In almost all spiritual traditions, renouncing the world is regarded as one of the first steps in spiritual practise
Spiritual practise is often regarded as a means of salvation. According to that conception, spirituality should provide a permanent shelter where we can be happy and free; and since our daily living situation does not provide permanent shelter, we have to look for something higher or safer. The idea here is that spiritual practice should lead us to some form of eternity – eternal happiness or eternal youth
This popular and, we might say rather primitive notion of spirituality is based on searching for happiness, a sense of security. It tells us we should practise meditation in order to attain enlightened mind or union with God, or something of that nature. All the developments in our practise are regarded as steps towards that permanent happiness, which will lift us above misery, pain, and suffering. We will find a final home or nest to dwell in. The attitude of maintaining oneself in permanent happiness is actually the expression of ego or confused neurotic mind. It is the neurotic desire to maintain myself, me, my whole being, as a solid entity, as ego This approach could be called spiritual materialism
Chogyam Trungpa
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