—The Purpose of Learning Buddhism Is Vague
The consequence of lacking genuine renunciation is that, in daily life, you will be unable to relinquish many forms of greed, anger, ignorance, arrogance, and doubt. Even after studying Buddhism for a long time, your purpose for doing so may remain vague. Conceptually, you say, “I want to leave saṃsāra.” But if you examine yourself to the core —you will find that this is not truly the case.
For many people, the situation is like this: “I must study Buddhism.” But for what reason? Perhaps it is to become the most outstanding among fellow practitioners, so that others will respect me, so that I can sit here like a senior disciple and give teachings. Or at least, during debates, I want everyone to be convinced by me. Or perhaps after reverently serving the Guru, I might unexpectedly win the lottery. Or I will accumulate vast merit (puṇya). Or my skin will suddenly become radiant and beautiful…
Without genuine renunciation, even the coarser forms of greed, anger, ignorance, arrogance, and doubt cannot be relinquished. But once true renunciation arises, a person changes.
The principle is simple: when you truly understand that behind these things lies suffering (duḥkha), letting go becomes easy. Much of our inner struggle and inability to release attachments stems from the absence of renunciation. Not to mention bodhicitta, which is far more profound—we do not even possess renunciation.
When we return and observe ourselves, what is the root of much of our suffering? For every practitioner, suffering is actually an excellent opportunity for contemplation and meditation. Happiness, on the other hand, sometimes is not —because happiness makes us linger, feel comfortable, and indulge in delight.
When you are in pain, observe carefully why you are suffering. You must be clinging to something. Either you cannot obtain what you desire, or you have lost what you cherished; or you are anxious or fearful about something—and from that arises entanglement and distress. If genuine renunciation is present,What is the big deal? With true renunciation, many forms of psychological suffering can be resolved.
Of course, physical suffering cannot necessarily be eliminated. Suffering arising from non-conceptual consciousness—the first five sense consciousnesses—is quite troublesome. For example, if you fall ill, the pain will still hurt regardless of whether you possess renunciation or not. However, psychological suffering—the suffering that arises from conceptual consciousness (vikalpa), including thoughts, sentiments, and emotions—can indeed be resolved through renunciation.
Once these mental sufferings are resolved, your practice can truly advance. If you genuinely cultivate renunciation(nihsarana) well—if your heart truly relinquishes worldly attachments—you will naturally feel pliant and tranquil. Meditative concentration (samādhi) becomes easier to enter, and Dharma joy (dharmānanda) arises more readily.
People often ask, “Why cannot I seem to make progress in my practice?” But all day long you are entangled in trivialities: “That Dharma brother gave me a strange look; when he saw me, he did not even greet me; when we went for life release, he stood in the front while I had to stand in the back—Are you kidding me?” So many small details in work and daily life cause us distress. In truth, the root cause is the absence of renunciation.
If you truly have renunciation, why bother with any of this? Just practice! “Oṃ Maṇi Padme Hūṃ, Oṃ Maṇi Padme Hūṃ…” Today a Dharma brother shared that while on an airplane, he felt no fear because he was continuously chanting the Buddha’s name or a mantra—he had no time left to dwell on anxiety. We need not even speak of bodhicitta or emptiness (śūnyatā), which are so profound. Even ordinary renunciation is already sufficient to accomplish this much. We must honestly reflect: do we truly possess renunciation? If genuine renunciation has not arisen, then it simply will not work.
—Excerpted and adapted from Conceptual Renunciation and Genuine Renunciation
This article is a preliminary translation draft and has not yet been reviewed or proofread by the speaker.
