The Vānaprastha Adventure, Installment 18 Here we continue our list of no-risk practical items that vānaprasthas or aspiring vānaprasthas can adopt. Simplify your eating In the Bhāgavatam we read that when kings like Pṛthu Mahārāja went to the forest they would live on roots and berries and leaves and so on. And again that’s an example we can’t follow. But we can simplify our eating. We read in Śrīla Prabhupāda’s books that rich eating is for the gṛhasthas, not the sannyāsīs.1 Similarly, it’s also not for the vānaprasthas. When the vānaprasthas simplify their eating, that’s … [Read more...] about More no-risk steps for vanaprasthas: Simplify eating and sleeping
Practical steps for vānaprastha life
The Vānaprastha Adventure, Installment 17 As we know, kings and sages in previous ages used to go to the forest and dramatically detach themselves, living a life of severe austerity.1 We’re not going to do that, because it’s no longer possible or advisable.2 But there are things we can do. Some of them involve some risk. We say, “Now I’m going to depend more on Kṛṣṇa and less on material security.” That requires confidence and conviction. It requires courage. But there are also things we can do that don’t require any risk at all—and may even reduce the risks we already have. No-risk … [Read more...] about Practical steps for vānaprastha life
Flexibility in approaching the vānaprastha āśrama
The Vānaprastha Adventure, Installment 16 As we’ve read, Śrīla Prabhupāda taught that when we’re mature in years, accepting the vānaprastha āśrama is imperative. It’s a must. Yet how one accepts it may vary. Different devotees may be at different levels of advancement. They may come from different cultural backgrounds. And their circumstances may differ. Some men may retire with their wives, some without. Older women, too, will also have their own individual circumstances. Also, some devotees may join as vānaprasthas directly from the world, others from a long life in ISKCON or another … [Read more...] about Flexibility in approaching the vānaprastha āśrama
My personal finances, 2024
Every year I make my personal finances public. Attached is an accounting of my finances for 2024. … [Read more...] about My personal finances, 2024
Six methods of vanaprastha life
The Vānaprastha Adventure, Installment 15 From what I’ve gathered from Śrīla Prabhupāda’s instructions, a man might live in the vānaprastha āśrama in any of six ways. Śrīla Prabhupāda doesn’t specify these as being six prescribed systems. Rather, these are ways I’ve gleaned from what Śrīla Prabhupāda has said in various places. In fact what I’ve gathered starts with three ways: (1) one may retire to a holy place; (2) one may sometimes travel, especially to various holy places, then sometimes return home, and then travel out again; or (3) one may simply travel, without returning home. A … [Read more...] about Six methods of vanaprastha life
Why loosen attachment to a devotee family?
The Vānaprastha Adventure, Installment 14 Now, one might have a bad son or a mean wife, but what if the family members are all good devotees, pleasing and helpful in Kṛṣṇa consciousness? In a family of devotees, Kṛṣṇa is in the center of everything, and everything is devoted to him. Yet even such devotees are meant to retire from family life. As noted before, Śrīla Prabhupāda said, “In the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement there are many young couples engaged in the Lord’s service. Eventually they are supposed to take vānaprastha, and after the vānaprastha stage the husband may take … [Read more...] about Why loosen attachment to a devotee family?
Making the best use of family unhappiness
The Vānaprastha Adventure, Installment 13 In our later years we may naturally feel less and less satisfied in family life. Our married life is no longer full of youthful joy. Our job may seem a slog. Family duties may feel burdensome, our days and nights humdrum, the husband-and-wife relationship stale (or worse). I may be overtaken by the feeling that I’m not going anywhere and my life is empty. Or there may be family tension or turmoil or disasters. Past fifty (and even before), all this is natural. The Vedic culture takes account of this and provides a way forward. Instead of … [Read more...] about Making the best use of family unhappiness
Thinking about health
The Vānaprastha Adventure, Installment 12 Along with old age (and birth and death), during retirement we can expect to undergo disease. This is unavoidable. It comes with the body. If we have “disease karma,” disease will come, no matter what. That said, as with financial planning there are sensible things we can do. First, of course, we can try our best to live a healthy way of life. As mentioned in the Bhagavad-gītā (6.17), we can reduce our risk of bodily troubles by living in a regulated way—eating not too little and not too much, sleeping as much as we need but not more. In … [Read more...] about Thinking about health
The Vānaprastha Adventure: Contents
The Vānaprastha Adventure, Installment 11 It occurs to me (late) that I ought to provide a Table of Contents here to let you know what’s in The Vanaprastha Adventure. Here you go: Introduction: What are your plans for your retirement? What is the vānaprastha āśrama? The importance of the vānaprastha āśrama Do it at fifty Historical examples Pretentious or premature vānaprastha life Planning early The gṛhastha āśrama, for spiritual culture Financial planning with retirement in mind Thinking about health Making the best use of family unhappiness Why … [Read more...] about The Vānaprastha Adventure: Contents
Financial planning with retirement in mind
The Vānaprastha Adventure, Installment 10 After Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu married, he started a school to make some money.1 Brahmacārīs don’t have to bother about such things. But for a householder, money is required.2 And if we have that part of our life in place, we can focus on the spiritual. Too often, though, devotees spend their whole time working and never have enough money to do much more than stay afloat. They are caught in a cycle of “work, make money, spend money, and work.” So when the time comes for retirement they are still paying off debts or have expenses looming and … [Read more...] about Financial planning with retirement in mind
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