Youths plant roots of service, community

By Olivia Ware

New Thought News Service

When presented with the opportunity to plant trees at the Quang Minh Temple in Melbourne, young people attending the Parliament jumped at the chance. 

Who wouldn't want to provide a service to a temple community, get some fresh air and have an enlightening educational experience, all at the same time?

The volunteers, one of several groups of youths who signed up to work at different community service projects Sunday, dressed in work attire and boarded a bus. Upon arriving at the monastery, we were greeted, offered hats and gloves and given a tour of the grounds.

Along with the breathtaking view, including an immense statue of Buddha looking down over a green valley that dips into a river, the environmental orientation of the temple community was awe-inspiring. The monks have been deeply involved in a 10-year upkeep project. Using soil reclaimed from a municipal construction project, they have planted native vegetation on one slope and transformed an area into a garden. They regularly plant trees to contribute to the health of the land.

The planting and land projects, however, are only a few of the environmental efforts made by the community. The temple has a worm farm that transforms waste from the kitchen into compost for the garden. Worms feed on the waste, transforming it into fertilizer. When a certain level in the worm tank is reached, the fertilizer is released into the garden. The worm farm reduces the volume of waste produced from 3 cubic tons to 1 cubic ton, and helps to reduce the monastery's garbage collection and water expenses.

Once we'd planted the trees, the monks treated us to a vegetarian meal of sushi, soup, spring rolls and fresh fruit. We left the Quang Minh Temple filled in many ways, knowing that a piece of each of us will take root and grow on the grounds of the monastery in the form of trees.

At left, New Thought News Service reporter Olivia Ware and photographer Ariane Davis prepare a tree for planting. At right, the volunteer crew works on a slope in an industrial part of Melbourne. Photos by Wes Yarborough.

Krishnas share their enviro-ethic

By Wes Yarborough New Thought News Service When the typical American thinks of the Hare Krishna movement, they likely think of bald men and women in robes, chanting in airports and handing out trinkets.  Not many people appear to understand the depth of the faith and its connection to the environment. The Krishna philosophy is one of the more environmentally connected religious practices that I've come across so far at the Parliament. "Many people think that humans are the center of God's focus, but in reality we are just one unit of his infinite creation," His Holiness Dr. Yaduandana Swami explained during a Friday morning workshop on the faith. He discussed how the basis of the Krishna doctrine, the Bhagavad Gita and the Srimad Bhagavataman, explain the essence of God in nature. The belief is that unless the focus is on God, humans won't have the integrity to uphold, sustain and properly nurture the divine and our planet. The Krishnas believe the world is tarnished because of something they call "consciousness pollution," caused by being out of touch with one's God-consciousness. Being in touch with the God-consciousness within is the way to reverse that pollution, they feel. And for the Krishnas, eating patterns are one way to be in touch. The meat industry contributes a vast majority of the world's pollution for a vast number of reasons, they believe. The Krishnas' spiritual connection to all living things is one reason they promote a vegetarian lifestyle.  The Krishnas' way of thinking mirrors and parallels New Thought principles, and may merit renewed consideration as people worldwide focus on the Earth we walk, run, eat, sleep, pray and love on.