Discussing the Topic of Renunciation
by Khenpo Tashi
Why Buddhism is very, very special is because of nge par du jung wa* (Tibetan), or renunciation. It is one religion that makes renunciation important, respectable and possible (doable).
The Prince Siddhartha (the future Buddha Shakyamuni) left the palace because he felt deep compassion. He thought, “ If I were to become King, like my father, it is only temporary. The kingdom will (eventually) be forgotten. Power, wealth, fame, will be gone. All of these are illusory”.
So, as a future king, he really thought, if he really wanted to bring some permanent benefit to his father, wife, son, relatives and ministers and people, he needed to find cause of suffering, for himself and for them.
That is the actual duty of king, to give protection to the people. By renouncing, he was looking for that kind of permanent benefit, for them.
Meaningless Cycle
How was Prince Siddhartha able to renounce the worldly ambitions and power? Because he saw the “meaningless” cycle of Samsara.
It is like waking up in the morning, then brush teeth, eat, work, sleep. And, next day, same thing again. Next day, same thing. Always the same, everyday. He saw that clearly.
He saw the illusion. From a high place, when we look down at all these things, everything is the same, going around and around! Good dinner last night? Only a memory by next morning. Haha! We cannot hold on to the good taste!
This is the same for any Samsaric pleasure, fame, success, relationship, power, goal and so on.
Mipham Rinpoche said,
“Wherever one is born, birth ends in death, meeting results in separation, accumulation results in loss, height results in falling down. Therefore, since no one can go beyond these four realities, we better think of escaping from Samsara!”
Mipham Rinpoche
Also, Lord Nagarjuna said,
The Three Realms are impermanent, like the autumn clouds in the sky; The birth and death of beings is like watching a dance;
The life of a person passes like lightning in the sky, like water from the mountains quickly rushing down
Arya Nagarjuna
So, Prince felt that disgust, distrust, tiredness, looking at the same ‘going-around-thing’ again, again, again. So at first, it looks meaningful, all these, working hard and learning a new thing, meeting new people, accumulating, gaining, achieving.
But, looking from afar, it is the same game. That is why we say, “meaningless Samsara”. It is the same cycle.
He felt tired of it. He wasn’t lazy. He felt disappointed of it.
Final Points
So, Buddhism is very special because, up to now, this idea of weariness, we respect and we can follow in Buddhism. There are methods.
If not for this way out of Samsara, the Way of Liberation, we will go around the same game. Some pain and worry here and there, some imperfect happiness here and there.
Always unsure, always unstable, always with pain and suffering, this Samsara. That is the cause for a person to feel renunciation, like Gautama Buddha did.
_______
*nge par du jung wa literally means “going to a place of certainty”. Realizing that Samsara is always uncertain and unstable, one determines to go to the state of Buddhahood.