Category
One of the three principal paths of a spiritual aspirant – Renunciation, Bodhicitta and Correct View.
Physical Benefits
Confers the ability to understand clearly what you physically need to live, and how much of it!
Mental Benefits
Invalidates the need to strike back at others for hurting us; allows the mind final respite from the despair that arises when we realize that nothing out there has ever made us truly happy.
Subtle Body Benefits
Provides the ultimate refuge of all the pranic energies or winds entering sushumna – the central channel – to elicit the state of Samadhi.
Karmic Benefits
Sets us up for the highest and most important crucial point of all – that it is our wrong or harmful views that we have to renounce. For example, thinking that pain or pleasure is caused by something or someone “out there”, independently of our karmically induced projections, or that getting more stuff, a new car, house, partner or job will make us happy. And it’s not that these things don’t or can’t make us happy - it’s just that they can only do so if we have created the karma for them to make us happy.
Counterpose
Practice yoga asana and pranayama as well as contemplating the ultimate meaning of vairaagya.
Cautions
There’s no point in mindlessly renouncing your car, your partner, your job or even a closet full of shoes. Renunciation must be directed at our deep belief that these things can bring us happiness or unhappiness from their own side, which is impossible, since happiness can only come from making others happy.