“ASHRAM VERSUS MONASTRY Q: For thousands of year monks and nuns have…”

ASHRAM VERSUS MONASTRY Q: For thousands of year monks and nuns have dedicated their entire lives for the goal of enlightenment. So few seem to attain the goal, what is the chance for an ordinary seeker?

One thing, monks’ and nuns’ goal of enlightenment, only in the initial level when they broke the social bondage or family and entered into that monk life or the nun life. Only that time the spirit or the inspiration is alive in their system. Once they entered into the monastery or nunnery, cool down, settle down. Cool off, and they become much worse than normal so called house holders. At least a normal house holder is constantly reminded he is not enlightened, by the spouse. But in the monastery or nunnery there is nobody to remind. Understand the monastery is the worst place to live. Our ashram is not monastery. ASHRAM. Ashram will become monastery when Master is dead. Monastery plus Master is ashram. Our ashram is a living ashram. I will be constantly reminding them that they are not enlightened, that they have to work. I will be constantly giving them the opportunity to take jumps. I will not be letting them relax. But the monastery or nunnery is run based on dead rules. One more important thing, at least in Vedic tradition, the chance for the, the when you take the sanyas, the jump is supposed to be too big. But in the monastery or nunnery, Christian monasteries or nunneries not too big, because the same comfortable atmosphere which you had in the house, secure, safe morning to evening routine, everything is there in the monastery also. Sometimes little more comfortable than the ordinary home, the monasteries and nunneries. But in the Hindu tradition, we don’t have monasteries or nunneries. If you want to become a swami, leave the house and start wandering street to street, house to house, beg and eat. So the jump needs to be too big. At least once the jump can happen. In the other traditions which has got a huge monasteries, nunneries I have seen many people become monks or nuns seeing the great huge monasteries. ‘Oho, such big place, better let us become swamis, monks or nuns.’ So monastery is not the place to live. Monastery is the place to leave the body not to live. That is not the place to becoming monks or nuns, does not mean that the seeking is kept alive in them. Many people after the first jump, they don’t have any more energy left for continuously taking any further decisions. That is why they remain as monks and nuns. Not because they are alive. There are so many people who are not divorced living in the family for social reasons. Not because they enjoy the family life or enjoy each other’s company. The, for social reasons, how they live not divorced, are living as a family, same way for social reasons, many people live without leaving the monastery, without leaving the nunnery. That is the worst thing, that is the worst thing can happen. I already took all the steps that my ashram do not become one more monastery. Do not become one more nunnery. See, with great spirit you take the jump. Immediately, that is the biggest danger in the becoming monks or nuns, I always remind my swamis and my brahmacharys this danger only. When you first take that jump, after that jump, naturally, after a big curve there will be low curve. When your energy is settling or relaxed, you pick up wrong friends who are completely cool and you think, ‘Oh they are also like this, why can’t I be like that?’ You become wrong examples. People who don’t have inspirations. You feel connected to them and start living like them in the depression. I always tell people, in the monastic life or life of a nun, the friends you pick up, are going to play the major role. They are going to play the major role. They are going to play the role of your family. What, how your family was molding you guiding you, unconsciously taking you, same way, the friends you pick up in monastery or nunnery are going to be the people who, whether, only they are going to decide whether you are going to be an inspired enlightened being or a dull, dead monk, or a dull dead nun. Friends you pick up. Whether you pick up a highly, energetic inspiring. Whenever you come down they will give their hand and they will remind you, they will remind you all the initiations you had from the Master and just put you up. Or when you are in the high spirit and doing something great, ‘Ehh, this fellow’s spirit is, in two days it will cool off, relax. Don’t bother.’ If you are in high spirits and doing some intense meditation or doing some intense meditation and doing some intense sadhana or some work, behind four fellow are standing and laughing, ‘Ahahaa, let us see by tomorrow morning, what this fellow’s spirit is. As if we don’t know this spirit. As if we didn’t have. It will all cool off. Like that only.’ These idiots, whenever I see these idiots only, I finish them off in the ashram, means I simply kick them out. These idiots are the corruption. They are the worst fellows. They are the worst fellows and if you pick up these kind of friends. Unfortunately, all monasteries and nunneries are filled with this second group and there is no Master to kick them out. This second group becomes the rulers. Because second group, they become like a more or less an ideal, like a balanced life. That is why in Vedic tradition, ashrams had all four order. It was not just, we don’t even have actually a equivalent word for monastery in Sanskrit. We don’t have a equivalent word for monastery in Sanskrit. Ashramam means, all four varnas will stay reducing their difficulties. Understand, reducing their difficulties, all four people, means the Brahmachary, married person. vanaprasthi, sanyasi. We had a beautiful step by step procedure to go through. All four class will stay. That is why I am trying to bring that same system back. See for example, many youngsters they are just what to say that, lost in my presence, in my nearness or the joy or the bliss they experience being around me or they are just lost. Just because they are, what to say that, in tune with me or feeling connected with me, does not mean they should become swamis or swaminis. Swamis or swaminis decision is supposed to be made on the engraved memories which they brought when they created the body, not just because they fell in tune with me. Just because they feel connected, I will never force them or give them the pressure to become swamis, or swaminis because I need workers. No ! That is what all these so called, “so called” Gurus are doing! The moment somebody is inspired, blast them with inspiration and brainwash them, shave their head. Over! And then that poor fellow is caught! Poor fellow is caught. Not having sensitivity to the prarabdha. Not having sensitivity to the birth of their, samsaara chakra. Not having sensitivity to fulfill them. That’s why I always tell people, you don’t have to be swamis to stay around me. You can be grhasta and stay around me. Nothing wrong. See, what do you want, staying around me, because you feel that’s the great thing you need. Then just for that you don’t have to be perverted. Be natural, be natural, and I will give you four five options. See in which you are able to fit, you feel comfortable. That is why even for these young kids, who come and live around me, for them I say, ‘First go through, all these steps are there. Go through. Which one you like? Choose. See, I am not saying I won’t give you sanyas. I won’t give you sanyas unless you are clear about it.’ Sanyas is a spiritual decision. Celibacy is a spiritual decision. Not for any social reason it should be made. It should not be made for ANY social reasons, including staying around the Master. No social reason should be directly or indirectly inspiring a person to take celibacy. It should be pure flowering, then you will be safe. Then it will be a bi-product of enlightenment. Only then the enlightenment will start happening. Enlightenment process will be happening. Otherwise it will be a perversion. It is a very subtle subject, almost all the fellows miss. I know one fellow, he is initiating into, initiating all couples, youngsters into Brahmacharya, shaving their head. He himself is married and had a child. And this fellow has no right to initiate people into Brahmacharya ! because he doesn’t know the path ! He doesn’t know! Even if he has become enlightened as he claims, he has not become enlightened through this path ! He doesn’t know ! He has no right ! Just because he has got some powers to mesmerize or hypnotize people and people want to live around him, abusing life, left and right. Initiating them into Brahmacharya, and shaving their head and not giving any proper technique or method or anything, just straightaway left and right and these guys are suffering in deep depression. I have seen those Brahmacharys, they don’t even breathe deeply, because if you breathe deeply, your mooladhara will be awakened. Afraid even to breathe, caught ! what to do? You need sensitivity for lives ! You need sensitivity for lives ! So, I always tell people, only a person who has gone through the path clearly in all dimensions in all angle will have sensitivity to every individual and the life source of individual. Your life source is as of now samskaaras. See, only when you become enlightened, your life source will become causeless energy, or the source less light, Tejas. Till then your life source is only samskaaras. Early morning you can get out, get out of the bed only if you remember somebody whom you want to meet or whom you want to see or some work which you want to do. So, as of now your life source is nothing but samskaaras. So we should be sensitive to that samskaaras. We should be cooperating to that samskaara force. Blessed are the people who are caught by enlightened Masters. This is the problem sometime will happen if you are caught or attached to unenlightened Gurus. Because they themselves do not know the complete path. They will be travelling in some path with lot of struggle. They will make you also do the same struggle. See, just because they have the faith that they are going to achieve, that does not mean they are authorized to teach the path in which they are struggling, to you. They may have the faith, they may be honest, nothing wrong. But they have no right to share the technology with you unless they have achieved the ultimate and they are in a space where they don’t need the technique anymore. They themselves are travelling and using some technique. Maybe honest or sincere, if they are striving. But without seeing, if they put you also in the same struggle or striving, you are in trouble.