Pujya Gurudev Swami Chinmayananda explains:
An ashram is a point of guidance, a place to develop on the path of Self-discovery. If we have a legal problem, we look to the courts for justice. If we are ill, we go to a hospital. But if we are searching for inner peace, for the unfolding of our real Self, then we need some guiding factor — an institution, a concept, or a person to show us a glimpse of light in the surrounding darkness.
An ashram provides this light — it provides a support system for a sincere seeker. Many think that ashrams are heavens of peace and tranquility.
That is the ideal, but often not the reality. An ashram is not structure or a cluster of buildings, but the people who inhabit them.
Seekers from all walks of life come here to reflect, rediscover, and revitalize on their spiritual journey. They are under tremendous strain, especially since they have given up the worldly life, but have not yet reached the contentment of spirituality. In the process of purifying the mind, their impurities surface to discolor and distort everything. It is in the ashram that they “repair” themselves, and move a higher notch in their spiritual evolution, thus going further in the spiritual sojourn.
Chinmaya Mission’s ashrams are located in picturesque places, are ideal for spiritual practice and rejuvenation with lodging facilities and regular spiritual activities and camps taking place.