.
Co-Chair to International Committee of the MBA Association, '92-'93.
 
 

KÜLKERESKEDELMI FOISKOLA/"BUDAPEST COLLEGE FOR FOREIGN TRADE"
Bachelor of Science in International Trade/Marketing, Completed May '89.
Co-President of Student Council, elected member of College Board, '88-'89.

Budapest, Hungary
Development VIRTUES PROJECT tm
"Awakening the Gifts of Character", a personal and professional development program honored by the United Nations Secretariat as a model program to help create a culture of character in homes, schools, prisons, and corporations. Introduction completed March, 2010.
 
  SCHOOL OF LIFE, Educational Society
Five-year-long personal transformation program Shanti Marga (Path to Peace). Completed June '08.
Bethesda, MD
EXPERIENCE Service work  
Since 1/'08 WASHINGTON WALDORF SCHOOL, Inc.
Managed a diverse team of over 30 volunteer parents, as a part time head cook and volunteer coordinator. I initiated, designed and lead the restructuring of a school kitchen in this small independent school, K-12. The group researched, designed, helped raise funds for, promoted and executed a Zero Waste Sustainable school kitchen. We worked through community issues, maintained relationships with farmers, set up the supply side relationships with local sustainable vendors, brought fresh organic and biodynamic food ingredients into the school kitchen, set up the volunteering and the payment system, collected sustainable recipes, set up a sustainable pantry, and chopped, cooked and served more than 3,300 sustainable meals over 80 cooking events and during more than 1,600 service hours. Within the school community the project contributed to raising the level of consciousness regarding the connection of our daily food to environmental responsibility and the health of spirit, mind and body.
Bethesda, MD
Since 9/'01 SCHOOL OF LIFE, Educational Society
I helped expand the various service initiatives related to the Spiritual Food for the New Millennium Project locally, nationwide and internationally. Within the local SFNM CSA I helped expand the volunteering system, designed the first CSA web site, contributed to increasing the selection of the produce offered within the CSA, set up and operated a new location for the CSA; nationwide I took part of the SFNM Care Packages Project, which provides educational, selling and bagging services to support the work of biodynamic and organic farmers within the USA; took part of over 50 SFNM Peace Meal Community Cooking events where volunteers cook a free biodynamic and organic lunch for educational peace events supported by national and international guest speakers; internationally I participated in Peace/Non-violence Conferences in New Delhi, India; Paris, France; Washington, D.C, and Atlanta, USA; and Budapest, Hungary to give lectures, amongst others, to promote spiritual agriculture and nutrition.
Bethesda, MD
Since 9/'05 Organic Farmer Certification
I converted a small garden to organic operation, and we operate this garden for the use of family and friends. We have over 20 different kinds of fruits and nuts and in our most successful year we grew about 25 kinds of fruits and vegetables for a family of 4-8.
Alcsutdoboz, Hungary
EXPERIENCE Business  
9/'94-9/'96 JOHNSON & JOHNSON HUNGARY, Kft.
Marketing Controller. In three months, working with a team of colleagues I built up all the systems, procedural and operational background of the pharmaceutical division of the company which started marketing, purchasing, warehousing and selling operations in Hungary. On a daily basis, I interacted and gave financial and operational support to top management, purchasing, selling, marketing and warehousing. I coordinated all aspects of budgeting, handled corporate income statement and sales reporting, assisted in local budget control, prepared internal management analysis, gave recommendations to strengthen internal control, wrote financial procedures, and assisted in price calculations as well as price negotiations with the National Social Insurance for a division with sales of $17 MM. Within one year, I was given similar responsibilities for the consumer division with sales of $20 MM as well.
Budapest, Hungary
9/'93-9/'94 JOHNSON & JOHNSON , PERSONAL PRODUCTS CO.
Financial Development Program. I gained hands on experience on how the financial division of a multinational company operated. I rotated among the main financial divisions; financial, cost and freight accounting as well as marketing finance in a company with sales of $450 MM in the feminine hygiene segment, to learn budgeting, controlling, reporting, purchasing, all aspects of forecasting and preparations of internal management reports.
Milltown, N.J.,USA
  UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND  
'92-'93 Teaching Assistant. School of Government and Politics. Prepared reports, taught a seminar.  
'91-'92 Graduate Assistant. School of Business and Management. Researched topics and edited draft text of a book for a professor in managerial accounting.
 
Summer '92 HUNGARIAN EMBASSY
Volunteer.
Created a database system and helped promote interest in Hungarian culture, economy.
Washington, D.C.,USA
1/'91-8/'91 STROOCK & STROOCK & LAVAN
Paralegal.
Translated English and Hungarian legal documents.
Washington, D.C.; Budapest
6/89-8/90 TRICOLOR, Ltd.
Marketing Manager.
Budgeted marketing expenditures. Created new marketing strategies and programs.
Budapest
SKILLS Fluent in Hungarian and English. Basic knowledge of Spanish and German.
Word Perfect, Microsoft Word, Excel, Quick Book, Power Point, Harvard Graphics and Dbase IV. Extensive knowledge of European economic and political environment.
 
INTEREST Education, History, Politics, Skiing, Hungarian Folk dances, Singing, Cooking, Personal Development  
READING Rudolf Steiner: Autobiography; Agriculture; Nutrition and Stimulants; Spiritual Scientific Aspects - Seven States of Nutrition; Cancer and Nutrition; Education of the Child; The Roots of Education
Manfred Schmidt-Brabant: The Spiritual Tasks of a Homemaker
Gerhardt Schmidt: Dynamics of Nutrition
Rudolph Ballantine, MD: Diet and Nutrition; Transition to Vegetarianism
Erik H. Erikson: Childhood and Society; Identity and the Life Cycle
 
MEMBERSHIP School of Life, Educational Society, since '01; Sukyo Mahikari, since '06 Gandhi-in-Action a world-wide network of non-violent activists, since '09;
 
     
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At the Washington Waldorf School members of the community lead by the Sustainability Circle and Rose Lord built three Peace Gardens. The gardens were based on the specification given by Rose Lord’ website www.makegardensnotwar.com where it is prescribed how to build a raised bed, intensive, biodynamic garden. This garden is a square foot garden using wood or rocks for its edges, organic soil, organic compost, and biodynamic seeds. The garden is maintained by community members, especially the third grade class teacher along with eager third graders. In the last three years we have planted –amongst others- the following seeds, tended to their seedlings, harvested their produce, and cooked their vegetables for community meals;

Pole beans, swiss chard, leaf lettuce, kale, carrots, spinach, radish, beets, green peas, onion, tomato, and marigolds.

Our experience is very encouraging as the young children love to plant the seeds, happily care for the garden, and harvest the fresh produce with satisfied smiles. They even have a keen interest in tasting the meal as they know the “worth of their work”.

 

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Sustainability Circle Cooking History

This project has been running for several years at the Washington Waldorf School in Bethesda, MD, USA. We are grateful for this spiritual school to allow for members of the Sustainability Circle, mainly parents in this school community, to build this prototype kitchen project there.

Spring and Fall 2008, and Spring, Fall, Winter 2009, and Winter 2010;
Total of 67 cooking for about 50 people; totaling 3,350 portions sold at an average cost of $1-$1.50 (electricity, water and volunteer time is not in this cost)
Prices: 2 items $2.75, 3 items $3.75, full plate $5; roll, bread and cookies are for c50 if added to 2 and 3 item, but included in $5 menu
General Quantities (cup for measuring grains & legumes is liquid cup if not otherwise noted)
Beans and chick-peas - 8 cups
Lentil and split peas - 9 -10 cups
Brown rice - 6.5 cups and 1.75 x water
White rice - 11- 12 cups and 1.2 x water
Quinoa - 4 cups and 1.75 x water
Millet - 4 cups and 2..25 x water, millet roasted first and boiling water added to cook
Barley - 3 cups and 2.5 x water
Cous-cous - 5 cups and 1.4 x water
Polenta - 2 bags of corn grits Bob's brand
Bulgur or wheat berry - 4 cups and 3 x water
Kamut - 4 cups and 3 x water
Pasta - not offered alone, whole grain is offered as a second choice
Pizza - dough: 4 lbs flour: 2 lbs white, 1 lb whole wheat, 1 lb spelt with sour dough starter, topping: roasted broccoli, zucchini, paprika, tomato sauce from 3 lbs tomatoes, mozzarella- $10,
Lori's rolls - 16 cups (dry measuring cup) flour, half white and half whole
40 hard boiled eggs, boil it up in water covering all eggs, turn flame off and let it sit for 30 min.

Cottage cheese spread: 2 tubs of cottage cheese, 2 sticks butter softened, 1 block of feta cheese, a little chopped raw onion, better chives, Hungarian red paprika to make it reddish, traditionally caraway seed but cumin seed is fine too, feta may be omitted but then salt is needed.

Rapunzel vegan vegetable bouillon cubes are used to cook soup, legumes and grains.

Phase 1, kitchen shared with Gr. 11) May and June 2008, 2 snack and lunch days
Tuesday: Vegetarian Chili
Thursday: Quinoa salad, Cottage cheese spread and bread

Phase 2, kitchen shared with Gr. 12) September - November 2008, 23 snack and lunch days

September 1-5,
Thursday: Hungarian Lecso with millet or boiled potatoes, green salad, melon

September 8-12,
Tuesday: Gazpacho (Iris), Green salad, Potatoes and green beans, melon, pumpkin bread and pop corn (Pam)
Thursday: Quinoa salad (Iris), Egg salad, Melon, Yogurt and Granola

September 15-19,
Tuesday: Green salad, Cous-cous with Chickpea and vegetable sauce, yogurt, granola, melon
Thursday: Green salad with tomatoes and cucumber, White Rice and Lentils (Iris Alvarez), Steamed green beans and potatoes, Squash bread (Pam)

September 22 - 26,
Tuesday: Barley salad, egg salad, Leafy Greens, Green salad
Thursday: Curried veggies with millet, Leafy greens, Pasta with pesto sauce, Green salad, Pumpkin bread

September 30 - October 3,
Tuesday: Potato-pesto soup, Millet, Eggplants, Green salad
Thursday: Black lentils with brown rice, Leafy greens, Green salad, Cooked Pears, Squash bread

October 6 - 10,
Tuesday: Lemon rice, egg salad with celery leaves and steamed chard, Green salad, Corn on the cobs, Yogurt and Granola
Thursday: Polenta with squash and butter, Curried chick peas with cilantro, Boiled potatoes with steamed kale and garlic, yogurt, granola, Pumpkin bread

October 13 - 18,
Tuesday: Quinoa and parsley with roasted eggplants and tomatoes, Green salad, corn on the cobs, yogurt, granola
Thursday: Millet, Roasted beets, kohlrabi and potatoes, Split pea soup, Green salad, Pumpkin bread

October 20 - 24,
Tuesday: Potato, leek and kale soup with broth and cumin, Barley salad, Green salad, Egg Salad with Celery top, Squash bread
Thursday: Pizza with roasted veggies, Rice and Curried lentils, Green salad

October 27 - 31,
Tuesday: Borscht with leafy greens, Green salad, millet
Thursday: Curried Veggies and Brown rice, Pasta with pesto sauce, Green salad, Squash bread

November 6 - 10,
Tuesday: Chick pea soup, Bulgur, Roasted seasonal veggies, Green salad, Pumpkin bread
Thursday: Menu not recorded

November 11 - 13,
Tuesday: Pedro's Black beans and rice, Roasted sweet potatoes, potatoes, squash, celery, bok choi and parsley, green salad with lettuce spinach, beets, apples, raisins, seeds
Thursday: Millet, Egg salad, Pizza, Green Salad, Bumpkin bread

November 18 - 20,
Tuesday: Barley salad, Roasted potatoes, sweet potatoes, squash and leafy greens
Thursday: Polenta, Split pea soup, Green salad, Pumpkin bread
Phase 3, Sustainability Circle Kitchen, April,09 - January,10 with 42 cooking days, lunches only

April 25 - 30,
Wednesday, Thursday, Friday cooking but menu not recorded

May 4 - 9,
Monday: first cooking for" Buy a Lunch for Your Class" 2009 Gala Offering, Grades 4, 6, 7; Moroccan Vegetarian Stew with white rice and almonds, Green Salad, Pumpkin Bread
Wednesday: Sweet potato soup, Millet, Wheat and rice pasta served separately, Green salad
Thursday: Quinoa salad, Egg salad, Potato, kale and other root soup, Green salad
Friday: Miso soup, Roasted root vegetables and leafy greens, Lemon rice, Crackers, Green salad

May 11 - 15,
Wednesday: Barley Salad, Janelle's kale salad, Atwater rosemary bread, Cottage cheese spread, Atwater Lemon Bread
Thursday: Scalloped chard and potatoes, Wheat berries pilaf ala World Bank recipe, Green salad, Atwater Lemon bread
Friday: Brown rice with ghee, Black bean soup, Green salad

May 17 - 21,
Monday: second cooking for" Buy a Lunch for Your Class" 2009 Gala Offering, Grades 1,5, 9; Moroccan Vegetarian Stew with white rice and cous-cous and almonds, Green Salad, Pumpkin Bread
Wednesday: Peruvian quinoa stew, Chick peas salad, Green salad, Rosemary bread, garlic butter, Lemon pound cake
Thursday: Spinach soup, Boiled potatoes and carrots, Green salad, Rhubarb cobbler
Friday: menu not recorded

May 24 - 30,
Monday: third cooking for" Buy a Lunch for Your Class" 2009 Gala Offering, Grades 2,3 Moroccan Vegetarian Stew with white rice and cous-cous and almonds, Green Salad, Pumpkin Bread
Wednesday: Quinoa salad, Green salad, Rosemary bread, Cottage cheese spread, Pam's potato salad, Lemon bread

May 31 - June 5,
Wednesday: Split pea soup, Kamut salad with asparagus and seeds, Rice pasta with asparagus and seeds, Atwater rosemary bread, Green salad with yogurt dressing, Cornucopia almond cookies
Thursday: Whole wheat pasta with beets and beet tops, Miso soup, Spanish tortilla with potatoes, zucchini and chard, Brown rice with ghee, Green salad with avocado dressing

November 3 -5,
Tuesday: Brown rice with oregano and ghee, Egg salad with yogurt, salt, and oil; Green salad with ginger dressing, Atwater bread with garlic butter, bakes vegetable
Thursday: Lentils (Lori), White rice, Atwater bread with garlic butter, Green salad, Atwater lemon pound cake

November 10 - 12,
Tuesday: Quinoa salad with steamed 1 broccoli and 1 cauliflower, Roasted veggies - sweet potatoes, potatoes, onion, 2 butternut squash, 1 acorn, garlic and leafy greens, Atwater rosemary bread, Hungarian cottage cheese spread, Green salad with cilantro dressing
Thursday: White grass Chili, Green salad, Atwater bread with garlic butter, Green salad

November 17 - 19,
Tuesday: Roasted veggies with olive oil, salt, rosemary; Roasted millet and boiled with Rapunzel buillon cube to which steamed 1 broccoli and 1 cauliflower are added and salt, fresh oregano and curry mixed in a big bowl, Rosemary bread with oregano butter, Lemon pound cake, Egg salad, Green salad with ginger dressing,
Thursday: 1 cup Barley salad with roasted eggplant, spinach and ginger salad dressing, 3 bags Parvati pasta with roasted eggplant, spinach and ginger dressing, Split pea soup 8 cups, Green salad with apples and pepper and ginger dressing, Atwater bread and butter

November 24 - 26,
Tuesday: Borsht soup (Donna), 4 cups Quinoa salad with steamed carrots and cauliflower - 3 different color, Atwater bread with oregano butter, Apples
Thursday: Black beans Latin style - 12 cups (too much), 8 cups Brown rice - too much, Acorn Hill Vanilla-yogurt-maple cake, Pita chips, Green salad

December 1 - 3,
Tuesday: Millet - 3 cups (too little), Acorn Hill Vanilla-yogurt-maple cake, Atwater rosemary bread with garlic butter, Roasted potatoes, sweet potatoes, butternut squash, turnips, Egg salad, Green salad, Lemon pound cake
Thursday: Indian Dahl with 9 cups lentils, White rice - 10 cups with 12.5 cups water, Green salad, CSA bread, Almond Cookies

December 8-10,
Tuesday: Quinoa salad with steamed Cauliflowers and broccoli and leafy greens, Atwater rosemary bread with garlic butter, Roasted potatoes, sweet potatoes, butternut squash and turnips, Egg salad, Green salad, Lemon pound cake
Thursday: Atwater bread with garlic butter, Green salad and beets and carrots, Brown rice, Great northern beans with oregano, Vanilla-yogurt cake

December 15 - 17,
Tuesday: Barley salad with steamed veggies, Roasted seasonal vegetables, Cottage cheese spread, Atwater bread, Atwater lemon pound cake, Green salad
Thursday: White rice with oregano and ghee, Chick peas with lemon and rosemary, Green salad with parsley, beets and apples, Almond cookies, CSA bread with butter

January 4 - 6,
Tuesday: Curried Quinoa, winter Potatoes Salad with eggs and steamed kale, Green salad with lettuce and cabbage, Rosemary rolls, Raisin-oatmeal cookies
Thursday: Butternut squash and cider bisque soup, White kidney beans with butternut squash but instead of butternut we used beautiful CSA carrots roasted in oven, Brown rice with ghee and kale, CSA bread

January 11 - 13,
Tuesday: Pasta salad, Barley salad, Roasted potatoes, sweet potatoes and turnips; Mixed greens, cabbage and beet salad, Cottage cheese spread, Rosemary bread
Thursday: Frijoles Casserole topped with corn bread- pinto beans, Spanish rice - tomato paste, Black-eyed peas with ginger, Mixed green salad, CSA bread

January 18 - 20,
Tuesday: Potato and leek soup with kale, ghee and mustard seeds, Cous-cous, Rosemary bread, Egg salad, Sprouted black eye peas with vinaigrette dressing
Thursday: Spiced lentils with kalamata olives - 8 cups, Brown rice, Cous-cous with sprouted beams, Bread and Butter, Green salad

January 25 - 28,
Tuesday: Roasted seasonal veggies, Curried quinoa - 4 cups, Rosemary bread, Cottage cheese spread, Green salad
Thursday: Curried chick-pea with parsnips and carrots - 8 cups, White rice, Green salad with radish and carrots, Home-made crouton, Apple-Crisp with raisin

February 2 - 4,
Tuesday: Borsch soup, Millet, Egg salad, Green salad, Roasted veggies
Thursday: Green Split pea soup, Brown rice with kale, Almond cookies, Green salad, Lori's roll
February 9 - 12, Snowed out

Pantry Inventory

Great Northern Beans
White Rice
Brown Rice
Cous Cous
Lentils
Millet
Kidney Beans
Garbanzo Beans
Tomato Puree
Diced Tomato
Ghee
Olive Oil
Apple Cider Vinegar
Honey Raw
Honey Heated
Apple Sauce
Celtic Salt
Balsamic Vinegar
Vanilla Syrup
Agave Syrup
SPICES, etc.
TOP SHELF
Pepper in grinder
Tamari Sauce
Tahini
Organic Molasses
Sesame Oil
Bamboo Shoots (canned)
Vanilla Extract
Cumin Seeds
Turmeric Powder
Coriander Powder
Fennel Seeds
Cinnamon Sticks
Ginger Powder
Sesame Seeds (white)
Mustard Seeds (brown)
Paprika
Cayenne Pepper
Whole Cloves
Coriander Seeds
Chile Powder
Sage
Seaweed Gomasio
SECOND SHELF
Rosemary
Cinnamon
Thyme
Oregano
Hungarian Paprika
Sunflower Seeds
Pepper Corn
Mustard Seed (black)
Mustard Seed (golden)
Nutmeg
Pumpkin Seeds
Almonds
Caraway Seeds
Cardamom
Cumin Powder
Curry Powder
Bay Leaf
Basil
Baking Soda
Kosher Salt
Cous-cous
Red Lentils
Split Green Peas
Organic Cornmeal
Quinoa
Organic Barley
Chick Peas
Whole Wheat Flour
Dates
Cornucopia Baking Mix
Sesame Seeds
Gluten Free Cornbread Mix
Oats
Dried Peaches
Raisins
Biodynamic Almonds
Cloves
White Flour
Organic Cornmeal
Butter
Cottage cheese
Mustard
Vegetable Bouillon
Butter
Plain Yogurt
Lemon Juice

 

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Menu Plan

Each month of school Grains** Protein Starch, Veggies, (Cooked)* Green Salad (raw) and Fruits*
Week 1        
Tuesday Quinoa, wheat Eggs, seeds, nuts Potatoes Lettuce
Thursday Brown rice Beans, lentils, peas Sweet potatoes Tomatoes
Week 2     Cabbage Carrots
Tuesday Barley, wheat Cheese, yogurt Carrots Beets
Thursday White rice Beans, lentils, peas Beets, Onion,
Leeks, Turnip
Cabbage, Radish
Week 3     Squash Spinach
Tuesday Corn, wheat Egg, seeds, nuts Parsnips Asian greens
Thursday Brown rice Beans, lentils, peas Leafy greens Apples, pears
Week 4     Celery, Beets, Zucchini Seeds and Nuts, Avocado
Tuesday Millet, Wheat Cheese, yogurt Kohlrabi Dried Fruits
Thursday White rice Beans, lentils, peas Garlic, Ginger Fresh herbs

* Cooked and raw veggies and fruits are biodynamic or organic, seasonal and mainly local.
** Additions of other grains are possible (teff, rye, kamut, amaranth, etc.)

Other Notes:
We aim to have a sustainable kitchen, so we offer vegetarian meals. Ingredients are if available; first choice biodynamic, second choice organic, third choice local non-organic delivered through reputable stores. We use organic, extra virgin olive, organic ghee, and for baking organic butter. We boil, steam or bake most food. Oil, ghee or butter added after the heat of stove is turned off. This is per current regulations but also as this is the best for your health. As sweetener, we use mainly molasses, maple syrup, agave syrup, honey and rarely brown sugar. We use soy sauce, tamari sauce, seeds and nuts only sparingly. We like to use organic cottage cheese, feta cheese and Amish farmer cheese in small quantities as they are biodynamic or organic cheese is an expensive item. We generally do not use frozen or prepackaged food, and microwave oven is strictly avoided. Suppliers are local organic farmers, The Spiritual Food for the New Millennium Project, The Bethesda Co-op Store, and Mom's Organic Market. Rapunzel vegan vegetable bouillon cubes are used. This is a zero waste kitchen.

Salad dressing: vinaigrette (olive oil, apple cider vinegar, salt, pepper, honey and herbs) and tahini (yogurt, miso, garlic, ginger, pepper)

Desert: Acorn Hill Vanilla-Maple-Yogurt Cake, Almond cookies, Oatmeal-Raisin cookies, Apple crisp

Snack: Granola (oats, coconut, seeds, and honey), Biodynamic-Organic Seven Stars yogurt: plain, vanilla and maple

The Circle reserves the right to change the menu as availability and price of items make it necessary.

Kitchen Operation Schedule 2009/2010 School Year

Snack Program    
Participants Days of Operation Provided by
Grades 6-12 Monday-Friday Grade 12 (Sept-April)
Grade 11 (May-June)
     
Lunch Program    
Participants Days of Operation Provided by
Grades 6-12 Monday Grade 12 (Sept-April)
Grade 11 (May-June)
Grades 6-12 Tuesday and Thursday Sustainability Circle
Grades 2-5 Wednesday Sustainability Circle
     
Special Programs (pizza, bread and special cooking projects)  
Participants Days of Operation Provided by
TBD Friday Sustainability Circle

 

 

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Sustainable Cookbook

Grains and Legumes

Soups & Sauces

Entrees

Breads/Snacks

Sources:  

Quick Vegetarian Pleasures, by Jeanne Lemlin

  • Cheese Polenta

May All Be Fed: "a Diet for a New World," by John Robbins

  • Tagine of Moroccan Vegetables
  • Vegetables with Couscous or Millet
  • Italian Vegetables and Potato Stew
  • Lemon Rice and Peas
  • Curried Potatoes, Cauliflower and Peas

The Modern Vegetarian Kitchen

  • Barley Salad

Body Ecology Diet, by Donna Gates

  • Millet and Sweet Vegetables
  • Curried Quinoa

White Grass Café: Cross Country Cooking or White Grass Flavor, by Laurie Little and Mary Beth Gwyer

  • Black Bean Soup
  • Mediterranean Chick Pea Soup
  • Split Pea Soup
  • Potato Pesto Soup
  • Curried Sweet Potato Soup
  • White Grass Chili



Lord Krishna's Cuisine: The Art of Indian Vegetarian Cooking, Yamuna Devi and David Baird - Sustainability Circle binder contains additional recipes from this book
Please use these recipes along with sustainability guidelines. This means substituting local and seasonal ingredients to decrease CO2 impact and use common sense to keep costs down. The cooking techniques we used were based on ancient Indian ayurvedic, Japanese macrobiotic and modern Western anthroposophic teachings with special emphasis on inclusion of seasonal and local high quality root vegetables, leafy greens and fruit of vegetables with ample emphasis on leafy greens.

Enjoy!

Eszter (Savitri) Szabo
for the Sustainability Circle
founded at the Washington Waldorf School
Bethesda, Maryland, USA

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BARLEY SALAD

(From The Modern Vegetarian Kitchen which states, "Make this festive salad when you are in the mood to party. It is so pretty it could induce a profound sense of loneliness if your friends and family are not around to enjoy it. The umeboshi venigar [a by-product of pickling plums] casts a delicate pink hue over the barley and coaxes the color out of the red onions as they marinate.)

2/3 cup pearl barley
1 ½ teaspoon coarse seal salt
1 yellow squash, seeded and diced
1 zucchini, seeded and diced
1/3 cup diced red onion
1 cucumber, peeled, seeded, and diced
1 red bell pepper, peeled, seeded, and diced
2 Tablespoons thinly sliced scallions, white and green parts
2 Tablespoons minced fresh dill or parsley
3 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 Tablespoons umeboshi vinegar
2 Tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
½ teaspoon freshly milled black pepper
1 bunch watercress leaves
And tender stems only for garnish

1. In a 3-quart saucepan over high heat, bring 6 cups water to a boil. Add the barley salad and ½ teaspoon salt and simmer for 30 minutes, or until tender. Drain the barley in a sieve and rinse under cold running water until cool. Place the sieve over a bowl to drain.

2. In a pan fitted with a steamer, combine the squash, zucchini, and red onions. Steam, covered, for 3 to 4 minutes. Shock the vegetables in a large bowl of cold water to arrest the cooking. Drain thoroughly.

3. In a large bowl, combine the steamed vegetables, barley, cucumber, red pepper, scallions, and dill.

4. In a separate bowl, whisk together the oil, vinegar, lemon juice, remaining salt and black pepper. Pour it over the salad and mix well.

5. Mound the salad on a platter and garnish with watercress.


INDIAN YELLOW SPLIT PEA DAL

(Provided by Lori Kulik) Serves 24
Pick over, rinse and place in a large pot:
6 C yellow split peas

Add:
16 C Water
5 large onions, chopped
1 head garlic, minced (about 5 T)
5 T minced fresh ginger or 1 T powdered ginger
3 T curry powder
2 T ground turmeric
(Optional: several dried red chili peppers)

Bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until the split peas are tender, about 40 minutes.

Stir in:
1 T salt
6 fresh jalapeno peppers, seeded and diced
6 plum tomatoes, diced

Cook over medium low heat to blend flavors, thinning with up to 4 C water, until desired consistency is reached.

Remove from heat, and stir in: 1 bunch chopped fresh cilantro

Top with dollop of plain yogurt.

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BULGUR MEDLEY

3 young, slender leeks
2 TBSP sunflower oil
2 shallots, chopped
1 garlic clove, crushed
1-1/4 cups bulgur (cracked wheat), such as Ala brand
2 Cups hot vegetable stock (or use 2 vegetable bouillon cubes dissolved in 2 cups boiling water)
2 carrots, diced
3 celery stalks,, sliced
2 zucchini, diced
Tomato Dressing, see below
Salt and black pepper to taste
Fresh cilantro (coriander) leaves

Tomato Dressing:
8 oz. tomatoes, peeled, seeded, finely chopped
3 TBSP virgin olive oil
1 TBSP wine vinegar
1 tsp tomato paste
1 garlic clove, crushed
½ t paprika
Pinch of sugar

Trim leeks and rinse thoroughly, washing out all the dirt; then thinly slice and set aside. Heat oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add shallots and garlic and cook 2 to 3 minutes. Add bulgur and stir around pan 1 minute. Gradually pour in hot stock and smmer 5 minutes. Add leeks, carrots and celery and cook 5 minutes; then stir in zucchini and cook two minutes longer. Remove from heat; let cool. To prepare Tomato Dressing, stir all dressing ingredients together. Stir dressing into bulgur mixture; season with salt and pepper. Garnish with cilantro before serving. Makes 6-8 side-dish servings.

LIMA BEAN SALAD

1 cup dried large lima beans, soaked overnight, drained (or use about 2-1/2 cups cooked, drained large lima beans or butter beans)
Salt to taste
6 oz. sliced bacon (not used in vegetarian version)
Tomato dressing :
1 large ripe tomato, peeled, seeded, chopped
1 teaspoon tomato paste
3 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons lemon juice
Salt and black pepper to taste

If using dried beans, rinse beans. Place in a saucepan and add water to cover; bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover and simmer about 2 hours until tender. Add salt during last 5 minutes of cooking. (If using cooked beans, simply pour into a saucepan, add a little water and heat through.)
To prepare tomato dressing, process all dressing ingredients in a lender until blended. Drain beans and place in a serving dish; pour dressing over beans and let cool. Sprinkle with chives before serving.

Makes 4-6 side-dish servings.

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MILLET AND SWEET VEGETABLES

With the sweet vegetables (onions, carrots, butternut squash) this dish strengthens the spleen/pancreas and stomach. For the first two to three months you may find that this dish prepared with the butternut squash is too sweet and feeds the Candida. Leave the butternut squash out of the recipe. The onions and carrots should cause no problems.

Ingredients:
2 cups millet, rinsed and dry roasted in skillet
2 medium onions, finely chopped
3 carrots, diced
1 small butternut squash, with skin cut off and cubed
1 tsp. sea salt
5-1/2 cups water
1-2 TBSP ghee
Several pinches of herbs may be added such as thyme, rosemary, sage and celery seed

1. Into pressure cooker place millet, vegetables, sea salt, and water. (This dish can also be prepared in a saucepan. Increase the amount of water to 6 cups and follow the same directions.)

2. Dissolve sea salt into water and gently pour water around sides of millet and vegetables.

3. Close cover and bring up to pressure and cook on low flame for 30 minutes.

4. Reduce pressure and open lid.

5. Fold in 1-2 TBSP ghee.

6. Stir well and serve.

Variations:

1. To create a creamier consistency, puree the millet/vegetable mixture with ghee or butter in a blender.
2. Add 3 inch strips of kombu ocean vegetable in the pressure cooker with the millet and vegetables. The dish will not be as sweet but it will have extra minerals.

CHEESE POLENTA

2 cups low-fat milk
2 cups water
¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
½ teaspoon salt
1-1/4 cups cornmeal
2 TBSP cold unsalted butter, cut into bits
4 TBSP grated parmesan cheese*
½ cup grated sharp cheddar cheese*
½ cup grated Monterey Jack cheese, or Muenster cheese*

(*Not used for Sustainability Circle lunches)

Serves 4

1. Generously butter a 9-inch pie plate or shallow 1-quart baking dish and set aside.

2. Combine the milk, water, nutmeg, and salt in a heavy medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and very slowly sprinkle in the cornmeal, whisking continuously. Cook 5 minutes, or until the cornmeal mixture pulls away from the sides of pan.

3. Remove the pan from the heat. Whisk in 1-1/2 TBSP of the butter and 2 TBSP of the Parmesan cheese.

4. With a rubber spatula, spread half the polenta mixture in the prepared pie plate or baking dish, then top with the grated cheddar and Monterey Jack cheeses. Spread on the remaining polenta, then sprinkle on the remaining 2 TBSP Parmesan cheese and dot with the remaining ½ TBSP of butter.

5. Let the polenta sit at least 15 minutes, or cover and chill for up to 24 hours. When ready to cook, preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Bake uncovered 30 minutes, or until golden brown and bubbly.

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CURRIED QUINOA

Ingredients:
2 TBSP organic, unrefined oil or ghee
1 TBSP curry powder
1 tsp sea salt or Herbamare
2 cups cooked quinoa
2 medium onions, diced
2 cups cooked vegetables (peas, corn, potatoes, red bell pepper, cabbage, yellow squash, etc.)

1. Melt ghee in wok or skillet.
2. Add curry powder and sea salt.
3. Saute onion for several minutes until translucent.
4. Add other cooked vegetables. Saute several minutes.
5. Add quinoa and adjust seasonings.

PERUVIAN QUINOA STEW

(Contributed by Martine de Haller)
Serves 4 -handwritten note says about 8-10 servings

½ cup quinoa
1 cup water

2 cups chopped onion
2 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
2 TBSP vegetable oil
1 celery stalk, chopped
1 carrot, cut on the diagonal into ¼-inch thick slices
1 bell pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 cup cubed zucchini
2 cups undrained chopped fresh or canned tomatoes
1 cup water or vegetable stock
2 teaspoons ground cumin
½ teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon ground coriander
Pinch of cayenne (or more to taste)
2 teaspoons fresh oregano (1 teaspoon dried)
Salt to taste

Chopped fresh cilantro (optional)
Grated cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese (optional)

Using a fine sieve, rinse the quinoa well. Place it in a pot with the water and cook, covered, on medium-low heat for about 15 minutes, until soft. Set aside.

While the quinoa cooks, in a covered soup pot sauté the onions and garlic in the oil for about 5 minutes on medium heat. Add the celery and carrots, and continue to cook for 5 minutes, stirring often.

Add the bell pepper, zucchini, tomatoes, and water or stock. Stir in the cumin, chili powder, coriander, cayenne, and oregano, and simmer, covered, for 10 to 15 minutes [handwritten note says 60 minutes!], until the vegetables are tender.

Stir the cooked quinoa into the stew and add salt to taste. Top with cilantro and grated cheese, if you wish. Serve immediately.

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LEMON RICE AND PEAS

Makes 4 servings.
This delicious, Indian-flavored rice dish will show you why rice is served as a main course in much of the world. It has the flavors of India and is full of tasty peas and cashews. Serve it rolled in warm chapattis or in a molded shape.
2 cups water
1 cup long-grain brown rice
2 TBSP olive oil
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp black mustard seeds
6 green onions, finely chopped
2 cups fresh (or thawed) frozen peas
1 cup raw cashews
3 TBSP tamari
3 TBSP freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 tsp turmeric
Pinch of cayenne pepper
8 chapatis (p. 220) or whole wheat tortillas, warmed

In a medium saucepan, bring the water to a boil over high heat. Add the rice, cover, reduce the heat, and simmer until the water is absorbed, 30 to 40 minutes. Remove from the heat.

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the cumin seeds and mustard seeds and cook, stirring, until the mustard seeds begin to pop, about 30 seconds. Add the green onions and cook until softened, about 1 minute. Add the cooked rice, peas, cashews, tamari, lemon juice, parsley, turmeric, and cayenne and cook, stirring often, for 3 minutes. Remove from the heat.

BLACK BEAN SOUP

Serves 4-8.

Serve in a big bowl with a dollup of sour cream and diced green onions on top.
2 cups dried or 2 cans black beans
9 cups water
1 large onion, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 TBSP olive oil
2 tsp ground cumin
¼ tsp cayenne pepper
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp black pepper

If using dried black beans, soak overnight in salted water with ¼ tsp baking soda. Rinse beans and cover with 9 cups fresh water. Cook beans with ½ tsp. salt until tender.

Meanwhile, chop veggies and sauté in olive oil. Add rinsed, drained beans. Puree all ingredients in a food processor and return them to the soup pot. Add seasonings and additional water if too thick.

MEDITERRANEAN CHICK PEA SOUP

Another of Ruth Fleischman Melnick's fabulous soups. It's spicy, so make it on an extra cold day.

3 TBSP olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 carrots, peeled and chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
3 cups water or stock
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
2 tsp paprika
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp salt
1 tsp dried basil
1 bay leaf
1 cup fresh tomatoes, chopped, or 1 28-oz can diced tomatoes
1 16-oz can chick peas, rinsed and drained

In a large saucepan, sauté onion and garlic in oil for two minutes. Add carrots and celery, cook another 2-3 minutes. Add water or stock and spices. Simmer over med-low heat and add tomatoes and chick peas. Allow soup to simmer over low heat for 20-30 minutes. Enjoy.

 

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SPLIT PEA SOUP

You'll notice there are no ham bones or jowls in this recipe. We think it is possible to make this soup even more delicious without meat.

1 large onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 TBSP olive oil
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
2 cups green split peas
8 cups water or stock
1 TBSP vegetable broth powder
1 tsp dried thyme
¼ tsp black pepper
½ tsp salt

In a large soup pot, sauté onion and garlic in oil until tender. Add carrots, cook another minute. Pour in water or stock and peas and seasonings. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until peas are soft. The longer this soup cooks, the better it tastes. Give it at least 2 hours.

You can excite this recipe by adding fresh or ground ginger or cayenne pepper - give your tastebuds a thrill.

POTATO PESTO SOUP

This soup was born one Sunday morning at the café when we had an overabundance of pesto. (Too much pesto? Never!) It's such a delicious, versatile condiment. We love pesto.

2 onions, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 TBSP butter
2 ribs celery, chopped
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
6 large potatoes, cubed
8 cups water
2 TBSP pesto
1 tsp salt
½ tsp black pepper

In large soup pot, sauté onion and garlic in butter over medium heat. Cook for 2 minutes then add celery and carrots. Pour in water and potatoes. Let soup simmer until potatoes are cooked, about 30 minutes. Then add pesto, salt and pepper. Simmer another 5 minutes, adjust seasonings and serve. Makes 8 servings.

CURRIED SWEET POTATO SOUP

4 medium orange fleshed sweet potatoes
2 ½ cups water or stock
2 TBSP butter
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp ground cumin
¼ tsp dry mustard
¾ tsp ground ginger
Dash of cayenne pepper
½ tsp coriander
1 6 oz can frozen orange juice concentrate
Juice from 1 lemon

Peel sweet potatoes and cut into 1-inch cubes. In a soup pot, boil sweet potatoes in water or stock until cooked. Drain potatoes and save liquid.

While potatoes are cooking, sauté onion and garlic in butter until soft, add spices and stir.

Puree potatoes and onions/spice mixture in a food processor, return to the pot and add orange juice concentrate and enough potato stock to reach desired thickness. Stir in lemon juice. Let simmer 5 - 15 minutes before serving. A dollup of yogurt us a superb garnish for this soup.

Ruth Fleischman Melnick, one of our "Soup Queens," made this superb soup during one of our busiest, snowiest seasons. It was a hit.

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BASIL-ALMOND PESTO

1-1/2 cups almond (peeled and toasted 12 minutes)
2 cups basil leaves, packed
2 cloves garlic
2 TBSP lemon juice
1 tsp lemon zest
¾ cup olive oil
Sea salt

Mix in oil last!

A better mix is 3 cups basil and 1-1/2 to 2 cups almond as it gives more basil pesto taste.

WHITE GRASS CHILI

Vegetarian and Delicious
2 ½ cups dried or two 16 oz cans pinto beans
2 tsp salt
2 TBSP olive oil
2 medium onions, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
3 stalks celery, chopped
4 carrots, peeled and grated
1 large green pepper, chopped
1 cup raw bulgur
1 TBSP ground cumin
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried oregano
3 TBSP chili powder
1/4 tsp (or 1/8) or a dash of cayenne pepper
1 16oz can whole tomatoes, chopped
1 16 oz can tomato puree
Salt and pepper to taste

If using dried beans, soak them overnight in 2 quarts water (plus a dash of baking soda). Rinse and cook in fresh water with the salt. Cook until tender (about one hour).
In a large saucepan, sauté onion, garlic, celery, carrots and green pepper in olive oil. Add bulgur, spices, herbs, and one cup water. Mix well and add cooked beans, one cup of bean broth, tomatoes and puree. Let simmer 45 minutes or until bulgur is softened. It may be necessary to add more water to determine thickness. Serve topped with grated Jack and Cheddar cheese. Serves 8.

This is by far the most popular dish served at White Grass. We should have a sign reading "Over a Billion Bowls Served."

CURRIED POTATOES. CAULIFLOWER AND PEAS

Makes 4 servings.
You can use almost any vegetables to make this tasty dish, served rolled up in flatbread. We call this Curry in a Hurry and sometimes take it on a picnic.
2 TBSP canola or safflower oil
2 medium baking potatoes, cut into ½ inch cubes
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 large carrot, finely chopped
1 small cauliflower, cut into florets
1 TBSP curry powder
½ tsp ground cumin
½ tsp turmeric
Pinch of cayenne pepper
1 cup vegetable stock (p. 250), vegetable bouillon, or water
1 cup fresh or (thawed) frozen peas
3 TBSP tamari

Heat the oil In a large skillet over medium heat. Add the potatoes, onion and carrot, and cook, stirring often, until the potatoes are lightly browned, about 8 minutes.

Add the cauliflower, curry powder, cumin, turmeric, and cayenne and stir for 30 seconds. Add the Vegetable Stock, cover, immediately reduce the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes.

Stir in the peas and tamari and cook, uncovered, until the liquid has thickened, about 2 minutes. Serve immediately.

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PAM FEELEY'S POTATO SALAD

To boiled potatoes, Pam added steamed asparagus and grated beets and dark greens (basically whatever was available in the kitchen on that date) and then combined all with a vinaigrette.

TAGINE OF MOROCCAN VEGETABLES WITH COUSCOUS

Makes 4-6 servings.

When you want to impress your guests, try this impressive, colorful tagine, or Moroccan stew, an exotically spiced vegetable stew spooned over a platter of whole wheat couscous. The list of ingredients may seem long, but the cooking procedure is easy.

2 TBSP olive oil
2 medium onions, sliced
1 red bell pepper, seeded and cut into ¾-inch wide strips
2 garlic cloves, peeled
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp ground ginger
½ tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp fine sea salt
¼ tsp cayenne pepper (regular paprika)
¼ tsp crushed saffron threads, optional )
4 medium carrots, cut into 1-inch lengths
1 butternut squash (about 2 pounds), pared, seeded, and cut into 2-inch pieces
1 15 ounce can unsweetened tomatoes
1 cup Vegetable Stock (p.250), vegetable bouillon, or water
2 medium zucchini, cut into 1-inch chunks
1 cup cooked garbanzo beans (chickpeas)
½ cup raisin

3 cups water or 2 cups vegetable stock (p.250) or vegetable bouillon and 1 cup water
2 TBSP olive oil
½ tsp fine sea salt
1 1/2 cups whole wheat couscous
½ cup coarsely chopped almonds, toasted

Make the tagine: In a large saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring often, until lightly browned, about 6 to 8 minutes. Add the bell pepper, garlic, turmeric, ginger, cinnamon, salt, cayenne, and saffron, and stir for 1 minute.
Stir in the carrots, squash, tomatoes with their juice, and Vegetable Stock, breaking up the tomatoes with the spoon. Bring to a simmer over high heat. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 20 to 30 minutes, until the vegetables are just tender.
Stir in the zucchini, garbanzo beans, and raisins. Cover and continue cooking until the squash is tender, about 5 to 10 minutes.

Make the couscous: Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, combine the water, oil and salt and bring to a boil over high heat. Stir in the couscous. Immediately remove from the heat, cover, and let stand until the couscous has absorbed all the liquid, about 5 minutes.

Place the couscous on a warmed serving platter and make a well in the center. With a slotted spoon, spoon the vegetables into the well. Pour the tagine cooking juices over the couscous, sprinkle with the almonds, and serve.

ITALIAN VEGETABLES AND POTATO STEW

Makes 4 to 6 servings.

In Italy, this is known as ciambotta, and every household has its own version. While it is hearty enough to stand on its own, it can also be spooned over cooked brown rice orpasta.

1 large eggplant, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
1 ½ tsp fine sea salt
3 TBSP olive oil, or more as needed
1 medium onion, chopped
2 ribs celery, with leaves, chopped
1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 medium boiling potatoes, cut into ½ inch thick slices
1 28 oz can unsweetened tomatoes in puree
1 cup Vegetable Stock (p.250), vegetable bouillon, or water
1/8 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
½ cup chopped fresh basil or 1 tsp dried basil
1 cup Mediterranean black olives, pitted and chopped

Place the eggplant in a colander and toss with 1 teaspoon of the salt. Let stand for 1 hour to draw out the bitter juices. Rinse well, drain, and pat dry with kitchen towels.

Heat 2 TBSP of the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the eggplant and cook, stirring often until lightly browned, about 4 minutes. (You may have to add a little more oil if the eggplant sticks.) Transfer to a plate and set aside.

Heat the remaining 1 TBSP of oil in the pan, and add the onion, celery, bell pepper and garlic. Cook, stirring often, until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the reserved eggplant, the potatoes, the tomatoes, with their puree, Vegetable Stock, the remaining ½ teaspoon salt, and the red pepper flakes, if using dried basil, add it now. Bring to a simmer, then reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the potatoes are tender, about 45 minutes to 1 hour.

Stir in the olives, and, if using, the fresh basil, and continue cooking to blend the flavors, about 5 minutes. Serve the stew hot, warm, or at room temperature.

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TUNISIAN VEGETABLE STEW

Contributed by Martine de Haller
1 ¼ cups thinly sliced onions
2 TBSP olive oil
3 cups thinly sliced cabbage
Dash of salt
1 large green bell pepper, cut into thin strips
2 tsp ground coriander
¼ tsp turmeric
¼ tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp cayenne (or to taste)
3 cups undrained canned tomatoes, chopped (28 ounce can)
1 ¼ cups drained cooked chickpeas (16 ounce can)
¼ cup currants or raisins (optional)
1 TBSP fresh lemon juice
Salt to taste
Grated feta cheese
Toasted slivered almonds.


In a large skillet, sauté the onions in the olive oil for 5 minutes, or until softened. Add the cabbage, sprinkle with salt, and continue to sauté for at least 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the bell pepper, coriander, turmeric, cinnamon, and cayenne to the skillet and sauté for another minute or so. Stir in the tomatoes, chick peas, and optional currants or raisins, and simmer, covered, for about 15 minutes, until the vegetables are just tender. Add the lemon juice and salt to taste.
Top with feta and toasted almonds if you like.
8-10 servings.

ACORN HILL VANILLA BIRTHDAY CAKE

Makes 1 cake or 18 cupcakes
15 minutes preparation time
30 minutes baking time for cake; 20 minutes for cupcakes

1 2/3 cups plain yogurt
1 cup maple syrup
1 cup oil
4-8 tsp vanilla (to taste)
4 cups unbleached white flour
2 tsp baking soda
¾ tsp salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Combine the wet ingredients in a large bowl. Combine the dry ingredients and add to the wet, mixing thoroughly. The batter will be fairly thick. Bake in a greased tube pan or Bundt pan for about 50 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
If making cupcakes, bake them for about 20 minutes.

Acorn Hill classroom recipe

APPLE-APRICOT COBBLER

Makes 6 servings
This cobbler has a flavorful apple-apricot filling and a sweet crumbly crust.
[Please note: Rhubarb or any other fruit can be used as substitute for the apple. SC]
8 tart apples, such as Granny Smiths, peeled, cored, and thinly sliced
½ cup unsulphured dried apricots, finely chopped
1 cup pure maple syrup
1 cup apricot juice
2 TBSP freshly squeezed lemon juice
¾ cup plus 3 tablespoons whole wheat pastry flour
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp finely grated fresh gingerroot
¼ tsp ground cardamom
½ cup rolled oats
¼ cup canola or safflower oil
½ cup raw pecan

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
In a large bowl, combine the apples, apricots, ½ cup of the maple syrup, the apricot and lemon juices, 3 TBSP of the flour, the cinnamon, ginger, and cardamom and stir together. Pour into an 9 by 13 inch baking dish.
Put the remaining ¾ cup flour, the rolled oats, the remaining ½ cup maple syrup, and the oil in a food processor fitted with the metal blade, and process until well mixed. Add the pecans and pulse several times to coarsely chop the nuts. Sprinkle over the apple mixture.
Bake until bubbling and lightly browned, 30 to 40 minutes. Cool 10 minutes before serving.

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PUMPKIN BREAD

From the Cornucopia Baking Mix Recipe Card (The baking mix can be purchased from The School of Life, Spiritual Food for the New Millennium)
Makes 2 loaves

1 cup unsweetened applesauce
2/3 cups organic canola oil
1 egg or 1 portion of egg substitute*
5 cups baking mix
1 15 ounce can of pure pumpkin or two cups fresh pumpkin, cooked and pureed
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp ground cinnamon
2/3 cups organic raisins
2/3 cups chopped walnuts
¼ cup water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, grease and flour 2 two-pound loaf pans. Beat together applesauce, oil, pumpkin and egg. Stir baking mix before measuring and add spices. Blend pumpkin mixture, dry ingredients and water. Fold in walnuts and raisings. Spoon into loaf pans and bake for 50-55 minutes until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans for 30 minutes.

*Preferred egg substitute: In food processor or blender, thoroughly blend ¼ cup flax seeds with ¾ cup cold water. Yields the equivalent of 3 eggs and may be refrigerated for future use. Use ¼ cup for each egg called for in recipe.

Published by Cornucopia Café, 6534 Quaker Dr., Pittsburgh, PA 15236. www.cornucopiacafe.com

CHOCOLATE OR CAROB CHIP COOKIES

From the Cornucopia Baking Mix Recipe Card (The baking mix can be purchased from The School of Life, Spiritual Food for the New Millennium)
2 ½ cups baking mix
½ cup butter or buttery spread*, melted
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
2/3 cups naturally sweetened chocolate chips, or carob chips
1 tsp vanilla extract
¼ cup water

Stir baking mix before measuring. Combine baking mix, butter or spread and applesauce. Add water, a little bit at a time until the dough is firm but moist enough to work with. Fold in chips.
Firmly pack a round measuring tablespoon with the dough and place round tablespoons of dough on greased or non-stick cookie sheet about 2 inches apart.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 12 minutes or until slightly brown around the edges. Cool for several minutes before removing from pan.

*Buttery spread - If you are avoiding dairy products or prefer not to use butter, choose a non-hydrogenated vegetable oil spread such as Earth Balance. Lite spreads do not work.

Published by Cornucopia Café, 6534 Quaker Dr., Pittsburgh, PA 15236. www.cornucopiacafe.com

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SWEET ZUCCHINI-SPICE BREAD

From Mollie Katzen, The Enchanted Broccoli Forest
35 minutes to prepare
35-45 minutes to bake
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Butter a medium loaf pan.

2 cups (packed measure) coarsely-grated zucchini

½ cup honey (light) 1 cup unbleached white flour
6 TBSP melted butter 1 cup whole wheat flour
2 large eggs ½ tsp salt
½ tsp vanilla extract 2 ½ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp nutmeg
½ tsp allspice
½ tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp ginger

Optional: ½ cup chopped nuts and/or ½ cup currants

(1) Place the grated zucchini in a colander over a bowl or sink. Let stand 10-20 minutes, then squeeze out all the excess moisture.
(2) With an electric mixer at high speed, beat the honey for about 5 minutes, or until white and opaque. Beat in the butter, eggs, and vanilla. Beat several minutes more.
(3) Sift together the dry ingredients.
(4) Add the sifted dry ingredients, alternately with the zucchini, to the honey mixture, beginning and ending with the dry (flour/zuke/flour/zuke/flour). Mix just enough to blend after each addition.
(5) Stir in optional nuts and currants last.
(6) Spread into a medium-sized, buttered loaf pan. Bake 35-45 minutes.

ARTISAN O-KNEAD BREAD

The Master Recipe: Boule
(Artisan Free-Form Loaf)
Makes 4 1-pound loaves3 cups lukewarm water
1 1/2 tbsp granulated yeast (1 1/2 packets)
1 1/2 tbsp coarse kosher or sea salt
6 1/2 cups unsifted, unbleached, all-purpose white flour
Cornmeal for pizza peel

The Master Recipe
The artisan free-form loaf called the French boule is the basic model for all the no-knead recipes. The round shape (boule in French means "ball") is the easiest to master. You'll learn how wet the dough needs to be (wet, but not so wet that the finished loaf won't retain its form) and how to shape a loaf without kneading. And you'll discover a truly revolutionary approach to baking: Take some dough from the fridge, shape it, leave it to rest, then let it bake while you're preparing the rest of the meal.
Keep your dough wet - wetter doughs favor the development of sourdough character during storage. You should become familiar with the following recipe before going through any of the others.
Mixing and Storing the Dough
1. Heat the water to just a little warmer than body temperature (about 100 degrees Fahrenheit).
2. Add yeast and salt to the water in a 5-quart bowl or, preferably, in a resealable, lidded container (not airtight - use container with gasket or lift a corner). Don't worry about getting it all to dissolve.
3. Mix in the flour by gently scooping it up, then leveling the top of the measuring cup with a knife; don't pat down. Mix with a wooden spoon, a high-capacity food processor with dough attachment, or a heavy-duty stand mixer with dough hook, until uniformly moist. If hand-mixing becomes too difficult, use very wet hands to press it together. Don't knead! This step is done in a matter of minutes, and yields a wet dough loose enough to conform to the container.
4. Cover loosely. Do not use screw-topped jars, which could explode from trapped gases. Allow the mixture to rise at room temperature until it begins to collapse (or at least flatten on top), approximately two hours, depending on temperature. Longer rising times, up to about five hours, will not harm the result. You can use a portion of the dough any time after this period. Refrigerated wet dough is less sticky and easier to work with than room-temperature dough. We recommend refrigerating the dough at least three hours before shaping a loaf. And relax! You don't need to monitor doubling or tripling of volume as in traditional recipes.
5. Prepare a pizza peel by sprinkling it liberally with cornmeal to prevent the loaf from sticking to it when you slide it into the oven.
Sprinkle the surface of the dough with flour, then cut off a 1-pound (grapefruit-sized) piece with a serrated knife. Hold the mass of dough in your hands and add a little more flour as needed so it won't stick to your hands. Gently stretch the surface of the dough around to the bottom on four "sides," rotating the ball a quarter-turn as you go, until the bottom is a collection of four bunched ends. Most of the dusting flour will fall off; it doesn't need to be incorporated. The bottom of the loaf will flatten out during resting and baking.
6. Place the ball on the pizza peel. Let it rest uncovered for about 40 minutes. Depending on the dough's age, you may see little rise during this period; more rising will occur during baking.
7. Twenty minutes before baking, preheat oven to 450 degrees with a baking stone on the middle rack. Place an empty broiler tray for holding water on another shelf.
8. Dust the top of the loaf liberally with flour, which will allow the slashing, serrated knife to pass without sticking. Slash a 1/4-inch-deep cross, scallop or tick-tack-toe pattern into the top. (This helps the bread expand during baking.)
9. With a forward jerking motion of the wrist, slide the loaf off the pizza peel and onto the baking stone. Quickly but carefully pour about a cup of hot water into the broiler tray and close the oven door to trap the steam. Bake for about 30 minutes, or until the crust is browned and firm to the touch. With wet dough, there's little risk of drying out the interior, despite the dark crust. When you remove the loaf from the oven, it will audibly crackle, or "sing," when initially exposed to room temperature air. Allow to cool completely, preferably on a wire rack, for best flavor, texture and slicing. The perfect crust may initially soften, but will firm up again when cooled.
10. Refrigerate the remaining dough in your lidded (not airtight) container and use it over the next two weeks: You'll find that even one day's storage improves the flavor and texture of your bread. This maturation continues over the two-week period. Cut off and shape loaves as you need them. The dough can also be frozen in 1-pound portions in an airtight container and defrosted overnight in the refrigerator prior to handling.

From (www.motherearth.com)

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