Our household offers a supportive family environment to vegetarians who want to develop holistically in body, mind, spirit, and professional skills.
We share a large house in Carmel Valley, on the north end of San Diego, adjacent to Del Mar. In addition to household chores, we care for “Grandpa,” a wonderful 90-year old man from India and father of Sukumar, who manages the household.
Thanks to the generosity of our benefactors, room and board are provided at no cost. This leaves us free from ordinary financial pressures to focus on developing the personal and professional skills we will need to succeed when we eventually return to the competitive world around us. We also desist from outside employment while in the house, or set aside all proceeds for scholarship purposes.
Most of the current housemates assist a variety of holistic and conventional therapists in helping Grandpa recover from a series of grief-induced strokes he experienced 6 years ago. We also meet frequently to refine communication skills and discover all that merits respect in those around us, both great and small.
We have room for several more caregivers. It's an ideal opportunity for anyone who can practice a vegetarian lifestyle and learn to put others first, and allow them to reciprocate. It's especially ideal for spiritual seekers, students and others in transition who can take a break from the workaday world to develop practical spirituality.
The me-first attitude of our society prevents permanent emotional and spiritual healing. Since most physical illness stems from emotional or spiritual imbalance, learning to respond to others’ needs also improves physical health. Healing in our house is based on selfless service. We operate on a simple set of four priorities:
1. Grandpa – He represents all that is traditional. Religions throughout the world say, “Honor thy mother and father.” Worldly parents and elders in general are representations of our spiritual mother and father.
2. Household values – These represent the best of all the religions in the world. They begin with those precepts common to all the major religions, such as honesty, tolerance, cleanliness, and respect for elders and tradition. We put special emphasis on tolerance and avoidance of unnecessary violence, such as killing animals for food.
3. Other housemates -- When we put the needs of others above our own, and allow others to reciprocate, we discover the joy of finding part of ourselves in each other.
4. Personal fulfillment – We find that with these priorities, others are more concerned and caring for us, and we are better supported in our efforts to prosper. The effect is cumulative and remarkable.
Everyone who has lived here has experienced tremendous physical, emotional and spiritual development, along with major professional advancement. We come from diverse religious and national backgrounds. We honor all religious and ethnic traditions, and encourage everyone to find his or her own inner guru.
Our household adapts to meet the needs of everyone who joins us. We therefore have many websites, which share some common themes, but allow for great variations in individual needs. List of Sukumar's websites.