Foundational statement:
This is a place to live as the nature we are joined with the nature that we are through letting go of the limitations of our wounded identities. It is also very much a place to relate directly to nature to be one in nature. The Tao as they undivided unity of being, the presence that underlies all, also fundamentally connect us to each other. And so the community is a place to be led by that fundamental interconnectedness and how we approach one another how we respect one another careful one another as well as taking care of ourselves since each of our own lives is primarily our own responsibility.
The Tao as the way – meaning the endless ever-changing flow of actuality has created life, and each of us as living individuals necessarily has to take responsibility for ourselves and the fulfilment of our needs and the fulfilment of our heartfelt creative impulses. Sometimes our differing needs lead to issues arising that need to be negotiated, such that mutual respect care and love is maintained. This is where process between one another, where we hold one another as sovereign beings worthy of respect, becomes an essential principle of our lives together. So that interconnectedness informs us in our respect for each other, for each other's lives. It guides us in finding our own paths individually and collectively in ways that are fundamentally guided by Love.
This community has organically developed with the above principles implicit. Often they have just been there because members have done deep self developmental work and have a spiritual understanding that resonates with what is said above. As time has gone by though and the daily maintenance of this place has become a whole collection of established practices. It has become apparent that it is a good idea for us to write all this down so that people understand why we do things the way we do and also in that understanding add to the flow and efficiency of the place. Of course there's always space for new understandings, yet the new understandings may well be things that have been tried before and don't work, hence this is a dynamic process needing communication.
This document is a way of laying out or establish practices and requirements for principles of communication and relating.
But ‘the Tao that can be named is not the eternal Tao’ and so it is really important to make clear that inlaying these things out in words we are not creating a prison of words that have to be followed and become oppressive. It is always important to be directly present with whatever we are doing. This is part of the principle of this place. But still entropy has its way and tasks need to be done in order for us to survive. Thus it always has been for life in this plane. So the idea is that work becomes the basis for getting really present in the action of what we are doing and finding liberation in our connectedness.
So what follows is an outline of the various areas that need some guiding principles. Also they are in part very practical about things like maintaining community space and the laundry and the electrical system. All of which need a common understanding so that the systems work properly.