January 2, 2010

Nayaswami Order

First post of Dwapara 310.

At the end of 2009 (Dwapara 309), Kriyananda announced the formation of a "Renunciate order for the new age - the Nayaswmi Order".

Adi Shankara organized the Swami order in its present form in falling Kali Yuga, the 8th century BC, based on renunciation of the world and isolated monasticism. This in turn became the form of monasticism carried through Christianity and in recent times by some of the SRF Brothers and Sisters, keeping up single sex monasteries in Southern California.

Strikingly, Lahiri Mahasaya, Sri Yukteswar, Bhagwati Ghosh, Dr Lewis, Saint Lynn, Tara Mata, Yogacharya Oliver, Kamala Silva, Norman Paulsen, Roy Davies, and many others were and are married.

Kriyananda's insight is that the old order focuses on the negative constrictive attitude of "Neti Neti", "not this, not that", rather than the positive, expansive one of knowing God.

The Nayaswami order is the refocusing of the search for God in a Dwapara Yuga context, open to any modern renunciant, married, single, of whatever group, searching for God, without the props of a monsastery, living from the work of others on donations and especially free of the trap of egotism and aloofness that can develop in monks and nuns.

1) Swamis can be single or married.
2) They can earn money.
3) They can be freely creative, if the purpose is to serve others.
4) They don't need to be mindlessly obedient to an unenlightened "superior."
5) Overcoming the ego is achieved not by rejecting the world, but rather by expanding towards God's joy and Infinity
6) Swamis wear not the traditional orange color, but a royal blue. A married aspirant to Swamihood is called "tyagi", wearing aqua color, and a monastic aspirant "brahmachari", wearing golden yellow.
7) A new Swami is named not by one Swami (which has been the tradition), but by three.
8) A Swami of this new order is called "Nayaswami", with "naya" meaning "new".

To the author, this is a logical, Dwapara Yuga move. In Kali Yuga, form was everything and content of secondary importance, leading to priestly classes with appropriate buildings, clothes and ceremonies pressing their flocks for support of all kinds but most essentially tithes and deathbed bequeaths to further and further build up their titles, wealth and power, perhaps best exemplified by the House of Borgia and their modern equivalents playing politics behind the disguises of Fundamentalist Islam, Christianity or Judaism.

Whether in Nayaswami Kriyananda's particular form, or essentially a similar one at a later time or in a different place, this kind of order focusing on the content and not the form of an interior search for God is sure to catch on, being in tune with the times.

The author cannot fail to note that no membership, or affiliation, or external vows are required to begin, or continue that search for God today, although the "Kriya Yoga" techniques brought to the West by Paramhansa Yogananda and the clear thoughts of his teachings are particularly recommended, being themselves so in tune with our present age.

Information on the tens of groups disseminating Kriya Yoga in India, America, Europe and around the world can be found here.
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Posted by Poor Richard at 1/02/2010

5 comments:

  1. I am not so sure this is a good idea. Maybe, but probably not. This doesn't seem to remove focus from the outward "form of an interior search for God," but rather increases the focus on form, by giving an outward form or "demonstration" of it. Do the robes come with large bumper stickers for their cars? ;)

    I don't think this will keep people "free of the trap of egotism and aloofness that can develop in monks and nuns," but rather expand the possibility of this pitfall to all members, even if they are not outer renunciants.

    From this article: "Kriyananda's insight is that the old order focuses on the negative constrictive attitude of "Neti Neti", "not this, not that", rather than the positive, expansive one of knowing God."

    But the monastic path, as well as the yogic path in general, will always have a strong element of turning the attention away from the world and the senses and toward the Divine. The more traditional monastic color is ocre (and yellow), autumn colors which depict withdrawal from the outer world and the senses into God. The path of yoga as described in the Bhagavad Gita is a reversing of the flow of energy in the body, inward and upward in the spine. So while there is certainly a positive, expansive method of knowing God, I think this has more to do with expansion of the consciousness, not necessarily expansion of one's involvement in the world. It's a positive, inner expansion.

    The householder path is decidedly different, as there is more involvement in the world, more creation, more outward/physical positive expansion. Inner expansion can be had in either a monastic or householder path, but the uniqueness of the monastic path is a physical/material "non-expansiveness," but rather "retreating into one's self" in an outer respect as well as inner respect.

    This new order Kriyananda is creating removes uniqueness from the monastic path, and makes it kind of pointless to then grant the title of "monastic" or "swami." Why not just be yogis as we are now?

    What is the point, other that bolstering one's ego and creating hierarchy? Is not hierarchy a hallmark of Kali Yuga?

    Like I said, this reminds me of bumper stickers and license plate frames bragging about one's memberships and accomplishments. Everyone wants a piece of the praise, but without the accompanying outer renunciations.

    Take Kriyananda for an example. His creation of this order reflects his own feelings of wanting to have his cake and eat it too. He likes to be thought of as a swami and a renunciant, but he has also had his interest in the householder life, having been married and had children.

    So that's my two cents.

    But I do feel that monasticism is not the theme of Dwapara Yuga so much, and so less people may want to be traditional monastics than in previous years. It's too hard for most people in our active, developed, sexual society, to take vows such as simplicity and celibacy.

    I say, let there just be fewer monastics. Let there be lay ministers, perhaps. But no need to call non-monastics ... monastics.
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  2. All the worldwide forms of SRF, Ananda, Hare Krishna etc. are an interesting contrast to the example set by the great Lahiri Mahasaya from his parlour no less. Perhaps it is something in the American/European psyche that requires buildings, special clothes and bumper stickers ... even this blog has its own coffee mug ;)

    "After performing one's business and social duties, where is the time for devotional meditation? The harmoniously balanced life of the great householder-guru became the silent inspiration of thousands of questioning hearts. Earning only a modest salary, thrifty, unostentatious, accessible to all, the master carried on naturally and happily in the path of worldly life."
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  3. Correction: There is no evidence I have seen that Kriyananda had children. I thought he had, but it may have been a misunderstanding concerning his first "wife." He has been married once legally, and he says he spiritually married another woman prior to this. She denies that she spiritually married him. She was pregnant with the child of her legal husband at the time, and although Kriyananda believed the child was his, there was a blood test that proved it was not his.

    Kriyananda broke his monastic vows in order to be with various women, and to get married. I will not get into the details here. The internet contains endless information on this. Then he reinstated himself as a swami after getting divorced from his legal wife.

    I don't believe he is qualified for heading a monastic order, nor defining what it is to be a monastic, especially since he has been ambivalent about monastic life, and has not upheld his own monastic vows.
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  4. Upon further thoughts on this post, I must say that I feel there is a need for lay disciples to become more involved with the work of Yogananda. Whether or not this grants them any titles, or if they take vows or join orders, there is a need for lay disciples to have more interaction with, to be closer to and learn from, as well as serve, the headquarters of Master's work. From my perspective this would be Mother Center of SRF, but the same principle applies in all religions and organizations. So I do think that this Nayaswami Order serves a purpose, or at least has good intentions (hopefully), whether it turns out to be beneficial to individuals, Ananda, and Master's work, or not.
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  5. Whether or not this is a "good idea" would seem to be an individual experience. Having had contact with Swami Kriyananda for over 20 years I have found his spirituality much deeper than any once else I have met in terms of the experience of Yogananda's presence I have felt in Swami's presence, music, chants and communities he has founded.

    The proof of the pudding is in the eating. When I took my Tyagi vows I felt immediately much freer and my meditations went much deeper. Union with Aum ( a stage on the spiritual path that is universal to all paths as it is our essence) is so wonderful, so ultra sensual that everything else seems less interesting.

    As this aspect of my relationship with God deepens, I definitely can feel issues falling away. The tests have also increased.

    These vows are not for everyone and they are just a help on the spiritual path. However, any vow spoken by a person who has made a practice of speaking the truth has a power.

    The traditional vows of moving every three days, of walking only, of not having money, not being married etc. are all outward.

    Amazing as it is, Sri Yukteswar was married when Babaji made him a Swami (he used the name Swami Priya his birth name). He also had a daughter. Does this give any indication of Divine will or renunciation in Dwapara Yuga? One wonders.

    If, during the reading of vows of the Nayaswami order one feels more joyin their heart, then it would seem like one would benefit by going deeper into them.

    Jai Joy,

    Aumkara
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(c) Dwapara 307-312


The views expressed are the personal, independent views of the author and are not intended to reflect the views of any other individual(s) or organization(s). A list of official Kriya Yoga Organizations can be found here.