San Lo Mvu 47The Great Renunciation
Pāli / Sanskrit:The Great Renunciation
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The Sutta of the Great Renunciation (Mahābhinikkhamaṇa Sutta)
Background
The Sutta of the Great Renunciation is found in the Vinaya Piṭaka, the section recording the history of the Buddha and the rules of practice of the Sangha. This discourse recounts one of the most important events in the life of Shakyamuni Buddha: the going forth, also called the “Great Renunciation” (Mahābhinikkhamaṇa). This was the moment when Prince Siddhattha abandoned everything a worldly person could possess: royal status, family, wealth, and a comfortable life, in order to seek the truth of liberation.
This event took place on the night when the prince was about twenty-nine years old, after he had meditated more deeply on the painful aspects of existence: birth, aging, sickness, and death. Although his royal father had tried to hide these sights by building luxurious palaces, Siddhattha still witnessed the true life of human beings.
Main Content
According to the Pāli Canon tradition, the Great Renunciation is not merely a personal decision, but an expression of awakening to the impermanence (anicca), suffering (dukkha), and non-self (anattā) of all phenomena. The discourse records that in the middle of the night, while everyone was asleep, Prince Siddhattha abandoned everything and left the palace.
What is distinctive about this act is that it was not a meaningless rebellion or escape, but an awakened decision. Siddhattha understood clearly that if he wished to find a way out of suffering, he had to practice for himself and could not rely on royal power or family protection. This act of renunciation expresses the decisiveness of one who truly wishes for awakening.
The discourse also records that after going forth, Siddhattha spent six years practicing extreme austerities and testing many methods of meditation, until he found the Middle Way (Majjhimā Paṭipadā), a way of practice that avoids extremes, neither indulgent in sensual pleasure nor overly harsh in asceticism. From this practice, Siddhattha became the Buddha.
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