Hair

[Adhvagat]

Hello guys... It's a simple question, but a question I don't know the answer nonetheless.

In ISKCON I was always told that the hair cut of the monks was for both cleanliness and sampradaya signature (the sikha).

What intrigued when I was already beginning to learn about everything a few years ago was the discovery that some yogis used very long hair and even had dread locks... If I'm not mistaken, these yogis are shaivas, however I'm not sure from which sect. I couldn't understand why they had long hairs and how it helped in their sadhana.

Recently on a few pictures from the Himalayan Academy, I saw that some swamis had long hair, while others short, some shaved, so I couldn't see a pattern.

So I'm curious about each sect take on this.

Until last month I hadn't had a hair cut in 6 years, my hair was very long, but I decided to leave it all behind and just shave it. Felt great!

Is there a proper period of time to let the hair grow or a proper time to cut / shave it?

[Eastern Mind]

Vannakkam Pietro: I can only speak for Himalayan Academy. There are 3 (perhaps 4) categories in relation to training, so that is why hair varies there. Not sure of specifics regarding hair, but the categories are pre-monastic (6 month have a look see) sadhaka (renewable vows each 2 years with intermittent trips back to the world) yogis (training period of 6 to 12 years, intense sadhana) swamis (the final renunciation) . I think most orders would have similar stages. Certainly one cannot just walk in and renounce.

The dreadlocks sadhus are called naga sadhus. They are more likely to be more independent, wanderers, less officially affiliates with a monastic order. Research sadhu on line. I think but am not sure part of their renunciation is also the renunciation of appearance. There are also Vaishnava sadhus. Besides hair cutting renunciation, as you know, some also stay naked.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sadhu

Aum Namasivaya

[Ramakrishna]

Namaste Pietro,

This is something I have wondered about as well. I know that most Buddhist monks shave their heads, and I read somewhere that they do that because hair is viewed as a possession, and that is one of the possessions that they give up.

But I definitely noticed the variance with long hair and baldness with Hindu monks and sadhus. I guess it really does depend on sect and lineage. That is interesting what Eastern Mindji said, that part of their renunciation is the renunciation of appearance. I never thought of it that way. So it really does depend on sect and lineage, as they each can have different takes on this matter.

I am interested as to how this pertains to facial hair as well. I've noticed that for the most part, a monk's or sadhu's policy on head hair is the same for their facial hair. Most who grow their head hair out also grow out a beard, and most who shave their head also have a clean-shaven face. But I have noticed some of the opposite as well, such as some who grow their head hair out long but they have a clean shaven face. I haven't really noticed any with a shaven head but long beard, but there could be some. When Lord Rama lived in the forests, he grew his head hair out long but had a clean shaven face. Lord Shiva is also portrayed that way. But as I said, from what I've noticed most monks, sadhus, and gurus who grow their head hair out also grow out a beard, so I'm curious as to what people's takes are on this matter as well.

Jai Sri Ram

[Sean]

Big cheese Maharishi says that cutting hair releases a subtle energy that interferes with higher states of consciousness. He's probably right but most people just leave the likes of him to it...

[sm78]

Big cheese Maharishi says that cutting hair releases a subtle energy that interferes with higher states of consciousness. He's probably right but most people just leave the likes of him to it...

Difficult to tell, but I do find such explanations, a little absurd on the face of it. We are taking of energy of realized beings, infinite in other words - and you say it gets depleted if such a soul gets a hair-cut?? I have heard a similar explanation from another new age guru - Jaggi Vasudev. As I said, I find such explanations psuedo-scientific and attempt to give some scientific explanation when it is not necessary and explanation is hardly scientific.

I feel it has all to do with sampradaya symbol than anything else, and each sampradaya may have developed a threory, pros and cons, reasons etc for following such.

Mundas and Jatis have been their since ancient times of Mahabharata, and even now the acetic will either follow either of the 2 trends.

However in the pre-monastic training phase (brahmacharya), being a munda is perhaves universal. After taking monsastic vows saivas generally prefer to be a Jati.

[Sean]

Very good. Perhaps I should skip the hairdressers for a few months before the next time I visit India & give it a try.

[Eastern Mind]

Vannakkam Pietro et al: There is definitely something to hair and energy. Having undergone tonsure 3 times in my life, (more if you count the times I did it for charitable causes) there is some sort of feeling purified. It releases an attachment, dross perhaps. For women I think this is even stronger, because cultural norms put more value on a woman's hair. Certainly I would recommend the experience for anyone, preferably at Tirupati, or Palani, as then the blessings of a deity intensify the letting go of attachment.

Aum Namasivaya

[sm78]

Very good. Perhaps I should skip the hairdressers for a few months before the next time I visit India & give it a try.

I would (and still do) skip hairdressers as often I can, as it didn't matter much to me having or not having hair, but for my wife - it matters like anything to her

[Adhvagat]

Difficult to tell, but I do find such explanations, a little absurd on the face of it. We are taking of energy of realized beings, infinite in other words - and you say it gets depleted if such a soul gets a hair-cut?? I have heard a similar explanation from another new age guru - Jaggi Vasudev. As I said, I find such explanations psuedo-scientific and attempt to give some scientific explanation when it is not necessary and explanation is hardly scientific.

I feel it has all to do with sampradaya symbol than anything else, and each sampradaya may have developed a threory, pros and cons, reasons etc for following such.

Mundas and Jatis have been their since ancient times of Mahabharata, and even now the acetic will either follow either of the 2 trends.

However in the pre-monastic training phase (brahmacharya), being a munda is perhaves universal. After taking monsastic vows saivas generally prefer to be a Jati.

What about rising yogis SM, would you still say it's an invalid point?

Vannakkam Pietro et al: There is definitely something to hair and energy. Having undergone tonsure 3 times in my life, (more if you count the times I did it for charitable causes) there is some sort of feeling purified. It releases an attachment, dross perhaps. For women I think this is even stronger, because cultural norms put more value on a woman's hair. Certainly I would recommend the experience for anyone, preferably at Tirupati, or Palani, as then the blessings of a deity intensify the letting go of attachment.

Aum Namasivaya

EM, as I said earlier I cut my 6 years of hair (shaved it), it felt awesome because I really wanted to leave things behind.

However I'm not sure how often I should continue to do so. I'm doing so every month... But for aesthetic reasons.

[Arjuni]

Namast�, all,

Eastern Mind, I agree that the cutting or shaving of hair releases attachment, but am also reminded of a moment in Swami Sivananda Radha's book Radha: Diary of a Woman's Search. She was taking her renunciate vows and was prepared to have her head completely shaved, but they took scissors and cut only a lock. When she asked why, she was told that because she had completely accepted the loss of her hair, it was not necessary to actually shave it off.

Pietro, my hair is also shaved somewhat (buzzed down as short as possible; I feared to be completely bald in this frigid Canadian weather). Before I chopped it, I thought a lot about it, asked beforehand if there were there other reasons besides a wish to renounce it - seeking attention, trying to be unusual, frustrated with my current hairstyle, or otherwise serving the ego? At one point I thought that maybe a more challenging exercise might be to keep the hair, since I very much wanted to remove it! So I wonder if different ideas of renunciation might provide explanations for the different hairstyles.

Another reason might be the energy factor, as Eastern Mind explained; I could see long locks as potentially 'tying up' energy, or there could be a similar belief as found in the Sikh faith (that God's creation is perfect, therefore why chop off the hair?). On the other hand, I've read in varied sources that cutting the hair can provide freedom from sins, discharge the debt to the ancestors, and be offered to God as a gift of intense love.

To answer your question about timing, apparently Tritiya tithi is the best time to cut the hair. (I've been buzzing mine twice a month, on Pratipat tithi.)

Indraneela
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Oṁ Indrāya Namaḥ.
Oṁ Namaḥ Śivāya.