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Natural Beauty complements Maharishi Vastu

At Home in Maharishi Vastu, the newsletter of Maharishi Vedic Architecture Translate This Article
31 May 2016

In the science of Maharishi Vedic Architecture, structures and communities are built according to principles of natural law. One principle of Vastu (space design to promote harmony with natural forces) for example, requires aligning buildings with the path of the sun in order to capitalize on the energy and order of the source of life in our solar system. A Vastu City would be orderly and coherent in its layout and design, which is in striking contrast to the random, incoherent layout of an ordinary city that has no defence to outer destructive influences.

Buildings in today's cities are facing randomly any direction, causing subtle violations of the natural law of orientation. These violations accumulate day after day and week after week, and can produce a cloud of social stress hovering over the city so that nobody is really happy, healthy, or successful in these cities.

By incorporating the full power of natural law into a building's design, its orientation to compass direction, the correct placement of rooms according to their purpose, and using non-toxic building materials, owners find the home a restful, even nourishing dwelling; and also find their thinking more creative and coherent, bringing progressive changes into their lives and fortunes.

A key goal in completing a Vastu building is surrounding the home with beautiful gardens and natural features that sustain as well as enhance the environment. The Argiro Student Center at Maharishi University of Management now has a plan in place to achieve this goal on a very lofty scale.

Upon completion, the building was landscaped with plants, shrubs and flowering trees that are native to this area. It is now in its eighth summer and looking very beautiful as well as being mostly maintenance free.

The latest enhancement in the campus master plan makes use of the natural terrain, a bowl-like hillside sloping to the east of the Argiro Student Center.

Take a virtual tour of the MUM campus

The first feature, a Maharishi Vedic Observatory, is being installed now. This outdoor element consists of ten solar observation instruments that are meant to be viewed to enliven the connection between the individual's awareness and the cosmos. The walkway circling this structure leads down to a planned outdoor amphitheater with seating for 120 and a stage. This area will attract not only informal gatherings but also be a space for concerts and presentations.

The seating will be constructed of limestone—an indigenous material to Iowa. Paths running north/south will lead toward the north campus.

To manage topsoil runoff to the creek north of this area, the design includes a bioswale, or drainage course. It will be constructed to catch and contain rainwater until it has soaked into the ground in a gentle, non-destructive way. Besides being lined with pervious materials for absorption, the bioswale will be planted with grasses and plants that thrive in extreme wet/dry conditions which are common to this area of the Midwest.

This central park will be a beautiful, environmentally-friendly space to enhance the qualities of coherence and peacefulness of Argiro as well as provide a place for students, faculty, staff and visitors to come together in nature.

Not everyone has the space or inclination to plan on such a grand scale but, if you are an individual Maharishi Vastu homeowner wanting to enhance the peace and beauty of your home with a Vedic style garden of any size, we suggest that you visit the Maharishi Vedic Garden website. Here you will be able to read about the origins of Vedic garden design, watch a lovely video, order a book and obtain details of the consultation services they offer.

''Trees alone on the earth give happiness both here and hereafter. Since they 'save' from abject poverty they are named 'Taravaḥ' (the saviours).''—Vrikshayurveda (The Science of Plant Life) Verse 97

Remembering the importance of room placement in a Maharishi Vastu home

So many of the key principles upon which the system of Vedic architecture are founded have their basis in the sun's influence on the Earth. It is our everyday experience that the sun generates differing qualities of energy as it moves across the sky-enlivening in the morning, intense at midday, waning at sunset. Vastu homes are designed so that the differing activities that we perform within the various rooms of a home are aligned with the appropriate quality of the sun in order to insure success.

It is through this alignment with the sun that natural law will support every aspect of our daily activity. There is an ideal place for the living room, the kitchen, the meditation room, the study, etc. in any home.

When these laws of nature are properly applied, upon entering the study or office you feel more alert in the mind, in the living room you feel naturally sociable, and when you enter the meditation room your notice the natural impulse to peace and quietness. This is how natural law comes to spontaneously support and promote the right behavior and action at just the right place.

Listen to what one homeowner said about their experience living in their Maharishi Vastu home:

''Everything seems to be in the right place, orderly and coherent . . . cooking in the kitchen is effortless and a pleasure. Eating in the dining room is satisfying. Sleeping in the bedroom is refreshing and rejuvenating. The Brahmasthan radiates fullness and silence. We enjoy being at home and have no desire to always be going some place else.''

But, it is always good to remind ourselves that room placement is just one of the many elements of a Maharishi Vastu home. It is only when all the principles, elements and details are combined that a nurturing, positive effect is created. This is the daily experience of so many fortunate people all over the world who live in one of these very special buildings.

Copyright © 2016 Maharishi Vedic Architecture

See related articles:
∙ Global Good News features new website for Maharishi Vedic Garden Design
∙ UK: Maharishi Garden Cities showcased at 'Ecobuild' for a sustainable future

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