Asvaghosa on Renunciation

Oftentimes it can feel overwhelming how little control we have over life's circumstances. The Buddhist practice of renunciation takes its practitioners out of the roller coaster of life's ups and downs. Asvaghosa describes the appeal of renunciation in the dialogue below between the Shakya king and his son, who will go on to become the Buddha. For the king's son, turning away from his attachment to life's pleasures and expectations frees him to consider the path of righteousness without the distractions of life's roller coaster.

[.alt-blockquote] “Hearing these words of the king, he gave this reply, in a voice like that of a kalaviṅka bird: [.alt-blockquote]

[.alt-blockquote] ‘If you will become a surety for me in four things, O King, I will not go to the ascetic grove. [.alt-blockquote]

[.alt-blockquote] My life shall never be subject to death, disease shall not steal this good health of mine, old age shall never overtake my youth, no mishap shall rob this fortune of mine.’ [.alt-blockquote]

[.alt-blockquote] To his son making such a hard request, the king of the Shakyas made this response: [.alt-blockquote]

[.alt-blockquote] ‘Withdraw this your request, it is inordinate; an extravagant wish is improper and extreme.’ [.alt-blockquote]

[.alt-blockquote] Then that one, mighty as Meru, told his father: [.alt-blockquote]

[.alt-blockquote] ‘If that’s not possible, don’t hold me back; for it is not right to obstruct a man, who’s trying to escape from a burning house…’” [.alt-blockquote]

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Questions to Consider:

1. Do you agree or disagree that life is like a “burning house” because the things we tend to desire - health, wealth, happiness - are fleeting and impermanent?
2. How does attachment to things like health and wealth shape the way you live your life? How would it be different if you renounced such attachment?
3. Why do you think the King’s son insists that the problem of our desire is the impermanence and unreliability of what we are attached to?
4. How would your life change if you released your attachment to life's circumstances, accepting both positive and negative changes as they come?
5. How might renouncing attachment to life’s circumstances be different from renouncing the circumstances themselves? How might they be similar?
6. How would renunciation make you feel about your life right now?
7. Though you may not be able to go to an ascetic grove like the king's son, how might you practice renunciation in your daily life?
8. How might our political and economic environment change if everyone practiced renunciation?
9. What are the risks or consequences of renouncing attachment to the world?

Context:

• "What Should We Hope For?" in Life Worth Living: A Guide to What Matters Most
• The Life of the Buddha.

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Pairs Well With:

• Stoicism's removal of personal attachment to circumstances.
• Christian ascetic traditions: both seek removal from life's pleasures as a form of detachment from the world to better consider righteousness.
• Possibly Schopenhauer's denial of the will to live. Rather than swing between suffering and boredom, we can deny our will to live and acquiesce ourselves into a sort of ascetic life.

Pairs Poorly With:

• Hedonism and Epicureanism
• Utilitarianism's emphasis on bettering circumstances for the most amount of people possible
• adrienne maree brown's Pleasure Activism
• Nietzsche's embrace of suffering