A Monk with a Key

Sanjeev Kumar Nath

A monk or a nun willingly renounces wealth, power, position, etc., to live a life of quiet contemplation and spiritual sadhana. This is true across different religious traditions of the world.

Spirituality and asceticism go hand in hand. The asceticism of spiritual aspirants is even highlighted in jokes at times. The joke may have been made to make fun of the poor ascetic, but nevertheless it may show his indifference to accumulation of wealth and other possessions.

For instance, there is the story of a spiritual aspirant who lived alone in a small house. When he went out of his house, he just kept all doors and windows open, but when he stayed indoors, he would fasten all the doors and windows. Observing this strange behaviour, someone asked him why he chose to leave doors and windows open when he went outside and close them when he was inside.

“That is what prince Siddhartha realized when, after leaving his family and palace, he had joined a group of medicants who practised intense asceticism. Torturing the body by denying even the bare necessities did not help his attain equipoise of mind, so he abandoned harsh asceticism and embraced what is called the golden mean which avoids excesses.”

“Oh,” he replied, “There is nothing valuable in my house, nothing that thieves would care for. So, I leave it open when I go out.”

“But when you are inside, you close it. Why?”

“Because I am the only valuable thing in this house; that’s why.”

Then there is another story of a sadhu because of whose intense devotion, the Lord appeared before him and granted him three boons.

“Ask any three boons,” the Lord said, “And I shall grant them.”

“I don’t want anything, Lord. You have given me your vision. What else can I want?” the sadhu said.

“No,” the Lord said, “You must ask. Otherwise, my appearing before you will be meaningless. You must ask for three boons.”

Then the sadhu thought for a while and said, “Okay, Lord. I live on alms. When I am hungry, I go to beg for food, and sometimes it is difficult to get food. So, grant me a boon that when I am hungry, it will not be too difficult for me to get food as alms.”

“Okay, you will never go hungry again. You will get food. Now ask the second boon”, the Lord said.

“I don’t want any more boons, Lord,” the sadhu said. But the Lord would not leave him until he asked for the third boon. So finally the sadhu said, “Then this is my third boon : that if I ever ask for anything more than what I have asked for now, you should tell me that you will not grant me that.”

“If at all you must give me a second boon, Lord,” the sadhu said, “Let it not be too difficult for me to get a piece of cloth to wear when the one I am wearing is torn and worn.”

“Alright,” the Lord said, “You will get that too. You will always get the cloth you need. Now ask for the third boon.”

“I don’t want any more boons, Lord,” the sadhu said. But the Lord would not leave him until he asked for the third boon. So finally the sadhu said, “Then this is my third boon : that if I ever ask for anything more than what I have asked for now, you should tell me that you will not grant me that.”

Throughout the religious-spiritual history of the world, we see serious spiritual aspirants spurning wealth, pleasure, and ease, and living an ascetic life.

Monkhood or nunhood automatically means asceticism in all religions. Even ordinary pleasures like the pleasure of conversation are sometimes shunned. There is the funny story of the three monks of a certain monastery who took the vow of silence.

They said that one monk, beginning with the youngest one, would say only once sentence in one year. So, the first year it was the chance for the youngest monk to say his one sentence. They used to breakfast on a bowl of simple porridge, nothing else. The first morning when their vow of silence began, the youngest monk said, “I hate this porridge.”

Then total silence for one whole year. At the end of that year, when the new year began, the monk who was senior to him but not the senior-most, spoke his one sentence, “I love this porridge.” Again one whole year passed by without anyone saying anything. When the third year began, the senior-most monk spoke his one sentence : “I am sick of this constant quarrel about porridge!”

While asceticism usually goes with a true spiritual quest, very harsh asceticism may hinder spiritual well-being. That is what prince Siddhartha realized when, after leaving his family and palace, he had joined a group of medicants who practised intense asceticism. Torturing the body by denying even the bare necessities did not help his attain equipoise of mind, so he abandoned harsh asceticism and embraced what is called the golden mean which avoids excesses.

And then there are stories of wealthy people who were enlightened. In Hindu stories, King Janaka is cited as an example of a very wealthy and powerful person who was also enlightened.

This means that the true spiritual virtue is not asceticism but detachment. To be detached at all times—neither seeking nor abhorring either pleasure or pain—and to be established in perfect equipoise is to be on the right track.

However, most spiritual aspirants—if they are true seekers—are minimalists. They survive on the bare minimum of necessities. A key is required to open a lock, and a lock is usually required to keep valuables safe. A monk who has valuables to guard, and keeps them locked up, is a monk with a key but “a monk with a key” is like an oxymoron. How can a renunciate own, accumulate or guard valuables?

If we look around, we will see that there are monks and sadhus and spiritual gurus today who rule over vast business empires. The rule about aparigraha (non-accumulation, non-possession) means nothing to them. You can visit their health-resorts or yoga camps and enjoy five-star or seven-star luxury—if you can pay for all the luxury, of course. For them, spirituality is big business, and their fanatical supporters see to it that their business empires grow around the world.

You may have seen astrologers, palmists and uncertified herbalists plying their trade on city footpaths. These fellows are also businessmen, and they too exploit the religious sentiments and the psychological weakness of their clients, but their clientele comprises poor, unemployed, confused people who cannot afford costly babas and spiritualists, and are themselves not too well off.

However, their days are over, now. City streets have become too busy, and they often do not even get a place to spread their wares. The rich modern sadhus and gurus, on the other hand, target the rich and the educated.

It is a real wonder how educated, tech savvy, rich young men and women fall for these quacks, for despite their elegance on TV shows and their stylish English or impressive Sanskrit, they are not different in category from the poor fortune tellers and herbalists by the streetside.

Only, they are more pompous and also more dangerous than their poorer country cousins.

Images from different sources

(Sanjeev Kumar Nath, English Department, Gauhati University, sanjeevnath21@gmail.com)

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