Chaitanya Monks

MISSION STATEMENT — Chaitanya Monks is an order of mendicants [tridandi-sannyasa] that began in ancient India and was re-instituted in 1918 by Paramahamsa Sri Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakur. The name “Chaitanya Monks” is derived from the 15th century avatar, Sri Krishna Chaitanya whose teachings and example of a life of devotion to God remain unparalleled in the history of religion.

Since ancient times, from Saints of India to the Celts of Europe, the 'cross' has been viewed as a sign of benevolence, charity and mercy. Today the 'Red Cross' symbolizes medical relief, the 'Blue Cross' symbolizes disaster relief work and the 'Green Cross' symbolizes environmental relief work. All these are indeed noble and worthy causes but have no spiritual significance or inherent affiliation with a particular theistic conception. The highest type of welfare work, indeed the highest humanitarian work of all is that of liberating the spirit of the human being from the bondage of material illusion — thus the symbol of the 'Saffron Cross' — symbolizing harmony and unity with the divine.

The Holy Order of the Saffron Cross has been established in modern times with its ashrams [monasteries] in India and Switzerland to promote the teachings of Sri Krishna Chaitanya by propagating sankirtan, the chanting of the holy names of Krishna as the supreme spiritual welfare activity and prime benediction for humanity at large.

This website “Chaitanya Monks — The Holy Order of the Saffron Cross” is intended to be a resource for any person or persons desiring to know the theology of Sri Krishna Chaitanya and of the Vedic social institution of sannyasa. This website is also intended to be an information resource on the histories of all the worlds great monastic orders, their theology and their traditions.

[For a complete list of materials available on this site please click on the links provided for; View All Articles, View All Biographies and View All Histories]

Articles

The Story of Sri Krishna Chaitanya

Sri Krishna Chaitanya was the 15th century avatar [and monastic] that appeared in West Bengal, India and whose teachings and example of a life of devotion to God remain unparalleled in the history of religion. read more

The Story of Shankar Acharya

Professors of philosophy in India refer to a verse from the Padma Purana that reveals the hidden identity of Shankaracharya: “‘The Mayavada philosophy’, Shiva informed his wife Parvati, ‘is covered Buddhism. In the form of a brahmana in the kali-yuga I teach this imagined philosophy.’” read more

Origins of Monasticism

With the ascetic tendency in general, monasticism in particular is found by no means only in the Christian church, but in other religions, both before and after Christ, especially in the East. read more

Sannyasa — The Internal Meaning

What is the significance of sannyasa ? In Gaudiya Vaisnavism there are many important philosophical points to understand properly. read more

Chaitanya Monks

Loudly chant the Holy Name of Krsna and never forget the two most valuable
things Lord Caitanya taught Srila Sanatana Gosvami: phalgu and yukta, 'real and apparent renunciation' and baddha and mukta, 'freed and enslaved.' Never mistake one for the other, or think them to be the same. read more

Bhikkhu Sutta

In this work, the Buddha describes the many kinds of happiness that can be experienced through sustained practice. read more

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Biographies

Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura

Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati was a highly influential preacher of Gaudiya Vaishnavism throughout India in the late 19th and early 20th Century. He was born as Bimala-prasad Dutta in the pilgrimage town of Jagannatha Puri, Orissa, India. read more

Jiva Goswami

Jiva Goswami was one of the most prolific and important writers from the Gaudiya Vaishnava school, producing a great number of philosophical works on the theology and practice of Bhakti yoga and associated disciplines. read more

Sri Caitanya – His Life and Precepts (Part 1)

Chaitanya Mahaprabhu was born in Mayapur in the town of Nadia, just after sunset on the evening of the 23rd Falgun, 1407 Advent of Sakabda answering to the 18th Februrary, 1486 of the Christian era. read more

Yogi Padmasambhava

Now follows a short life story of Guru Rinpoche, also known as Padmakara or Padmasambhava. read more

Saint Anthony the Great

Saint Anthony and Saint Paul the Hermit are seen as the founders of Christian monasticism. Athanasius says, "For monks, the life of Anthony is a sufficient example of ascetism." read more

Dalai Lama

From his birth to his exile, the story of the Dalai Lama is one that the modern world will not soon forget. A spiritual inspiration to millions and a leader of a country in exile. read more

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Histories

Buddhist Monasticism

The order of Buddhist monks and nuns was founded by Gautama Buddha during his lifetime of over 2500 years ago. The Buddhist monastic lifestyle grew out of the lifestyle of earlier sects of wandering ascetics, some of whom the Buddha had studied under. read more

Militant Monks – The Knights Templar

The Knights Templar, a military order of
monks answerable only to the Pope himself, were founded in
1118. Their primary responsibility, at least initially, was
to provide protection to Christians making pilgrimages to
the Holy Land. read more

The Jesuit Oath

Controversy surrounds the age old Jesuit oath, "Go ye, then, into all the world and take possession of all lands in the name of the Pope. He who will not accept him as the Vicar of Jesus and his Vice-regent on earth, let him be accursed and exterminated." read more

Sokushinbutsu – the Mummified Monks

Sokushinbutsu (即身仏) were Buddhist monks or priests who allegedly caused their own deaths in a way that resulted in their being mummified. read more

Datsan Gunzechoinei – The First Buddhist Monastery in the West

Datsan Gunzechoinei was built in St. Petersburg between 1909-1915. The initiator of the monastery was the Buryat lama Agvan Dorzhiev (1853-1938) a teacher and close friend of His Holiness The XIII Dalai Lama Thupten Gyatso. read more

The Daoist 'Tian Shi Dao' Monastic Order

The Tian Shi Dao order of Daoism (known as the Northern Celestial Masters) found its roots an the older form of Daoism created by Zhang Daoling in 142CE. read more

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Monks in the News Around the World

Closer to God through Silence

The Congregation of St. John monastery in Princeville is an eerily quiet place early on a Thursday morning. Silence is simply a way of life for those who live at the Catholic monastery. They believe that a contemplative lifestyle of prayer and rigorous study will bring them the closest to God. read more

Monks sue Va. Beach over permit denial

They teach morality, tolerance and love. But a small group of Buddhist monks say that is not what they have found in the city's leaders. The monks have filed a federal lawsuit claiming Virginia Beach is violating their Constitutional right to religious freedom. read more

Chinese armed police used spades and meat choppers to beat Tibetan monks

Free Tibet Campaign yesterday reported the beating of 50 Tibetan monks by Chinese armed police at Kirti monastery on 24 September. The monk who was initially beaten on the evening of 24 September has been named as Jimpa Ladja... read more

More than a thousand monks and many civilians have disappeared since the March crackdown

Whether they were arrested in March or simply disappeared thereafter, relatives and friends of the Monks are in the dark as to their whereabouts or even if they are still alive. An appeal is made to foreign governments, international agencies and the United Nations not to forget them. read more

Burma: The revolution that didn't happen

It was dubbed the Saffron Revolution. Last September thousands of monks marched down the streets of Rangoon to call for democratic change. They pledged to "wipe the military dictatorship from the land of Burma", and as the days went by increasing numbers of civilians joined their cause. read more

Level of religious repression increases in Tibet

The US state dept's annual report on religious freedom said religious repression in Tibetan areas has increased over the past year and the Chinese government has increased restrictions on religious freedom, including selecting and training lamas, travel of monks and nuns and limits on monastery construction. read more

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