I've been contemplating renunciation. In Buddhism, renunciation is not a penance. Rather, it is a recognition of our own fetters. When we recognize that something we cling to for comfort really is keeping us fettered to dukkha, we are ready to let go.
Some teachers talk about renouncing "worldly pleasures," but I wonder if that's the most useful way to think of renunciation. Surely we can mindfully appreciate a beautiful sunset or the taste of strawberries without being fettered by them. On the other hand, I've known people who were attached to self-denial. Hey, attachment is attachment.
My current renunciation project is clearing out a lot of stuff I've accumulated over the years that I don't use any more. When I clean out a closet I find stuff I didn't even know I had. That's just wrong. I must have thought I really needed the whatever-it-was, sometime in the past, but obviously I was mistaken.
Is anyone else in a renunciation phase?
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