Renunciation and dispassion

As mentioned countless times repeatedly in this blog and in the many teachings from the past and present dhamma teachers or gurus, that the observation of renunciation and dispassion is highly important for the minds that genuinely want to be free from ignorance and egoism and the consequences of that, to transcend names and forms, duality and quality, to eliminate ignorance and egoism, to attain self-realization towards selflessness, to attain silence of the restless mind, to realize unconditional peace, which unintentionally promotes more peace and harmony or contributes less unrest and disharmony in the world of diversities.

Even though most minds are still following and practicing certain kind of traditional family and spiritual/religious cultural belief and values, but if there is certain degrees of openness where they don't oblige or force their children to also follow and practice and pass down such belief and values to the next generations, where they allow their children to be independent to learn, explore, inquire and realize what is best for themselves, where they are able to love and accept their children for being what they are, then there won't be much difficulty or obstacle when someone who is interested in the path of yoga and/or buddhism wants to observe renunciation and practice dispassion under the teachings of yoga and/or buddhism. This kind of parents are the precious jewels of the world who truly embrace and promote peace and harmony in themselves and in others, as if they would be able to respect, love and accept their children being what they are unconditionally, most likely that they will also be able to respect, love and accept all and everyone as they are, unconditionally.

It's normal that the minds that are being conditioned deeply by certain traditional family and spiritual/religious cultural belief and values that emphasized on the importance of their next generations must also follow, practice and pass down such belief and values, where they couldn't allow, respect, accept or love their children being what they are, not necessarily following and practicing the traditional family and spiritual/religious cultural belief and values, they might not like or agree with the teachings and practice of renunciation and dispassion, as they think that it means abandoning one's family especially the parents, and doesn't love one's family and friends, or betraying their family (especially towards the parents and the ancestors) and their traditional spiritual/religious cultural belief and values. That's their freedom of understanding and thinking.

These minds most likely would generate unnecessary tension, unrest and disharmony in themselves unwittingly, out of the possessiveness and control towards their own children to be in certain way, or out of dislike and disagreement reacting towards all the others of the many different diversities in the world being what they are, that are different from and contradicting with their particular belief and values, if they can't even respect, accept and love their own children as they are, but only if their children are being the person that they want them to be, and being the way that they like and agree with, in accordance to their particular family and spiritual/religious cultural belief and values.

The yoga or buddhism enthusiasts themselves who have been growing up under such parenting environment and are being conditioned by such thinking and belief, might also understand and think in such way, and be disturbed by the sense of inappropriateness, guilt and doubt towards whether one should observe renunciation and practice dispassion, or not.

The practice of renunciation and dispassion in order to be looking after one's mind, to be free from ignorance and egoism and the consequences of ignorance and egoism, doesn't mean that one is abandoning one's family or doesn't love one's family and friends, but actually, it's truly caring and loving one's family and friends and the diverse society unconditionally, by respecting all and everything in this world of diversity indiscriminately, under the correct understanding or wisdom deriving from the genuine practice of renunciation and dispassion, that not only one has peace and harmony in oneself, but also be able to radiate unconditional peace into the surrounding environment naturally without any egoistic intention or expectation, being able to accept and love all and everything as they are, without generating unnecessary tension or ignorant behaviors, actions and reactions that might hurt oneself and/or others either wittingly or unwittingly out of ignorance and egoism, upon the absence of ignorance and egoism.

Without any intention or aspiration, one is supporting, empowering and contributing to world peace.

The observation of renunciation is nothing to do with being a monk or nun living with some other monks/nuns in a monk/nun community in a temple or an ashram, that need to be following specific rules and regulations under such community under certain organization. Most minds that are still under the influence of ignorance and egoism would be detaching from their personal family and community while attaching onto the monk/nun family and community (brotherhood or sisterhood) or the organization. It doesn't free the mind from ignorance and egoism.

Cutting off all kind of family ties doesn't mean that one doesn't love or stops loving those within the family, but one can be kind and compassionate towards this family unconditionally without attachment, identification, possessiveness, selfishness, desire, judgment or expectation. In the beginning, the mind that is still under the influence of ignorance and egoism might perceive, recognize, think and believe that it's a form of 'selfishness', 'wrongfulness', 'heartlessness', 'cruelty' or 'madness' to be 'cutting off' ties with the family, but upon the annihilation of ignorance and egoism, upon the realization of selflessness and non-separateness, the minds will also realize that there's no 'cutting off' any ties, as there is not any ties existing among all kind of selfless impermanent beings and objects.

Inquire the truth of everything.