Ashram: A training ground for life

This has been the tradition in many ashrams of India too since very ancient times. In the sannyasa tradition of India this practice played a very important part in a sannyasin's life. It gave him the practical experience of aparigraha or non-possession, which in turn purifies the ego and gives rise to an inner surrender to the will of the divine. Nowadays, however, if a sadhu goes for bhiksha in the village, he will get nothing. When you do not have food for yourself, what can you give to another? This tradition and culture is only possible in a prosperous society where you have plenty to feed yourself so that you can also think of others as well.

I saw that Thai men, women and children all come to these monasteries and spend a few days there, out of their own choice. This has become one of its unwritten traditions, so much so that even the king and queen live in the monasteries for some time to attain a new kind of experience. During their stay each and every person, even if they are from the royal family, followed the routines, disciplines and etiquette of the monastery. They wore unstitched cloth, slept on the floor without a special bed, shaved their heads, moved out for bhiksha like the renunciates, and followed all the other disciplines of that life in act, work and deed. Then when they came to leave they returned with a new and better focus, which gave them the skills needed to excel in life.

This is a most valuable contribution that ashrams have made to society. Just as in the vedic era when the ashrams of Valmiki, Vashishtha and others were visited by people of all classes and all relevant sciences were taught to them according to their needs, in the same way the ashrams today provide a learning ground for children, youth and adults.

In my own life I have realized that all that I learnt at my guru's ashram was what was useful for me in life, not what I learnt in the textbooks in school. To know in which century Ashoka ruled the empire of India had no relevance to my life, but to know how to build a house did. All the crafts I have learnt or skills I have developed, whether it is writing, speaking, managing, administering, organizing, teaching or propagating, have been through my total and complete involvement in the activities and affairs of the ashram.

I learnt to cook and feed others and also to look after the needs of the sick and ailing. I learnt how to assume responsibility for my duties and tasks and how to complete them successfully. I learnt crisis management too. Sometimes we would wake up to find a problem and the whole day would pass trying to solve it. It used to be a challenging experience from which I always learnt a lot.

Once when we had to construct a building and had no water, we decided to dig a canal from high up in the mountains where there was a stream and bring it down to the ashram, which was many kilometres away. For this we made a big tank or reservoir in the ashram and collected the water. When released at the top, the water took a full month to reach the tank - that is how far it was.

There are lessons that each individual has to learn about life so that he can face it squarely. Unfortunately this is not provided in schools or colleges and nor do the parents assume that role or responsibility towards their children. However, this training is crucial for the success or failure of an individual. Even if a child has no academic qualifications, if he has learnt these lessons he will be able to survive in life without difficulty. Because these lessons relate to his capacity to interact with life, to be able to take the correct decisions and formulate the correct ideas about what he should or should not do. Luck and opportunity knock on everyone's door at some time or the other, one should only know how to utilize it.

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