RENUNCIATION

The topic of renunciation has never been a popular subject, which inevitably leads into painful conflict with ‘worldly’ desires.  

Renunciation traditionally practiced by way of going away from home to homeless life in search of truth.  Lord Buddha too began his search for truth by going away from home to homelessness.  But at the time of enlightenment, Lord Buddha found that one should actually renounce attachment, including longing for enlightenment, by letting go off the bonds that that binds us to Samsara, which does not necessarily requires going away from home to homeless life.  

Lord Buddha realized that it is the emotional bond that holds everyone clinging and binds to the wheel of Samsara.  Having found the truth Lord Buddha redefined the idea of renunciation and advocated the practice of generosity as the first step of renunciation.  It is something that everyone can do. Anything that can be owned can be given.  

Renunciation and generosity are the two sides of the same coin and hence Lord Buddha said the goal of renunciation is to develop a spirit of generosity.  In the act of generosity, the receiver may enjoy some fruit from the act of giving; it is the giver who is the main beneficiary practicing an act of generosity by giving away what he owns for the good of others. 

Lord Buddha initiated the practice of going on retreat.  It is an appropriate way of practicing renunciation and it is possible for everyone.  Everyone can practice renunciation by way of going on retreat living behind the mundane world temporarily.  The practice is now a time honored Buddhist practice.

On retreat one experiences not only the struggle with one’s attachments, the emotional bond we live with, but also the joy and delight of freedom from them.  We are most successful in practicing Samatha and Vipassana Bhavana -meditation while we are on retreat. 

The retreat indeed provides the confidence that renouncing the worldly life is not difficulty.  One can also replicate the conditions of the retreat in everyday life.

In the middle of joyful experience of retreat Mara may come and say, “This is all very well – you enjoying yourself like this – but what about other people!  Why don’t you do something useful to relieve the suffering of the world instead of sitting here enjoying yourself – selfishly.”

Mara has a point – one could have devoted life to doing something useful.  But what is useful; practicing contentment with renunciation so that one could face death with ease and a sense of fulfillment or making contribution and finding solution to others worldly problems or spiritual progress.  Of course all of these have to be combined and balanced.  

Lord Buddha makes it clear that renunciation is not to be associated with feelings of loss and grief, or with the gloom of harsh asceticism, nor with bleak damnation of the rest of humanity.  Retreat is to be associated with spiritual progress for good of self and others that leads to experiencing eternal joy and bliss. 

GENEROSITY

Lord Buddha places Dana Paramita in the first place among all other Paramitas.  Dana is an act of giving and Paramita means well being of others.  Primarily Dana Paramita is an Upaya -a skilful mean, for cultivating the right attitude.

Lord Buddha emphasizes that the generosity with which an act of giving is executed has the power to change our attitude, outlook and accrue virtue for harmony and happiness of everyone.  

More than the act of giving, the intention of giving and the degree of loving kindness and compassion associated with the act of giving, is important.  Whatsoever is given, it must be given selflessly to a genuinely needy recipient.

If we cultivate generosity, our mind will stop sticking to physical and emotional desires and dislikes.  Instead we are  suffused with the feeling of vast spaciousness in our mind and heart.  

When we develop generosity is us we are able let go negative emotions like anger or desire or jealousy that arises in us and prevent us from being in painful state when they arise.  We are able to allow the negative emotions to follow their natural path of coming and going and we remain undisturbed and happier with their passing.  

Generosity triggers to unfold Bodhi Citta –good will, and its underlying power to deliver harmony and happiness.  It frees practitioners from attachment, the emotional bond that ties everyone to Samsara.

Practicing generosity provides trans-formative experience and it is the beginning of spiritual awakening, and it requires a generous heart.

Practicing generosity means practicing the act of giving selflessly to genuinely needy recipient.  The recipient is important because helping those who do not have problem does not solve the actual problem and does not bring happiness to anyone. 

In practicing generosity we experience the joy of our intention being transformed.  Giving selflessly for the well-being of others who are genuinely wanting to receive help, we experience confidence; we grow in self-esteem, and self-respect.  

Generosity cause spaciousness in our mind and heart, bringing in inner introspection where true happiness is found.  It is with the spaciousness of mind and heart we derive the strength to accept things as they are; and exercise contentment, tolerance and forgiveness. 

With generosity, if we develop, spacious mind and heart, we are not afraid.  The fear factor itself does not exist in us.  The vast array of experiences comes and goes when we have spacious mind and generous heart.  We remain self-confident at all circumstances.

It is the fear and attachment that make us hold on to a pleasant experience. We like to have pleasant experiences because we think we need them to be happy.  We want them to last as long as we can.  But nothing stays forever. 

Such compulsive attachment does not bring true happiness, whereas learning to let go, learning to relinquish; being able to give selflessly with right intention does bring happiness. Indeed, in a singly act of giving selflessly, fear and attachment are diminished. 

The strength of generosity is a primary factor in our ability to accept change, and let go painful experiences and negative emotions without being disturbed.   

Indeed a single act of giving selflessly to a genuinely needy recipient unfolds Lord Buddha’s message of love, compassion, sympathetic joy and equanimity.  

The objective of practicing generosity has two folds.  The first one is to free our minds from the conditioned forces of craving, clinging and attachment that bind and limit us to a confinement that lacks self-esteem.  

If we are always looking for things to be complete, we miss the degree to which we are complete.  For this reason Lord Buddha advises us to practice generosity to free our mind from projecting incompleteness and weaken the forces of craving, clinging and attachment.  

Secondly, we practice generosity to extend welfare and happiness to all beings and free them from all forms of suffering.

Giving is an act of abandoning delusion and perform wholesome act with skillful means.  By way of selflessly giving a material possession, contributing a positive thought, sharing a feeling for well being of others, or volunteering for social welfare activities, we understand the value of life.  

We must understand that what we do in our life—the choices we make, the values we hold—matters.  What we think and do in this Samsara matters to us and others alike.  

With a selfless act of giving we are abandoning desire and grasping.  We are abandoning ill will and aversion, as aversion creates separateness and withdrawal, a sense of not being in harmony with others. 

In a selfless act of giving we are aligning ourselves with human values.  We let go grasping, aversion and delusion. 

One of the great joys that come from generosity is the understanding that no matter how much or how little we have, if we know we have enough, we will always have something to give. “One who knows that enough is enough will always have enough (Tao Te Ching).”