Why join monastry? - some new focus

[Guest guest]

dear brothers and sisters,

 

this is the first time i am sending my mail.

 

its a well thought idea.

before getting into age and other things, let me concentrate on.

to join monastry or not is the critical issue. if we have to join when, how,

why . and if we cannot join, how is that we can still do good things

 

actually in my opinion i m trying to conceptualise what is monkhood

 

 

i would rather understand , renunciating everthing u have and working for

the public and in the process u acheive excellence in your individual soul .

so three important

renunciation

working for the public

individual soul

 

 

1. renunciation:

a) sacrifice: sacrifice means not possessing anything. even if u possess, u

got to think that u are the caretaker of this possession and safeguard it

and spend it for the public.

b) requisite : what important is, u should have something to renounce. i

have seen people saying that they did renounce everything in their early

ages or older ages.. here age is not the constraint.

the constraint is that u should have possess some thing to renounce

for instant if a beggar says that he is renouncing his food , its not

renounciation, cause, he does not have it, then where is the question of

renounciation. but at the same time if a rich person says that i am not

taking meals for 3 days cause i m thinking of poor it means renounciation...

 

 

2.working for the public with out any selfish motive : i am trying to recall

the words of swami vivekananda..

it goes to mean that

" do u feel that millions and millions are suffering ? do u feel that

millions are starving for ages? does it make u sleepless? does it make u

restless? ... (and he adds lot of things to this) and says if yes this is

the first step to become patriot. the second thing is that do u have a

solution ?. and the third is implementing the solution without any self fish

motive (i.e.self less service)

 

 

3.and in the process u achieve excellence.:

this is very important. cause acheive excellence in two one is spiritually

or purification of mind and the other is just be with the society to do

good work and just associated with that.

so it depends upon the individual who want to take it up

if he wants to spirituality he can join the monastry . or he does not want

he need not join monastry

 

" so my question itself , are we sincere in joining a monastry or its just a

feeling that we have in us. " (cause i m 26 now , but in 20's i was just

thinking that i should join a monastry. but i havenot joined

but put a lot of thought and trying to understand my individual thing.. so i

really felt that my life in this birth is not fit for monastry, because

there has to be some amount of purification of mind and i m just thinking

that i should be concentrating on my family and also decided to do lot of

good work the way i can contribute without loosing my individual focus and

also the community focus ) and decided not to join cause , it was just

feeling. more than the feeling u have to have lot of dedication to this..

which i think i dont deserve the monkhood this birth.

 

 

what i am saying is . U CAN DO LOT OF GOOD THINGS WITHOUT JOINING THE

MONASTRY ITSELF.

MAY BE JOINING A MONASTRY IS A EXTRA THING THAT U GET, A GOOD AND MORAL and

SPIRITUAL SUPPORT.

SO EITHER IF YOU DONT DESERVE IT OR NEED IT , THERE IS NO PROBLEM JUST GO

AHEAD AND DO WHAT EVER THAT U WANT TO DO IN UR LIFE

 

and finally, let me say this... if all the people out here wanted to join

monastry... (hypothetical ) then what will happen..

everybody will be monks and there would not be nothing to do nothing to

cherish.

so WE got to have a mixup people.

the categories are

1. monk hood

2. people associated with monkhood

3. people just wanted to do service and becomes excellent ..

4. people who wanted to serve the society just like that...

and so on

so identify ur base. identify your qualities. and then u contribute the way

u can,

 

om tat sat

 

sathya

 

 

>FREESUE

>Ramakrishna

>Ramakrishna

>Re: [ramakrishna] Why join monastry?

>Tue, 22 Jun 1999 19:25:13 EDT

>

>FREESUE

>

>In a message dated 99-06-22 13:44:29 EDT, k_sadananda writes:

>

><<

> I am surprised to read so much on the criticising the monasteries that

>they

> are 'out of reach' or 'out of touch', 'they practice age-discrimination'

> etc. >>

>

>I really don't think we were criticising...we were just discussing the

>topics

>you mentioned above.

>

><<First of all, one has to examine why one wants to join a monastery?

>Is it to change a way of life? Or is it to depend for daily needs on some

>organization? Or is it for self-evolution? Or for a vehicle to devote ones

>life in a self-less work?>>

>

>I think this would be a good question for some of the monastics to respond

>to. I would say...all of the above, and more. Service to the

>organizations

>beliefs and ideals, service to the holy people residing there...to study,

>to

>learn, to grow.

>

><<Monasteries are there to provide a spiritual training for those who

>deserve. >>

>

>Hum...I always thought it was to provide spiritual training for those who

>were sincere in their seeking. Please define " deserve " .

>

><<Monasteries have to survive on the public support and one should ask a

>question why should public support the person? What is that I have to

>offer

>in return to deserve that support? Considering the investment involved in

>terms of public support, they like to train people who are capable of

>serving in the world.>>

>

>This makes it sound like it's all about money. True monasteries survive by

>god's grace. And each and every monk or nun offers their own unique

>contribution to the monastery, large or small...

>

><<I do not see the need for any one to go in search of a monastery. My

>teacher used to tell me – a flower does not go in search of a bee. Bee

>shall come if the flower is ready. All it has to do is bloom itself and

>keep it ready.>>

>

>This teaching had little to do with monasteries. This was a teaching of

>Ramakrishna's. It had to do with those who wanted to go about here and

>there

>teaching...if I remember correctly. Basically he was saying there is no

>need

>to go about here and there, that if there is true " honey " inside, the bee's

>will come of their own accord. I think you might be confusing this with

>another saying... " when the field is ready, the seed will come... " Which

>was

>his response to those who wanted to know how to find a teacher.

>

><<It is not the monastery that makes different but ones own mind. If I

>think

>I am in need of a monastery for my growth, all that implies is I still want

>some external agent for my sadhana, looking for something outside for help.

>It will not work. >>

>

>If this were true, then why monasteries at all? We start where we are and

>attempt to move forward. And, it's a long way for most to reach that point

>where they can become their own " inner monastery/guide " . You must put a

>protective " fence " around tender plants to protect them until their roots

>are

>strong, and they are able to stand on their own...as a very wise soul once

>said.

>

>Sue

>

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