Hello and welcome to the secular Buddhism podcast, a podcast that presents Buddhist

teachings, concepts, and ideas from a secular perspective. You don't need to use what you learn from Buddhism to be a Buddhist.

You can use what you learn to simply be a better whatever you already are.

I am your host Noah Rocheta and let's jump in to today's topic.

Hello and welcome back.

Today I want to delve into the concept of renunciation,

specifically examining

Siddhartha's journey from a life of luxury to a life of asceticism and

eventually to settling on what in Buddhism is referred to as the middle way.

I'll explore the nuances of renunciation and how it applies to our daily lives

and how letting go of certain things can actually lead to gaining new things, gaining much more.

Remember the last time you decluttered your home or your desk.

Perhaps it was giving away old things

or making room for new things.

And that feeling of lightness and new possibility that you felt once you did that, once you clean things up.

That's essentially what renunciation is about at its core.

And today I want to discuss how this concept of renunciation can be

transformative in our own modern everyday lives.

One thing I've noticed when I hear this word renunciation, it often carries a heavy ascetic

connotation, but in reality it's essentially about making conscious choices about what we choose to hold on to and what we choose to let go of.

And when we understand and apply this concept of renunciation, it can lead to a more meaningful

and more directed way of living.

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