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Lesson: My wellbeing does not depend on anything outside of myself.

“To have this person, thing or outcome in my life—how wonderful! But it is not necessary for my fundamental wellbeing.’’

‘And I will tell you the secret gift of non-attachment,’ the Dalai Lama’s eyes sparkled. ‘When we are able to hold an outcome in our heart with genuine non-attachment, then it is much more likely to happen. Clinging with attachment not only causes misery. It also makes us less successful.’’

“Renunciation is when you decide you’ve had enough. When you finally recognise that your unhappiness isn’t coming from out there, but from your own mind. From battling the way that things are, and wishing them to be different. Renunciation is when we turn away from the suffering we are experiencing because of our attachment to the way we think that things should be, or perhaps bitterness about the way they are. You could say that renunciation is the start of our inner journey. Instead of fixating on external circumstances, we look within.’’

“Let go. Let go,’ agreed His Holiness. ‘The more we let go, the more peace here.’ He touched his heart.”

“When we’ve had enough suffering and want to make a new start, that’s renunciation,’’ he said.

Excerpt from “The 4 Paws of Spiritual Success” by David Mitchie