What is Prout?
Dada Maheshvarananda
www.priven.org
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The world we want:
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No war, hunger, or poverty
Human rights and democracy
Environmental protection
Peace and justice on earth!
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Prout is the abbreviation for the
Progressive Utilization Theory, a
new socio-economic model based
on:
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economic self-reliance
cooperatives
environmental balance and
universal spiritual values.
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Prabhat Ranjan Sarkar
(1921-1990)
• Indian philosopher
• Author of more than 400 books
• Composer
• Spiritual master
• Political prisoner from 1971-1978.
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“Prout’s cooperative model… sharing the
resources of the planet for the welfare of
everyone, deserves our serious consideration.”
– Dr. Noam Chomsky, MIT
“An important contribution to re-thinking the
disastrous course of the current economic
globalization.” – Hazel Henderson, economist
"Sarkar's theory is far superior to Adam Smith's
or that of Marx… It is spiritually rather than
materialistically inspired.“ – Johan Galtung,
Founder UN Institute of Peace Studies
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Prout is not a rigid mold to be imposed on
any society. It is a holistic set of dynamic
principles that can be applied
appropriately by the citizens and leaders
to help their region or country prosper and
achieve self-reliance in an ecological way.
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Complete Model
1. The Economics of Prout
2. The Social Message of Prout
3. The Ecological and Spiritual Message of Prout
4. Some Prout Projects in Venezuela
5. Prout's Message for Venezuela and for you
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Economic Inequality:
Does it matter?
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THE END OF GLOBAL
CAPITALISM?
It is based on profit, selfishness and
greed. The tragic result is that half of
world population lives, suffers and dies in
poverty.
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A Logical Solution
• The world’s physical resources are limited. If
individuals accumulate too much, there will not be
enough for everyone.
• Every country should decide maximum salaries,
wealth and land ownership.
• Maximum utilization and rational distribution of all
the resources of the planet for the welfare of
everyone.
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THE RIGHT TO LIVE!
The first priority of Prout is to guarantee the five
minimum necessities of life to all:
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food
clothing
housing
education
medical care
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Abraham Maslow’s
Hierarchy of Human Needs
Self-actualization
Esteem
Sense of
belonging, love
Safety
1908-1970
Physiological needs
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An honest job with fair wages is
also a human right.
The minimum wage must be high
enough so that people can buy
their necessities.
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Small Scale
Private
Enterprise
• encourage creativity
• individuals, families and small partnerships
• produce only non-essential goods and
services
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Cooperatives
• give local people control over their economic destiny
• called “economic democracy”
• workers own their enterprises
• Industry, trade, agriculture, banking run by producer
and consumer cooperatives
• largest part of a Prout economy
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Cooperatives
Cooperatives need:
• Honest leadership
• Good business plan
• Strict accounting
• Community support
Government should provide:
• More training
• Accounting
• Regular inspections
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Strategic Key Industries
• too large or complex for
co-ops
• managed as public utilities
by immediate government
• belong to society and
should never be privatized
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La economía de Prout
Investigar Energía
Alternativa
SOLAR
EOLICA
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Economic Democracy and
Self-Reliance
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A dynamic economy of the people, by the
people, and for the people.
Each region, state, and community self-reliant
in food.
Sustainable farming and agricultural
cooperatives
Full employment for local people
No exploitation by outsiders or corporations.
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Lack of Ethics
• American Psychiatric Association reports the
most common factor among criminals is the
tendency to lie.
Lying is also done by some
politicians, lawyers, corporation
directors, accountants,
advertisers…
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Throughout history, ruling
classes have created moral
rules and laws to maintain
power.
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Cardinal Human Values
• honesty, courage,
• mercy, humility,
• self-restraint, compassion.
• protect the weak,
• avoid harming others,
• overcome selfishness.
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Ideal Leadership
The world needs leaders with moral force,
spiritual vision and courage to fight
injustice and exploitation. Anyone can
become an ideal leader by setting a
personal example of honesty, selfdiscipline, sacrificing spirit and dedication
to the welfare of humanity.
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Ideal Leaders in Venezuela
P. R. Sarkar, founder of Prout, visited
Venezuela in 1979. He said: “Venezuela
needs good spiritual political leaders. If
Venezuela can produce spiritual political
leaders, it will be not only the leader of Latin
America, but also the leader of the planet.”
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El mensagen social de Prout
Comunidad:
Mover juntos
• Bayanihan en las
Filipinas significa mover
juntos una casa.
• Cayapa, palabra
venezolana, también
muestra el espíritu de
cooperación de la
comunidad.
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Ecological and spiritual
perspective of indigenous
people
Feel connected to Nature and all life.
“The land doesn’t belong to me, I belong to the land!”
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Clarification:
Dogma vs. Spirituality
Fundamentalism is closeminded,
Blind obedience,
Instills fear.
Divides people into believers
and non-believers,
Us versus them.
Mystical search for truth is
open-minded,
Questioning,
Promotes love.
Views all people as one
human family,
Universalism.
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Spiritual perspective of
Prout
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Human beings have a thirst for peace and happiness.
External objects cannot satisfy this, because their
pleasure is only temporary.
Journey within to find true peace and happiness.
We seek connectedness, meaning and purpose.
Self-realization and service to humanity.
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Prout's ecological and spiritual message
Meditation
In the struggle for world peace
and justice, we should not
neglect our own internal peace.
Meditation is an ancient
practice with many benefits:
overcoming insomnia,
depression and mental
complexes; increasing memory,
concentration, willpower, selfcontrol, self-esteem and
tolerance;
developing mental peace, wisdom, compassion and
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unconditional love.
Prout's ecological and spiritual message
HOW TO MEDITATE?
Close your eyes
Sit straight
Breathe deeply
Repeat your mantra
Practice every day
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Prout Projects in Venezuela
Prout Research Institute of Venezuela
• Independent, not-for profit foundation started Sept. 2006.
• Full-time staff.
What we do
Raise consciousness
Strengthen
cooperatives
Promote economic
democracy
Why we do it
Transform lives
Empower
communities
Welfare of all
How we do it
Publishing
Education
Research
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Prout Projects
in Venezuela
MISSION
To empower all people to improve their quality
of life and live in a more just society by
fostering the development of worker
cooperatives, self-reliant communities,
environmental protection, universal ethics
and spiritual values.
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Prout Projects in Venezuela
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Prout Projects in Venezuela
Training courses
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Prout Projects in Venezuela
Dada: “Every morning I wake up
in paradise!”
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Prout Projects in Venezuela
Yoga classes
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Prout Projects in Venezuela
Didi Ananda
Sadhana
Centro Madre: Prout Community
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Center in Barlovento
Prout Projects in Venezuela
Centro Madre: empowering self-reliance through
education, sustainable agriculture, holistic
development and ethical leadership.
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“Excellent” small scale
sustainable agriculture
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Prout Projects in Venezuela
Reading campaign
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Prout Projects in Venezuela
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Prout Projects in Venezuela
Neohumanist Education
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Neo-humanism: "The practice of love for all
creation including plants, animals, and the
inanimate world"
Holistic development of the child
Daily quiet meditation
Ecological and social consciousness
Academic, practical, social and personal Skills
Joyful learning through stories and arts
Teacher is ideal example
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Prout Projects in Venezuela
Didi
Ananda
Amegha
• Neohumanist kindergarten in Caracas
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Prout’s Message
for Venezuela
• Become self-reliant in food and medicine as soon as possible
through sustainable agriculture, agro- and agrico-industries.
• Strengthen and encourage the cooperative system with more
training, accounting and inspections to increase employment.
• Petroleum sales are only a temporary source of income
which should be used for education, job training and
programs to alleviate poverty.
• Strive to balance the economy.
• Fight corruption relentlessly.
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Conclusión
What can you do?
Learn more about Prout: read, take courses, attend seminar.
Understand the link between the social and the personal:
be the change you want to see.
Share the vision with others: the more people who share the
goal, the more power we have to achieve it.
Volunteer: help create the world you want.
Be ecologist: reduce, reuse, recycle, grow food
Learn and practice meditation: find peace
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Updating and
Expanding
Adding new tools:
• “Sarkar Game”
• Block level planning
exercise
• Prout taxation
• More examples
Can you help?
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For more information:
www.priven.org
ivip@prout.org
Tel. (58)212-886-2323, 238-8665
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