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Part 1: Yoga, Sustainability, and Sacred Action: A Satsaṅg in Virginia Good evening, everyone. We are here in Alexandria, Virginia, at the Yoga and Daily Life Center, and we welcome you to our evening program, which is a satsaṅg. We also have a special event tonight. We are going to talk about how Yoga and Daily Life and its affiliated organizations are contributing to sustainable development. We are pleased to have with us our beloved guru, Vishwaguru Paramahaṁswāmī Maheśvarānanda, whom we know as Swāmījī. He will speak about several projects he has launched under the auspices of his two non-profit international organizations. The first is Yoga and Daily Life, which is devoted to teaching authentic yoga and meditation practices according to the system developed by Swāmījī at hundreds of yoga centers around the world. The second organization is the Śrī Dīp Madhavānanda World Peace Council, devoted to promoting peace globally through summits, conferences, and other activities. Together, these organizations are involved in several projects that contribute to the United Nations Goals for Sustainable Development, and we would like to present some of those projects tonight. These are some of the Sustainable Development Goals designated by the United Nations. Early in the millennium, the UN developed Millennium Development Goals. Swāmījī launched projects in support of those, and now there is a second set of goals for sustainable societies. The first one we will discuss tonight is the goal of ensuring environmental sustainability. In 2002, Swāmījī attended the World Summit for Sustainable Development in Johannesburg, South Africa, and launched the Desert Rainwater Harvesting Initiative, which we will discuss first. Swāmījī: Good evening to all dear brothers and sisters around the world. It is our great privilege that we could contribute something to the aims and development of the United Nations, called sustainability. In this sustainability, according to our Yoga in Daily Life, which we have developed, as well as the Śrī Svāmī Madhavānanda World Peace Council, we have different organizations under the umbrella of the Śrī Svāmī Madhavānanda International Yoga Fellowship. Its seat is in Vienna, Austria. Yoga in Daily Life is around the world and has special NGO status in the United Nations ECOSOC. We are working very much around the world under Yoga in Daily Life and other faculties we have. So, welcome to all of you, dear brothers and sisters. First, our dear Sanjeevanī, who is also a member of our United Nations NGO, has prepared a beautiful program because today is going to be a side event for the United Nations on sustainability. We have different subjects. Which one are you taking first, please? Sanjeevanī: Rainwater harvesting. Swāmījī: Water harvesting. Water is life, and life is water. We realize from time to time that there is a slowly decreasing lack of water. Sometimes it rains too much, sometimes too little. We are bringing forward some projects to preserve water for humans as well as for other creatures, to provide good quality water for their drink, and also for animals. This water harvesting project is nearly in its third decade, and I think we are successful in this subject. Our project began in Rajasthan, India. You see, it’s a desert. This is a lake of water. You can see how the ground is, the soil is split. Nothing grows, and there is no water to drink. When the rain comes, in one or two months the water disappears; there is no more water. We began with this naked earth where there was no water and nothing. These are bushes we see. They are a kind of thorny bush, which don’t have much value. They are not good for the soil, and they don’t grow grass or anything for the animals. So we began our project according to the United Nations sustainable development goals. We began to dig a water pond, a lake. People were working with their hands. It took us five years. We were blasting the stones because it is a kind of soft stone. When the rain is there, it’s softer; otherwise, it’s very hard. So we had to use different techniques. Our project begins, and we begin to dig this beautiful lake. This is already the second or third year we are there. You see how the blasting takes place. All these kinds of machines are working there. We really wanted to make sustainability and water for all the neighboring villages. We are preparing this. The left side is a natural water lake. We also prepared this, but it is very huge—about five hectares of land. We left this to let water go more and more into the groundwater so that neighboring villages can have good, sweet water from their tubewells or other sources, because here the soil and water are salty. On the right side in the corner, you see we are still preparing our big lake. Whatever we dig, we take all this soil out. We made a beautiful mountain. You see here, just on the right corner down, there’s a road. Trucks and tractors go up, and we are making a beautiful mountain too. Now, you see, we are already there. The depth of this lake is about 11 meters. It is 180 meters long, 150 meters wide, and 11 meters deep. From this, we can only bring the water until the 9-meter level; then the water goes out to the different fields of our land, which is about 600 to 700 acres. Yes, we tried very hard to get this water. Can you imagine, five years, step by step, a lot of work—sealing the ground so that water can remain? We can supply drinking water for the neighboring villages and for the society or community we are supporting, as well as for the animals and other creatures. We are also using it for organic harvesting. You see how much concentration and effort we gave to seal the soil. The soil is stones, but soft stones. When water comes, they begin to melt, and it is not easy to absorb it down. So we have what we call the stone floor. We had thousands of laborers working in different parts of this project. We put in tiles, stones, concrete, and then we put this black plastic. We put plastic over plastic, then we put these stone tiles again. We sealed this whole lake to keep the water so that it remains the whole year, because very soon water can get lost. On the right side up, we made a hill. This hill, you will see, is a mountain. You can go with a car or trucks to the top. It’s about 100 meters in height, nearly. We will also green this hill so it looks like a mountain. It is like a mountain; it is a mountain. Then, everything was ready, but the rain did not come. So our school children—we have poor children whom we bring from the villages by bus, give them free education, and in the evening bring them back by bus—all the children came, and we had a mantra and chanting. It means, "God, send us the rain." They were chanting for two and a half hours, and suddenly, what happened? The clouds came, and water came. You see, the water came outside. That is an inlet project with the water pipes we have. Now you see the water is filling the lake. Yes, our project is getting successful. You see the five years’ work. This is the fruit we can see for the water. Water is life. We are preserving this water in 600 acres of land, and we plant here hundreds of thousands of trees. The water is absorbed again into the groundwater so that neighboring villages can benefit. Yes, and now you see the success. It is said, "Karam kiya jā, phal dega Bhagavān," ye hī haiṁ Gītājī kā jñāna. In the Bhagavad Gītā it is said: you do your work, and God will give you the fruits. After five years of hard work by all the people from around the world who supported us, and our engineer, dear Yogeś Purī, in Jadān Āśram, under his supervision, we made this entire water harvesting project successful. There was another struggle for the water. We dug a very deep water well. It is about 20 feet wide and round in shape. We put an iron net because birds go in and make nests, but birds—you can’t hold them. Small birds come to make nests, but we love them. This is a very deep water well, about 100 to 200 feet deep. But this year, due to our harvesting project, the water is, you can say, one and a half meters below the ground. Similarly, we have a project in a different part of Rajasthan, and there is our āśram in Nepal. Our organization provided this village with one overhead tank of about 300 cubic liters of water. There’s a river, and you see the river is dried up. Very rarely does this happen. This year, after 19 years, the river has come again after this good rain. So that was our water harvesting project, supporting the United Nations Millennium Sustainable Project. Swāmījī introduced that project in 2002 in Johannesburg. More recently, in 2012, he reported on the progress at the United Nations Rio+20 Sustainable Development Conference and also at the Budapest Water Summit in 2013. The project serves dozens of communities in the Rajasthan desert. Another sustainable development goal of the United Nations is forestation and reforestation. Swāmījī has launched another project worldwide in many nations to plant trees. There are some millions of them in India and about ten million around the world, due to labor support and some funding from the organizations Yoga in Daily Life and the Śrī Svāmī Madhavānanda World Peace Council. Swāmījī: The strength of our world and life is the source. Also, due to little rain and drought, trees are dying, and many people have chopped off trees for commercial purposes. So we begin again to plant trees for the environment. Now again we come to our Rajasthan. This was the situation of that land, where the 600 acres had few trees you could count on your fingers. The soil was dry. In summer, it is very hot, and the water gets drained. So we began this tree-planting project. This tree planting is not only in Rajasthan or India; it is international. We have planted more than 150 peace trees in authorized parks with the authorities, governments, and their agreements. Those trees stand in the park, reminding us that the tree is our life. No tree, no life. One American Indian said, "When the last fish will die and the last tree will be chopped off, oh man, then you will realize that you can’t eat your dollars." We need greenery; it is our life. We need oxygen, and not only humans, but all creatures. Look, it is said that if you do something with positive thinking and positive work, you will be successful. So we began planting trees. This was about 25 years ago. We have our own water harvesting tank for the trees growing. This bird is thirsty, opening its mouth big to have water because it’s very rare. The bird is catching the raindrop. Can you imagine, our struggle became a little successful, and it was for us like a hope that we will survive and live. You see this naked mountain which we made. People are destroying mountains. We are building highways and so many concrete buildings, but where does this gravel, this concrete, come from? We are destroying mountains. Many mountains are destroyed, nature is disappearing, and animals are disappearing. We were planting these trees on top of the mountain. You see people planting, and after two years, do you see? This is the success of our international team working around the world to plant trees. Now, is this a dream or a reality? It is the reality. Karam kiye jā, phal dega Bhagavān. Go ahead, do your work. God will give you the fruits. This, can you imagine, is that naked earth we saw in the beginning. There was no water and no trees, and what is now a ridge of earth? The same soil you saw—how is it that there are so many beautiful trees? Our last trees and many trees we planted internationally—you see people from different countries of the world. They gather there with trees in their hands, our children, and our international team. Then we began the same project internationally. This is our project in South Australia, in Adelaide. South Australia, Adelaide, is also very dry, with raised trees; it’s like Rajasthan. One of our yoga bhaktas, practitioners, my good friend, the Premier of South Australia, Mike Rann, and I spoke there. We were talking about trees, the desert, and the dryness. I said to him, "Why not we begin to create a forest?" He said that, because we were successful, next year he wants to give that forest my name: Swami Maheshwarananda Forest. I said, "No, no, no. We shall make it a so-called Peace Forest." This is a neutral name for everyone. So it’s a Peace Forest. On the right side, you see Monsignor Father David. Father David is very open-minded; he’s a Catholic priest. He, Mike Rann the Premier, myself, and some other people first built this and put in the groundwork. The next year when I came back, I told Father David, "You should plant 5,000 trees." Yes. Well, he was sitting and scratching his head, and he said, "5,000? Swāmījī, you said one, and we did one." I said, "Yes, one multiply." So the next year when I came, he said, "I succeeded. I put in 10,000 trees." I said, "Congratulations, very good. But next year when I come, it should be 100,000." He said, "How?" I said, "You know, you are the Premier." What he did was make little pockets, bags, and distributed them to every household with different kinds of seeds. He told them, "Put them in a little cup—a yogurt cup, a milk cup, or an ice cream cup—put earth inside, and put one seed." When it is growing and about 10-20 cm in height, plant it anywhere in our land at the time of the coming rain. Part 2: The Fruits of Collective Effort: Education, Ecology, and Peace When I met him in the third year, he said proudly, "Swāmijī, I follow your instruction and I have more than 100,000 trees." I said, "That is a beautiful milestone, but now I want ten million trees." He was taken aback. I said, "Yes, let it turn South Australia green, and let it be a peace park." He said, "Oh, Swāmijī." I said, "Yes, you will do it. You will succeed." And he did. He did. But then his political term ended. He wondered, "How will I do this? How many million did you say?" I told him, "You will do it still." Subsequently, the United Nations organization for the environment and reforestation chose him as a director. Now he has planted millions of trees around the whole world. He said, "Swāmijī, look what I have done." I said, "You are a great man. You did." So, where there is a will, there is a way. When you go now, the small peace tree we planted is hard to find. There is one rock with the names of the three of us, the date, and "yoga and life" written on it. But now you have to search in what has become like a rainforest to find where that peace tree is. Everything is a beautiful forest. Thank you. Now, humans need education. Humans possess the most powerful tool: the intellect. The intellect needs positive and good education. Whatever kind of education you receive, you will proceed in that direction. Our little children need education. In Rajasthan, in the desert villages, there are poor people with children who cannot afford school fees or transport. We decided to give them education through a project called Jñāna Putra. Jñāna means knowledge, education, and Putra means child, son or daughter. These are our children of yoga and daily life—my children of knowledge, my wisdom children. I adopt them as my children of knowledge. We bring these children by bus. The bus goes from village to village. They wear a beautiful uniform. This is Ṛṣi Kul, Guru Kul. In ancient times, they wore this color. It is also the color of God Kṛṣṇa, a spiritual color. We collected them from the villages, and they go to class. First we had one bus, then two, then three, and now we have 15 or 18 buses. We had 2,000 students. This year we faced a problem as some buildings were leaking, making it difficult to hold classes or provide hostel facilities. Now we must repair these buses. You are all welcome to adopt one child, a girl or a boy. It costs about $150 to $200 per year to educate one child for one year. This covers the bus, drivers, fuel, and school education. From time to time, we give them food. Often we tell them not to bring food from home, and we make a feast—a big celebration where children get good food. Sometimes people come and provide lunch. This is a very good project. There is a website. You can send donations through it. You can also go through Yoga and Daily Life here in Washington, D.C., at the Alachandria Ashram. When you collect money, send it to India: Vishwadeep Gurukul, Swami Maheshwarananda Ashram, Educational Research Center. Please specify it is for the Jñānaputras. That would be a great, great help—$200 a year. But if you adopt a child for one year and not the next, you disappoint that child. So, please support at least from primary school through the 10th class. After the 10th class, they go to higher secondary school and college. You can, of course, support them further. It is your child; you will receive information about their progress, education, and background. Alternatively, you can put a donation in a box, whatever you can, and we will utilize it for the Jñāna Putras. Also, our buses are getting old and need repair. Repairing one bus, its engine and other parts, costs about $18,000 to make the school comfortable and nice for the little children. You cannot imagine how happy these poor children are. They are proud, saying, "My bus is coming!" Their joy is our greatest joy. You are most welcome to help or organize fundraising. There is one rule: we do not give out the child's address, but you can come, and we can provide photos. This is because many people support education but then try to change the children's religion, like missionaries do—saying, "If you become a Christian, we will give you education." I want to protect them. We have Muslim, Christian, and Hindu children, with no conditions. But you have a right to know how your child is doing in school. These are our children. So many children! Many are already in very high positions. Two years ago at Mumbai airport, a young man greeted me with praṇām and said, "Swāmijī, I am your grandputra (grandchild)." He has attained a high position. Can you imagine the joy for his family? We have shown only boys, but there are more girls than boys. See how eagerly the girls learn. They come home, show their notebook, and say, "Look, mother, I was studying. I can write something!" That is their joy. So please, give them a chance. They learn in a science laboratory. They also learn computer science. All these girls are educated. We have another project. There are many scientists in the world, but no scientist can make honey of the quality that bees make. Bees are dying. In many countries, bees have died, and they are importing them from the USA. New Zealand lost all its bees due to pollution and the ozone problem, and I heard they bought bees from America. But in America too, bees are becoming fewer and fewer, as are butterflies. When there are no butterflies, bees, or wasps, there will be no fruits. And honey, my dear, honey. No scientist can make one drop of blood. So, honey and blood. When honey disappears, we will only read about bees and honey in books. So we save the bees. We have a project for bees because we need flowers and a clean environment. Can you imagine this beehive is at Jadan Āśrama? It hangs on our veranda. If you think positively, you can pass by. If you think negatively, you can go check—oh God! Really? When you pass by, all the honeybees make a zzzz sound. Many people are afraid to go by. It is dangerous for a smoker; if you smoke a cigarette nearby, hundreds of bees will attack your face. They seem to say, "Why do you smoke?" They are beautiful and full of honey. This hive contains about six to seven kilos of honey. You see, it's all on our veranda. The upper veranda is okay, but people are afraid of the lower one. So, those who don't practice daily, we put them in this room. Next is the protection of animals and birds. Birds die from pesticides and poison on crops like sunflowers. Bees and butterflies die too. So many birds disappear. Can you imagine what we saw first? That naked earth had no trees, no flowers from which bees could survive. So, the project for animals and birds. These are animals that are lost, left in the street because they don't give much milk. We don't want them to go to the slaughterhouse. They are beautiful. They laugh, and the old people who come laugh too. The horses are beautiful and friendly. This is a special breed called the Marwari horse. There is also a turtle, very old but still a young man. They can live a thousand years. He disappears; we don't know where he goes, and suddenly he appears. It's hard to find. The turtle is about 40 cm by 30 cm. You see that dry earth, no water. Now you see these birds. Where do they come from? Birds have good eyes—bird's eye, no? They fly and see where water is, even 100 kilometers away. They change their course and go there. So they all have their eyes on Jadan Ashram—not only spiritual seekers, humans, or animals, but birds too. We love and support them. We need many things to support them. You see them sitting, two brothers and sisters. They are twins. We observe them. The others make so much noise after eating; we call them gypsies singing. Yoga, philosophy, inner peace, ahiṃsā (non-violence), and sustainability. This is Yoga and Daily Life. It is a non-profit organization with 24 national branches in the US and Australia and has consultative status with the United Nations ECOSOC. These are symbols of our World Peace Councils, conferences with different religions coming together. We are all God's children. There is only one religion: humanity. We shall all work together. There were peace shops, and this was in Australia—a conference there and in other countries, planting 115 peace trees. We hold conferences at the UN in Vienna, working together for a peaceful, sustainable future. Please, all come and give your help. Give your hands to work. Working hands have more value than folded hands. Thank you. Dear brothers and sisters, for the last 45 years of my travels around the world, I had these visions from the beginning. People thought, "How will he do it?" But it is like this: I have done nothing. All my friends and disciples supported. I never asked them to pay any money for free. Whatever they donate goes to the organization, not to me. There is one more picture: Om Āśram. In 1980, I came to the USA. In Austria, Vienna, there was an ambassador from the USA. His wife became a disciple. His daughter, who was here yesterday, became a disciple. When the wife and daughter are practitioners of yoga and disciples, the father or husband has no chance. So, Mr. Dean, David Dean, invited me to the United Nations and to the USA. I had my project, conceived in 1973. I spoke with Ambassador Dean about my vision. He said, "Yes, very good idea." I drew something, and he made a nice aqua-color version. At that time, color Xerox printing was new. There were no emails, only fax, rarely used. He made about thirty color copies, and I began distributing them. He gave me $100 for the project. He asked his wife Dora, "How will your guru do this?" She said, "Have confidence in him; he will do." His wife and brother also donated, totaling about $250. The amount doesn't matter; the good wish does. It began in 1992 or 1993, cleaning the ground and starting Om Āśram. Slowly, slowly, it is 85-90% finished, and you are all most welcome. We do one project at a time. This is a tower with thirteen temples inside, 250,000 liters of water, and above is a Sūrya temple. This was the beginning; it is slowly developing. It will speak for itself. At that time, there were no trees here. This is Gurujī's samādhi on the ground, and these are statues of the seven ṛṣis. So, this is the little fruit of 45 years, thanks to the support from all of you, all bhaktas around the world. You are most welcome to support in any way—for animals, birds, bees, trees, horses, temples, or for our students and cows. We need them. We've made beautiful rooms for the children in the hostel, with good, nice beds for them. There are many needs, like hand towels or soap. These are poor children we support. Who am I that I support? It is you. And who are you? Only God. It is their luck, their kismat. We are the fortunate ones who can share and give our hands to the future generation. The children are the culture of tomorrow and the future of the nation, the future of peace and harmony. This is how we dedicate them. I do not agree that one religion is good and another is best. But do not disturb in different ways. It is hard work. All right, thank you. Hari Om.