Renunciation and signs thereof

III The signs of sufficiently raising renunciation mind

Practitioners who truly want to liberate themselves from the sufferings of samsara, should continuously and systematically practise according to the above-mentioned method. True and stable renunciation mind arises from the long-term observation of the four renunciation practices. Through these practices, a desire for liberation from samsara will naturally arise. Additionally, when we see that all sentient beings are suffering in samsara, a vast and inclusive compassion will also be realised. Meanwhile, due to our desire to seek liberation, we start to search for safe and secure places for refuge. Therefore, we can instil faith towards the Guru and the Three Jewels, as though meeting a saviour. Through long-term practice, our renunciation mind will be more stable and strong, and our attachment to samsara will diminish. Our compassion towards all sentient beings will be deepened, vast and inclusive. Our faith in the Guru and the Three Jewels will be stronger and purer.

How do we measure sufficient renunciation mind?

According to Master Tsongkhapa in The Three Principal Aspects of the Path, “After practising, one has not the slightest admiration of the joys in samsara, one pursues liberation day and night. At this time one has renunciation mind.” If we can see that all the joys in samsara are impermanent, painful and illusory, no matter how they manifest, how charming they are, we are no longer attracted by this illusion. We have no admiration for any of the joys in samsara, rather we only pursue the path of liberation. This is the sign that we have renunciation mind.

According to a story of Shakyamuni Buddha, when he was in the mundane world, he was reborn as the son of a captain, named Singala. One day, Singala led five hundred merchants to search for treasure out in the sea. During their journey, a storm forced them to a kingdom of demons.

The demons in this kingdom appeared as beautiful and gorgeously dressed women. They offered the best food and clothes, houses, gardens and baths to the sailors and merchants, and gave them all treasures, including pearls, glass crystals, and white right– turning conches. The women used all possible alluring means to keep the men as their husbands. All the men were unable to resist the temptation, stayed, and started families with them. The years went by.

One night, Singala discovered a giant city with iron walls. Since there were no doors or windows in the city, he climbed up a tree next to the wall and saw many men in pain, crying desperately. He asked them why they were kept captive in there. Why were they suffering so much? They answered, “We were merchants from the mundane world. We lost our boat when it was attacked by sea monsters, and the waves carried us here. We were attracted to the women demons, stayed and had families with them. However, when a new group of sailors and merchants arrived, the demons showed their true nature. They ate many of us alive, so that not even a drop of blood or a fingernail was left. The rest of us were imprisoned here. We will certainly become the food of these demons.”

Singala asked them if there was a way to help them escape. They answered, “For us who are jailed in the iron city there is no way out but for you who are outside, there is a way. Every full moon, there will appear a jewelled horse that can take you to your world. This is the way the gods in the god realm gave us.” When Singala returned, he gathered all his men, and prepared to escape on the full moon. They came together and saw the jewelled horse. The horse asked them who would like to return to their world. The men answered, “Please carry us back to our world!” The horse replied, “You must abandon all attachments to the beautiful women, children, houses and treasures. Do not look back. If there is anyone who displays any attachment, he will fall from my back and return to the demons, who will eat him alive. Now for those who have abandoned all attachments, please hold on to my mane, and I will carry you to the other shore.” The men all climbed on the back of the horse and were carried into the sky. When the demons found out that the men were escaping, they appeared as even more beautiful women and carried the children of the sailors persuading them, “Our dear lovers, how can you be so cruel! Please, we beg of you to be our masters, our family heads and protectors! Look, here are your children, treasures and houses.” Their cries sounded very desperate and helpless.

The men on the horse’s back heard their cries and many of them displayed attachment to their wives, children and possessions. As a result, they fell from the horse next to the demons. The demons immediately showed their true nature and ate all the men who fell to the ground. In the end, Singala alone returned home. When we are alone in the middle of the night and we see a person with a demon-like face approaching us with a knife, we will be horrified and jump up immediately. At this time our renunciation mind is strongest. Likewise, when we contemplate the sufferings of samsara, it is like seeing ourselves falling to the three lower realms, and we will be horrified. As was the case of Singala, who wanted to escape the control of the demons, our renunciation mind will arise without any hesitation.

Once we have renunciation mind, it is like a rich fertile land, where we can sow the seeds of all kinds of flowers and plants. If a practitioner with stable renunciation mind does not practise any other Dharma, his attachment to this world of samsara will be very limited, with very few strong afflictions. A practitioner with strong renunciation mind will have passion and faith to practise the Dharma that will lead to liberation. He will practise tirelessly. Meanwhile, only those who have true renunciation mind will have compassion towards all suffering sentient beings in samsara. Based on true and stable renunciation, we can easily practise any Dharma. Since we do not have strong attachment and problems, our mind will be peaceful at the time of death. Therefore, when we aspire to be reborn in the pure land, it will be easy to achieve this goal. If we have already realised the view of liberation, a stable renunciation mind will be helpful in achieving Buddhahood at the time of death or in the Bardos. When practising the Mahayana path with flawless renunciation, we can safely attain Buddhahood.

We can test our renunciation by observing whether we practise the Dharma diligently. A practitioner who has true renunciation will practice tirelessly, day and night. We will not be able to attain renunciation if we always procrastinate, or study the Buddha Dharma as a spare time hobby, or practise only superficially, but deep down we still care about the eight worldly concerns. Maybe we are keen on doing good deeds, in order to obtain human or heavenly merit, but even after many years of practice there is little progress: we cannot meditate daily or recite sutras regularly; or we do not have long-lasting passion in practising the Dharma. For these reasons we will experience many obstacles while practising. These all indicate that we do not see through the illusory nature of worldly phenomena. We cannot let them go and still have attachment to them. We do not yet have true renunciation mind. People who have this type of attitude, without true renunciation, will be like the sailors and merchants in the story of Singala, even if they want to escape, they will still fall back to the demons. We can also test our renunciation mind by the speed or degree to which afflictions fade away. For those who have renunciation mind, they view everything in the mundane world as not so important. No matter whether encountering a pleasant or unpleasant environment, they can face the situation peacefully, and no big afflictions will arise. If we can conquer the afflictions, and not let them spread, and if we can maintain equanimity, this is the indication that we have renunciation mind and are practising well.

Many Dharma practitioners have strong renunciation mind when they begin practising. They have profound faith in the Guru and the Dharma, with compassion towards sentient beings while practising diligently. However, after five or six years, or maybe eight or ten years, their renunciation mind dries up, and their practice is further away from the Dharma. They become less and less diligent. They either become talkative and full of afflictions, or they change into someone who lets every day pass without any progress, or completely return to worldly affairs. This is because they did not practise thoroughly the four outer preliminaries of precious human life, impermanence, cause and effect, and the defects of samsara. They are still attached to the temporary joys in samsara and do not raise true renunciation mind. If we really abandon the suffering of samsara and raise renunciation mind, we will be determined to find all the ways possible to escape the prison of samsara, without looking back. We should practise the four outer preliminaries until we have the strong desire to seek liberation and take the necessary action. In the meantime we must raise the aspiration to liberate all sentient beings in samsara. We must pursue this aspiration continuously.

This chapter is part of: Introduction Course - Part 1: Renunciation