The Distinction Between Genuine and Counterfeit Dispassion Toward the World

Disenchantment with worldly phenomena is divided into superficial conscious disenchantment and deep-rooted disenchantment arising from the manas (mind base). Superficial disenchantment is merely the consciousness finding the world tedious and meaningless, yet it remains mere talk—easier said than done—without genuine commitment. Greed persists unchanged; this is false disenchantment. When true disenchantment arises in the heart, it manifests directly in action. One no longer seeks numerous ways to gain worldly benefits but instead strives to avoid worldly affairs and interactions, believing less is more. No longer clinging to the world, this is deep-rooted disenchantment arising from the manas—a mind connected to liberation. Attaining this level is not easy; it stems from wholesome roots cultivated over many lifetimes. Beginners will absolutely not possess such mental conduct.

How can one achieve deep-rooted disenchantment arising from the manas? First, one must cultivate meditative concentration (dhyāna). Within this concentration, one contemplates the five aggregates (skandhas) as suffering, emptiness, impermanence, and non-self. After initially realizing impermanence, suffering, emptiness, and non-self, one still cannot generate disenchantment with the world. Continued deepening of contemplation is necessary until the first dhyāna is attained and craving and afflictions are severed. Only then does genuine disenchantment with the world arise—a wish to cease wandering through life and death, squandering time, and instead develop a mind oriented toward liberation and renunciation. Thus, the mind of renunciation and disenchantment cannot be separated from deep meditative concentration and wisdom. Without cultivating dhyāna, one only has verbal disenchantment while remaining deeply attached in reality—utterly unrepentant, with words contradicting the heart, and heart at odds with speech.