Renunciation: Method of Analysis

The Meaning of Renunciation: The Determination to Be Free

This weekend we are going to be talking about a central topic in the Buddhist teachings – the determination to be free, usually translated as “renunciation.” This term renunciation is a little bit difficult to understand. I think primarily because it doesn’t quite convey the meaning of the original terms in Sanskrit or Tibetan.

In the original languages, the term has the connotation of becoming certain, becoming definite; and it has the further connotation of being certain that we want to leave something. If we look more deeply, it means what I have been translating it as: a determination to be free, to be free of various sources of suffering and problems, various limitations.

What we are renouncing, what we want to leave behind and gain liberation from, are our various problems and limitations and their sources, the causes for them. After all, the central theme in the Buddhist teachings is to get rid of suffering. Everything that Buddha taught was intended to help people overcome the various problems they face in life – not only in this life, but from lifetime to lifetime.

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