Who can be a monk?
The choice to become a monk comes from a deep spiritual longing. Scriptural study, practice, and service are the full-time focus.
We live by specific moral and ethical guidelines—laid down by Sri Ramakrishna himself and articulated by Swami Vivekananda. Turning away from craving and greed, we commit to a simple life and high thinking. Celibacy forms the core of the discipline.
The life of a monk is one of self-discipline. By voluntarily adapting the guidelines to pacify body, speech, and mind, we create peace in a chaotic world.
There are certain requirements to be a monk in the Ramakrishna Order. They are:-
- must be under 32 years of age. The reason for this age limit is that the rigors of community life necessitate a younger person who is more likely to be able to adjust physically and psychologically.
- have an educational qualification of a university degree or equivalent.
- be reasonably healthy as certified by a medical physical examination.
- be free of any debts.
- must abstain from alcohol and drugs.
- must renounce his family and prepared to give up the job one is doing.
- Be able to follow the discipline of obedience to seniors and readiness to practice all the 4 Yogas as depicted by Swami Vivekananda either singly or totally according to the circumstances he is placed in.
The Goal of Monasticism in the Ramakrishna Order
The goal of human life, according to Vedanta, is to realize that, beyond the physical and mental aspects of our life, there is a divine reality, God, as the unchanging, ever blissful spiritual center of our being and who is also at the heart of everything that exists. In order to attain this realization, the various yogas provide different forms of spiritual practice available to everyone, whatever their path in life, to help them toward this goal, while at the same time enabling them to fulfill their obligations and commitments in society.
The decision to enter the monastic life is not one to be taken lightly. It is not an easy lifestyle. It takes determination, perseverance, and patience with oneself and with others. The experience of community living has been compared to stones rolling around against each other in a rotating drum. You end up being well polished!
The primary motivation for choosing monastic life should not be to escape something or avoid something unpleasant. Rather, the aim should be to move into an atmosphere where we try to direct all thought and all action toward the highest spiritual goal, the realization of God. And it is not a path to avoid being busy.
Work itself, done in a dedicated and selfless manner, becomes one of the monastic disciplines. In addition one must learn to meditate and to study on a regular basis. The main discipline is, though fully busy, to shift our center of interest from that which is impermanent, external and constantly changing to the inner divine reality which never changes.
Stages of Monastic Life
There are several stages of monastic life.
- Probation:- Initially there is a pre-probationary period which may last from three to five years. During this period the Vedanta Centre provides room and board and facilities for scriptural study and practicing spiritual disciplines in exchange for the work the candidate provides for the Centre.
- When the Swami-in-charge of the center feels that the candidate is ready, he may be sent to our headquarters in India (Belur Math) for a training lasting from two to three years. After this, the candidate will be invested with the first vows of Brahmacharya (purity of life and renunciation).
- After a minimum of three or four years of the life of Brahmacharya, the candidate, with the approval of the Swami-in-charge, may be considered eligible for the vows of Sannyasa (final renunciation). after completing a minimum of 9 years, he will get the vows of a Sannayasin. He will get a new name with the prefix “Swami”
The primary motivation for choosing monastic life should not be to escape something or avoid something unpleasant. Rather, the aim should be to move into an atmosphere where we try to direct all thought and all action toward the highest spiritual goal, the realization of God. And it is not a path to avoid being busy.
Work itself, done in a dedicated and selfless manner, becomes one of the monastic disciplines. In addition one must learn to meditate and to study on a regular basis. The main discipline is, though fully busy, to shift our center of interest from that which is impermanent, external and constantly changing to the inner divine reality which never changes.
Ultimately, like everything else, you will get out of the monastic life what you put into it. Those who are successful are those who can give up the more immediate but fleeting pleasures of ordinary life to work wholeheartedly toward the ultimate goal of human existence, God- or Self-realization. The outside world is fraught with many distractions and gives less support to one’s spiritual practice than monastic life. Living in a convent or monastery, one is constantly reminded of the divine nature within and the spiritual ideal everywhere.