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Having transcended the desire for sons, the desire
for wealth, the desire for worlds, they go about as mendicants. For the
desire for sons is the desire for wealth, and the desire for wealth is
the desire for worlds. All these are nothing but desires. He, the atman, is not this, not this.
Shukla Yajur Veda, Brihadaranyaka Upanishad, 4.4.22. VE, P. 717

Monday
LESSON 330
Monastic Communities
Monks of every Hindu order are guided and guarded by
unseen beings who look after their lives as if they were their own.
Families are blessed who share in and support the renunciation of their
sons born through them to perform a greater dharma than the grihastha life
could ever offer. It is the monastic communities worldwide, of all
religions, that sustain sanity on this planet. It is the monks living
up to their vows who sustain the vibration of law and order in the
communities and nations of the world. This is how the devonic world
sees each monastic community worldwide. This is how it is and should
always be. This is how humanity balances out its experiential karmas and
avoids destroying itself as it passes through the darkness of the Kali
Yuga. The monastic communities that surround the planet, fulfilling
their dharma, compensate for the adharma that is so
prevalent, thus ensuring that humanity does not self-destruct in these
trying times. We must, for the sake of clarity, state here that
monastic communities are either strictly male or strictly female. Coed
mixed-group ashramas are not monastic communities, but classed traditionally as communes.
Our Holy Orders of Sannyasa introduce monastic life in the following passages: "The two fundamental objectives of sannyasa,
renunciation, are to promote the spiritual progress of the individual,
bringing him into God Realization, and to protect and perpetuate the
religion. Renunciation and asceticism have been an integral component
of Hindu culture from the earliest days, the most highly esteemed path
of the Sanatana Dharma. Sannyasa life has both an individual and a universal objective. At the individual level, it is a life of selflessness in which the sannyasin has
made the supreme sacrifice of renouncing all personal ambition, all
involvement in worldly matters, that he might direct his consciousness
and energies fully toward God Siva. Guided by the satguru along the sadhana marga,
he unfolds through the years into deeper and deeper realizations.
Ultimately, if he persists, he comes into direct knowing of Parashiva,
transcendent Reality. At the universal level, the sannyasins foster the entire religion by preserving the truths of the Sanatana Dharma. Competent swamis are
the teachers, the theologians, the exemplars of their faith, the
torchbearers lighting the way for all. Paramaguru Sage Yogaswami sang:
'Hail, O sannyasin, thou who know'st no guile! Establish in thy
heart and worship there the Taintless One -- Panchakshara's inmost
core. Thou that regard'st all others as thyself -- who in this world
can be compared with thee?' "
Tuesday
LESSON 331
The Mission Of the Mission
A legacy of devas from the entire parampara accompanies
our monastic order, providing silent, unseen inner guidance and
protection for old and young alike. As long as at least one person
within the entire group of mathavasis is going into and coming
out of Parashiva once a day, the doorway to the Third World remains
open to the hereditary entourage of devonic forces that has been building up for over two thousand years. This is because the brahmarandhra, the door of Brahman at the top of the head, remains open when Parashiva is daily experienced within a mathavasi community.
It could be within the oldest monk or within the youngest. This great
realization occurring time and time again within someone day after day
keeps the door of Brahm open for the entire prana chakravala of monastics, keeping vibrantly strong the inner, actinic connection with all gurus of our parampara, as well as with other sadhus, rishis and saints who have reached these same attainments, and with the sapta rishis themselves who guide our order from deep within the inner lokas.
My Saiva swamis, or Natha swamis, are distinguished by their orange robes, gold Natha earrings and three strands of rudraksha beads.
They are the Saiva Siddhanta Yoga Order, known as the Saiva Swami
Sangam when they gather in ecclesiastical conclave. The sangam
does not follow the protocol of unanimous decision. Rather, it works in
intuitive one-mindedness to carry out instructions from the Kailasa
Pitham, our spiritual seat of authority, to better the Saivite mission
and the individuals dedicated to its success.
These sannyasins are
not looked upon as individuals so much as an integrated council,
assembled and working in unison to perform a holy work as Sivanadiyars,
servants of God Siva. Guided by the satguru, the Saiva Swami
Sangam forms the ecclesiastical body of our Hindu Church which works in
a humble way to protect the purity of the faith among all Hindu sects,
through inspiring publications and other means of encouragement.
Specifically, our order's mission is to protect, preserve and promote
the Saivite Hindu religion as embodied in the Tamil culture, traditions
and scriptures of South India and Sri Lanka.
Our monastic
order follows the cenobitic pattern in which monastics live in
community and work together toward common objectives. Sannyasins of this order are not wandering sadhus or
silent contemplatives, known as anchorites, rather they are members of
a brotherhood working closely and industriously with their satguru and with their brother monastics. At the time of sannyasa diksha,
each has accepted the mission of the Kailasa Parampara as his own: to
protect and perpetuate Saivism; to serve Hindus the world over; to
provide, teach and disseminate scripture, religious literature and
practical instruction; to promote temple construction and to exemplify
the dignity and enlightenment of our Nandinatha Sampradaya. Living
under lifetime vows of renunciation, humility, purity, confidence and
obedience, these sannyasins are bound to fulfill their unique
role in the Saiva culture of religious exemplars and staunch defenders
of the faith. Their ideal is to balance outward service (Sivathondu)
and inward contemplation-realization (Sivajnana) for a rich, fulfilling
and useful life.
There are two other groups of monks within our monasteries: the yellow-robed yogi tapasvins and the white-robed sadhakas, living under renewable two-year vows of humility, purity, confidence and obedience.
Wednesday
LESSON 332
An Order of Renunciates
Sannyasa is the life, way and traditions of
those who have irrevocably renounced duties and obligations of the
householder path, including personal property, wealth, ambitions,
social position and family ties, in favor of the full-time monastic
quest for divine awakening, Self Realization and spiritual upliftment
of humanity. Traditionally, and in our order, this dharma is
available to men under age twenty-five who meet certain strict
qualifications. Some orders are more lenient and accept men into sannyasa
after age twenty-five. The rules pertaining to homeless anchorites are,
for obvious reasons, more lenient. Other orders will accept widowers,
and a few initiate women, though Hindu custom prefers that women who
wish to follow the monastic path take simple vows of brahmacharya and not take sannyasa.
Women in today's liberal Hindu orders who do take sannyasa should
wear white. Women donning orange robes is a new, very new, fashion. My
perception over the past decades is that this generally does not work
out well in the long run. Those women of history who have been
recognized and honored as celibate seekers, as great souls, even as gurus,
have worn the color white. This was then and is still the order of the
day and will be far into the future for many very good esoteric
reasons.
The householder naturally comes into the sannyasa ashrama, stage of withdrawal, at age seventy-two, having lived through life's three prior stages: student (brahmacharya), householder (grihastha) and elder advisor (vanaprastha).
This fourth stage is a time of turning inward, devoting oneself more
fully to worship, introspection, scriptural study and meditation. This
step for householder men and women may be ritually acknowledged in a
home blessing but is not in any way construed as sannyasa diksha, which
is a monastic initiation. While traditions vary, after commencing the
fourth stage of life, the elder husband and wife, now as brother and
sister, turn more fully to religious pursuits while continuing their
associations with the family, though they may seek accommodations that
offer more privacy for their meditations and worship.
An elder
man whose wife has passed on and whose children are grown may upon
reaching age seventy-two take up the mendicant life fully and then
diligently pursue his spiritual sadhana in a state of genuine renunciation and not in the midst of his relatives. This is expressed in sutra 210:
"Siva's unmarried men and widowers may renounce the world after age
seventy-two, severing all ties with their community and living as
unordained, self-declared sannyasins among the holy monks of India." Sannyasins who were formerly married are not generally afforded the same respect as sannyasins who never entered the family dharma.
Though it is sometimes done, it must be noted that it is against dharma for a householder to abandon his wife and children on the pretext of renouncing the world. Becoming a self-declared sannyasin
after age seventy-two is also not traditional, for one who has been
divorced and whose former spouse is still living. Marriage is a
lifetime commitment, and once taken cannot be rescinded.
Thursday
LESSON 333
Disciplined Leadership
Monastics are the religious leaders of Hinduism.
Continuing this noble renunciate monastic tradition is essential for
the perpetuation of the faith. Therefore, when a young boy expresses
the desire to become a monk, parents should never discourage that
inclination, but strongly encourage it in all ways. It is a great
blessing for the family to have a son become a sannyasin. Each father should guide his sons who express an inclination toward monastic life into learning more of sannyasa by teaching them of the lives of great yogis and swamis, encouraging them in the arts of meditation, hatha yoga and personal purity, having them read and study the Vedas, and bringing them to receive the darshana and advice of the satguru and swamis whenever possible. They regard any son destined for the monastery not as their own child, but as the satguru's spiritual progeny in their trusted care. They work closely with the satguru
in guiding his training so as to cultivate skills and character traits
that will enhance his future as a monastic. Many devout families seek
to birth a son for the monastery. Prior to conception, they mix with
the swamis and pray to the Gods to bring through a soul destined to perpetuate the holy lineage.
Once a brahmachari has
entered the monastery under vows, he is a very special person living a
very special life. He should be treated by everyone, including his own
family, as a holy person. He now stands apart from family and former
friends. Parents when visiting respect his chosen path and keep family
problems from his knowledge. They exclude him from news of marriages,
divorces, illness, deaths and other householder events. They should
show great interest in what he is learning and speak of high
philosophical matters.
A life of discipline is not an easy
life, but it is a joyous one, with many soul-satisfying rewards.
Monastics follow their rigorous twenty-four-hour protocol even in their
dreams. Those who are born to perform this service are to be respected
and not distracted by family pulls or the desires of former friends.
They should be tested, yes, in their beginning years, to be assured
that their commitment is firm, their energies secure and their
loyalties well understood. Traditionally, at this time family and
friends play an important role by bringing temptations to them and
valid reasons why they should renounce renunciation. But when their
robes turn to yellow or when in white the rudraksha beads are worn, their path is clear and a new protocol on both sides must be firmly kept. All relationships have now changed.
The power of brahmacharya makes
the monks very magnetic, and the temples they serve in powerful.
Monastics are therefore careful to keep their distance and not become
involved with devotees who attend the temples. In turn, the cultured
devotees keep a respectful distance from the monks -- physically,
emotionally and psychically, not even thinking of them, let alone
psychically pulling on them, even in their dreams. Nothing should
happen to distract a monk from his chosen path. This code of
nonintervention is even more strict for the monk's parents, who share
in his renunciation of worldly life for the life of selfless service to
the Sanatana Dharma.
Friday
LESSON 334
The Ideals Of Sannyasa
The Saiva sannyasin states at the time of his initiation, "All that I have and all that I am I now give unto my God, my Gods and my guru. I have no family except the Divine Father Siva and Mother Shakti who dwell in Kailasa, and on Earth the sangam of Saivite devotees." This is the ideal of not only the swami, but
of all monastics. Therefore, a state of aloofness from blood ties must
be maintained on the part of each monastic. This is reflected in the
protocol of the monk's not referring to relatives as "my father," "my
brother," "my mother," but by formal, impersonal names and common
courtesy titles, such as Mr. Sivanesan, etc. This is an affectionate
detachment, a lovingly detached attitude, from the grihastha community. It is a detachment from joint or extended family, which includes former friends, seeing guru as mother and father, and fellow monastics as family, aadheenam devas as
dear relatives, and Gods as close, not far away. Each family learns to
respect this renunciate attitude. This is the fabric of monastic life,
both for sannyasins and postulants, for in our community, all monastics are on the path of renunciation. Some have received sannyasa diksha
and others are preparing for it by fully living the life of the one who
has renounced the world in one-pointed quest for service and God
Realization. Because training must be given when the nature is still
young and pliable, I do not accept candidates for monastic life who are
over the age of twenty-five.
All must always remember that it is a family's greatest blessing for a son to become a sannyasin. But
a word of caution must follow. Though a young man may be raised and
trained to one day become a monastic, it is he himself who must have
the burning desire for ultimate, transcendent realization of Parashiva.
It is he who must have a heart full of selfless service and vairagya, the spirit of renunciation. It is he who must have the prarabdha karmas that would allow him to be the ideal sannyasin his
parents would hope for. Becoming a monk is not simply a matter of
moving from his family home into a monastery. Various tests must be met
and passed. The entire monastic community has to be convinced of the
young man's sincerity and strengthened by his presence. Such potential sannyasins are watched closely and expected to dissociate themselves from grihastha impulses
such as claiming "my things, my space, my career, my advancement and my
exclusive duties." They are examined for the qualities of true sannyasa, tested
often as to their flexibility, their ability to instantly renounce
attachment to position and job security without residual resentments,
the fluidness to release awareness and move transparently from one area
to the next as needs arise.
How does a monastic serve his guru
in daily life? He must take every opportunity to be open. At the first
level, that of a young aspirant, the mom and dad give him over and say,
"The guru is now your mother and father. Go and be with him." Then it is up to the young man to think of his guru
as mother and father and not think of them as his parents anymore. That
is what they expect. They are thrilled that they could produce a son
who could be a spiritual man, thrilled that their son might be
accepted. The next step is on the part of the son himself. In living in
the ashrama the son only sees the guru in his mind. He
doesn't see anybody else. When he starts seeing others, finding fault
and liking some more than others, that's when the trouble begins.
Rather, he serves the guru's mission exclusively, in his whole
mind, even while he is working with others. He treats everyone equally,
with kindly, affectionate detachment. He fulfills each duty
wholeheartedly and harbors no preferences for one type of service over
another. He doesn't use the facility as a trade school to improve his
skills, just in case monastic life doesn't work out. Finally he
attracts the guru's attention, and the third stage begins. He is given special small tasks to accomplish by the satguru, and when successful given larger and more difficult tasks, as the guru
guides him in strengthening his willpower. From that point on, his life
unfolds from stage to stage as he purifies himself and brings forth his
Divinity in his service and striving.
Saturday
LESSON 335
The Way of Old Souls
Wouldn't we have a wonderful world of living with
Siva if two thirds of the people on this planet were spiritual lights
and had nothing on their mind but to spread the dharma of right thought, right speech and right action? It truly would be a global village, a haven, a wonderland. But during this yuga, it
may not be possible, because younger souls inhabit the planet in
abundance, and their only method of discipline among themselves is with
the fist, the hatchet, the whip and harsh, insulting words. In this way
they accrue much karma to be worked out in another birth. This makes a lot of sense, for if they did not make new karma they
would not reincarnate and never become older souls. It is the
tragedies, the hurts, the fears, the arguments that remain unresolved
that goad the young souls onward. They learn by their own mistakes, but
very slowly, taking the lessons out of their experiences and always
blaming on others what has happened to them. This and most of the above
is how we come to distinguish an old soul from one in the intermediate
grade and those who are unverified.
The intermediate souls
struggle with their emotions; they hurt themselves more than others.
Misunderstanding is not their enemy. It is their teacher of new
discoverings. Theirs is the never-ending search. Theirs is the
never-ending, not-being-able-to-reach-the-end search. Unlike the young
souls, their desires are well-defined. Unlike the young souls, their
intellection has some development, maybe not keen but usable. For them,
religion is an acceptable solution. They are not superstitious, meaning
believing in what they do not understand, as are the young souls. They
must be satisfied with adequate reasons of why, how and what the future
holds. The intermediate souls all have to learn not to drag the past
through life with them in the form of resentment, unforgivingness
through unforgettability. This one lesson and this alone distinguishes
them from their older examples. But they do look to the older souls for
help and for solace, seeking to hold their hand, lean on their shoulder
and share with them some of their experiential burdens.
Taking up sannyasa
as a young man and fulfilling the goals and disciplines of monastic
life is for the older souls. These forgiving, intelligent beings rely
on their memories of their past when they were young souls. They rely
on their memories of the past when they were intermediate souls. They
rely on their superconscious abilities to look through and see into
every situation, every happening, of past, present and future. Their
test, their supreme test, is to balance their inner and their outer
life. So, they renounce the world, and in their renouncing, the world
they renounced renounces them. Their humanness is still there, their
striving is still there, and their seeking for elucidation is still
there. But what is not there is the sense of their small self. The
sense of the little I'go. The sense of "me and mine" is replaced by
"us" and "ours."
Not all old souls are ready for holy orders of sannyasa, but
some of them are, and these rare few have special qualities. Loyalty to
their lineage is one of the most important, and another is love in
their will. This means that they do make happenings happen in the
external world. They do effect change, but they do not claim reward or
recognition. They do not sulk if appreciation is not forthcoming. They
move on, ever impelled by their spirituality, that ever-moving force of
inspiration that does good rather than harm, that ever-moving spiritual
force that quells the external ego and gives credit to others. That
rewarding ability to see into the future, prepare for it and to guide
others into it is theirs to develop.
Young souls merge with
each other. Intermediate souls merge with projects and learning new
things, merging with the mind and the intellect. Older souls, seeking
the Self beyond the mind, merge with the Spirit and with things
spiritual. For them, a pure and nearly perfect life calls. They
intuitively know that the profound merger of jiva in Siva is no easy task, to be accomplished in a weekend seminar or yoga class. So they go farther, they renounce, they take up the ideals of the four Vedas -- not to parrot them, but to live them, just as did the rishis of yore. That leads to the path of the renouncer, to the sannyasin in the Indian tradition.
Though it may not be your dharma to
formally renounce the world, you can benefit your search immensely by
knowing how the great ones seek to live and respond to life. You can
find ways in the midst of your life to follow their example.
Realize that the sannyasins, the sadhus and
the host of nameless mendicants from the traditional orders of Hinduism
do have built within them the spiritual, social, cultural structure
that has survived siege and pestilence within the countries they serve.
But most importantly, these three million soldiers of the within have
survived the siege of their lower self, the pestilence of their own
mind, and risen above to the heights. This book, Living with Siva,
contains within it the wisdom which, once read and understood, becomes
knowledge to make the conquest of all conquests, the victory over the
instinctive-intellectual mind and all that it contains. All this and
more is summed up so eloquently in the "Song of the Sannyasin,"
in Sunday's lesson, a stirring poem by Srila Sri Swami Vivekananda
Maharaj (1863-1902), composed in July, 1885, at Thousand Island Park,
New York. I advise my monastic followers to live it, just live it, and
try to fulfill in your life these high ideals. To all readers of this
book, I say, proceed with confidence along the path of sadhana,
through which dancing with Siva, living with Siva and merging with Siva
is assured and certain. That's the way it is, and that is the way it
is.
Sunday
LESSON 336
Song of the Sannyasin
Wake up the note! the song that had its birth Far
off, where worldly taint could never reach, In mountain caves and
glades of forest deep, Whose calm no sigh for lust or wealth or fame
Could ever dare to break; where rolled the stream Of knowledge, truth
and bliss that follows both. Sing high that note, sannyasin bold! Say "Om Tat Sat, Om!"
Strike off thy fetters! bonds that bind thee down, Of
shining gold, or darker, baser ore -- Love, hate; good, bad; and all
the dual throng. Know slave is slave, caressed or whipped, not free;For
fetters, though of gold, are not less strong to bind.Then off with
them, sannyasin bold! Say "Om Tat Sat, Om!"
Let darkness go; the will-o'-the-wisp that leads With
blinking light to pile more gloom on gloom.This thirst for life forever
quench; it dragsFrom birth to death, and death to birth, the soul. He
conquers all who conquers self. Know this and never yield, sannyasin bold! Say "Om Tat Sat, Om!"
"Who sows must reap," they say, "and cause must bring
The sure effect: good, good; bad, bad; and noneEscapes the law. But
whoso wears a formMust wear the chain." Too true; but far beyondBoth
name and form is atman, ever free. Know thou art That, sannyasin bold! Say "Om Tat Sat, Om!"
They know not truth who dream such vacant dreamsAs
father, mother, children, wife and friend.The sexless Self -- whose
father He? whose child? Whose friend, whose foe, is He who is but One?
The Self is all in all -- none else exists; And thou art That, sannyasin bold! Say "Om Tat Sat, Om!"
There is but One: the Free, the Knower, Self,Without a name, without a form or stain.In Him is maya, dreaming all this dream.The Witness, He appears as nature, soul.Know thou art That, sannyasin bold! Say "Om Tat Sat, Om!"
Where seekest thou? That freedom, friend, this
worldNor that can give. In books and temples, vainThy search. Thine
only is the hand that holdsThe rope that drags thee on. Then cease
lament.Let go thy hold, sannyasin bold! Say "Om Tat Sat, Om!"
Say, "Peace to all. From me no danger be To aught
that lives. In those that dwell on high, In those that lowly creep -- I
am the Self in all!All life, both here and there, do I renounce,All
heavens and earths and hells, all hopes and fears."Thus cut thy bonds, sannyasin bold! Say "Om Tat Sat, Om!"
Heed then no more how body lives or goes.Its task is done: let karma float
it down.Let one put garlands on, another kickThis frame: say naught. No
praise or blame can be Where praiser, praised, and blamer, blamed, are
one.Thus be thou calm, sannyasin bold! Say "Om Tat Sat, Om!"
Truth never comes where lust and fame and greedOf
gain reside. No man who thinks of womanAs his wife can ever perfect be;
Nor he who owns the least of things, nor he Whom anger Chains, can ever
pass through maya's gates.So, give these up, sannyasin bold! Say "Om Tat Sat, Om!"
Have thou no home. What home can hold thee, friend?
The sky thy roof, the grass thy bed, and foodWhat chance may bring --
well cooked or ill, judge not.No food or drink can taint that noble
SelfWhich knows Itself. Like rolling river freeThou ever be, sannyasin bold! Say "Om Tat Sat, Om!"
Few only know the truth. The rest will hateAnd laugh
at thee, great one; but pay no heed.Go thou, the free, from place to
place, and helpThem out of darkness, maya's veil. WithoutThe fear of pain or search for pleasure, goBeyond them both, sannyasin bold! Say "Om Tat Sat, Om!"
Thus day by day, till karma's power's
spent,Release the soul forever. No more is birth,Nor I, nor thou, nor
God, nor man. The "I"Has All become, the All is "I" and Bliss.Know thou
art That, sannyasin bold! Say "Om Tat Sat, Om!"
"Song of the Sannyasin" by Swami Vivekananda is quoted, with written permission, from Inspired Talks, My Master and Other Writings;
copyright 1958 by Swami Nikhilananda, trustee of the estate of Swami
Vivekananda; published by the Ramakrishna-Vivekananda Center of New
York.
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