—Lack of Profound Understanding of Saṃsāra
There is yet another, more fundamental reason why genuine renunciation fails to arise—the fourth one: we do not have a deep understanding of (saṃsāra). Deep down, we do not truly believe in it. This point goes even deeper. We have never directly perceived saṃsāra through direct valid cognition (pratyakṣa-pramāṇa). What we know about it comes from our teachers and from the scriptures. On the surface, we say we believe, but this belief is shallow. It does not generate the powerful inner drive to seek liberation.
Let me give an example. Suppose someone becomes ill and, at the hospital, receives a diagnosis of cancer: “You have three years to live.” Just watch how quickly he lets things go! The moment he truly believes the diagnosis, everything changes. Suddenly nothing seems meaningful anymore. He begins to think about death, and writing a will. He may fall into deep depression , or decide to eat whatever he likes and travel wherever he wants. Work and career prospects are no longer his priority. Why? Because he believes the medical diagnosis. He knows he is going to die. Once death is certain, worldly ambitions lose their meaning.
If our belief in saṃsāra were as deep and conctete as belief in a confirmed cancer diagnosis, do you think we would not let go? We certainly would! The real problem is that, at our core, we do not truly believe in saṃsāra. On the surface, everyone say, “There is rebirth.” We may even use it to frighten others. But inwardly, we have never seriously contemplated the terrifying nature of cyclic existence. This shows that deep down, we do not really believe.
Yet since we cannot perceive saṃsāra directly through direct perception (pratyakṣa), how can we come to believe in it? Here, intellectuals actually have an advantage. Through rational inquiry—through studying Madhyamaka and Yogācāra—they can resolve this issue. Through deep study and reflecting on these philosophical systems, one can come to understand that saṃsāra truly exists. And once one genuinely believes in saṃsāra, one realizes that liberation (mokṣa) is the most important matter of all—because after death, it is not simply that everything ceases to exist.
The idea that “after death there is nothing” may seem wrong to us at the conceptual level. Yet in reality, deep in our bones, it still influences us. Many people are subtly shaped by this view. When not reflecting carefully, they will say, “I believe there is rebirth after death,” and they may even ask frequently about the intermediate state (antarābhava). But if you truly believed in rebirth after death—believed it as vividly and concretely as someone believes a terminal diagnosis—you would practice at all costs.
And what does “practice at all costs”involve? One crucial element is observing your own mental continuum (citta-santāna), examining whether excessive conceptual proliferation (vikalpa) is obscuring your genuine renunciation. Human beings are masters of self-deception. We deceive ourselves in countless ways.The only one who is completely free from self-deception is the Buddha.
In fact, our self-deception is quite crude and obvious. We have long grown accustomed to not observing our own continuum. The moment someone speaks, the moment external conditions shift, our mind immediately rushes outward. And once the mind turns outward, it is led by habitual tendencies (vāsanā). If these tendencies promote you to hate, you hate. If they promote you to crave, you crave. If they promote you to cling, you cling. Very few people are able to guide their behavior through mindfulness (smṛti).
If we learn to cultivate awareness and frequently look inward intoour own minds, at the beginning you may discover that you are rather petty and ignoble. Therefore, when one first begins genuine introspection, there can be a sense of discouragement. A person with relatively goodcharacter may sigh, “Ah… so this is what I am really like.” Someone with poorer character might instead think, “Ah, so I’m actually quite clever…”
—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.
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