Vānaprastha Adventure

The Vānaprastha Adventure, Installment 31 A devotee who is earning well may think that earning money and contributing to ISKCON represents a higher path than retiring. In this way, he thinks, his life as a householder is more favorable for devotional service. Fair enough. And one may continue this way for some time. But one should carefully weigh the value of the service one is able to render against the advisability of timely retiring. Just as one may think, “How will my wife live without me?” one may think, “How will these projects go on if I don’t give them money?” But one … [Read more...] about Obstacles to accepting the vānaprastha āśrama: #7. Service to ISKCON

The Vānaprastha Adventure, Installment 32 Especially in ISKCON’s early years, many devotees put off marriage till later than thirty or forty. So although those devotees are now past fifty, they have young children. And, more recently, devotees who joined ISKCON after pursuing advanced degrees and building a career before marriage may similarly find themselves near fifty or past it but still have young children. Down the road in ISKCON’s history, our passage through the different āśramas may be more in sync with the varṇāśrama ideal. But that we’ve entered the gṛhastha āśrama late … [Read more...] about Obstacles to accepting the vānaprastha āśrama: #8. Late starts

The Vānaprastha Adventure, Installment 33 Misgivings about boredom We might think, “Maybe some devotees can chant and hear and read all day. But I can’t. So if I became a vānaprastha, what would I do all day? I would be bored.” But although the vānaprastha āśrama affords an opportunity to do more hearing, chanting, and reading, for a vānaprastha these are not the only engagements. We see that Śrīla Prabhupāda, even as a sannyāsī, undertook a full range of active engagements—preaching, writing, raising funds, publishing, building temples, worshiping the Deities, developing projects, … [Read more...] about Obstacles to accepting the vānaprastha āśrama: #9 and #10. Boredom and invalidity

The Vānaprastha Adventure, Installment 34 What about my health? Medical emergencies? Where will I live? Who will take care of me? The joint-family system is broken. We have no children, or our children won’t be able or willing to take care of us. ISKCON won’t do anything for me. What do we do? Such are the questions that come up again and again. How shall we answer them? As I’ve mentioned before, one should earlier plan one’s life in such a way that, as far as possible, some arrangement will be in place. And our Society’s culture should develop in such a way that sons will feel … [Read more...] about Obstacles to accepting the vānaprastha āśrama:#11. Fear of the unknown (insecurity)

The Vānaprastha Adventure, Installment 35 Sometimes we know we ought to move forward and we want to but we don’t know how. The path ahead seems hazy, even murky. For brahmacārī life, gṛhastha life, or sannyāsa there’s a fairly clear pattern: step 1, step 2. . . But for vānaprastha life, what are the steps? What am I supposed to do? And where do I even begin? This book is meant to help answer such questions. And as more and more devotees take to vānaprastha life, we’ll have their examples to follow and their experience upon which to draw. Meanwhile, and above all, we have the … [Read more...] about Obstacles to accepting the vānaprastha āśrama: #12. Lack of a clear path forward

The Vānaprastha Adventure, Installment 37 Vānaprastha life ends either with sannyāsa or with death. When one is free from attachment, especially to sex, one can accept sannyāsa.1 By accepting sannyāsa we can follow in the footsteps of Śrīla Prabhupāda and previous ācāryas, fix ourselves firmly in devotional service to the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa, and with determination cross beyond the insurmountable ocean of material nescience.2 And sannyāsa especially serves as a platform for increased preaching.3 Accepting sannyāsa Traditionally, one might take sannyāsa all of a sudden, as did … [Read more...] about The end of vānaprastha life

The Vānaprastha Adventure, Installment 38 The items listed here have been discussed in some detail earlier in the book. (In The Vānaprastha Adventure they appear as Appendix 1.) For the most part the items are listed in no particular order, and some may also overlap. Go through the list and start adopting items, as you may choose. The pre-vānaprastha checklist (Mainly items to adopt long before entering vānaparastha life) The vānaprastha checklist 1) No-risk steps Mental steps Practical steps Up the sādhana Up the sādhu-saṅga Up the sevā 2) … [Read more...] about The vānaprastha and pre-vānaprastha checklists