The truth seekers
The wisdom traditions of Asia, particularly the Indian subcontinent, are originators of some of the most interesting and varied models of spiritual seeking. One such model is the sadhu — who is a free-spirited wanderer who sets off, penniless and homeless, on a quest. A sadhu can also be part of an organised monastic system nested within a community that takes care of his needs and provides guidance for serious spiritual practice.
The word sadhu derives from sadhana, which refers to the practice of something with complete dedication and a single-pointed focus. Sadhana is used for spiritual practice though it could be used for intense engagement of any kind, provided it is done with the intention of honing and deepening.
Embedded in the word sadhu is another meaning, of renunciation, sanyas. Literally, sanyas means laying down or letting go. It is an understanding the individual comes to — that the ties that bind him to home, family, community, and in a sense caste and creed, need to be severed in order to become completely free to pursue the sadhana demanded on a spiritual quest.
The act of renunciation is the beginning of a spiritual adventure. The nest of family, home and community that we are born into provides us with a sense of identity, of who we are. These form our natural comfort zones, where we are accepted, held, taken care of. The spiritual quest must begin by learning to look within — understanding the identity that we have built for ourselves, and deconstructing it brick by brick.
Our identity, who we think we are, which includes the body, mind and the ego-personality, is understood in spirituality as being a veil upon our true self. When we can realise that there is an aspect of us that underlies what we usually experience as our personality, which has to do with consciousness rather than the mind-body continuum, we begin to get a glimpse of what this true self might be. Though we may grasp it intellectually, to actually realise it requires a different practice and commitment, which for some might begin with the act of renunciation.
Sanyas is structured towards enabling us to unlearn whatever we have learnt in the course of our lives. It is wiping the slate clean and beginning afresh, this time with a radically different orientation. To engage in the spiritual quest requires us to begin taking off layers of our ego-personality, so to speak, like soiled clothes, to reveal our true nature in its pristine purity. The essential, true nature does not become soiled with the contents of one’s thoughts or personality. It is merely overlaid and hidden. To uncover it is the sadhu’s greatest challenge.
Swati Chopra writes on spirituality and mindful living.
Her most recent book is Women Awakened:
Stories of Contemporary Spirituality in India.
Website: www.swatichopra.com
Post new comment