Vānaprastha is a stage in the life journey of the Vedic ashram system; it begins when an individual hands over household responsibilities to the next generation, steps back into an advisory role, then gradually withdraws from the world. We all must learn the art of living, but we must also learn the art of leaving this world.
This is the focus of Vānaprastha, to endeavour to release our dependency on possessions, desire, relationships and ambition, having met our obligations to as working members of society, and to our dependents. We can begin the task of unlearning a lifetime of dependency on all these attachments, deliberately creating unencumbered time to switch our focus within to discover our ‘elder wisdom’.
Average life expectancy is currently around 80 in Europe, with women generally outliving men by about 5 years, so there is now a stage between middle age and being old and frail which was relatively uncommon in the last century. Known as late middle age, silver years etc, many in their 60’s and 70’s feel pretty young, but negative beliefs about aging have existed for centuries. Shakespeare, born in 1564, described the 6th age of man in ‘As you Like It’ as 'second childishness and mere oblivion; Sans teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans everything.'
On the other hand, positive images of aging are available, when we tell ourselves that with age, the best is yet to come. We could learn a new skill or study, switch careers, start a business, or whatever dream we want to realise. Although way better than gloomy old age predictions, this new emphasis on “successful aging” can be an attempt to turn back a few pages and relive the middle scenes as long as possible.
“Thoroughly unprepared, we take the step into the afternoon of life. Worse still, we take this step with the false presupposition that our truths and our ideals will save us as hitherto. But we cannot live the afternoon of life according to the program of life’s morning – for what was great in the morning will be little at evening, and what in the morning was true will at evening have become a lie.” Carl Jung
In the yoga tradition our direction is clear. The first two phases of life are a preparation for the ultimate achievement, namely liberating our attention from outer preoccupations and returning it to the core of our being. In this third stage of life, we can step away from our external identities that can become all-consuming. Often in our 60s, we recognise that the outer world fails to bring us the peace and freedom we seek; that name, fame, possessions, and power are transient. Our attention shifts from the ever-changing to that which endures, turning our focus and awareness inwards.
Traditional yoga culture called this the forest-dweller stage; recognizing the transient nature of external achievements, they withdrew from these activities to strengthen their connection with the deeper dimensions of their own being. This civilization, stretching back beyond 2000 BCE, was deeply immersed in the natural world; their lifestyle promoted longevity - a plant-based diet of locally grown organic foods, they walked everywhere. Households were multi-generational; communities were woven together in a web of interdependence.
As the Gita teaches, our souls are immortal, untouched by decay, destruction, and death. The body, senses, and mind are valued, but considered a vehicle for the journey of life; our core being is not this vehicle. Like a car, the body is well engineered for a long journey; the purpose of this journey is not only to accumulate possessions, experiences, power or fame. It is to gather the tools and means to experience the brilliant field of energy at the core of our being. To die without having experienced this is truly the greatest loss. By the time we reach the third stage of life, we have the tools and means necessary to accomplish this goal. When we use these years of choice and opportunity to deepen our awareness of our inner world, the third stage merges into the fourth, final stage - spontaneous renunciation of the transitory for an all-encompassing engagement with the eternal.
"Grow old along with me! The best is yet to be, the last of life, for which the first was made". Robert Browning, from 'Rabbi Ben Ezra' 1864
Photo credit: Rashid Maxwell, from his series Drawn In https://www.theculturium.com/rashid-maxwell-drawn-in/