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Paramhansa
Yogananda on World Brotherhood Colonies
from East
West Magazine, 1932
The following excerpts are from an article Yogananda wrote
about his dream of World Brotherhood Colonies. While he modified
the practical details later in his life, this article is a good
example of the principles on which to found Colonies, and also the
strong feelings Yogananda had about starting them.
Ananda's seven World Brotherhood Colonies were founded on these
principles.
"How can we
by spiritual methods begin a material United States of the World?"
"...This is
how it should be worked out. Groups of twenty-five young married
couples and single people should strive hard and concentrate their
souls' force by living economically for five years, until each couple
has ten thousand dollars cash. This, multiplied by twenty-five,
would make a trust-fund of $250,000.
"Some of this
should be used to buy and build twenty-five small cottages, by their
own labor, on twenty acres of community-owned farm land. All butter
and milk should be obtained from home-bred cows, and vegetables
should be grown by the members of this spiritual farm on their own
land. Lambs should be grown for wool for dresses, socks, and other
articles...."
"Education for
the children of the married couples should be given in the community
schools by the highly educated parents in a community hall with
wooden partitions, or under the trees in summer. Meditation, the
scientific art of knowing god, should be the ideal aim of all the
children.. Parents should be satisfied with one child and exercise
moderation and self-control in marital life.
"All taxes,
the expense of educating the children, and miscellaneous expenses,
should be taken from the interest on the $250,000...."
"Each spiritual
colony should take the vow of plain living and high thinking, the
brotherhood of man, fellowship of all, joint ownership of land,
transportation, education, food, and money, and they should eat
and dress in the community way, but spiritually each soul in the
community must be unencumbered so that he may develop and advance
as deeply as he can.
"If people would
follow the above rules, then God's world would be harmonious; climates
would be better, and from everywhere pestilence, famine, and disease
would flee, for then all the nations would be as one, co-operating
in international laws of transportation, food, education, and religion.
Forsake luxury, selfishness, and greed for money, and lead lives
of security free from worries. This will establish universal peace
and harmony."
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