A MONASTERY & AN ASHRAM

• In a monastery, there is hierarchy, thee is order, there are rules,regulations and how much work each person has to do.
• In an Ashram , there are no manmade rules and regulations. No on measures, how much one does and how much another does. So, outwardly, there is chaos.
• There is no equality in terms of responsibilities in an ashram ; but there is uniqueness; each person in an ashram does what he or she is best suited for.
• In an ashram, a person does not work out of greed, fear, motivation or necessity.
• An ashramite, a resident of the ashram, works out of gratitude.
• Once people start measuring what they are doing and what others are doing in comparison, you create a political organization, not a spirtual organization.

• People mostly work out of fear or greed. A few graduate out of fear and greed and then get caught in the need for attention, or jealousy and comparison to prove that they are in some way superior to others.
• Even those who shed all these negativities, retain their ego, need for an idetity.

• When all these are shed , one moves up in surrender, working out of sheer gratitude.