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A Monastery is not an ashram. In
a monastery there is hierarchy; there is order; there are rules, regulations,
and how much work each person has to do.
In an ashram, there are no man-made rules and regulations. No one measures how
much another does. There is chaos, outwardly. There is no equality on terms of
responsibility or duties in an ashram; but there is uniqueness. Each person in
an ashram does what he or she is best suited for.
In an ashram, an inmate does not work out of
fear, greed, motivation or necessity. An ashramite, a resident of an ashram,
works out of gratitude. Once people start measuring what they are doing and
what others are doing in comparison, you create a political organisation, not
a spiritual organisation.
People mostly work out of fear and greed; all
organisations control people out of fear and greed. A few graduate out of fear
and greed and then get caught in the need for attention, or jealousy and
comparison to prove that they are some way superior to others.
Even those who shed all these negativities
retain their ego, need for an identity. When all these are shed, one moves up
in surrender, working out of sheer gratitude.
A cook in a monastery cooked in the monastery
for thirty years. He never bothered to be around the master, rarely attended
the master's discourses. When it was time for the master to leave the planet
earth, he called every one to announce who would be the next heir to his seat
in that monastery.
All of them were expecting one of the disciples
very close to the master would succeed him as the master. The master, however,
appointed the cook as his successor. He said to his disciples, you have been
listening to my discourses all these years, but this cook just lived my
teachings. Just with these words, the master made the cook enlightened and
capable of being his true successor.
People are not equal. Each one comes with one's
Karma and with different attitude. As long as the Master is around. He will
take care of every thing. When Master is not there, the whole thing will
become dharma, set procedures. When the Master is there everything will become
moksha, liberation. That is the difference between dharma and moksha. Work for
moksha. That is the difference between an ashram and a monastery. |
