FULL ARTICLE

Lessons Learned by a Suburban Housewife on the Power of Unity:

The Auroville and Sarvodaya Shramadana Experience

Denese Ashbaugh Vlosky

Words 777

I confess. I am a suburban housewife. This is an embarrassing admission to make to the

group of people with whom I traveled to Southern India and Sri Lanka. Many of them do
poverty work and fight for social justice. Some of them live in intentional, sustainable
communities. Many of them have given up money to work for a cause close to their
hearts. They certainly do not live like I do-- driving a mini-van and raising kids in a
neighborhood of upper-middle-class homes with green lawns, on cul-de-sacs, near and
next to people much like us, down the main road from a large University which is my
husband’s employer.

Do community members have to spend a certain minimum amount of time together? Do

communities have to be made up of people who are all alike? Do they need to be
composed of people who are motivated to cooperate, grow and change? Do the
inhabitants have to possess a certain minimum amount of resources? Or are resources an
impediment to social cohesion and solidarity? And where does the idea of sustainability
fit in? Is there a prescription that can be followed as to how "community" can be created?
And if so, can I apply it to my white-bread neighborhood, where many of us do not even
know each other’s names?

These are some of the questions I sought to answer as I participated in a Kellogg

Foundation grant to study "community, spirituality, and sustainability" at the Sarvodaya
Shramadana Movement in Sri Lanka and in Auroville, an intentional, international
community in India

Upon close inspection, Sarvodaya and Auroville appear radically different. Sarvodaya is
an organization and a movement; Auroville is a group of settlements. Sarvodaya develops
community with participants that have little choice as to where they live; Auroville
creates communities with people who can choose to move to a land far away. Auroville
has created a community where many of its inhabitants have accumulated a measure of
wealth; Sarvodaya advocates a society without affluence. Sarvodaya is based in tradition;
Auroville prides itself on creating a new culture. Sarvodaya is based in a traditional
religion; Auroville flourishes in the midst of a new brand of spiritual anarchy. But for all
their differences, both Sarvodaya and Auroville start from the same transcendent vision.
Either through Gandhian philosophy and Buddhism or through the teachings of Sri
Aurobindo and the Mother, they seek to realize the dream of human unity for all.

This revolutionary germ of a concept spreads miraculously among those who are

1
introduced to it, transforming them into advocates for harmony within the human, animal
and natural environment in which we all live. Through this one simple but powerful idea,
I have seen equality; empowerment and awakening take root. The result is an attempt to
create a world that is heaven on earth, based in community, spirituality and sustainability.
Did I learn this in church as I was growing up through the teachings of Jesus? I surely
could have, but I didn’t. It took this trip for me to actually see the power of what I can
only call "oneness."

Some folks might even become saints or revolutionaries. Now, does this mean that
Auroville or the Sarvodayan villages are perfect manifestations of this ideal of oneness?
No. In fact, in many ways, the problems of these communities mirror those of the rest of
society. The difference is, they are trying to strive for human unity. I don't see much of
that where I come from, and I find that good and inspiring for my soul to see. If I truly
want to live a life in pursuit of community, sustainability and spirituality, what does this
mean for my life in suburbia? Is it hopeless for me to look for like-minded people in my
neighborhood? Do I have to move to Sri Lanka or to Auroville to find people striving for
the good of someone other themselves? Does that mean that a Dr. Ariyaratne, a Mahatma
Gandhi or a Sri Aurobindo need settle in my neighborhood so that it can be transformed
as I’ve seen communities transformed in India and Sri Lanka?

After a lot of thinking about these questions, I can unequivocally say, "no." What I think
is essential is the simple concept of unity. The concept is so powerful, so transcendent; it
has transformed spiritual teachers so completely that they don’t need to be physically
present to teach us the good news. I think that any of us can light the spark that starts the
revolution toward a community of unity or oneness in our neighborhoods. Even a
suburban housewife. The spark will spread. We only need begin.

SIDE BAR

Lessons Learned by a Suburban Housewife on the Power of Unity:

The Auroville and Sarvodaya Shramadana Experience

Denese Ashbaugh Vlosky

421 Words

I confess. I am a suburban housewife. This is an embarrassing admission to make to the

group of people with whom I traveled to Southern India and Sri Lanka. Many of them do
poverty work and fight for social justice. Some of them live in sustainable communities.
Many of them have given up money to work for a cause close to their hearts. They
certainly do not live like I do-- driving a mini-van and raising kids in a neighborhood of
upper-middle-class homes with green lawns, on cul-de-sacs, near and next to people
much like us, down the main road from a large University which is my husband’s
employer.
Was there a prescription that could be followed as to how "community" could be created?
And if so, could I apply it to my white-bread neighborhood, where many of us did not
know our neighbor’s names? These were the questions I sought to answer as I journeyed
to the Sarvodaya Shramadana Movement in Sri Lanka and to Auroville, an intentional,
international community in India.

What did I find? Sarvodaya and Auroville were radically different, but for all of their
differences they both started from the same transcendent vision. Either through Gandhian
philosophy and Buddhism or through the teachings of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother,
they seek to realize the dream of human unity and harmony for all. This revolutionary
germ of a concept spreads miraculously among those who are introduced to it. Through
this one simple but powerful idea, I saw equality, empowerment and awakening take root.

If I truly want to live a life in pursuit of community, sustainability and spirituality, what
does this mean for my life in suburbia? Is it hopeless for me to look for like-minded
people in my neighborhood? Do I have to move to Sri Lanka or to Auroville to find
people striving for the good of someone other than themselves? Does that mean that a Dr.
Ariyaratne or a Sri Aurobindo need settle in my neighborhood so that it can be
transformed as I’ve seen communities transformed in India and Sri Lanka?

After a lot of thinking about these questions, I can unequivocally say, "no." What is
essential is the simple concept of unity. The concept is so powerful, so transcendent that it
has transformed spiritual teachers so completely that they don’t need to be physically
present to teach us the good news. I think that any of us can light the spark that starts the
revolution. Even a suburban housewife. We only need begin.