Renunciation
Emptying oneself of one’s harmful habits
August 21st 2022
How can you force any more liquid into a bottle that is already full? You cannot; you must begin by emptying it. The same applies to human beings. How can divine virtues and qualities enter and dwell in someone who is full of vices and bad habits? If they are already full, they are going to have to empty themselves. This is the meaning of renunciation. To renounce is to empty oneself, to discard habits that are harmful to oneself and others, so as to make room for something new.
Those who have understood the meaning of renunciation know that they practise it for their own benefit in order to prepare a space within them for divine qualities. As long as people fail to understand this, they tell themselves: ‘I will be miserable if I stop drinking, pilfering, swindling, or seducing women.’ Well no, on the contrary – if they manage to sacrifice these squalid little pleasures, they will be replaced by others that are far greater and of better quality.
