The Relationship between Sustainable Building Design
and Maharishi Vedic Architecture
Maharishi Vedic architecture and sustainable building design enjoy a very intimate relationship and a shared central aspiration — to build in harmony with Natural Law. Vedic or Vastu architecture is 100% Natural Law-based architecture. In contrast, sustainable architecture is based on the best minds of our generation incrementally discovering and applying more laws of nature than did the prior generation.
The sustainability movement is relatively new, emerging just a few decades ago as a reaction to the unintentional harmful consequences caused by two centuries of industrialization. While the goals of sustainable design and construction are laudable and its development absolutely necessary, it is still grappling with finding a holistic basis for solving our pressing environmental problems.
Nature is infinite. On the surface level of life, the relationship between all the parts and systems of Nature is truly beyond the human intellect. Consequently, without access to holistic knowledge, unintended negative results can arise after a time.
The only way to alleviate this situation is to operate from the silent level of creation where all the Laws of Nature are found in a unified state. Maharishi Vedic architecture operates from this unified level. When sustainable green design incorporates the timeless principles of Sthapatya Veda, then the result is a green building that is in complete harmony with Natural Law.
The incremental, experimental basis for green building design is an inefficient way to achieve the full status of being a Natural Law-based architecture. While there is much that is valuable and important in the sustainable architecture movement, it needs an additional approach to help it to fulfill its goal of designing a building in complete harmony with Natural Law.
That approach is Maharishi Vedic architecture. This ancient, fully developed system, recently revived to its purity and completeness by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, is based on a complete connection to Natural Law.
The source of Maharishi Vedic architecture resides at the silent level of creation where all the Laws of Nature are absolutely harmonious and completely balanced with each other. From this level, any impulse that arises can have only nourishing influences on the individual and the environment. This gives it a distinct advantage over sustainable design alone. MOREAny aspect of Vedic knowledge is based on Samhita, a Sanskrit term that means togetherness or wholeness. Samhita is the unity of all the diverse aspects of Nature, an integration of all the parts into a unified wholeness.
Maharishi Vedic architecture is one of the 40 Samhita-based aspects of Vedic Literature. By aligning manmade structures with cosmic structures in a profound manner, it aligns human intelligence with Cosmic Intelligence and connects human physiology with all the Laws of Nature at their unified source.
From this level, the quality of life is uplifted for the individual, the surrounding environment, and the universe. This fulfills the highest ideals of sustainability.
Our planet faces the challenges of being highly industrialized and highly populated. There is very little room for error when choosing construction materials, heating/cooling systems, water systems, or other systems buildings and cities use because any actions taken when constructing large quantities of buildings will have significant consequences on the environment.
When Vedic architecture was practiced in ancient times, it was naturally “green.” There were no synthetic materials in existence. Now, in our industrialized civilization, we have moved away from most natural systems. If we continue our need for electrical systems, furnaces, air conditioning, and other industrialized technologies, then it is critical that we figure out how to apply and deliver these systems in ways that will have the least impact upon our planet.
It imperative for sustainable engineers to research, invent, and manufacture new ways to provide green materials and systems that will replace current systems which pollute and stress our environment.