06/04/2026
Dharma nugget for the week. 🌟 What is renunication?
“Renunciation does not mean that we abandon our family and friends, and become isolated from people. In Buddhism renunciation is a part of wisdom – a wisdom that gives us great encouragement to liberate ourself permanently from lower rebirth, from rebirth in the cycle of impure life, samsara, or from a rebirth in which we possess a self-cherishing mind.
We need this wisdom, which leads us to the correct path to our finding the real meaning of human life.
Buddha said that although there are renunciations of the three paths the final result is only one. Renunciations of the three paths are renunciation that spontaneously wishes to liberate ourself permanently from lower rebirth, renunciation that spontaneously wishes to liberate ourself permanently from samsaric rebirth, and renunciation that spontaneously wishes to liberate ourself permanently from a rebirth in which we possess self-cherishing.
The first renunciation is renunciation of the path of a person of initial scope, the second is renunciation of the path of a person of middling scope and the third is renunciation of the path of a person of great scope.
This proves that renunciation is very important to begin, make progress on and complete the path to enlightenment, which in turn proves that renunciation is the essential meaning of the teachings of all the Buddhas.
Although there are renunciations of the three paths the final result is only one, the attainment of enlightenment.”
Excerpt From
The Mirror of Dharma With Additions
Ven. Geshe Kelsang Gyatso Rinpoche
