What is sannyāsa?
Literally, the Sanskrit word sannyāsa (IAST: saṃnyāsa) is saṁ + nyāsa. Saṁ meaning ‘perfected’ or ‘having becoming whole again’, nyāsa meaning ‘placing’ or ’arranging’. So together, the word means ‘perfectly arranged’. Philosophically it means to become harmonised/ordered again. You could say the view in Yoga of sannyāsa is therefore in short: bringing your life back in order. But more practically speaking, sannyāsa means ‘renunciation’.
Yoga is the work, aim and goal of the sannyāsin (renunciate). Yoga is therefore largely about the renunciation of the world. Througout history there have been many stories of Yogis and other eastern saints, who put themselves through the greatest of austerities, in order to learn to lose their interest in the world. They have often chosen to live in poverty, as hermits or wanderers, to meditate in difficult geographical circumstances such as in caves in the Himalayas or other mountainous areas, or they have chosen to go through other great, often physical, ordeals. Traditionally, a sannyāsin was officially declared dead and was expected to cut ties with their families. Such stories have something heroic to them. What they also have in common is that they are all about freeing the Yogi(ni) of his/her connections to the world.
In the West, people are more familiar with a somewhat different kind of renunciate spirit: monasticism. Christianity, especially Catholicism, has over the ages been strongly coloured by monasteries & abbeys, where monks & nuns devoted their lives fully to spiritual work, whether through prayer & liturgy, singing, scriptural study, care for the weak or creative work (e.g. beer, textile, religious artefacts). They were also withdrawing themselves to a certain extent from all worldly life, unless they were doing worldly activities that were inspired by spiritual reasons or intentions.
Sannyāsa, in fact, historically contained many of the elements of western monasticism. Only, with some exceptions, sannyāsis (‘renunciates’) usually don’t live in monasteries and often go their own way. Still, sannyāsa is actually considered to be the Indian form of monasticism. It is a form of withdrawing into oneself in order to seek a deeper connection with God. It has played a large role in society in the Indian subcontinent, where life was traditionally divided into four stages of life (āśrama system):
| Brahmacharya (learner’s life) | 0–25 |
| Gṛhastha (household life) | 25–50 |
| Vānaprastha (retired life) | 50–75 |
| Sannyāsa (renunciate life) | 75+ (or anytime) |
Re-enacting, through the whole system, the evolutionary stages all people go through while in incarnation, during their many lives in samsara (the cycle of life and death, through reincarnation), sannyāsa was deemed the appropriate life approach for all people of high age. However, for people who are nearing the end of their cycle of reincarnations, it offered the option to devote a larger part of their life to sannyāsa. From any point of their own choosing, they could become a sannyāsin. Leading from then on a life fully devoted to their spiritual path.
Sannyāsa: how we view it in our school
Nowadays, in the complex and highly materialistic world, it is at the same time very difficult to withdraw yourself as fully from worldly life as was once possible, and it is also to certain extent questionable whether such a physical withdrawing is truly ethical. The need for spirituality in these times is so exceedingly great, that we and many with us now consider living a deeply spiritual life in the world to be much more appropriate.
For this reason, our conception of sannyāsa is that is should not as much happen externally as it should internally. More practically, this means that we consider true renunciation to happen inside ourselves. Renouncing all worldly things inside our hearts and minds. Losing all interest and inner attachments to them, except for where they serve us spiritually.
This can be done largely in two ways: through progressive dismissal of all things, seeing them as ultimately illusory and therefore as unvaluable. Or through through dedication, where all connection to the worldly is (internally) sacrificed, while where needed and regarded as potentially valuable it is used unrestrictively in service to purely spiritual purposes.
Summarisingly, we view contemporary renunciation as being stricltly energetic in nature, changing our inner energies in relation to all worldly life, in order to make more room in our lives for the higher, spiritual energies. The ultimate goal here, and this has been the same since ancient times, is to come to a point where our inner renunciation is so habitual that it becomes a second nature. Then we will have overcome the appeal of all our lower instincts and will no longer be be distracted from our spiritual purpose & duties.
Two types of sannyāsa
‘Taking sannyās’, as it is popularly called, is not as much making the inner renunciation necessary for any Yogi, as it is the making official of that (desire for) inner renunciation. All in order to move towards perfect arrangement of all parts of our Being. Towards perfected harmony. It is a step always taken with a certain gravity. It is also absolutely not necessary to do so. One can also continue to lead a spiritual life as a householder. But some people prefer to do so, as it holds certain benefits.
There are two types of sannyāsa that a spiritual seeker might take: vividisha sannyāsa and vidvat sannyāsa:
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- Vividisha sannyāsa (IAST: vividiṣa) is the renunciation of the seeker. This means, one who seeks to attain spiritual wisdom through union with the Divine. It is basically, an irreversible decision to totally dedicate the rest of your life to the seeking of God through Self-Realisation. Or, somewhat dramatically phrased, to die trying. This is an artificial renunciation. A desire for renunciation with a promise to do all you can to fulfil it. Initiation into this type of sannyāsa can be given by anyone who is already an initiated sannyāsin, a swami.
- Vividisha sannyāsa (IAST: vividiṣa) is the renunciation of the seeker. This means, one who seeks to attain spiritual wisdom through union with the Divine. It is basically, an irreversible decision to totally dedicate the rest of your life to the seeking of God through Self-Realisation. Or, somewhat dramatically phrased, to die trying. This is an artificial renunciation. A desire for renunciation with a promise to do all you can to fulfil it. Initiation into this type of sannyāsa can be given by anyone who is already an initiated sannyāsin, a swami.
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- Vidvat sannyāsa (IAST: vidvattā) is the renunciation of the Knower. This means, one who has attained Self-Realisation. Who has therefore attained a large amount of God knowledge through direct experience. And has thereafter sought to fulfil a desire to fully dedicate oneself to spiritual life. This is an organic renunciation, which happens spontaneously. It doesn’t require a teacher/initiator physically present. Usually, the initiating teacher comes by in a mystical series of dreams to give the initiation.
Both types of sannyāsins can bear the title swami (IAST: svāmī), which means ‘one with the Self’, and also ‘one’s own master’. This honorific title is then followed by a monastic name, that often but not always ends in -ananda, meaning ‘bliss’, referring to the feeling of the energy we call love. Female initiates are sometimes called swamini (IAST: svāminī) and usually extend their names with the prefix or suffix ma, mai or mata(ji).
Read more about this subject on the page Ordination.
