a buddhist perspective

We often hear about renunciation in Buddhism. For the vast majority of Buddhists, renunciation does not mean giving up a worldly life and becoming a monastic. It means letting go of one’s attachments. The Buddha showed us how for he had no attachments to this world. Unfortunately, as ordinary beings we are still very much attached to the world in our every thought. Although the Mahayana teachings emphasize substance rather than form, if there is substance, it will certainly be reflected in form. Therefore, if our thoughts transcend this world, our behavior will reflect this.

How will our behavior reflect our thoughts of transcending the world? We will not be attached to anything in this world, be it a good reputation, money, or our five desires of wealth, lust, fame, food, and sleep. Our every thought will be like those of Buddhas and bodhisattvas. For ourselves, we come to this world to cultivate, which is to train and discipline our minds when we encounter various situations. We are here to test ourselves to see if we still have wandering thoughts and attachments to this world. For all other beings, we are here to teach and help them on behalf of the Buddhas and bodhisattvas. We should have the Buddhas’ great compassion and skillful means to help all beings, who are suffering in this world.

We help different people achieve different goals. We help people with a superior capacity to end the cycle of birth and death, to transcend the Three Realms, and to be reborn in the Western Pure Land to attain Buddhahood in this lifetime. We help people with a medium capacity to end delusion and attain awakening and to advance to a higher stage in their cultivation. We help people with a dull capacity to plant the good roots of enlightenment.

In other words, regardless of a person’s capacity, we should benefit him or her impartially, like Buddhas and bodhisattvas do. On our part, we are impartial at the level of inner truth and the level of phenomena when it comes to helping beings. On the part of the beings, they are equal at the level of inner truth but are not equal at the level of phenomena. For example, when we teach Buddhism, we teach everyone to the best of our ability. But people will understand the teachings differently so some people will grasp more, others less. This is because every being’s good roots, good fortune, and conditions are different.

To renounce the world is to see through the truth of impermanence, to let go of all wandering thoughts and attachments, to attain freedom of mind and spirit, to accord with proper conditions, to be mindful of Amitabha Buddha, and to aspire to attain rebirth in the Western Pure Land.

~ Based on Ven. Master Chin Kung's 2003 lecture series on the Amitabha Sutra

It's instinctive. And it made me cry. Not a lot. Only for a few seconds, but enough to think again how difficult it is to eliminate attachments.

Sitting here at my desk, I just saw some baby goslings. They were born within the past twenty-four hours because their parents, two Canada geese, were alone yesterday.

The goslings are so small. Little, yellow balls of fluff waddling along on short, but obviously sturdy, legs. Five trusting cotton balls walking in line behind their mother and followed by their father. Instinctively I wanted to call out to my mother to come see them as I have in the past. But time passes, and my mother is no longer alive, no longer able to marvel with me at how quickly the babies can walk and swim. And I miss her and am sad.

And I cry.

And then I smile. 

And I am again aware that it is difficult to give up what can no longer be. Difficult to break long-held attachments. Difficult to move on.

Difficult, but necessary. 

Because on the other side of difficult is joy in having been fortunate, contentment with what is, and growth through understanding the suffering of others. And each time, we take a peak at the other side of difficult, it is easier. And quicker.

And each time the smile returns sooner.

Genuine love and kindness is desperately needed in this world. It comes from appreciating the object, and rejoicing in the object, wanting the object to be happy and well, but holding it lightly, not tightly. And this goes for possessions too. You are in an extremely materialistic society in which the possession of more and better is held up as the total criteria for being happy. Then people get confused, because they come to the Buddhadharma and it teaches giving up, renunciation. People say, “Does that mean I have to give up my Mercedes or my beautiful condominium?” But the question is—do we possess the possessions, or do the possessions possess us?”

…What we own is not the problem. It’s our attitude toward our possessions. If we have something and we enjoy it, that’s fine. If we lose it, then that’s OK. But if we lose it and we are very attached to it in our heart, then that’s not fine. It doesn’t matter what the object is, because it’s not the object which is the problem. The problem is our own inner grasping mind that keeps us bound to the wheel, and keeps us suffering. If our mind was open and could just let things flow naturally, there would be no pain.

~ Venerable Tenzin Palmo

It is easy to be lulled into a warm, fuzzy idea that Buddhism is just about sitting in meditation and being aware that we are supposed to be kinder people.

But Buddhism is more—much more—than that.

It is taking your fair share, but no more.

It is using what you need, not all that you want.

It is realizing that you are merely one of the almost seven billion people living in a closed world-system.

It is comprehending that you are now using the water, the air, the soil, the fuel that belongs to your children and grandchildren. We used up what belonged to us long ago. 

It is coming to terms with the fact that since you have money, and money is power, you are able to help drive the capitalist system. In this system, those with little money must raise the food and mine the resources to make the products that those with money want. Those with little money have no voice; they cannot be heard because the credit card terminals serving the wealthy drown them out.

To truly and wholly practice Buddhism means we understand that even innocent ignorance causes terrible suffering. But still worse is stepping out of ignorance and then deciding that we really don’t want to know the truth because it’s too uncomfortable, too difficult.

With wealth, and to a man in a third-world country working the land as his ancestors did anyone with a computer and internet connection is wealthy, goes a moral obligation.

Do we really want to cling to our lifestyle despite the knowledge that our indulgence has a terrible cost? People are starving because their land is taken by governments and multinationals who want to supply our desires. People are drowning because we are dumping massive amounts of carbon dioxide and methane into the atmosphere, causing sea levels to rise and climate disturbances to intensify.

We are at the peak of vital resources: oil and natural gas, water, topsoil. Demand is increasing while supplies are declining. Going up the petroleum production curve took over a century. Falling down the other side could take a few decades.

But regardless of the speed of the fall, we have reached the end of cheap oil, cheap natural gas, and cheap water. As I write this, people in countries around the world are facing a terrible decision.  Do they spend their money on heating or on food? They usually opt for heat. It takes longer to starve than it does to freeze to death.

For those who have no voice, for your children and grandchildren, please learn to want less, to take less. If this is not done now by choice, in the future there will no longer be a choice. And our children and grandchildren, struggling to survive in a world terribly different from the one we now enjoy, will wonder what in G-d's name we were thinking.

Zengetsu, a Chinese master of the T’ang dynasty, wrote the following advice for his pupils:

Living in the world yet not forming attachments to the dust of the world is the way of a true Zen student.

When witnessing the good action of another encourage yourself to follow his example. Hearing of the mistaken action of another, advise yourself not to emulate it.

Even though alone in a dark room, be as if you were facing a noble guest. Express your feelings, but become no more expressive than your true nature.

Poverty is your treasure. Never exchange it for an easy life.

A person may appear a fool and yet not be one. He may only be guarding his wisdom carefully.

Virtues are the fruit of self-discipline and do not drop from heaven of themselves as does rain or snow.

Modesty is the foundation of all virtues. Let your neighbors discover you before you make yourself known to them.

A noble heart never forces itself forward. Its words are as rare gems, seldom displayed and of great value.

To a sincere student, every day is a fortunate day. Time passes but he never lags behind. Neither glory nor shame can move him.

Censure yourself, never another. Do not discuss right and wrong.

Some things, though right, were considered wrong for generations. Since the value of righteousness may be recognized after centuries, there is no need to crave immediate appreciation.

Live with cause and leave results to the great law of the universe. Pass each day in peaceful contemplation.