"We don't have a leader here!" Qianzi responded to me with a smile, probably meant to hide her surprise.
"We all have a specific role based on what we enjoy doing and, by doing what we love, we all live in harmony.
One of us is the "director" of the community but we see him more as a servant enabling our growth. Actually, he is maybe the one working the most!
And we do have a vision! We want to create 256 similar communities around the world."
That is one of the first interactions I had with Qianzi who welcomed me in the Lifechanyuan community in Thaton, a small village in the north of Thailand, close to the border with Myanmar.
Lifechanyuan means "zen garden life". Their ultimate goal is self development to elevate their quality of life.
They believe that only few people are prepared to face the truth as it may be uncomfortable. For those willing to find their true-self, their invitation is to:
think unconventionally,
follow the law of nature,
set themselves free from the roles that society expects us to play.
Actually, they are guided by 800 values. The most important ones that emerged during my 4 days with them are:
when working towards goals, wait for them to happen naturally as a consequence of a daily harmonious life,
in nature nothing is negative. If you see something negatively, it means there is some work for you to do on yourself,
working harmoniously with everybody (no fighting!),
take things as they are without forcing anything,
associate with others by following predestined relationships,
act in accordance with nature,
take advantage of opportunities as they arise,
follow your own nature and be unrestrained,
follow your destiny and be carefree.
I must say, I have acknowledged them living their life in harmony with the nature and neighbours, even when we had to shovel muck!
Each member worked calmly for six to eight hours a day, farming, cleaning or cooking.
We shared meals and breaks together while having fun and laughing!
Interestingly, marriage is not allowed as they view it as patriarchal outdated concept that prevent people to be free. However, romantic relationships are permitted. When lovers have babies, the whole community take care of them.
The community is no-profit and they own no private property: the land and houses where they live belong to the very friendly nearby Buddhist monastery that gets in return part of the harvest.
I felt their cheerful, peaceful and respectful way of living, especially when I was challenging them on some concepts that my western rational mind struggles to fully grasp.
I truly believe that connection with nature is paramount for us to find meaning in life and our job is to contribute to its beauty.
The importance of freedom resonates so much with me that, after 4 days, I felt like restarting my journey. While I admire people able to stay in the same place and focus on their inner world, there are still so many things I want to see and learn about this beautiful planet we all share!
Therefore, after a heartfelt farewell party, I left with a deeper understanding of what leadership truly means and renewed energy.
Would you like to learn more about it?
Read a bit of Lifechanyuan´s history below and feel free to ask me any questions / share your thoughts!
A bit of background:
Lifechanyuan International Family Society is a community founded in 2009 in China. From 2009 to 2016, it had been called “the Second Home”, which implied that the community was a sweet and harmonious family home apart from each one’s home of origin, and this “Second Home” also applied a new and different lifestyle.It had been growing great, with more than 180 individuals before it got disbanded by the Chinese government in 2017. Therefore, the founder moved to Canada, where he set up a new community. The community in Thaton, Thailand is relatively new and counts 14 members at the moment (of which 1 child, 4 man and 8 women).
Lifechanyuan is not a religion but integrates elements of Christianity, Catholicism, Islam, Buddhism, Taoism and science. It is a way of life through communal living and through preserving the environment. The core values of Lifechanyuan are to revere the Greatest Creator, revere life, and revere nature.
In order to join them and become a Chanyuan Celestial you must be:
a civilized person.
a kind person.
a wise person.
a diligent person.
a person with great ideals.
a person wanting to be a celestial being.
a person who keeps promise.
a person who loves to bring delighted, joyful, free, and happy life to others.
Nice read, makes me want to go there and volunteer myself right now!