Renunciation + The Joy of Simplicity

The assumption that accumulating things (homes, land, power, cars, the “right” body) leads to more happiness causes a lot of resistance to living simply in Western culture.

Ajahn Succito said, “wise renunciation goes against the current of gain.” So, if we really want freedom from the suffering that the mind creates, we have to be prepared to challenge the assumptions of gain and loss. We do that in this episode.

Renunciation about cultivating the intention to loosen our attachment and grasping, not just to material things and sensory pleasures, but also to self-obsession and unhelpful emotions, too. It’s about realizing that holding onto anything that’s impermanent only brings us suffering.

There’s nothing wrong with wealth itself. It’s the grasping at it that causes suffering - and the feeling that there is something missing when we don’t have it that creates suffering.

To genuinely develop renunciation, we need to go into the mind and heart. Meditation is a key tool for this because it is where an authentic, sustainable happiness can be found. To have a resource like this within us already is an important inner source of wealth and abundance.

Another part of renunciation is being able to discern our wants from our needs. If we investigate this, we’ll often find that our needs are actually quite simple. On the other hand, our list of wants is never ending.

The deep question we can ask ourselves is, “Does this possess me?” Letting go of that - of feeling we are lacking - IS central to our liberation.

What’s one thing you can commit to renouncing today? A grudge? A partner or colleague’s annoying habit? What possesses you? No judgment… just awareness, and a gentle invitation to let go.

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