Like the great masters in this book, there are a few unusual young men who have had enough of the materialistic world and choose to live and serve as Hindu monks. §
These rare souls follow the path of the traditional Hindu monastic, vowed to poverty, humility, obedience and purity. They pursue the disciplines of charya, kriya, yoga and jnana that lead to realization of the Self. It is this ancient faith that most fully carries forward the traditions spoken of in this book. There are over one billion Hindus on the planet today, and by conservative estimate, three million swamis, sadhus and satgurus in India alone. The BAPS Swaminarayan order has over 800; Ramakrishna Mission over 700 worldwide. The Bharat Sevashram Sangha has over 500. The head of the Juna Akhara has been known to give initiation to 25,000 on a single day. Other organized Hindu orders number into the thousands. Temples to the Gods of Sanatana Dharma are estimated at 500,000—with 1,000 in the USA. The priests serving in these temples outnumber those in several of the great religions. We invite you, if you feel a calling and are under the age of 25, to consider joining our order, the Saiva Siddhanta Yoga Order. Knowing God Siva and serving others is our only goal in life. We live in monasteries apart from the world to worship, meditate, serve and realize the Truth of the Vedas and Agamas, uplifting the world by our example, fulfilling the ultimate human purpose by realizing the Self at the core of a perfectly stilled mind. Guided by our satguru, Bodhinatha Veylanswami, and headquartered at Kauai Aadheenam in Hawaii, our order ranks among Hinduism’s foremost traditional monastic orders, accepting candidates from every nation on Earth. Young men considering life’s renunciate path who believe they have found their spiritual master in Bodhinatha are encouraged to write to him—he is available—sharing their personal history, spiritual aspirations, thoughts and experiences, and to visit his monastery and meet others who are following this highest path on Earth. Entrance is slow. The first step is to come to Kauai island on a taskforce program for six months, then return home and think over the experience. After that, vows for six months at a time are given for the first year or two. Renewable two-year vows are given until final lifetime vows, holy orders of sannyasa, may be given after ten to twelve years of training. More about our order can be found at: www.himalayanacademy.com/monks/§
Kauai’s Hindu Monastery
107 Kaholalele Road, Kapaa, Hawaii 96746-9304 USA
E-mail: bodhi@hindu.org§