a Home for the GWV

[Jhanananda]

When I realized that no meditation teacher, priest or guru understood enlightenment in 2003, I headed off to do a speaking tour, expecting to find a small community of contemplatives who meditated as deeply as I, and who would find community (sangha) with me.  However, my lectures and retreats were canceled and banned by the Theravadan Buddhist priesthood.

So, I launched a number of forums to reach out to the world to see if there were any deep contemplatives who felt they were not being served by the existing resources.  I found Michael Hawkins, and Sam Lim, and a few others, but I have had to realize that too few people meditate deeply, or are even interested in doing so.

When Michael Hawkins and Karen started selling land in southern Colorado, I thought perhaps enough people wishing to retreat from the world into deep meditation would come together to form a lose knit community by purchasing land from them.  However, that has not happened.

Now, I am thinking of Stephen Gaskin and his caravan.  Not that the GWV would ever attract so many followers, but we are more likely to attract that many who wish to bury this message under a mountain of manure.  So, I am now thinking of a small community of disciplined, rigorous, self-aware contemplatives who wander from campsite to campsite, like gypsies fueled by making our own fuel from waste.

We would find our home in the national forest.

[Cybermonk]

Aloha to you Jeffrey,

A great concept to explore. Lots of potential paths.
Here's what I've learned about a similar idea.

In the 70's, I was living in the national forest. I
figured no one would care, especially since I was
a vet and going to college with the GI bill. I didn't
have a vehicle, other than my bike and the forest
was dense, I even hid the path.

Within a short time, the rangers/national forest
employees, all with guns, showed up at my
camp. I showed them my papers, just like people
do in countries like the soviet union. I was
told to move on, or face arrest. So I moved
to a friends land and converted a shed. So it goes.

Later in my life, after I retired from my first career, 
I found myself in Alaska. There I learned how the
mountain people do it. First they get a business
license, then they pick a site to prospect and
get the paperwork to work a mine. This usually
is a five year license and it allows you to use a
certain amount of the trees for development.
After five years and no profit, you have to move
on. I did find out the forest service will still
check on you, mostly due to their fire prevention.
So it goes.

I also met a man during this time who had a
caravan business. He had the role of "wagon master'
and he would bring a caravan of folks up from the
US mainland to alaska and back. His main issue
with people was the breakdowns of their vehicles.
These people did have some funds, so they could
call a wrecker, however it was a hassle for all. This
man eventually changed his business to moving
the caravans within one of the campground systems.
Of course, this is really not what you had in mind,
but I believe it has some application. Another thing
the guy said was to keep in mind usually only a
truck shop is big enough to repair the vans. So it goes.

Later,
Kimo

[Jhanananda]

Aloha to you Jeffrey,

A great concept to explore. Lots of potential paths.
Here's what I've learned about a similar idea.

In the 70's, I was living in the national forest. I
figured no one would care, especially since I was
a vet and going to college with the GI bill. I didn't
have a vehicle, other than my bike and the forest
was dense, I even hid the path.

Within a short time, the rangers/national forest
employees, all with guns, showed up at my
camp. I showed them my papers, just like people
do in countries like the soviet union. I was
told to move on, or face arrest. So I moved
to a friends land and converted a shed. So it goes.

Well, then it seems like you may have found some internal healing living in the wilderness.  While I understand the draw of the wilderness for mystics and the war-tramatized, I can also understand that the public really does not want the national forest to become a vast hobo ground. 

Nonetheless, I can also see that any nation, and/or religions, that does not support its mystics, as well as its war-tramatized, is simply short-sighted, and selfish. 

Also, as an experimental archaeologist I can see considerable value for a culture and nation to insure its survival by permitting a certain number of members of that culture to live as hunter-gatherers.  Doing so preserves valuable survival skills that could help a significant number of the members of a nation to survive natural, environmental, economic, or war disasters.

Later in my life, after I retired from my first career, 
I found myself in Alaska. There I learned how the
mountain people do it. First they get a business
license, then they pick a site to prospect and
get the paperwork to work a mine. This usually
is a five year license and it allows you to use a
certain amount of the trees for development.
After five years and no profit, you have to move
on. I did find out the forest service will still
check on you, mostly due to their fire prevention.
So it goes.

Having spent the better part of 2 years camping in the Inyo National Forest I am well aware of the prospectors, because there are a number of old prospector's shakes still standing throughout the Inyo National Forest.  Most of them were built from 1850 through WWII.  Many of them are now part of a system of camping shacks that one can reserve for a short period of time.

I also met a man during this time who had a
caravan business. He had the role of "wagon master'
and he would bring a caravan of folks up from the
US mainland to alaska and back. His main issue
with people was the breakdowns of their vehicles.
These people did have some funds, so they could
call a wrecker, however it was a hassle for all. This
man eventually changed his business to moving
the caravans within one of the campground systems.
Of course, this is really not what you had in mind,
but I believe it has some application. Another thing
the guy said was to keep in mind usually only a
truck shop is big enough to repair the vans. So it goes.

Later,
Kimo

Well, I was not thinking in terms of a holiday adventure, but a small community of disciplined, rigorous, self-aware contemplatives, who do not find that they are valued by any religion or guru; living mobile, moving from National Forest to National Forest, camping the limit, then moving on, and doing our best not to be a nuisance to anyone, while engaging in our disciplined, rigorous, self-aware contemplative life; and putting on retreats that are accessible to householders who want to live and practice for a period of time with a community (sangha) of disciplined, rigorous, self-aware contemplatives.

[Jhanananda]

On the theme of building a community of itinerant contemplatives out of old vehicles that move from campsite to campsite in the National Forest, the present warehouse space in Sedona, which is rented for the purposes of supporting the GWV, could be used as a workshop for building a caravan of mobile hermitages.

This is my first mobile hermitage.  I lived in it for about 6 years

This is my second mobile hermitage.  I bought it in January of 2006, and I have lived in it since.

This is the fuel making equipment on the back of my mobile hermitage.  It makes fuel in 20-gallon batches, and it could make fuel for more than one vehicle.

Those who wish to live a rigorous, self-aware contemplative life in the wilderness are welcome to come and we can find and build a mobile hermitage that runs on diesel fuel for each hermit.