Mandala Pty Ltd, the entity that runs the community, has no manifesto, mission statement or other 'sacred text'.
Members and others are free to infer Mandala's values from experience and observation, then to define them as they chose. Members are free also to dissent and advocate change. They may express their values by how they contribute to community decision-making, work and play and how they relate with others.
A reasonable observer might find the following values in what Mandala and its members do and how it is done.
Mutual Aid - land and equipment sharing, the water system, working co-operatively.
Conservation - land set aside for native flora and fauna, tree planting, exotic weed control etc. In January 2012, after signing a conservation agreement with the Queensland Government, Mandala became a gazetted Nature Refuge.
Land Management Online
Self Sufficiency - owner building, gardening.
Personal Autonomy - voluntarism, respect for privacy, tolerance etc.
The 'community' value of personal autonomy and tolerance is demonstrated by the fact that Mandala's members live a variety of life styles and have different degrees of involvements with the company and their fellow shareholders. Some members work in Warwick or Brisbane and others are retirees. Some live at Mandala and others do not. All members have other interests. Members often take a break from periods of intense community activity to enjoy time with little or no involvement, perhaps to return to fuller participation. The community tolerates all levels of involvement in community work, management and social life.
Members hold diverse personal values but share many. They hold to and express a similar diversity of ideas. Differences between our members are often little more than matters of expression or interpretation. Values and ideas that have played a part in the shaping of mandala include:
Environmentalism
Feminism
Intentional Community
Social Ecology, Social Justice and Action
Various Religious and Spiritual Beliefs
Humanism
Family
Personal growth
Mandala's experience is that when its members exchange ideas, informed by sincerely held values, rather than argue from fixed positions, they enjoy the discourse of meetings more, make better decisions and maintain better relationships.