Understanding Changes Everything

We have read and heard so many teachings on renunciation and the suffering of cyclic existence. The words of these teachings are not difficult to understand, but knowing the words doesn’t mean knowing the meaning. Some people may think that they understand the meaning when they know only the words, but when we look into it we find that, for most of us, our minds just haven’t got the message.

How so? Let’s say someone tells you that what you are about to buy is a fake; you will immediately lose any interest in it. Because knowing it’s fake, in your mind, the item has lost its value. All it takes is a few words to convince you, and you lose any desire for the object instantly, just like that.

That is how powerful real understanding is – it changes the way you perceive and relate to everything. If we have really understood that the nature of cyclic existence is suffering, then all our clinging and attachment to what we used to find pleasurable will naturally fall away. What used to attract us won’t appeal to us anymore, and in that way, we are on the path towards giving rise to renunciation.