Most texts I read declare that once one has renounced the ego and dwells within the Self, that all worldly attachments are gone and you are no longer associated with your body. I then came across this passage about Ramana which slightly confused me:
He said that each life takes its own course and one cannot and must not compare one life with the other; just because he renounced the world does not mean that every spiritual aspirant must do so. He used the technical word prārabdham – pra+ārabdham (that which is started) to describe the difference. Each one of us will have a different prārabdham and hence different kinds of lives and living. All Upanishadic seers are householders. Some have two wives too, such as Yajñavalkya. Brahmacharyam means moving or residing in the (or as) Brahman – and not abstaining from sex or practicing celibacy as is generally believed. This aspect was often stressed by Sri Ramana Maharshi.
Does this mean you have the option to renounce everything? Would one still be able to have a wife and kids while renouncing the Ego? I'm guessing a spiritual seeker has the option to continue to identify with his body, but it is hard for me to understand how this works, any clarification would be wonderful.
Ramana and Renunciation
in The Hinduism Forum
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Most texts I read declare that once one has renounced the ego and dwells within the Self, that all worldly attachments are gone and you are no longer associated with your body. I then came across this passage about Ramana which slightly confused me:
Does this mean you have the option to renounce everything? Would one still be able to have a wife and kids while renouncing the Ego? I'm guessing a spiritual seeker has the option to continue to identify with his body, but it is hard for me to understand how this works, any clarification would be wonderful.