The Tree of Enlightenment

inated by the correctives of renunciation, love and compassion,
and wisdom, respectively. rough cultivating these three attitudes,
the Buddhist practitioner is able to remove the afflictions
and attain enlightenment. Consequently, it is no accident that
these attitudes should feature so prominently in the life of the
Buddha Shakyamuni.
Let us consider these essential attitudes one by one, beginning
with renunciation. As in the case of love and compassion,
the first signs of renunciation manifested themselves very early
in the life of the Buddha. Basically, renunciation is the recognition
that all existence is permeated by suffering. When you
realize this, it leads to what we might call a turning about, that
is to say, the realization that all of common life is permeated
by suffering causes us to look for something more or something
different. is is precisely why suffering is counted as
the first of the Four Noble Truths, and why the clear recognition
of the reality and universality of suffering is the essence
of renunciation.
Now, as it happens, Prince Siddhartha is believed to have
participated, as we might expect, in the annual plowing ceremony
of his clan at the tender age of seven. It was then that,
while watching the proceedings, the young prince noticed a
worm that had been unearthed being devoured by a bird. is
casual observation led Siddhartha to contemplate the realities of
life – to recognize the inescapable fact that all living beings kill
one another to survive, and that this is a great source of suffering.
Already, at this early age, we find in the Buddha’s biography
the beginning of the recognition that life as we know it is permeated
by suffering.
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