Ever wondered what its like to be a monk?<\/p>\n
Hinduism celebrates both asceticism and pragmatism; enlightenment can be attained, the wise explain, both by renouncing the worldly and (properly) engaging with it. Hindus revere the monk — whether a student (brahmachari<\/i>) or a master (sannyasi<\/i>) — for his self-sacrifice, detachment, and singular focus on a simple life dedicated to spiritual pursuits. At the same time, the faith also glorifies the householders for their ability to live and work in the general society in a spirit of devotion; householders are the exemplars of being “in the world, but not of it.” <\/p>\n
In an ideal Hindu society, the monks and householders should compliment one another, bringing the other a new perspective. Far too often, however, the two end up misunderstanding or even resenting each other. Monks may start to see those with families as spiritually weak, attached to the pleasures of the world and burdened by so many distractions. Householders may condemn monks as self-righteous elitists or even lazy escapists. <\/p>\n
\nOne way of overcoming this tendency, I think, is to spend some time
\ninhabiting the world of the other. For my wife and myself, along with a
\nfew other members of our temple congregation, one such opportunity came
\nthis past long weekend. The resident monks — who live together in the ashram<\/i>,
\nmaintain the temple, and tend to the service of the sacred icons (murti<\/i>)
\n— were attending a much-needed retreat in the country-side, and
\nrequested that we householders move in for a few days and take care of
\nthings in their absence. <\/p>\n
The experience became much more than
\njust a mere house-sitting, however. It was instead, a unique chance to
\nsee life — even if for just a few days — through the eyes of a monk,
\nand to carry lessons learned back with me. And those lessons, from the
\nprofound to the mundane, were many. Here are a few reflections that
\nparticularly stuck:<\/p>\n
Re-Centering<\/b>
Living in the temple
\nwas an exercise in re-calibrating and discovering, quite literally, that
\nI am not the center of the universe. In practical ways, that lesson was
\nunavoidable: the day’s schedule revolved around service (in this case,
\nmainly a shared responsibility to tend to the deities and care for the
\ntemple). What a powerful and humbling idea: from the time I wake up to
\nthe place I rest my head, every decision or action I take is based on my
\nservice to God and His creation.<\/p>\n
Application<\/i>: Can I
\nhonestly evaluate who or what is in the center of my existence right
\nnow, in my day-to-day life? Can I intentionally re-calibrate and
\nre-center, so that everything I do is an act and expression of service?<\/p>\n
Real
\nCommunity<\/b>
Temples and ashrams are traditionally communal spaces.
\nNotions of personal space, I quickly learned, need to be re-defined
\n(and to some extent, transcended) here. This was true on the physical
\nlevel; more so, however, on the emotional and social level. Space was
\ntight and spending all day together, serving and living side-by-side,
\nwas revealing. Familiarity breeds contempt. Irritations and clashing
\negos forced us to confront how much we need to work on ourselves if we
\nwant to go deeper in our relationships. We learned to accept one another
\nand look beyond one another’s shortcomings or quirks in order to share
\nin a common purpose. I realized that a monastery must function as an
\nactual family, and could appreciate how transparent and real everyone
\nmust be with one another in order to survive. As householders, we often talk<\/i>
\nabout community; the monks live<\/i> it, day in and day out.<\/p>\n
Application:<\/i>
\nCan I be more aware of where my relationships are superficial or
\nguarded? Can I work on cultivating closer, deeper relationships– even
\nwhen it means confronting the minor disagreements and stepping-on-toes
\nthat is inevitable? Can I learn to see those challenges as opportunities
\nto grow in community?
Discovering Simple Joy
<\/b>What do
\nI need to be happy? In my ordinary life, I often conflate my “needs”
\nand my “wants,” and tend to view happiness as being dependent on the
\naccumulation of more and more stuff. Life at the temple was, in many
\nways, a voluntary fasting from this tyranny of things. For ashram
\nresidents, simplicity is a key. The monks live simply,
\nsleeping on a mat on the floor and keeping their few possessions in a
\ntidy locker– one of the senior monks (and a dear friend) jokingly refers
\nto the lockers as “the most coveted real estate in New York City.” And
\nin a deeper sense, they have everything they
\nneed. But the “spartan” lifestyle doesn’t turn them into bitter
\nmisanthropes. Quite the opposite– just about every monk I’ve met has a
\ncertain lightness about him, and seems to radiate joy. I got a blessed
\nglimpse of this during my own stay at the monastery; stripped of a lot
\nof the external trappings, I suddenly found myself discovering happiness
\nand satisfaction in even the (apparently) tiniest of things.<\/p>\n
Application:<\/i> How can I simplify my life? Can I learn to resist
\nthe temptation to pin happiness on the latest gizmo or gadget, and
\ninstead grow to appreciate the joy that is waiting to be discovered all
\naround me? Can I make this type of “fasting” a regular part of my
\npractice?<\/p>\n
***<\/p>\n
All of this is not to say that the monks don’t have their share of
\nchallenges– they do. And I am aware that my weekend at the monastery
\nwas just that– <\/i>a weekend. Like the city slicker who spends a
\ndelightful weekend roughing it in the wilderness, I was grateful for the
\nexperience but relieved to return to the comfort of my own bed on
\nMonday. Still, even as I strive to apply the lessons I learned there, a
\npart of me longs for that simple luxury of a mat on the floor and a
\nlocker to call my own. It is a wealth that I am only beginning to see
\nthe true value of.
<\/b><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Ever wondered what its like to be a monk? Hinduism celebrates both asceticism and pragmatism; enlightenment can be attained, the wise explain, both by renouncing the worldly and (properly) engaging with it. Hindus revere the monk — whether a student (brahmachari) or a master (sannyasi) — for his self-sacrifice, detachment, and singular focus on a…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":207,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9,1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-65","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-a-day-in-the-life","category-hinduism-101"],"yoast_head":"\n