Even world-renouncing monks and ascetics are advised to practise non-dependence. The laws of physical decay and disintegration are universal and they do not exempt anyone. When the body gets old and begins to break down, it drags the mind down to the physical level. A weak or sick body demands more attention of the mind. Practice of prayer and meditation becomes difficult even for a monk when his body is taken over by old age ailments. Small wonder then that in old age a monk begins to feel the chill of dependence. Unless his self-surrender to God is unshakable and his faith in God's caring hands is unwavering, he becomes fearful in old age.
Instructing a monk, Swami Saradananda, a direct disciple of Sri Ramakrishna, said the following: 'It is good to be active, but it depends on several factors. Your health must be good and you must be able to get along with fellow-workers.
But suppose you have injured one of your limbs; then it would be difficult for you to do work. Therefore I request you to cultivate the habit of reading. Even that is not enough. Suppose you become blind. Therefore it is good that you also practise meditation so that if you cannot read or work, at least you can meditate.'
Activity should not be the sole spiritual preoccupation of a monk. He should keep up the habit of intense study of holy texts and the practice of meditation, so that when he is no longer able to be in the field of action he can be totally non-dependent and spend his old age in study and contemplation of the Divine. The goal of a monk is to be a monk, not to become an administrator, a preacher, a lecturer, or a scholar but to be a man of God, and in his journey to that goal he is alone with his absolute dependence on God. For a monk who forgets these facts, old age brings not enlightenment but disappointment, frustration, and fear.
