Moral Disciplines (ritual, celibacy, choice, creation, mission)

[celina]

The Swaminarayan Sampraday is well-known for its purity and ability to uphold strict spiritual disciplines. These disciplines are not simply confined to its scriptures, but followed by its devotees, right down to the youngest child. The disciplines protect and spiritually nourish the lives of people in this progressive and permissive world.



Disciplines for Sadhus

Every Swaminarayan sadhu has the ideals of panch vartman to observe the five vows by thought, word and deed.
1. Nishkam (Non-lust)
Lifelong celibacy. Not to marry. Not to keep any contact with females. Not to physically touch, write or talk to, intentionally look at, or even think of women. To overcome all objects and desires that are sexual.

2. Nirlobh (Non-greed)
Not to possess or have any desire for possessions. Not to physically touch money, or ask anyone to hoard money on one's behalf. Not to own property nor pine for any type of worldly objects.

3. Nisneh (Non-attachment)
Not to become attached to any place or person. To give up all family ties. Not to meet, talk or write to family members. To look upon all with an equal eye.

4. Niswad (Non-taste) Not to indulge in food for the sake of taste or have special preferences. To mix all food items in a wooden bowl and add water before eating.

5. Nirman (Non-ego)
Not to be egotistic. To overcome 'I'-ness. To become humble and remain a servant of one and all. To respect all and bless those who bruise, honor those who hurt and pray for those who persecute.




Disciplines for Householders
All Swaminarayan devotees are initiated into the Sampraday with the Vartman ceremony, wherein he or she takes an oath to abide by spiritual disciplines. All past actions are forgiven in the presence of God and the chance to begin a new, spiritual life is provided.

The Ekadash Niyams - the eleven disciplines are:

1. No Violence
Not to abuse, hurt or kill anyone, not even an insect.

2. No Adultery
Not to commit adultery, or excessively associate oneself with the opposite sex.

3. No Meat
Not to eat meat or take even medicines derived from meat.

4. No Alcohol
Not to consume alcoholic drinks or take even medicines mixed with alcohol.

5. No Suppression
Not to suppress or take advantage of widows or other helpless people.

6. No Suicide
Not to commit or even contemplate suicide.

7. No Theft
Not to steal, nor even pick a flower without the owner’s permission.

8. No Slander
Not to slander or blacken the character and lives of others.

9. No Vilification
Not to vilify other deities or religions. To respect all faiths.

10. No Impurity
Not to take food which is impure, not prepared with filtered water or prepared by unknown hands.

11. No Atheistic-association
Not to keep the company of atheists or lend one's ears to lectures given by non-believers.


Note: All Swaminarayan devotees also avoid the intake of onions and garlic in any form.

[Seyorni]

Sounds very fundamentalist.

Did the compiler of this list give any thoughts to female Sadhus? Are they to eschew feminine contact as well, and associate only with men?

[Hema]

Originally Posted by Seyorni

Did the compiler of this list give any thoughts to female Sadhus? Are they to eschew feminine contact as well, and associate only with men?

I was thinking the same thing.

So these men live in isolation away from women then? So do the women live in isolation away from men?

Hinduism allows for Dharma, Artha, Kama and Moksha. Hinduism allows us to work for money, to have nice things and lead a comfotable life, but we must not be attached to these things as they are only temporary. We leave them when we die.

Also, living a Sanyasi life doesn't mean that we have to literally leave our families. We should make God our number one priority at all times.

If people choose to live a Brahmacharya's life, that is their choice. If everyone did that there would be no babies. Sex to me is part of life, love and creation. However, I can see how a Brahmacharya's life results in less attachment.

[mahesh]

Yes the Swaminarayan Sampraday initiates female Sanyasis as Sankhyogi ladies. Swaminarayan Bhagwan established this. The Acharya Patni initiates the females with a mantra.

[Ozzie]

Originally Posted by celina

The Swaminarayan Sampraday is well-known for its purity and ability to uphold strict spiritual disciplines. These disciplines are not simply confined to its scriptures, but followed by its devotees, right down to the youngest child. The disciplines protect and spiritually nourish the lives of people in this progressive and permissive world.



Disciplines for Sadhus

Every Swaminarayan sadhu has the ideals of panch vartman to observe the five vows by thought, word and deed.
1. Nishkam (Non-lust)
Lifelong celibacy. Not to marry. Not to keep any contact with females. Not to physically touch, write or talk to, intentionally look at, or even think of women. To overcome all objects and desires that are sexual.

2. Nirlobh (Non-greed)
Not to possess or have any desire for possessions. Not to physically touch money, or ask anyone to hoard money on one's behalf. Not to own property nor pine for any type of worldly objects.

3. Nisneh (Non-attachment)
Not to become attached to any place or person. To give up all family ties. Not to meet, talk or write to family members. To look upon all with an equal eye.

4. Niswad (Non-taste) Not to indulge in food for the sake of taste or have special preferences. To mix all food items in a wooden bowl and add water before eating.

5. Nirman (Non-ego)
Not to be egotistic. To overcome 'I'-ness. To become humble and remain a servant of one and all. To respect all and bless those who bruise, honor those who hurt and pray for those who persecute.




Disciplines for Householders
All Swaminarayan devotees are initiated into the Sampraday with the Vartman ceremony, wherein he or she takes an oath to abide by spiritual disciplines. All past actions are forgiven in the presence of God and the chance to begin a new, spiritual life is provided.

The Ekadash Niyams - the eleven disciplines are:

1. No Violence
Not to abuse, hurt or kill anyone, not even an insect.

2. No Adultery
Not to commit adultery, or excessively associate oneself with the opposite sex.

3. No Meat
Not to eat meat or take even medicines derived from meat.

4. No Alcohol
Not to consume alcoholic drinks or take even medicines mixed with alcohol.

5. No Suppression
Not to suppress or take advantage of widows or other helpless people.

6. No Suicide
Not to commit or even contemplate suicide.

7. No Theft
Not to steal, nor even pick a flower without the owner’s permission.

8. No Slander
Not to slander or blacken the character and lives of others.

9. No Vilification
Not to vilify other deities or religions. To respect all faiths.

10. No Impurity
Not to take food which is impure, not prepared with filtered water or prepared by unknown hands.

11. No Atheistic-association
Not to keep the company of atheists or lend one's ears to lectures given by non-believers.


Note: All Swaminarayan devotees also avoid the intake of onions and garlic in any form.

Why is the discipline for householders more rigorous than that for saddhus? By more rigorous I mean more specific.

Householders have a recipe for good discipline. Saddhus are permitted to interpret.

Or is that the object of the saddhu journey. To find the metaphorical right path themselves?

[michaelm]

There is a danger in being as attached to rules as to other things. I prefer the Buddhist teachings based on precepts...you choose which ones you want to follow, when you feel you are ready and interpret them as strictly or loosely as you feel is suitable.
This encourages people to 'progress' at a sensible pace, and places them in control and responsibility.

As many teachers have said, it is not necesary to become a renunciant. As Ramana Mahashi often said to those who said they wanted to renounce, 'Why go to a forest to learn who you are? If oyu can do that in a forest, you can do it at home. If you cant do it at home you cant do it in a forest, because wherever you go, it will be your mind and ego being the obstacle to Self Realisation.'

[Hema]

Originally Posted by michaelm

As Ramana Mahashi often said to those who said they wanted to renounce, 'Why go to a forest to learn who you are? If oyu can do that in a forest, you can do it at home. If you cant do it at home you cant do it in a forest, because wherever you go, it will be your mind and ego being the obstacle to Self Realisation.'

Excellent quote! Frubals!

[Ozzie]

[quote]

Originally Posted by michaelm

If you cant do it at home you cant do it in a forest, because wherever you go, it will be your mind and ego being the obstacle to Self Realisation.

That is true but....it ignores the role of environment completely.

It is very difficult to uproot and seek a complete change of context in a crisis of mind and ego preventing self-realisation.

But for many of the people at least some of the time, self-realisation (however you define it ) cannot be attained without a change of context.

If reinforcement and conditioning were entirely internal processes, things might be otherwise.

[mahesh]

Yeah i agree. No one is saying go to the forest in Kaliyug but at the end of the day its about cleaning your enemies and following Dharm in the best manner prescribed by God in the Kaliyug.

[michaelm]

Very few people are ready to be renunciants. When people are encouraged or exhorted to renounce something before they are ready it has the opposite effect. You 'renounce' chocolate before oyu are ready to, and what happens? You dream about chocolate, you have chocolate awareness in your meditation, you dream about chocolate.
Renunciation is within not without. It is a process. A person will only be successful if they take the path at a reasonable and manageable pace. Why do you think there are so many sex scandals amongst priests? Because they attempted to stop themselves doing something before they were ready and able.

As all the great sages and texts say, be in the world but not of it. Renunciation can be done whilst still very much a part of the world. the Gita, no less especially stresses that you 'renounce the fruits of your actions'...note the FRUITS of your actions, not the actions themselves.

Eventually, for a very small minority, it may be appropriate to become an ascetic, renunciant monk, but only when ready, willing and able, otherwise it will do more harm than good.