Be a swami... for a little while

[Rudy]

Hello all

I read that you can take a vow of being a swami for a short amont of time, or you can go and live with them for for a little while to see what it's like, is this true?

I'm not rash enough to declare that "five years from now I shall renounce worldly life for life!" But seeing what it's like to be one for a short amont of some time in the future seems like a good idea... Does this sound like a terrible idea?

[Eastern Mind]

Vannakkam Rudy: I'm sure individual maths, aadheenams, ashrams, monasteries, missions, etc. all have differing policies. If you were actually serious about trying it out for a specific period, you would have to contact individual organisations. Since there is no overall umbrella organisation within Hinduism, that would be what you'd have to do.

You certainly wouldn't be a 'swami' in any traditional sense. Most groups would have different names for any pre-monastic situation. The term 'swami' is often, but not always reserved for those with lifetime vows.

i know this has been of little help. Perhaps google will be your friend. Three months in Rishikesh or Haridwar would probably be a bigger 'friend' as there are so many ashrams and math there.

Edited ... I see wikipedia lists a few: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Categor...eries_in_India

Aum Namasivaya