Rethinking Sensual Pleasures and Renunciation

The Buddha says that by reflecting on the drawbacks of sensual pleasures, and familiarizing himself with the value and rewards of renunciation, then there is the possibility of the heart leaping up in the thought of practicing it. The problem begins even when we first hear the word renunciation, because at least in English and in our culture, we often associate that word of renunciation with a rather bleak and austere lifestyle. It doesn't sound all that appealing. But there's another way of understanding what renunciation means, and I think it's a more accurate one, and certainly a more liberating one.