Renunciation

Pema Dragpa October 31, 2019

“As Khenchen Palden Sherab Rinpoche and many great masters repeatedly said so many times, our mind is always looking outside—we rarely look inward to ourselves or to the ground where we’re standing. In a way, we’re always distracted, looking out, out, out. Instead, renunciation looks closely at where we came from, where we are now, and where we’re going. We take a panoramic or bird’s eye view of our situation and the circumstances of this world of samsara. What happens when we do this? It begins to uproot our attachment. It softens our heart and makes us more practical and knowledgeable, with more understanding of our situation so that we don’t keep hovering around, lingering, and ridiculously wasting our time. Instead, we can do something meaningful that reflects goodness in our lives and the lives of others. This is ngejung, or nipar jungwa. Nipar jungwa is renowned terminology used to describe the perfect morality of the great arhats. This is not temporary renunciation, but renunciation that is completely detached and absolutely determined to leave samsara. Renunciation is very important because it makes our heart more soft, kind, and practical. With a softer heart, you naturally begin to feel more appreciation and respect. Life isn’t only full of hardships, like running bulls all the time.”

Venerable Khenpo Rinpoches

Walking in the Footsteps of the Buddha: The Four Thoughts That Turn the Mind Toward the Dharma (pg 30)

Photo of Ven. Khenchen Palden Sherab Rinpoche on the Padma Samye Ling khora path in 2008.