ashrama

ashrama

also spelled  asrama , Sanskrit  āśrama 

      in Hinduism, any of the four spiritual abodes, or stages of life, through which the “twice-born” Hindu ideally will pass. The stages are those of (1) the student (brahmacari), marked by chastity, devotion, and obedience to one's teacher, (2) the householder (grihastha), requiring marriage, the begetting of sons, work toward sustaining one's family and helping support priests and holy men, and fulfillment of duties toward gods and ancestors, (3) the hermit (vanaprastha), beginning when a man has seen the sons of his sons and consisting of withdrawal from concern with material things and pursuit of solitude and ascetic and yogic practices, and (4) the homeless mendicant ( sannyasi), involving leaving the hermitage and renouncing all one's possessions to wander from place to place begging for food, concerned only with the eternal. Traditionally, moksha (spiritual liberation) should be the pursuit of a man only during the last two stages of his life. Women do not traditionally follow this path but instead remain in a dependent relationship with men and are responsible for maintaining domestic religious life.

      Ashrama, familiarly spelled ashram in English, has come to denote a place of refuge, especially one removed from urban life, where spiritual and yogic disciplines are pursued. Ashrams are often associated with a central teaching figure, a guru, who is the object of adulation by the residents of the ashram. The guru may or may not belong to a formally constituted order or spiritual community.

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем сделать НИР

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Ashrama —   [ aːʃ ; Sanskrit »Ort der (religiösen) Bemühung«], Ạshram, Stätte, an der hinduistische Lehrer und Führer ihre Anhänger zu gemeinsamem Leben versammeln, neuzeitlich oft als Stätten der Zurückgezogenheit und Besinnung verstanden; auch… …   Universal-Lexikon

  • Âshrama — Âshram Entrée de l ashram Sabarmati, une des résidences de Gandhi Dans l Inde ancienne, les âshram ou âshrama un mot sanskrit étaient des ermitages retirés dans la nature, dans la forêt ou la montagne, où les sages vivaient dans la paix et la… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Ashrama (stage) — An article related to Hinduism …   Wikipedia

  • Ashrama — Ashram (Sanskrit, m.n., आश्रम, āśrama) bezeichnet in den indischen Sprachen ein klosterähnliches Meditationszentrum. Die Bedeutung des Wortes ist „Ort der Anstrengung“. Damit hängt der Begriff der vier Lebensstadien im Hinduismus zusammen, den… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Ashrama — En el hinduismo, cada una de las cuatro etapas de la vida de un espiritualista. Los cuatro áshramas son: ● brahmacharia (estudiantado célibe), ● garhasthia (el griha stha está en la casa , es un hombre casado), ● vanaprastha ( vive en el bosque …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • ashrama — [ aʃrəmə] noun Hinduism any of the four stages of an ideal life, ascending from the status of pupil to the total renunciation of the world. Origin from Sanskrit āśrama …   English new terms dictionary

  • ashrama — ashra·ma …   English syllables

  • ashrama — …   Useful english dictionary

  • Advaita Ashrama — Formation 1899 Purpose/focus Philanthropic, religious studies, spirituality Headquarters Belur Math Region served Worldwide Website …   Wikipedia

  • Ananda Ashrama and Vedanta Centre — (est. 1923)    Ananda Ashrama of La Crescenta, California, was founded in 1923 by Swami PARAMANANDA (1884–1940) to facilitate a better understanding between Eastern and Western spiritualities and to disseminate VEDANTA philosophy. The 120 acre… …   Encyclopedia of Hinduism

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”