Jump to content
IndiaDivine.org

To join an Ashram or not?

Rate this topic


Guest guest

Recommended Posts

Harsha: I am forwarding part of a letter and my response to it from another

list. It is a topic that often comes up in spiritual circles. How does one

in a practical manner go about attaining the goal of life?

 

Gary wrote: Hello Allan and everyone on this list,

 

Help! I need help!

 

Part of me is sensible and says I need to stay here and work and get a

business going and earn some more money. Then the other part of me says go

away and foucus entirely on thyself...sort of like "Seek first the kingdom

of God." This part is drawing me to live in a ashram for at least a short

period of time like two years maybe. But the logical side of me says "Hey

and then what?... How would I be able to integreat back into the work place

afterwards? It would be tough to start over from square

one".................snip

 

 

Hello Gary

 

I trained to enter monkhood for several years around 21 years ago (after I

graduated from college). As destiny would have it, my parents wished for me

to lead a normal life style. And my teacher withdrew his permission in as

gentle a way as he could. I had been a philosophy major and so did not have

any practical skills to earn money. It took some years for me to reorient

myself to a worldly life. My feeling is that joining a spiritual community

is not as important as having the right mental atmosphere for attaining

Self-Realization. Meditation, Prayer, Contemplation, Self-Enquiry and Yoga

with complete dedication, even for a few years, will set a strong foundation

for the rest of your life. Ultimately it all depends not on where you live

but How you live and Who you are. Best wishes and God bless you.

 

Harsha

Link to comment
Share on other sites

In a message dated 2/21/99 1:23:28 PM Eastern Standard Time,

hluthar writes:

 

<< Part of me is sensible and says I need to stay here and work and get a

business going and earn some more money. Then the other part of me says go

away and foucus entirely on thyself...sort of like "Seek first the kingdom

of God."

 

Seek ye first the Kingdom of God was also what drove me to focus on .... what?

I didn't know at the time, but knew the answer was in those few words.

 

My focus was so much on the things of the world, and my spiritual life came

2nd. Well probably more like 7th.

 

I finally made a decision to make my spiritual life a priority also and to

'Seek Ye first the Kingdom of God', since that seemed so important to whatever

it was I was looking for.

 

It was a bit of sacrifice at first (how I saw it). I didn't want to give up

the things of my world (my business, etc.)... I just wanted to make time for

my spiritual life -- time I never gave it before.

 

I began to get up a couple of hours earlier before going to work, to spend

time with disciplined meditation and study. It wasn't long before it felt no

longer as a sacrifice -- it was a joy! I would jump out of bed eagerly when

the alarm went off.

 

My kundalini awakened a little over 2 months later. Of course, I was not

prepared for something like that. I have come to learn, in my case, that a

good spiritual foundation and balance in mind, body, AND spirit are all

necessary for easy awakenings.

 

I don't see ''Seek ye first...'' means "only seek God and forget everything

else." Now I see it more as give everything to God for His interpretion of

what IS before we give our own interpretations, since our perceptions are so

screwed up.

 

So I understand what Harsha is saying... that we don't have to go anywhere to

find God. He is here right now, wherever we go, just waiting on us to come a

knockin'.

 

Love,

xxxtg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Harsha (Dr. Harsh K. Luthar) wrote:

>

> "Harsha (Dr. Harsh K. Luthar)" <hluthar

>

> Harsha: I am forwarding part of a letter and my response to it from another

> list. It is a topic that often comes up in spiritual circles. How does one

> in a practical manner go about attaining the goal of life?

>

> Gary wrote: Hello Allan and everyone on this list,

>

> Help! I need help!

>

> Part of me is sensible and says I need to stay here and work and get a

> business going and earn some more money. Then the other part of me says go

> away and foucus entirely on thyself...sort of like "Seek first the kingdom

> of God." This part is drawing me to live in a ashram for at least a short

> period of time like two years maybe. But the logical side of me says "Hey

> and then what?... How would I be able to integreat back into the work place

> afterwards? It would be tough to start over from square

> one".................snip

>

> Hello Gary

>

> I trained to enter monkhood for several years around 21 years ago

(after I

> graduated from college). As destiny would have it, my parents wished for me

> to lead a normal life style. And my teacher withdrew his permission in as

> gentle a way as he could. I had been a philosophy major and so did not have

> any practical skills to earn money. It took some years for me to reorient

> myself to a worldly life. My feeling is that joining a spiritual community

> is not as important as having the right mental atmosphere for attaining

> Self-Realization. Meditation, Prayer, Contemplation, Self-Enquiry and Yoga

> with complete dedication, even for a few years, will set a strong foundation

> for the rest of your life. Ultimately it all depends not on where you live

> but How you live and Who you are. Best wishes and God bless you.

>

> Harsha

 

Gloria Shares:

A dear friend of mine who was studying to be a priest told me he had a

dream to work with Mother Theresa so when he went to her in India and

asked about it she just smiled and told him to bloom where he was

planted.

We make the assumption that life where we are doesn't have the perfect

set of circumstances to ignite the fire, when in fact, it does. You are

here and now with all of the qualities you have carried with you from

the beginning of time, so that soul/spirit set you up in the perfect set

of circumstances for this time in space and time. You are receiving the

call to come home spiritually, so you simply open up and answer this

call from inside.

We are no longer living in the time when people ran away to the quiet

to find their inner truth and calling, we live in a time when the

spiritual fire is burning & literally changing the dimension we are now

in. Each soul knows this while out of body and remembers enough of the

soul purpose to settle down, and each night you are bringing just a tiny

bit more of your soul awarness back with you. Now you work on your soul

intention, use your focus to get inside of that higher place of knowing

so that you can return to awareness here and now. This doesn't take

going off but recognizing the perfection of your place here and now,

this means detaching from the mind and body enough to enter into

silence. This involves discipline for sure in every aspect of your

experience, it involves letting go and alignment with your soul

intention, and it also involves death of self/ego. All happens quite

naturally in the flow provided you recognize that nothing is a mistake.

You are in the perfect situation for realiztion. In this every person

and circumstance becomes a part of the realization. Your mission is to

ground yourself in God's love and let go.

>

> ------

> Check out our new web site!

 

--

 

Enter The Silence to Know God ... and... accept life as the teacher.

Gloria Joy Greco

e-mail me at : lodpress and visit our homepages at:

http://users.intercomm.com/larryn/

&

http://www.freeyellow.com/members/zg888/

Hope you enjoy them!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You are posting as a guest. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
×
×
  • Create New...