Chetan Prabhakar
Is it important to become an ordained monk or formal Sannyasi to tread on the path of spirituality or Sannyasa? Let us understand what is Sannyasa as per the Bhagavad Gita. Verse 18.3 of the Bhagavad Gita provides as follows:
‘The giving up of activities that are based on material desire is what great learned men call the renounced order of life (Sannyasa). And giving up the results of all activities is what the wise call renunciation (tyaga)’
As per the above verse, leaving one’s family and going to a secluded place or joining a formal sannyasi organization is not what Sannyasa means. What it truly means is; giving up the activities that are based on material desires.
The Buddha has said, ‘One is forever on the way, yet has never left home. Another has left home, yet is not on the Way. Which one deserves to receive the offerings of humans and devas?
Hence, we are not required to leave our homes and go to some solitary mountain or join some formal spiritual organization or ashram to be a Sannyasi or Spiritual. Spirituality is to know our true selves, to transcend all dualities and reaching a state of equanimity. It is to establish connection with our soul/spirit. Hence, we can be spiritual or sannyasi where we are and do not need to go anywhere.
We should not fall in the trap of one-sidedness, which means we should never think that to be spiritual; we have to leave our family, occupations and other things. Spirituality is coming home to yourself and not going somewhere and getting lost. Just be where you are and practise spirituality. That is what the message of all the Buddhas is: to be what you are and living a life that is balanced and not one-sided. Aptly said by the Buddha, ‘One is on a solitary peak and is unable to tread the path. Another one is at a busy crossroads yet is free from preferences. Which one is ahead, which one is behind?’
Therefore, it is not necessary to leave everything and become an ordained monk or sannyasi to tread on the path of spirituality. We can practise spirituality just by being lay practitioners. Only requirement is to find a suitable path or Yoga.
In the Bhagavad Gita, there are three types of spiritual practices or Yogas on which human beings can tread and they are Karma Yoga, Bhakti Yoga and Dhyana Yoga. To follow a path or yoga practice which is best suited to you, initially, you may need to tread on all the paths and find out yourself which one is best suited to you. For instance, Meera Bhai followed the path of Bhakti Yoga, Buddha follow the path of Dhyana Yoga and Raja Janak followed the path of Karma Yoga. For the purpose of this article, we are focusing on Dhyana Yoga which is considered to be the highest form of Yoga.
Now, let us also understand what does it mean by Yoga and the Yogi? It would be helpful to produce herein what Venerable Sri Sri Parmahansa Yogananda has written about Yoga in his book ‘The Autobiography of a Yogi’ while reiterating the words of Dr. C.G. Jung, ‘Every religious or philosophical practise means a psychological discipline, that is, a method of mental hygiene. The manifold, purely bodily procedure of Yoga also means mental hygiene which is superior to ordinary gymnastics and breathing exercises.’
Therefore, what Yoga means is a psychological discipline and that is to up keep mental hygiene and spirituality or yoga is actually to upkeep our mental hygiene, which is why, it is beyond our physical bodies. Our physical bodies are meant to deteriorate and end with time, however, if taken care, mind has a nature to grow and go beyond our physical bodies. As it is said that mind and/or consciousness is as old as the Universe, so taking care of mind and consciousness is taking care of life beyond our present bodily manifestation. Verse 6.18 of the Bhagavad Gita provides as follows:
‘When the yogi, by practise of yoga, disciplines his mental activities and becomes situated in transcendence-devoid of all material desires-he is said to be well established in yoga.’
Do whatever you want to do but try to establish yourself in Spirituality or Yoga and that is the highest purpose of our lives, and to establish ourselves in Yoga or Spirituality or Sannyasa, we have to go beyond the concept that to follow it, we have to leave our present circumstances, our home, occupation, family and friends, on the other hand, if spiritual discipline or yoga practices are followed properly, it will bring us closer to our family, friends, relatives, occupation and worldly affairs because following a spiritual practise or yoga is taking care of our mind, which is being totally ignored by lay people like us thinking that if we follow spirituality or sannyasa or adyatam, we have to leave our current circumstances, our homes and families. That is a narrow approach and it is also called spiritual escapism.
On the other hand, if we follow a spiritual or yoga practice, it will show us a path where we can have meaningful relationships, we become peaceful and truly happy individuals just by being where we are. Such is the path of Right Mindfulness or Dhyana Yoga. It connects yourself to your inner self, which gives you courage to off load the societal and cultural conditioning, become your true selves, live fearlessly, reach a state of equanimity and eternal bliss and enjoy yourself and your loved ones.
Spirituality is wonderful and sannyasa is really meaningful, because it just means that we have to give up the activities that are based on material desire, and during this times of corona pandemic, when the work is slow and the profits are less, we can take an opportunity to try giving up the activities that are based on material desires to have the taste of Sannyasa and Yoga. Most of our activities are based on fear of achieving and losing materialistic things, which creates constant fear, and fear creates delusion, unwarranted actions and the result is desperation. This period of slow down really gives us an opportunity to become a sannyasi/yogi by adapting a spiritual/yoga practice suitable to us.
Once we are able to tread on the path of spirituality, we will see the reality, and the first reality is that we are merely puppets in the hands of an ultimate power who is creating, planning and executing everything seamlessly and in abundance. Look around you and see, how this ultimate power plans; the sunset and sunrise; phases of moon; growing trees and the jungles; blooming the buds into flowers; ripening the fruits and vegetables; feeding the birds and animals and; scheduling birth and death which is taking place in each and every moment.
When you will have this understanding, you will automatically give up activities that are based on material desires and come out of the mistaken belief that you are the doer, and then, you will give the thread of your life in the hand of that Ultimate Power who is planning and creating wonders, miracles and abundance; and you will start taking actions without worrying about the fruits of those actions and as a call of your higher duty and unique purpose; which is a sure sign of an extra-ordinary and blissful life beyond all kind of miseries. That is what happens when we truly walk on the path of Sannyasa and become a true Sannyasi & a Yogi. Verse 6.46 of the Bhagavad Gita provides that ‘A Yogi is greater than the ascetic, greater than the empiricist and greater than the fruitive worker, Therefore, O Arjuna, in all circumstances, be a Yogi”.
The author is a Mindfulness Coach at
Sachetan-The Mind Gym)
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