Renunciate Life and The Two Paths, Part Two
Author: Satguru Bodhinatha Veylanswami
Description: The two paths of choosing, householder or renunciate. Both take courage and embrace responsibilities of adult life. Renunciation is called when the soul matures to the point where the world no longer holds a binding fascination. Define the path, then proceed with confidence. Those who walk on neither of the two paths are a daily burden to both the householder and the sannyāsin. It is necessary on the spiritual path to interact and live harmoniously among others. Interaction with others is needed to resolve karmas as karmas come back to us through other people. "Master Course Trilogy", "Merging with Siva"; Lessons 269-271.
Transcription:
Good morning everyone.
This morning we're continuing "Merging with Siva", Chapter 39, entitled "Renunciate Life and the Two Paths.” It is drawn from "The 1970 Master Course" and we're starting with Lesson 269:
"The Stage of Path-Choosing
"The two paths—householder and renunciate—every young man has to choose between them. In Hindu tradition the choice is made before the marriage ceremony, and, if not, during the marriage ceremony itself. The choice must be his and his alone. Though guided by the advice of parents, elder family members and religious leaders, the choice is his and his alone as to how his soul is to live through the birth karmas of this reincarnation. Both paths take courage, great courage, to step forward and embrace the responsibilities of adult life.
"In making this decision in our tradition we have found it valuable for the young man to spend time in a Hindu monastery where he can live the monk’s life for a period of six months or more and receive spiritual and religious training that will enhance his character for a positive future, no matter which path he chooses. Only by living for a time as a monk will he come to truly understand the monastic path and be empowered to make a knowledgeable choice between that path and the traditional dharma of the householder, raising a family and serving the community....(Comment from me: The way I explain it is that till you've lived in a monastery your concept of a monastery is a fantasy. You really have no idea. It's not something you learn about. It's not on television, not in movies, so it's a fantasy. Might be close but it's not precise.)... One of the best times for this sojourn apart from the world, setting aside life’s usual concerns, is just after high school or during an interim break. Then, after the time in the monastery, a firm and positive consideration should be made, in consultation with family and elders, as to which of the two paths he wishes to pursue. Once this decision is made and blessings given by the family preceptor, a path-choosing ceremony, Ishṭa Mārga Saṁskāra, should be held in the presence of the religious community to which he belongs, thus making the decision known publicly to one and all.
"Path-choosing is a beginning, pointing a direction, declaring an intention. Marriage becomes a lifetime commitment only when the final marriage vows are spoken.
"This is preceded by months or even years of choosing a spouse, a process that calls forth the wisdom of the two families, community elders, religious leaders and those who are trained to judge astrological compatibilities. Renunciate life in our Nātha tradition and many others becomes a lifetime commitment only when final, lifetime vows of renunciation of the world are voiced. This is preceded by ten or more years of training during which the postulant monastic renews temporary vows periodically, at two-year intervals. During this lengthy time of training, the sādhaka is free to choose not to renew his vows at any juncture and opt instead for the path of the householder and be welcomed back into the family community. In some lineages, no formal vows are even taken, but there are traditionally understood norms of conduct, proprieties and protocol to be adhered to. For choosing the renunciate path is indeed not just like taking a position in a corporation. It is embracing a way of life, an attitude of being.
"We might say that one does not choose renunciation, but rather is chosen by it, when the soul is matured to the point when the world no longer holds a binding fascination. (That's a great phrase, hmm? "binding fascination".) While considerations of the order that one will join are practical realities, it is vital that the young man choosing renunciate life does so not seeking place or position in a particular order, but sets out as a free spirit, unencumbered, under the guidance of his satguru, willing to serve everywhere and anywhere he is sent, be it in his guru’s central āśrama, a distant center, a monastery of another guru or alone on an independent sādhana. The clear path is to define the path itself. Then, proceed with confidence."
Lesson 270:
"The Way of The Bachelor
"Of course, not all are necessarily able to set forth with perfect clarity in life. Thus, both the renunciate and householder communities accept singles who are not selfish and self-indulgent, who gather together into their respective home-like environments, sharing finance, food and worship. It is in Hindu culture the way of the unmarried devotee, who, whether woman or man, wears white and abjures the family dharma while not necessarily joining an āśrama, wandering as a sādhu or following any monastic regimen. This is not a formal path, but it is a spiritual lifestyle which if successfully fulfilled is an alternative for those who cannot follow one of the two traditional paths.
"Singles who succeed in living harmoniously with one or more like-minded individuals may be considered worthy to enter āśramas in association with a guru and under the authority of a rigorous discipline greater than they could provide for themselves.
"This might be called the way of the spiritual bachelor or spinster—the brahmachārī or brahmachāriṇī. These are humble men and women, often under simple vows, who are not following the traditional renunciate path, but don’t intend to marry and so remain celibate and dedicate themselves to serving God, Gods, guru and humanity. Among them are those who are still deciding between the two paths, even at a later age. It usually does not include those whose spouse has passed on or who have suffered a divorce, as they are considered still a spouse, nor others whose heavy karmas would disallow them from entering a traditional order for one or more reasons. This life of bachelor or spinster can, when strictly and sincerely followed, be a joyous and useful life in service to dharma and fulfillment of spiritual goals. This is provided that devotees do not isolate themselves but eagerly and persistently serve the family community and the renunciate community with dedicated, cooperative effort, and get along one with another in harmony, love and trust, in the spirit of true Sivathondu, service to Śiva, never alienating themselves from others, but stepping forward as best they can to serve selflessly and wholeheartedly. The positive cooperation of their untiring energies is truly recognized in all three worlds.
"There is another group that has no path, who neither marry nor follow the path of discipline and who are self-indulgent, unwilling to live with others and benefit from hastening their karmas through interaction, so that this puts many of their karmas on hold for another life. These souls think they are making spiritual progress, but they are, in fact, making new unwholesome karmas through a selfish lifestyle of noncommitment and unexamined egocentricities. They fail to realize or accept that interaction with others, whether householders or monastics, is needed to bring up quickly the karmas to be resolved in this birth and perhaps the next, and that avoidance of others offers no stimulus for progress.
"Such single men and women may delude themselves into thinking they are sādhus, mendicants, yogīs or mystics, but in actuality they have invented their own routines which are not in harmony with the sādhu path of strictness and tradition. Following a self-chosen, self-defined path, they answer up to no one and, therefore, deal with the clever avoidance syndrome.
"They are considered to be like children by both the renunciate and the householder. Both groups constantly work to set aright these obstinate, unruly seekers, to bring them into a lifestyle of unselfish behavior, of interaction with others, encouraging them to replace egocentric patterns and preferences with the higher qualities of selfless service, group involvement and, above all, prapatti, humility, total surrender to the Divine within the temple and themselves. They are encouraged to overcome anger, back-biting, fear, jealousy, overt intellectual knowing, and talkativeness with the sādhana of silence, mauna, to bring forth the humility needed to make spiritual progress in this life. Many, however, are sincerely committed to noncommitment. Strange as it may seem, these unguided souls use up their allotted time for guidance and then beg for more. Those who walk on neither of the two paths are a daily burden to both the householder and the sannyāsin."
Lesson 271:
"Following Neither Path
"It is necessary for spiritual unfoldment on the path to enlightenment to live among others, be loyal, faithful, not promiscuous, to settle down and establish a cooperative routine of community life. Living among others—even having roommates who think, believe and have adopted the same spiritual, religious disciplines—grants the burden of good conduct, prompt resolution of problems and an abidance of sharing, giving and caring during the trials and happinesses that naturally arise in living with others.
Those who are self-indulgent have no inclination to share companionship in a family, an āśrama or spiritual community, as getting along with others is burdensome, bothersome, impossible to even imagine. Their subconscious is so full of dross that their aloneness relieves it somehow—through self-indulgence on the Internet, sweets, preferential foods and avoidance of confrontations of any kind which might or would conjure up anger, distance and dispel the little I-ness into I-dentity within a group where kukarmas and sukarmas are shared as their life on the spiritual path moves upward and upward and upward. All gurus should disallow and throw such seekers out of their āśramas, lest they become accomplished detractors and herald an Internet site against them. Their only purpose is to infiltrate, dilute and destroy—not always consciously, perhaps, but subconsciously—and to bring everything down to their own level.
"The borderline conflicts that they create, where no one is exactly right and no one is exactly wrong, hold back the spiritual work, the mission of the lineage, temporarily, perhaps only for a moment, an hour or a day. Their mission of preaching indecision to those who have decided is fulfilled. When they tire of their new surroundings and are ready to move on, they infiltrate another group, endeavoring to take along with them those they have converted to their ways. All satgurus, gurus, swāmīs, heads of Hindu orders and those of other faiths, too, have recognized this problem and are alerted to potential infiltration, dilution and disruption of their group by those who do not belong because they will not follow the accepted patterns and instead endeavor to adjust them, dilute them into the nothingness which they would find inside themselves if they were even to spend a moment or two alone.
"Other faiths are a little better disciplined in demanding followers to be totally converted to their particular denomination and not admitting into their sanctuaries, monasteries and administrative bodies those who have not taken up a strong commitment. It is here the trouble lies for Hindu-based organizations, bringing in members of Abrahamic religions, faiths which are, by their own proclamations, dedicated to the destruction of Hinduism."
So in my commentary:
Gurudeva made the statement in Lesson 270: “They fail to realize or accept that interaction with others, whether householders or monastics, is needed to bring up quickly the karmas to be resolved in this birth and perhaps the next, and that avoidance of others offers no stimulus for progress.”
So this is a point that many individuals do not understand—interaction with others is needed to resolve karmas. So in other words our karma comes back to us through people. I jokingly say that if you live in the forest alone it's very hard for your karma to come back to you; trees don't fall on you that often. So you need people to have your karma come back to you is Gurudeva's point.
In "The Saiva Dharma Shastras" Gurudeva states: "Toward these aims, members work together blending their prârabdha and kriyamâna karmas in an effort to polish their character and strengthen their will, their love and tolerance for others, to establish a high standard of Śaiva culture in the home and in the community."
Thank you very much. Nice to see everyone again. Have a wonderful day.
[End of transcript.]