user779: Is it frowned upon in Buddhism to undertake homelessness without ordination? Let us presume that part of this homelessness also includes a focus on meditation, with mind and body able to work for oneself. 

user-1: Yes. It's frowned upon generally in Buddhism to practice on your own if suitable teachers are available. Dogen (the Zen founder) stressed the importance of finding and studying with a teacher, so did Ajahn Chah (a teacher in the Theravadan tradition):

However, if one only has knowledge of books and scriptures, sermons
  and suttas, that is, only knowledge of the map or plans for the
  journey, even in hundreds of lives one will never know purity,
  radiance and peacefulness of mind. Instead one will just waste time
  and never get to the real benefits of practice. Teachers are those who
  only point out the direction of the path. After listening to the
  teachers, whether or not we walk the path by practicing ourselves, and
  thereby reap the fruits of practice, is strictly up to each one of us.

http://www.ajahnchah.org/book/Fragments_Teaching1.php
If you just want to do intensive meditation I think you would quickly find homelessness (especially homelessness without the support of a sangha) was more of a hindrance than a help.

user-1: Homelessness is simply freedom from home-boundedness.
Homelessness is too negative a term. Those who wander free of homes do have their concerns, such as deciding in which beautiful place to sleep tonight, but this is minor compared to the distractions of 30-year mortgages, ever-growing utility bills, the complexities of adequate property insurance, too many neighbors, the hope of an adequate retirement many, many years from now...
One path is not better than the other, and haughty frowns of judgement may be thrown in either direction. One thing is certain: Do not choose your path based on who may or may not frown at you!
A time of homelessness (as the home-bound like to call it) has been an essential period in the lives of many great seekers, the Buddha, Lau Tzu and Jesus being only a few obvious examples. The key is to be homeless with awareness, but this is equally true for the home-bound.

user295: No there are many people who do it. It is accepted by Buddhists with respect. This is called Anagarika. There are much respected and famous Anagarika people.

779: <p>Is it frowned upon in Buddhism to undertake homelessness without ordination? Let us presume that part of this homelessness also includes a focus on meditation, with mind and body able to work for oneself. </p>
 -1: <p>Yes. It's frowned upon generally in Buddhism to practice on your own if suitable teachers are available. Dogen (the Zen founder) stressed the importance of finding and studying with a teacher, so did Ajahn Chah (a teacher in the Theravadan tradition):</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>However, if one only has knowledge of books and scriptures, sermons
  and suttas, that is, only knowledge of the map or plans for the
  journey, even in hundreds of lives one will never know purity,
  radiance and peacefulness of mind. Instead one will just waste time
  and never get to the real benefits of practice. Teachers are those who
  only point out the direction of the path. After listening to the
  teachers, whether or not we walk the path by practicing ourselves, and
  thereby reap the fruits of practice, is strictly up to each one of us.</p>
</blockquote>

<p><a href="http://www.ajahnchah.org/book/Fragments_Teaching1.php" rel="nofollow noreferrer">http://www.ajahnchah.org/book/Fragments_Teaching1.php</a></p>

<p>If you just want to do intensive meditation I think you would quickly find homelessness (especially homelessness without the support of a sangha) was more of a hindrance than a help.</p>
 -1: <p>Homelessness is simply freedom from home-boundedness.</p>

<p>Homelessness is too negative a term. Those who wander free of homes do have their concerns, such as deciding in which beautiful place to sleep tonight, but this is minor compared to the distractions of 30-year mortgages, ever-growing utility bills, the complexities of adequate property insurance, too many neighbors, the hope of an adequate retirement many, many years from now...</p>

<p>One path is not better than the other, and haughty frowns of judgement may be thrown in either direction. One thing is certain: Do not choose your path based on who may or may not frown at you!</p>

<p>A time of homelessness (as the home-bound like to call it) has been an essential period in the lives of many great seekers, the Buddha, Lau Tzu and Jesus being only a few obvious examples. The key is to be homeless with awareness, but this is equally true for the home-bound.</p>
 295: <p>No there are many people who do it. It is accepted by Buddhists with respect. This is called <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anagarika">Anagarika</a>. There are <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anagarika_Dharmapala">much respected and famous Anagarika people</a>.</p>
