Assume you have joined the Sad Sangat(the company of the holy), and you have been a regular practitioner of Naam Simran for quite sometime now and you have progressed in your search of the 'Truth' (with constant Naam Simran and Kirtan) that now you do not have many entanglements or emotional attachments.
Though you still have family responsibilities and a job to attend to. But these things don't matter much to you and only add to your frustration because you do it halfheartedly.
What would you do next ?
Is there a Sikh way of being a renunciate?
I think your question has been adequately answered by the other members who replied, but I will give you my take as well. Apologies if I say something wrong, this is just my take on what I've absorbed from this site and others, as well as from my interactions with Sikhs I know in real life.
Sikhi is not about cutting yourself off from the world and living your life as a hermit. We all belong to the brotherhood/sisterhood of humanity. Every single one of us on this planet is a part of it. Just like the worth/strength of, say, a car is nothing more and nothing less than that of the sum of it's parts, our brotherhood/sisterhood, the global family, is only as strong as the different pieces that make it up. The Empire State building is one of the most impressive structures on the planet, but it would not stand without the support of the mighty foundation that holds it up.
Similarly, our global brother/sisterhood is made up of a collective group of nations, which are made up of provinces/territories/states, which are made up of towns and cities, which are made up of communities, which are made up of families, which are made up of people like you and me.
If I start neglecting my duties towards my family, it will not only affect my household, but the wider community as well. Strong communities are made up of families that stand together. Strong nations are made up of strong communities. Lincoln mentioned that a house divided against itself cannot stand. Same principal applies here.
Like it or not, we're all connected. This is one of the principles of Sikhi as well, that the Creator is a part of all of us; individually, we are creation, but as a collective, we make up the Creator.
I remember reading somewhere that Guru Nanak Ji was highly critical of those people who renounce the world and go into the forests/onto the highest mountains to find enlightenment, so much so that he went after them, set them straight, and brought them back. Only cowards shun their responsibilities. I still remember from my first thread on this forum, Inderjeet Ji telling me "In this world, only one act of courage is possible: not to have run away." None of the Gurus ran away from their duties; each one was a housekeeper, and the ones who were old enough also got married and started families. Avin Ji, while I am glad you are finding peace and contentment through Sikhi, I find it equally important to point out that a Sikh regards the 10 living Gurus as the perfect role models on how to live life, and not one of them was a renunciate. That alone should answer your question.
I'll just finish off by saying that I agree 100% with Harry Ji when he says:
The whole point of Sikhism is to apply all this fantastic knowledge you have learned to the world about you, not view your responsibilities or your job as a stone round your neck.
The thing I like most about Sikhi is that everyone gets judged the same way. A Sikh is a student, a learner, and in my opinion, the goal of a Sikh is to soak up as many lessons about life as possible. That's it. There are certain unquestionable truths, like "it is better to be a good person than a bad person" that we are supposed to realize. As per Sikhi, it doesn't matter if you are Sikh, Muslim, Hindu, Christian or Atheist, we are all here for that same reason, and if your belief system, even if it is not Sikhi, helps you discover those truths, then more power to you, there is nothing wrong with not being Sikh. It is my firm belief that the "one true religion" is the one that makes you a happier, more kind and compassionate person. This includes Atheism.
I have been reading the Guru Granth Sahib Ji and it is literally overflowing with these lessons and truths about life. It is not a book of rules and regulations, of punishment and reward. It is there simply to enhance your existence and make this life as fulfilling as possible. This life is a gift, not a burden, and the Gurus lived to help us realize that. Apply those lessons to the world around you like Harry Ji says, they are there to help you. The reason the Gurus taught these truths, and the reason that they are inscribed in the Guru Granth Sahib Ji today is because "foresight teaches gently; error teaches brutally." Every lesson in the Guru Granth Sahib ji is a gift from Guru Ji, you do not have to go through the trials and tribulations of realizing them through your own errors.
I absolutely love this from Kanwaljit Ji:
You wish to be a renunciate? Then renounce anger, greed, lust, attachment and ego. And you will not know you have anger if you are all alone. It will surface when you interact with people. You may go from forest to forest to escape the wildfire. But you will soon run out of cover.
This is another one of life's truths that you can find in the Guru Granth Ji. Anger, greed, lust, attachment and ego will ruin your relationship with everyone around you if you let them. Just like alcohol and drugs are poisons for the body, these 5 evils are poisons for the mind and soul. Guru Ji teaches us that if we wish for our short time on this dunya to be full of happiness and love, we must eliminate those 5 poisons. That will not happen by going off on your own into the wilderness. You must stay and serve humanity through selfless service, sewa, which will make you realize that you are no better or worse than anyone else, we are all deserving of the same level of respect, and help you to see God in all. Once that happens, the 5 evils will vanish on their own.
Life is full of lessons. Some of the more important ones are outlined in the Guru Granth Ji, but I think most of them need to be discovered on your own. Life is about learning lessons. The Universe exists to teach us, to help us grow, change, evolve and enjoy the challenge of each lesson we are given. If everything was handed to us on a silver platter, life wouldn't be any fun, now would it? :cheerleaders:
I find it amazing that every 7 years, all the cells in your body have been replaced; you are a completely different person than you were 7 years ago, and you will be completely different in 7 years to the person who is reading this right now. But the ONE THING that can stay static, completely unchanged your entire life, is the mind. You must learn lessons in order for your mind to evolve. Lessons are learned through worldly experiences, not sitting underneath a tree, in a lake, or on top of a mountain.
Dreams are mere fantasies without ACTION. Go out there and make all your dreams come true. Every action brings with it an experience; every experience unearths a lesson. And quite frankly, if you ain't learning, you ain't a Sikh.
Just reread all that, sorry, it is much longer than I initially wanted it to be. I have been told I ramble a lot. This is what happens when it's Tuesday night and I have nothing to do
