How can Buddha and Mahavira's sannyas be associated with sorrow despite their affluent backgrounds?
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definition
"True renunciation arises not from suffering, but from the deep realization that even the greatest pleasures can lead to an emptiness that calls for a higher bliss."
According to Osho, Buddha and Mahavira did not embrace sannyas out of misery but from satiation—an ennui born of abundant happiness that felt meaningless. They renounced worldly happiness to seek a higher fulfillment—bliss. Later, masochistic interpreters projected their own suffering onto this stance, equating renunciation with sorrow, thus linking these affluent sages’ sannyas to pain despite its origin in plenitude.
They had everything, got bored with ordinary happiness, left to find deeper joy, and people later mistook that choice as sad.
Why this matters practically
- Helps distinguish boredom from suffering when making life changes.
- Prevents self-punishing spirituality; aim for deeper joy, not escape from pain.
- Encourages examining whether renunciation is clarity-driven or misery-driven.
- Prevents self-punishing spirituality; aim for deeper joy, not escape from pain.
- Encourages examining whether renunciation is clarity-driven or misery-driven.
AI Confidence Score: 95%
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