Living in an Ashram

Dandi Ashram - Sunrise

 

Living in an Ashram

We are always curious to know what it means to live in an ashram – specially the newcomers – it is important that they understand the importance of living in an ashram for their own spiritual growth.

What is the purpose of living in an ashram? Why does one move into an ashram space like any of our Samarpan ashrams, which is essentially for the spiritual process? What is the ingredient which makes it into that kind of a place? What is the significance and why be in such a place?

These are all spiritual places because the necessary energy has been invested in these places. Dandi ashram has the most phenomenal energy, because of the number of anushthans which have taken place over there. Kutch, Goa, Saurashtra, Ajmer, Mahudi, Bangalore and now Nagpur – all these places have a different kind of energy. The moment we enter inside the ashram we are washed with a cleansing energy; we feel the peace and serenity inside. Our mind suddenly becomes calm and quiet – why does all this happen? We should question ourselves while meditating in the Shree Guru Shakti Dham and try to get the answers from within. Each of us may get a different answer, depending on the state one is at that moment.

To be in the ashram means to be under the umbrella of this energy. What is the purpose of an energy like this when it is driving many people totally insane? We stay here, we can’t be here. If we leave this place, we cannot be anywhere else because the purpose of this energy is not to let us settle down.

The idea of creating an umbrella of this energy is to put our life on fast-forward track. People on the spiritual path are people of unquenchable discontent. It is being propagated that spirituality means contentment. Contentment means we are content with what we have. A spiritual person is one who is unwilling to settle for anything less than the Ultimate. If such a person is miserably discontent, he becomes ugly. If he is joyfully discontent, he is dynamic. Such a person has an evolving possibility all the time. Such a person won’t stay in one place. It doesn’t matter how much comfort it offers; he will not stay. It is a longing not to stop, not to find a nest of comfort, not to end up in a nook that is comfortable, but to get onto the boiling main stream and go.

When we start our spiritual practice everything starts happening, our past karmas start getting burnt in a fast-paced manner – it gets us into thinking – is this for me? Some people get disheartened and give up. Our joys, our miseries suddenly start sprouting and depending on our current state we become miserable our insanely joyous. Once we pass that phase, our karmas get extinguished and we start living life in the moment.

The ashram is a place which helps us live through this turmoil in its benevolent energy. Once we are at peace with ourselves, then we carry our ashram wherever we go. That is the ultimate goal – become your own ashram, carry that inner peace with you wherever you go.