Buddhist-Meditation-Systematic-and-Practical

The six years of suffering should not therefore be
criticized like this; they were not useless but show us
that the bodhisattva was willing to renounce everything
and did give up everything almost to the state of
starving himself to death, in order to gain
Enlightenment. Is this not complete renunciation? As it
was complete, so Full Enlightenment could easily be
attained. The fault here lies in thinking that moderation
lies before renunciation—it does not, it follows after.
I have also experienced something a little comparable to
the effects of that cup of milk. When I was living in a
cave in Hu Nan, my food was only a little rice with no
good vegetables to accompany it. It was a thin diet,
though not as meager as Gautama's or Milarepa's. Then
one day a relative of mine sent me a bowl of very good
beef. After taking this, I noticed that the power of my
meditation was decidedly increased.
We should never make the mistake of thinking that
renunciation is unessential—there is always something
to give up until one becomes a Buddha. Nor should one
imagine that the Middle Way of the Buddhas may be
used as an excuse for hanging on to this and that.
Renunciation comes first, and then the sorrow of lust or
attachment may be controlled.
C. Questions Derived from the Sorrow of Ignorance
1. What effects would be likely to occur from
642