A Hindu Tradition?

[sandyRoe]

An older man gives all his possessions to his family and, wearing only a dhoti and carrying an alms bowl, wanders out of their lives. He spends the rest of his days on the road pondering the meaning of life.
I remember hearing this mention in an episode of Minder on TV. If it really happens, what's it called?

[emmie]

possibly this,

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sadhu

[sandyRoe]

That seems to be it. Thank you, Emmie.

[emmie]

from the link, i think it's on the right lines. Gandhi would have been a good advocate, had he not been a leader of men, if you get my meaning.

The Sanskrit terms sādhu ("good man") and sādhvī ("good woman") refer to renouncers who have chosen to live a life apart from or on the edges of society to focus on their own spiritual practice.[1]

The words come from the Sanskrit root sādh, which means "reach one's goal", "make straight", or "gain power over".[2] The same root is used in the word sādhana, which means "spiritual practice". 'Sadhu' can also be used as Vidhyartha, meaning 'let good happen'.

[emmie]

there are any number, actually probably a lot of very similar names for those that follow this path, if you read the book Kim by Kipling,
Kim's friend is a holy man, who talks of the wheel of life, coming full circle until one reaches a state of nirvana, peace.

[beso]

In the Western World it would be called a midlife crisis.