Monks and the Monasteries

There are a number of Institutions like the Ramakrishna Mission, ISCKON, Buddhist monasteries, Jain monasteries, and thousands of mathas of each and every religion. Most of these people start with simple white cloth for dress and many take to saffron cloth. At least, some do not know why they should have a dress code;however, it is a must. They also wear Rudrakshi and other beads. Some carry out very tedious rituals regularly and follow strict discipline. Some take to study of scriptures and practice rituals as per their tradition. They go on lecture tours and spread awareness of the religious faiths and belief systems. In fact, it is extremely difficult to say anything about monks and the monasteries. It is also not easy to take to asceticism, monk-hood, or the sanyasa. Very few are ordained by divine proddence to take to sanyas. We all have stages in life like childhood, adolescence and youth, married or grihasta and finally vanaprastha (not literally going to forest, but sitting lonely till death calls?). Some people remain single due to family situation (where responsibility after loss of parents) or jilted lover, or may be some reason or the other. This should not be mistaken for sanyas. Sanyas is renunciation. This is not easy unless it is a carry-over of a person's karma. sa(u)m nyasa is total renunciation. Sat nyasa is the right path. Snayasa is taking to saffron-clad lonely life dwelling near God in temple or ashram. Some people cannot overcome their sensuousness and fall prey to worldly life and leave it. Some continue sensuous life even after they get into sanyas and this is dangerous. People who have led a a very fruitful life, happy and contented taking to renunciation in old age is the true sanyas. Others who enter sanyas at young age may or may not succeed in maintaining true sanyas. True sanyas needs nothing but loneliness, joy and happy state of mind obtained not from external objects, but from the fountain of elixir from the soul. This requires atmajnyan, Self-Realaization, Atma sakshatkara. A true sanyasin is one who is simple, true to his self, and unassuming and beyond all religious faiths and belief systems. One has to transcend time, space, causality and all gunas to become a true sanyasi. That's it. Om tat sat iti.