There are many stories about kings who gave up their entire kingdom in order to pursue spiritual growth. It has even been said that it is more difficult for a wealthy person to attain enlightenment than it is for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle. Is this really true? Let’s investigate.
What does the word “kingdom” really mean here? It is far more than the literal interpretation. In the sense the word is used here, everyone has a kingdom, a fortress. Your kingdom is what you cling to as truth, what you hold for your safety, comfort, purpose, and meaning. It is what you are identified with.
What about “renouncing?” What does that mean? Does it really mean that you have to give up all your wealth, turn your back on your family, and reject everything you have learned? Certainly not.
The deeper meaning of renunciation is quite subtle. It has little to do with how your life appears on the surface. It has everything to do with the state of your awareness, the state of your psychophysiology at the very depth of your being. For many, the depth of their being can even be a frightening place, a dark cold abyss with no edges and nothing to cling to. For them, it is the last place they would want to go. As you awaken more and more fully to the true nature of the depth of your being, it is experienced as a cosmic cushion that holds and supports you, providing you with the support of all of nature. In fact, the depth of your being, your nature, is one with all of nature, held by Mother Nature. It is the source of your wisdom and true intelligence.
So, renunciation in the deepest sense means seeing beyond, not just conceptually, but experientially seeing beyond your ‘kingdom’ that dwells on the surface. “Surface” here does not only mean the material, but also the emotional and even the thinking mind. The grandeur of your being, the kingdom of heaven, lies beyond all thought and all emotion. It is Transcendental.
Interestingly enough, the purely Transcendental is beyond experience. It cannot be touched, it cannot be grasped. However, its qualities of infinite love, harmony, intelligence, wisdom, and so on, can be experienced as they radiate out from the depth of your being and permeate all levels of your life. Those radiations are what we commonly refer to as your soul.
In this Renouncing the Kingdom blog, I really appreciate this quote of Dr. Michael Mamas: “Your kingdom is what you cling to as truth, what you hold onto for your safety, comfort, purpose, and meaning. It is what you are identified with.” Very clarifying.
Beautiful blog on so many levels. Class was amazing (as always). So much to assimilate, and yet, there it is, all inside, “just” a matter of awakening to it. Sounds so simple and yet it is not so easy. Thanks for your patience, your commitment and love the world and your students, and for continuing to clear those obstacles that keep us from fully discovering the kingdom within.
More blogs i read the more i want to visit mount soma
So beautifully written. So powerful. Thank you.
Michael Mamas again explains clearly what a common spiritual quote from antiquity really means. This is so helpful.
Fascinating explanation.
I really appreciate this exploration and definition of what “renouncing” means.
What I love about this blog is we are all welcome to the kingdom within if we are willing to ride that camel across that desert of our small self. Rich, poor, smart, not so smart, it is there for us all. Thank you Dr. Mamas, what you have to offer is an incredible gift to humanity.
Thanks for the explanation of what renouncing really means. It makes so much more sense that what I have heard before.
Beautiful clarification of the subtle concepts of kingdom and renunciation.