A Few Thoughts on Renunciation
by Eric S. Fallick
Renunciation is the essential key to any sort of genuine spiritual practice. One must renounce the world both inwardly and outwardly and be devoted entirely to the Absolute. This, to varying degrees of completeness and, perhaps, completely only in true Platonism, is, in fact, the unanimous view of all the genuine sages of the philosophia perennis, but has now almost entirely been forgotten and become out of vogue in these dark times, with the result that no-one now (or only the few that still remember and are not entirely lost in the waters of Lethe) can get free or make real progress on the Path. Spirituality is, by definition, a matter of other-worldliness to the greatest degree possible, not this-worldliness.
As regards specific injunctions or inviolable modes of conduct, the following may be enumerated: celibacy, vegetarianism, teetotalism, and complete honesty. These are completely clear-cut and black-and-white in their meaning and application and degree (they are either observed or not), and are always inviolable and the same under all circumstances and in all times and places. Also essential are having only minimum, necessary possessions, avoiding worldly entertainments and media and socializing, not being involved in social, civic and political activities, minimizing emotional attachments and relationships, minimal simplicity of food, drink and clothing, and not being overly concerned with care of the body. The exact implementation of these, however, depends on individual circumstances and cannot be specified in advance in all details. The idea is always as much as possible to be solely concerned with realizing the Absolute through contemplation and ancillary study and to give only such attention and concern to the things of this world, of the senses and of the body as is minimally necessary to maintain the psycho-physical organism.
True renunciation does not require or imply institutional supports or structures, extensive rules or legal codes, or legalism and legalistic maneuvering. These, in fact, are only more things of this world and only bind one more to it. The aim is to transcend this world entirely, not to reconstruct an image of it within organized monastic or institutional structures. This, of course, does not at all sanction antinomianism or the nonsensical idea so common in these foolish times that the essential inner non-attachment is in any way possible without thorough outer non-attachment and strictest discipline of conduct. It is, in fact, just the opposite. To really renounce and be unattached to this world means really to give up everything of this world in all respects, physically and mentally, as much as possible consistent with what is minimally necessary to just maintain this body and its accompanying lower mind until one can liberate oneself and be rid of them.
Again and again, the principle is to love and strive after the divine unchanging Absolute and divine wisdom with all one's heart and mind and soul, and to despise and be entirely unconcerned with this world of the senses and the body as best as one can in deed and thought and spirit beyond what is absolutely necessary for survival while still imprisoned in embodiment and its accompanying emotions and mental limitations. This is renunciation. The soul comes to be where its love is directed and becomes what it loves. Love changing sense and mental phenomena of any sort that arise, decay, and cease, and you will remain forever in repeated birth and death with all its misery. Love unseen, unchanging divinity, and you will be free, unchanging, and divine.
© 2010 Eric S. Fallick platonicascetic (at) (gee) mail (dot) com
