Spiderman
Veteran Member
I always admired the Sadhu and Swami.
A sadhu (IAST: sādhu (male), sādhvī (female)), also spelled saddhu, is a religious ascetic, mendicant (monk) or any holy person in Hinduism and Jainism who has renounced the worldly life.[1][2][3] They are sometimes alternatively referred to as jogi,sannyasi or vairagi.[1]
It literally means one who practises a ″sadhana″ or keenly follows a path of spiritual discipline.[4] Although the vast majority of sādhus are yogīs, not all yogīs are sādhus. The sādhu is solely dedicated to achieving mokṣa (liberation), the fourth and final aśrama (stage of life), through meditation and contemplation of Brahman. Sādhus often wear simple clothing, such saffron-coloured clothing in Hinduism, white or nothing in Jainism, symbolising their sannyāsa (renunciation of worldly possessions). A female mendicant in Hinduism and Jainism is often called a sadhvi, or in some texts as aryika.[
The term sadhu (Sanskrit: साधु) appears in Rigveda and Atharvaveda where it means "straight, right, leading straight to goal", according to Monier Monier-Williams.[5][note 1] In the Brahmanas layer of Vedic literature, the term connotes someone who is "well disposed, kind, willing, effective or efficient, peaceful, secure, good, virtuous, honourable, righteous, noble" depending on the context.[5] In the Hindu Epics, the term implies someone who is a "saint, sage, seer, holy man, virtuous, chaste, honest or right".[5]
The Sanskrit terms sādhu ("good man") and sādhvī ("good woman") refer to renouncers who have chosen to live lives apart from or on the edges of society to focus on their own spiritual practices.[6]
The words come from the root sādh, which means "reach one's goal", "make straight", or "gain power over".[7] The same root is used in the word sādhanā, which means "spiritual practice". It literally means one who practises a ″sadhana″ or a path of spiritual discipline.[4]
There are 4 to 5 million sadhus in India today and they are widely respected for their holiness.[8] It is also thought that the austere practices of the sadhus help to burn off their karma and that of the community at large. Thus seen as benefiting society, sadhus are supported by donations from many people.
There are naked (digambara, or "sky-clad") sadhus who wear their hair in thick dreadlocks called jata. Sadhus engage in a wide variety of religious practices. Some practice asceticism and solitary meditation, while others prefer group praying, chanting or meditating. They typically live a simple lifestyle, have very few or no possessions, survive by food and drinks from leftovers that they beg for or is donated by others. Many sadhus have rules for alms collection, and do not visit the same place twice on different days to avoid bothering the residents. They generally walk or travel over distant places, homeless, visiting temples and pilgrimage centers as a part of their spiritual practice.[11][12] Celibacy is common
Sadhu - Wikipedia
Some Sadhus are sometimes monks in monasteries, others live totally isonlated in huts or caves. If you are a loner, don't feel bad. Many of the 'old souls', Saints, ascetics, Gurus, and philosophers, went through long periods of solitary confinement as a way of discovering enlightenment and attaining oneness with a Deity.
Sadhus have been known to go without eating for over 20 days at a time.
They usually retain only the few possessions they carry with them: a staff (danda), a water pot (kamandalu), an alms bowl, prayer beads, and perhaps an extra cloth or a fire tong.
I've read that these Sadhus and gurus don't date, and they have the same answer to almost every problem, "Meditate".
One Sadhu proverb that I never fully understood is, "It is better to walk than to run; it is better to stand than to walk; it is better to sit than to stand; it is better to lie than to sit."....At first it appears to be speaking highly of sloth and laziness...but I think what it actually means, is when you are most still, calm, at peace, and without worries, that is when you are most disposed to receive enlightenment and insight from the sprit-world, as opposed to being busy with many tasks and distractions.
Anyway, I'm going to at least attempt to be a Sadhu, only my devotion is to the Abrahamic God, the Mother of God, and the Angels and Spirits in Heaven and Purgatory.
Have you ever met a Sadhu? Did they teach you anything? Were you inspired by any of what you saw in them?
A sadhu (IAST: sādhu (male), sādhvī (female)), also spelled saddhu, is a religious ascetic, mendicant (monk) or any holy person in Hinduism and Jainism who has renounced the worldly life.[1][2][3] They are sometimes alternatively referred to as jogi,sannyasi or vairagi.[1]
It literally means one who practises a ″sadhana″ or keenly follows a path of spiritual discipline.[4] Although the vast majority of sādhus are yogīs, not all yogīs are sādhus. The sādhu is solely dedicated to achieving mokṣa (liberation), the fourth and final aśrama (stage of life), through meditation and contemplation of Brahman. Sādhus often wear simple clothing, such saffron-coloured clothing in Hinduism, white or nothing in Jainism, symbolising their sannyāsa (renunciation of worldly possessions). A female mendicant in Hinduism and Jainism is often called a sadhvi, or in some texts as aryika.[
The term sadhu (Sanskrit: साधु) appears in Rigveda and Atharvaveda where it means "straight, right, leading straight to goal", according to Monier Monier-Williams.[5][note 1] In the Brahmanas layer of Vedic literature, the term connotes someone who is "well disposed, kind, willing, effective or efficient, peaceful, secure, good, virtuous, honourable, righteous, noble" depending on the context.[5] In the Hindu Epics, the term implies someone who is a "saint, sage, seer, holy man, virtuous, chaste, honest or right".[5]
The Sanskrit terms sādhu ("good man") and sādhvī ("good woman") refer to renouncers who have chosen to live lives apart from or on the edges of society to focus on their own spiritual practices.[6]
The words come from the root sādh, which means "reach one's goal", "make straight", or "gain power over".[7] The same root is used in the word sādhanā, which means "spiritual practice". It literally means one who practises a ″sadhana″ or a path of spiritual discipline.[4]
There are 4 to 5 million sadhus in India today and they are widely respected for their holiness.[8] It is also thought that the austere practices of the sadhus help to burn off their karma and that of the community at large. Thus seen as benefiting society, sadhus are supported by donations from many people.
There are naked (digambara, or "sky-clad") sadhus who wear their hair in thick dreadlocks called jata. Sadhus engage in a wide variety of religious practices. Some practice asceticism and solitary meditation, while others prefer group praying, chanting or meditating. They typically live a simple lifestyle, have very few or no possessions, survive by food and drinks from leftovers that they beg for or is donated by others. Many sadhus have rules for alms collection, and do not visit the same place twice on different days to avoid bothering the residents. They generally walk or travel over distant places, homeless, visiting temples and pilgrimage centers as a part of their spiritual practice.[11][12] Celibacy is common
Sadhu - Wikipedia
Some Sadhus are sometimes monks in monasteries, others live totally isonlated in huts or caves. If you are a loner, don't feel bad. Many of the 'old souls', Saints, ascetics, Gurus, and philosophers, went through long periods of solitary confinement as a way of discovering enlightenment and attaining oneness with a Deity.
Sadhus have been known to go without eating for over 20 days at a time.
They usually retain only the few possessions they carry with them: a staff (danda), a water pot (kamandalu), an alms bowl, prayer beads, and perhaps an extra cloth or a fire tong.
I've read that these Sadhus and gurus don't date, and they have the same answer to almost every problem, "Meditate".
One Sadhu proverb that I never fully understood is, "It is better to walk than to run; it is better to stand than to walk; it is better to sit than to stand; it is better to lie than to sit."....At first it appears to be speaking highly of sloth and laziness...but I think what it actually means, is when you are most still, calm, at peace, and without worries, that is when you are most disposed to receive enlightenment and insight from the sprit-world, as opposed to being busy with many tasks and distractions.
Anyway, I'm going to at least attempt to be a Sadhu, only my devotion is to the Abrahamic God, the Mother of God, and the Angels and Spirits in Heaven and Purgatory.
Have you ever met a Sadhu? Did they teach you anything? Were you inspired by any of what you saw in them?
