Renounce and Enjoy I went to the Common Ground meditation center again Sunday night. The lecture was on renunciation. The practice of renunciation starts with observing your craving. I crave donuts, sometimes to the exclusion of all other thought. I also crave that the other assholes on the road get out of my way. In this practice I would watch my craving for donuts or green lights and realize three things:
- One is that the craving is a burning thing ( and it makes a fiery ring). This is suffering.
- Another is that if you observe it for a while, the craving passes even if you don't meet it.
- Third, fulfillment of desire does not bring lasting happiness. It is the promise that is never kept.
For me, the craving for donuts is easy to pick out as a problem. I am not saying it is easy to resist the craving for donuts or not feel the urge to jump out of my car and attack another driver. My problem with this practice comes when I crave a clean kitchen floor or I crave to be a better employee, father, citizen, steward. In strict Buddhism, that kind of craving is also a problem. Craving positive things also causes suffering brought on by the delusion that I will have lasting happiness if, for example, I lose 10 pounds. BUT... I am a householder and the best I can do is observe these cravings for things to be better while I act on them.
10:21:24 AM 
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