Renunciation
"Renunciation can free the mind to explore new experiences"
Introduction
Defining Renunciation
Renunciation is defined here as the giving up of one’s attachment towards things, such as objects, desires, beliefs, and so forth.
In this article, we will explore renunciation from a Self-Transformative perspective to understand what it is in closer detail and how the practice of renunciation can help one to develop greater Self-Knowing and Self-Transformation.
Renunciation In Depth
To renunciate is to let go of one’s attachments.
For those who find pleasurable activities desirable, the practice of renunciation can be confusing. Why one would ever want to let go of their attachments when they can bring one pleasure?
For instance:
Why let go of one’s desire for money when it can bring so much joy?
Why let go of one’s attachment to appearances when it's important?
Why should stop the attachment to pleasurable thoughts?
Why abandon things that can bring one joy?
So for those who enjoy pleasurable experiences (which is most people), the practice of renunciation can seem unnecessary, and to some, almost absurd.
That is why the ones that practice renunciation are often those who are following some kind of philosophy, religion, or spirituality that promises a particular outcome from the practice, such as becoming closer to god, developing the state of nirvana, becoming one with nature, cleansing oneself of sins; the reasons can be many.
But let us explore the act of renunciation stripped from the religious and philosophical perspectives so that one can understand what the practice can do for the mind so that one can renunciation as a catalyst to transform their mind to develop greater happiness.
The two sides of attachment
To understand the effects that renunciation has on the mind, we can begin by understanding the effects of attachment.
One of the effects of attachment is that it can bring one "positive" experiences. When we are with the things we are attached to, it can give us pleasant feelings that can include the sensations of pleasure, feelings of security, and a sense of purpose.
For instance, if one is attached to money, then money will be able to give one a sense of security.
For instance, if one is attached to being popular, then having fame can bring one the sensations of pleasure.
For instance, if one is attached to competitions, then competitions can give one a sense of purpose.
When one only sees this seemingly harmless side of one's attachments, it will be difficult for one to find good reasons to address them.
That is why it's important to be aware of the darker side of attachment, which is to realize that attachment can also bring suffering.
For instance, if one is attached to money, one will experience the fears of losing money.
For instance, if one is attached to being popular, then one can experience great pains when one is ignored.
For instance, if one is attached to competition, then one can feel purposeless when one is without anything to compete for.
Without developing self-awareness and learning to reflect upon the consequence of one’s choices, it can take one countless life experiences to finally realize the suffering side of attachments. This is usually the case because one would rarely expect the things that can bring one great pleasure to also be the cause of one's tremendous pain.
That is why the practice of meditation is recommended as it can shorten the time for one to develop such realization.
And with time, as one develops self-awareness, one will slowly realize that the greater one’s attachment is, the greater the intensity it will bring to one’s pleasurable and suffering experiences.
And with time, one perhaps will realize that the happiness gained from one’s attachment is not worth suffering for, and make the decision to address their attachments.
And one of the ways to do so is to practice renunciation.
Path Of Creator
Renunciation In Relation To The Path Of Creator
To simplify, attachments can bring about two consequences to one's life experience: the experiences of pain or pleasure. And with time, as one observes the ups and downs of their experiences, one will realize that it’s the pains that will ultimately prevail because temporary/conditional happiness is simply suffering in disguise.
So, if one desires greater happiness, one will have to address their attachments.
But what does this mean?
Does this mean that one has to forever part with the things that make them happy?
Some can interpret renunciation as the act of abandoning one's happiness as it requires one to let go of all their attachments that bring pleasure. But the more one learns more about what the practice of renunciation really is about, the more one will be able to see the journey of renunciation as not so grim, but liberating instead.
To understand, let us observe the journey of developing greater happiness from a Self-Transformative perspective.
The journey of developing greater happiness is a journey of transforming one's beliefs because that is where one’s happiness truly originates.
So, to create greater happiness within really has nothing to do with addressing the things one does or possesses in the world outside.
More specifically, the journey of creating greater happiness is about transforming the Negative Beliefs through developing Self-Acceptance.
See Catalyst - Transforming The Negative Ideas in detail.
Remember, the key to developing greater happiness in life is to develop Self-Acceptance because the more one can accept, the more happiness one will naturally experience within themselves. This is how one can develop everlasting and unconditional happiness, and renunciation can be used as a catalyst for accelerating this journey.
See Catalyst - Self-Acceptance in detail.
To understand how renunciation can be used to develop Self-Acceptance, one can first understand how Self-Rejection can arise from one’s attachments.
The consequence of being attached to certain beliefs is that it will drive one to reject all other beliefs that counter them. So, the more beliefs one is attached to, the fewer beliefs one will be able to accept. The effect of this at the level of life experiences is that it will compel one to avoid and reject certain things, people, events, and situations; one becomes boxed/confined by one's attachments into only experiencing things that they can accept. The more attachments one has, the smaller that box becomes. When viewed at this scale, one can begin to see the limitations that attachments can bring into one's life.
Renunciation can open gateways for one to explore experiences that are outside of one's usual confines because to renounce is to do things that are against one's habit patterns. Thus, through renunciation, one can free the mind to explore new experiences, and perhaps learn new things from them.
For instance, as one renounces their attachments to delicious foods, it can free the mind to explore different diets, healthier foods, and so forth.
For instance, as one renounces their attachment to making money, it can free the mind to explore experiences that require the spending of money for fun rather than for profit.
For instance, as one renounces their attachment to appearances, it can free one's mind to wear clothes for comfort rather than for fashion.
And if one carries the intention to develop Self-Acceptance whilst practising renunciation, it can make the experiences transformative because one will learn to accept what one previously could not.
Realize that the act of renunciation is actually the exploring of experiences that one has been rejecting or experiences that one has failed to notice due to their fixation on their attachments. And in exploring these new experiences, one can learn more about the state of Self-Rejection that is happening within and their deeper causes. Thus the acts of renunciation can provide one a journey of Self-Knowing—if that’s the intent.
So, the intention that one carries as they practice renunciation is important because it's the intention that determines what one will learn from the experience.
If one practices renunciation with no intention to develop greater Self-Knowing or to develop Self-Transformation, then renunciation will simply become a practice where one is limiting themselves. In a way, an attachment is much like the unconscious renunciation of certain life experiences because one cannot accept them.
That is why it’s important to carry conscious intent when practising renunciation because it’s the intent for Self-Transformation that makes it a catalyst for Self-Transformation.
So, how does one practise renunciation?
One can simply choose to give up doing certain things that they are attached to, whether it's an activity that is outside oneself or inside the mind, whilst carrying the intention to develop Self-Knowing and Self-Acceptance from the experience.
See Catalyst - Attachment in detail to know more about attachments.
The journey of renunciation will be no doubt challenging because the mind will always find it painful to part with its attachments. That is why the practice of meditation can be so ever helpful because it can help one to Still the Mind as one is faced with inner resistances.
Once one releases their attachments, one will be able to realize the difference between making choices that are driven by one’s attachments and making choices out of the power of one's free will.
The destination is towards reaching a state of unconditional happiness that is unchanging no matter what happens in the world outside and inside.
Know and Transform The Self!
Reading articles helps with understanding, but to transform the mind, one realizes the truth from experience.
For such an enlightening journey, the Self-Transformation Course has everything you will ever need!
