Chapter 12§
Monastic Life
मठवासिधर्म
IMITLESS IN ITS VISION, THE CIRCLE OF SWĀMĪS, YOGĪS AND SĀDHAKAS, OUR ORDAINED CLERGY, IS THE CORE OF THE CHURCH. THESE YEAR-AFTER-YEAR SERVANTS OF THE DIVINE WORK HARMONIOUSLY TOGETHER IN A HUMBLE, SELF-EFFACING WAY TO FURTHER THE MISSION OF THE PARAMPARĀ, EXEMPLIFYING THE ENLIGHTENMENT OF OUR NANDINĀTHA SAMPRADĀYA. THEY TEACH BY THEIR DARŚANA, THEIR WORDS AND THEIR DAILY DEPORTMENT.§
216 ¶The tenor of our Śaivite monastic order is clearly proclaimed in verse 176 of the Śaivite Śāstras: “Saivism flourished through these years up until now, 1995. We look back and see a bursting forth from within many souls, like tulips burst forth from the soil in a fertile spring and then open in their beauty in their own good time. These Śaivite monastics fulfilled their mission simply by existing. And so the natyam and sādhakas were not compelled to do a lot in the external world, other than fulfill the Śāstras and the Upanishads of each of the four winds. Moderation was a keynote among these dedicated beings. They worked diligently to move their awareness with that of their guru’s, as was the tradition. They did not seek guidance from Deity, deva or saint. This came to them as a natural boon in unseen ways. They asked for help and assistance in their projects during pūjā time from Deity and devas alike, but, as is the tradition, no direct communication was given to them from Deity or devas or saints. This, of course, is traditional, as the purpose is divine realization of the Self, being one with the guru, and not the development of personal psychic developments unless instructed by the guru. The devas and Deity were very careful not to develop this order into an order of individual psychics, which would lead each off the path into the dead-end and morass of ramifications. Therefore, they worked behind the veil, listening intently to the needs and fulfilling in unseen ways.”§
About Devonic Guidance§
217 ¶A legacy of devas from the entire paramparā accompanies our monastic order, providing silent, unseen inner guidance and protection for old and young alike. As long as at least one person within the entire group of maṭhavāsis is going into and coming out of Paraśiva once a day, the doorway to the Third World remains open to the hereditary entourage of devonic forces that has been building up for over two thousand years. This is because the brahmarandhra remains open when Paraśiva is daily experienced within a maṭhavāsi community. It could be within the oldest monk or within the youngest. This great realization occurring time and time again within someone day after day keeps the door of Brahman open for the entire prāṇa chakravāla of monastics, keeping vibrantly strong the inner, actinic connection with all gurus of our paramparā as well as with other sādhus, ṛishis and saints who have reached these same attainments, and with the saptaṛishis themselves who guide our order from deep within the inner lokas.§
Overview of Our Maṭhavāsi Tradition§
218 ¶What is a monk? According to Webster’s Dictionary, a monk is “a man who joins a religious order living in a monastery according to a rule and under vows.” In Śaiva Siddhānta Church there are two categories of ordained monks:§
1. Postulants: These are monks who take vows for two years at a time, the four vows of humility, purity, obedience and confidence. Postulants who meet the qualifications and have expressed a desire to take lifetime vows receive special pre-renunciate training. §
2. Swāmīs: Also known as sannyāsins or renunciates, these are monks who have taken vows for a lifetime, generally after ten or more years of training. They take five vows: the above four plus a vow of poverty.§
Both categories of monks live and work together. Except when traveling, they always reside in one of the Church’s monasteries, meaning Kauai Aadheenam or one of its branches, called dharmaśālas. Monks are unsalaried, and their needs for food, clothing, health care, etc., are provided by the Church. Kauai Aadheenam is a strictly supervised all-male cloister, as is each of its branch monasteries. Monks do not leave the property except for approved activities.§
The Schedule Of Our Monasteries§
219 ¶Like monasteries and priest schools in South India, Kauai Aadheenam and its branch monasteries follow a lunar calendar. The monks follow a strict monastic routine which includes rising at 4:30am to attend a 5:30 to 7:15 Śiva pūjā and Shum meditation, as well as the daily performance of personal spiritual disciplines such as scriptural study and the various yogas, and exercise. Roughly two days out of seven are reserved for religious disciplines, personal care, āśrama upkeep and beautification, study and rest. The monastery “workday” begins at 8:00am and ends at 6:30pm, with a 2-hour break for lunch and rest from 1:00 to 3:00pm. Group meals are served at 7:30am, 1:00 pm and 6:30 pm. Instructive discourses are given at the main meals, as part of the on-going education of all residents. The monks gather for discussion, seminars, religious singing and TV each evening from approximately 7:00 to 9:00. Lights are out at 9:00pm. §
Monastic Duties And Responsibilities§
220 ¶In Śaiva Siddhānta Church, the monks are the full-time clergy and only formal staff. As full-time staff, monks serve in a number of capacities in six major areas:§
Being overcome by the fruits of his action, he enters a good or an evil womb, so that his course is downward or upward, and he wanders around, overcome by the pairs of opposites.§
KṚISHṆA YAJUR VEDA, MAITU 3.2. UPH, 418§
1. TEMPLES: Monks serve as priests in the temples of the Church, conducting the regular daily ceremonies, special festivals and sacraments for individual members. Our traditional liturgy is conducted entirely in Sanskṛit.§
2. MINISTRY AND TEACHING: The monks serve as religious teachers and counselors to the Church’s members and students through telephone contact, correspondence and personal visitations. §
3. RELIGIOUS PUBLICATIONS: Monks serve in the area of publishing as writers, editors, designers and production managers for the Church’s teachings. Through its publications arm, Himālayan Academy Publications, the Church publishes the world’s only international monthly Hindu family magazine, HINDUISM TODAY, with a readership of 250,000. Other publications include philosophical and spiritual textbooks, such as Dancing with Śiva, Living with Śiva and Merging with Śiva, Saivite Hindu Religion, Loving Gaṇeśa, The Holy Bible of the Śaivite Hindu Religion and other books and pamphlets on Hinduism. §
4. ADMINISTRATION: Certain monks serve in the administration offices overseeing the financial, legal and other managerial aspects of the Church’s work in the USA and abroad, including computer database, international franchises of HINDUISM TODAY and publication sales. They also handle the budgets and purchasing needs of the Church’s various missions.§
5. MONASTERY CARE: The monastics are fully responsible for the care of the monastery they live and serve in. There is no permanent hired staff, though workers are occasionally employed for specific projects. Therefore, the monks share duties in such areas as cooking, housekeeping, building maintenance, gardening and harvesting, carpentry, animal husbandry and groundskeeping.§
6. PERSONAL SPIRITUAL DISCIPLINES: Monks live a disciplined life which in addition to their assigned duties includes daily meditation and worship, scriptural study, philosophical discourses and personal yoga practices assigned them by their guru.§
Maṭhavāsis Sustain The Dharma§
221 ¶Monks of every Hindu order are guided and guarded by unseen beings who look after their lives as if they were their own. Families are blessed who share in and support the renunciation of their sons born through them to perform a greater dharma than the gṛihastha life could ever offer. It is the monastic communities worldwide, of all religions, that sustain sanity on this planet. It is the monks living up to their vows who sustain the vibration of law and order in the communities and nations of the world. This is how the devonic world sees each monastic community worldwide. This is how it is and should always be. This is how humanity balances out its experiential karmas and avoids destroying itself as it passes through the darkness of the Kali Yuga. The monastic communities that surround the planet, fulfilling their dharma, compensate for the adharma that is so prevalent, thus ensuring that humanity does not self-destruct in these trying times. We must for the sake of clarity state here that monastic communities are either strictly male or strictly female. Coed mixed-group āśramas are not monastic communities, but classed traditionally as communes.§
Monks Are In the Fourth Stage of Life§
222 ¶Men who renounce the world at a young age and become sādhakas of our fellowship proceed directly from the brahmacharya stage to that of renunciation, the sannyāsa āśrama, by-passing the family duties and responsibilities of the gṛihastha and vāṇaprastha āśramas. Such potential sannyāsins are, however, watched closely and expected to disassociate themselves from gṛihastha impulses such as claiming “my things, my space, my career, my advancement and my exclusive duties.” They are examined for the qualities of true sannyāsa, tested often as to their flexibility, their ability to instantly renounce attachment to position and job security without residual resentments, the fluidness to release awareness and move transparently from one area to the next as needs arise.§
Monastic Attitudes And Ideals§
223 ¶The Holy Orders of Sannyāsa introduces monastic life in the following passages: “The two fundamental objectives of sannyāsa are to promote the spiritual progress of the individual, bringing him into God Realization, and to protect and perpetuate the religion. Renunciation and asceticism have been an integral component of Hindu culture from the earliest days, the most highly esteemed path of the Sanātana Dharma. Sannyāsa life has both an individual and a universal objective. At the individual level, it is a life of selflessness in which the sannyāsin has made the supreme sacrifice of renouncing all personal ambition, all involvement in worldly matters, that he might direct his consciousness and energies fully toward God Śiva. Guided by the satguru along the sādhana mārga, he unfolds through the years into deeper and deeper realizations. Ultimately, if he persists, he comes into direct knowing of Paraśiva, transcendent Reality. At the universal level, the sannyāsins foster the entire religion by preserving the truths of the Sanātana Dharma. Competent swāmīs are the teachers, the theologians, the exemplars of their faith, the torchbearers lighting the way for all. Paramaguru Sage Yogaswāmī sang: ‘Hail, O sannyāsin, thou who know’st no guile! Establish in thy heart and worship there the Taintless One—Pañchākshara’s inmost core. Thou that regard’st all others as thyself—who in this world can be compared with thee?’ ”§
Behold the universe in the glory of God: and all that lives and moves on earth. Leaving the transient, find joy in the Eternal. Set not your heart on another’s possession.§
ŚUKLA YAJUR VEDA, ISAU 1. UPM, 49§
About Our Śaiva Swāmī Saṅgam§
224 ¶The Śaiva swāmīs (or Nātha swāmīs) are distinguished by their orange robes, gold Nātha earrings and three strands of rudrāksha beads. They are the Śaiva Siddhānta Yoga Order, known as the Śaiva Swāmī Saṅgam when they gather in ecclesiastical conclave. This saṅgam is a religious assembly and a priesthood. As is traditional, it convenes before the Pīṭham, at Kauai Aadheenam or a branch monastery, at the behest of the Guru Mahāsannidhānam, in small groups, large groups, or as the total group of all swāmīs of the saṅgam. Such gatherings are held whenever the guru wishes to give instructions, state his expectations, share his visions of the future, shower praise or make individual or group corrections. There is no saṅgam gathering but in the presence of the Guru Mahāsannidhānam, with all seated in chakravāla in order of brahmacharya age. §
Protocol For Saṅgam Gatherings§
225 ¶The saṅgam does not follow the protocol of unanimous decision. Rather, it works in intuitive one-mindedness to carry out instructions from the Pīṭham to better the Śaivite mission and the individuals dedicated to its success. The saṅgam may also gather with the guru to hear his bhāshyas on implementing the guidelines of this śāstra and the scriptures mentioned herein, at the current point in time, to guide the swāmīs in the fulfillment of their responsibilities, and to strengthen their quest for the ultimate goal of Self Realization time and time again to sustain their individual and collective ministry. Emphases may change as times and conditions in the world change, and though the teachings themselves remain eternal, the manner of their implementation, and the stress placed on this or on that aspect, is and always will be adapted according to the guru’s wisdom. The Śaiva Swāmī Saṅgam may also convene to share in high-minded discussion on points of philosophy that might resolve differences of perspectives among the maṭhavāsis, the kulapati missionaries or among any group within our large, worldwide congregation. §
Ours Is a Cenobitic Tradition§
226 ¶These sannyāsins are not looked upon as individuals so much as an integrated council, assembled and working in unison to perform a holy work as Śivanadiyar, servants of God Śiva. Guided by the Pīṭham, the Śaiva Swāmī Saṅgam forms the ecclesiastical body of the Church which works in a humble way to protect the purity of the faith among all Hindu sects, through inspiring publications and other means of encouragement. Our monastic order follows the cenobitic pattern in which monastics live in community and work together toward common objectives. Sannyāsins of this order are not wandering sādhus or silent contemplatives, known as anchorites, rather they are members of a brotherhood working closely and industriously with their satguru and with their brother monastics. At the time of sannyāsa dīkshā, each has accepted the mission of the Kailāsa Paramparā as his own: to protect and perpetuate Śaivism; to serve Hindus the world over; to provide, teach and disseminate scripture, religious literature and practical instruction; to promote temple construction and to exemplify the dignity and enlightenment of our Nandinātha Sampradāya. Living under lifetime vows of renunciation, humility, purity, confidence and obedience, these sannyāsins are bound to fulfill their unique role in the Śaiva culture of religious exemplars and staunch defenders of the faith. Their ideal is to balance outward service (Śivathondu) and inward contemplation-realization (Śivajñāna) for a rich, fulfilling and useful life.§
The Śaiva Yogīs and Sādhakas§
227 ¶There are two other groups of monks within our monasteries: the yogī tapasvins and the sādhakas. Both are postulants living under renewable two-year vows of humility, purity, confidence and obedience. They are both preparing for holy orders of sannyāsa. The yogīs wear yellow robes, one to two strands of rudrāksha beads and carry a wooden staff, or daṇḍa—symbolic of the training and tapas they have undertaken to purify their outer nature. The sādhakas dress in white robes. Junior sādhakas wear a sandalwood mālā, and seniors wear a single strand of rudrāksha beads. The yogīs and sādhakas, like the swāmīs, serve at Kauai Aadheenam or at branch monasteries under the direction of the Guru Mahāsannidhānam, the āchāryas and the senior swāmīs. Ordination as a postulant sādhaka, Hindu minister, is consecrated at the taking of the sacred Postulant vows. The training required before Postulant ordination is two or more years, depending on the individual. §
Maṭhavāsi Chakravāla Seating Order§
228 ¶Within our monasteries there are eight or more groups of monks, resident guests and guests, distinguished by unique vestments indicating levels of initiation and attainment. When sitting among other groups in a chakravāla, the seating order is as follows. First are the Śaiva swāmīs, seated according to brahmacharya age. Second are the nirvāṇa sādhakas, seated according to monastic age. Third are the natyam, seated according to monastic age. Fourth are the young sādhakas, also seated according to monastic age. Fifth are the yogis, all of whom are six monastic years of age, seated according to physical age. Sixth come the supplicants, seated according to physical age, then aspirants, seated according to physical age. Seventh are the upakurvāṇas, seated among themselves according to physical age. Eighth are any gṛihāstha guests who may be present in the circle, seated according to Church seniority age. §
That which appears as cold or as hot, fresh or spoiled, good fortune and bad, love and hate, effort and laziness, the exalted and the depraved, the rich and the poor, the well-founded and the ill-founded, all this is God Himself; none other than Him can we know.§
AJITA AG 2.10–2.13. MA, 94§
Our Śāstric Pattern for Nuns§
229 ¶Our Śaivite Śāstras outlined a pattern for a brahmachāriṇī āśrama within our Church. Here is a central passage, from verses 196–197: “Brahmachāriṇī followed exactly the same pattern in an āśrama that was never entered by a man. (The naishtika brahmācharis alone were allowed within the brahmachāriṇī āśrama for special pūjā and holy sanctification of the day.) They wore white and were totally self-sufficient and not connected in any way to the monasteries of the men, nor did they have a temple within the āśrama, but only sacred shrines.” In the early years of the fellowship, the Saravaṇabhava Āśrama existed in a secluded area on the Hawaiian island of Maui. Women there lived a simple life of devotion, and silent, selfless religious service. I disbanded the āśrama, however, in the mid 1970s because of the departure of the senior naishtika brahmachāriṇī, whose presence was essential to the āśrama’s existence. To this day such an āśrama has never reformed due to the absence of a similarly qualified naishtika nun. Now and into the future, all single women seeking to live this life of dedication under vows of celibacy in an āśrama are being directed to seek entrance to existing āśramas established by well-respected Indian women gurus. With blessings, their loyalties can be transferred completely to the new preceptor. The Church itself will not be forming brahmachāriṇī āśramas in the future. §
Protocol Of Monks On Mission§
230 ¶All spiritual guidance for monks on mission comes from the Pīṭham and the āchāryas and swāmīs. Maṭhavāsis serving in a dharmaśāla or other facility are even more strict with themselves than at the Aadheenam. They continue their personal sādhana and their tapas with added fervor and dedication. They uplift the community by seva and darśana. I have protected the security of all the maṭhavāsis through the traditional rule of sūtra 350: “My Śaiva monastics, whether in or outside the monastery, perform ministry only in pairs. They never travel alone. Exceptions are made in dire emergencies and for those on the nirvāṇa sādhaka path. Aum Namaḥ Śivāya.” We call the “second monk” sahayatin in Sanskṛit, and salingba in Shum. Our Śaivite Śāstras explain the wisdom of this flow within verses 169-171, “They moved freely here and there and everywhere, but when on a mission that lasted over nine days they always traveled in twos. Only in this way were they able to preserve and pull through the śakti from their monasteries.…Traveling with another Śaivite monastic held the force between their two inner states of awareness, as each had to be the fine example for the other.” Further guidelines for monastic travel, including accommodations, gifts and food, are given in sūtras 346-349. §
Clarification On Traveling Incognito§
231 ¶Incognito means no one knows who you are, where you are from, what is your past, your mission or your future. It means remaining invisible and anonymous. For our maṭhavāsis, traveling incognito also means avoiding contact with individuals or organizations who are friends of the Church. It means not teaching or giving public talks. It means passing through without being noticed. It means not initiating conversation with the person in the next seat. It means not giving out religious literature, but reading scripture and performing japa on one’s beads. It means not drawing attention to oneself in any way. This is the sādhana. To do otherwise is to set patterns in the ākāśa unacceptable to all three worlds. §
Objectives Of Monks On Mission §
232 ¶There are many reasons that monastics are sent to serve in dharmaśālas or to travel, two or more, through the holy lands, furthering the mission of the satguru: §
1. to uplift and serve the community through personal darśana as a result of sādhana well performed; §
2. to attend to intricate translations and/or research of specific areas of knowledge for future publications; §
3. to strengthen the distribution of our publications and implement plans for editing, translation and art work by especially talented individuals; §
4. to perform religious ceremonies, festivals, sacraments and archanas; §
5. to represent Hinduism and speak of its ideals at important national or international conferences, relating with spiritual leaders, parliamentarians, intellectuals and scientists; §
Loose me from my sin as from a bond that binds me. May my life swell the stream of your river of Right.§
ṚIG VEDA 2.28.5. VE, 514§
6. to perform the courtesies of calling on religious leaders of all faiths; §
7. to make courtesy calls on political dignitaries; §
8. to provide, teach and disseminate scripture, religious literature and practical instruction to all who are receptive; §
9. to mix with the hundreds of thousands of sādhus and sannyāsins who are their spiritual brothers;§
10. to wander homeless, as did their unpossessive predecessors, in righteous fulfillment of decades of work well performed, missions well accomplished, efforts fulfilled, both inner and outer; §
11. to compensate for difficult astrological periods when it may be wise to set aside normal service and await a more auspicious time of one’s life; §
12. a personal break for rest from physical ailment, age or disabilities; §
13. visa restrictions.§
About the Following Chapter§
233 ¶A passage from verse 53 of the Śaivite Śāstras comes to life in looking forward to the following chapter, “The śakti was strong and fulfilled its purpose. The dalingm [families] began to send their sons to the monastery well trained, as well as assume their position in training young men of other families.” In the next chapter, monastic training is carefully outlined.§
Let him approach with humility a guru who is learned in the scriptures and established in Brahman. To such a seeker, whose mind is tranquil and senses controlled, and who has approached him in the proper manner, let the learned guru impart the science of Brahman, through which the true, Imperishable Being is realized.§
Atharva Veda, MundU 1.2.12–13. EH, 157§
Having transcended the desire for sons, the desire for wealth, the desire for worlds, they go about as mendicants. For the desire for sons is the desire for wealth, and the desire for wealth is the desire for worlds. All these are nothing but desires. He, the ātman, is not this, not this. §
Śukla Yajur Veda, BṛihadU 4.4.22. VE, 717§
The scriptures exalt above every other good the greatness of virtuous renunciates. Those who renounce totally reach the highest peak; the rest remain enamored in delusion’s net.§
Tirukural 21, 348. TW§