I'm becoming more and more convinced that a radical form of renunciation is inevitable for serious Buddhist practioners. It's quite different though, from the type one starts with.
A simple definition from Merriam - Webster's:
Renunciation: the act or practice of renouncing : repudiation; specifically : ascetic self-denial...
Asceticism is encouraged in most religions for some members at least. In Buddhism, especially in the earlier forms, renunciation meant the monastic life.
This practice of renunciation raises so many questions - what is renounced? Why - what is it in aid of? In discussions of modern, especially western, Buddhism, there is sometimes the implication that much of the asceticism of early Buddhism is not essential and can be dispensed with. Is this so?
What is renounced and why - that's where I'll pick up tomorrow.
