The Buddha taught that Right Intention is three-fold, so today I want to talk about Right Intention as renunciation. I know renunciation sounds harsh. (Nobody ever hears the phrase, “I renounce you!” as a good thing.) We conjure images of not having any fun, giving up all our possessions, and praying or meditating all day. It feels negative and constricting. So it may come as a surprise to you to imagine renunciation as the path to freedom, but that’s precisely what is intended.
The opposite of renunciation in the Buddha’s teaching is desire. When we cling to desire, we suffer. (We’re back to that First Noble Truth again.) The Buddha says that although the world encourages you to desire things and to go after getting them, he advises the opposite. Try not to need anything too strongly, and when you do have the desire to go get something, try to let it go instead. Of course, this doesn’t pertain to everything. We need to eat. We need security. Not all desire is bad. But that endless grasping leads us directly to suffering. Because we can’t…always get…what we waaaant. And what we want isn’t necessarily what we need.
When we inspect our thoughts, we realize the difference between empty desire and healthy desire. Our goal, of course, is to let go of the empty or unnecessary desires. But we must go about this work wisely. Because here’s the thing: desires are very sneaky. The minute we try to let go, desires clamp down with an even mightier force. It’s like telling someone not to think of a dancing dog. Right now, you’ve got the image of a dancing dog in your mind. So to succeed at renunciation, we have to work with our thoughts gently and indirectly. This is why strict plans- whether diet or exercise or work goals- can often backfire. We come in too strong, and the desire pushes back even stronger. The intention of renunciation is NOT repression. Repression only pushes our desire down further, where it can- and will, eventually- do even more harm.
So the key to the intention of renunciation is understanding. When we learn to see those desires in a different way, we may find they don’t have the same hold over us. Notice how they lead to suffering. See where it keeps us from freedom. Envision a better desire in its place. Bhikkhu Bodhi says what we need to use is “wise consideration.” In wise consideration, we really investigate the long-term effects, the hidden reasons, the pain or emptiness behind our desires. He says, “Real renunciation is not a matter of compelling ourselves to give up things still inwardly cherished, but of changing our perspective on them so that they no longer bind us.” When we see how our desires hinder our deeper intentions, often we feel a sense of release around them. Bodhi says when this happens, “attachments are shed like the leaves of a tree, naturally and spontaneously.”
That’s lasting change. That’s natural and healthy renunciation.
What desires have a tight hold on you right now? How can you investigate those desires this week and see if maybe there’s a way to find some space and freedom?
Want to learn more about Right Intention? Find more posts here as part of my Eightfold Path project. You can also read the posts from last month, the first step of Right View, here.
