The aspect of discrimination represents the broad perception of mind. It implies a natural understanding of life situations and then the use of the inherent ability of discrimination in order to find the right balance. Discrimination is not an intellectual process. It is a process of knowing the right and the wrong. Wrong here does not mean something negative, but something which is not conducive to the growth of our minds, something which does not help the process of inner awakening. That is the concept of wrong according to sannyasa, something which does not help us to understand our own selves. In discrimination we are aware of what is useful and what is not useful and we are able to strike a balance between these two stages.
The other aspect is of non-attachment. It is normal in life to become attached to something, it represents an emotional attachment and at the same time it intensifies the feeling of ego, of possessiveness. If we have to become detached, then that process of detachment is suffering. We have to make an effort so that we do not become attached and yet there is a natural acceptance. We do not try to detach ourselves by rejecting certain things and creating inner conflict, or pain and suffering inside. Non-attachment is the middle path. Things may be there but we are not possessive about them. There is no influence of attachment on our mind or behaviour.
If you see a lotus flower, then you will know that it grows in mud and water but the flower is not affected by the water at all. Even the leaves of the flower reject water, if you put some drops of water on top of them they will roll off. The leaves and flower never become wet, they always maintain their crispness and purity. In the process of non-attachment, we live in the world but we are not affected by the world to the extent that it changes our inner nature. This is the theory of non-attachment.
These two, discrimination and non-attachment, are the main basis of sannyasa lifestyle. Sannyasa, in the course of time, became associated with renunciates, with people who desired to leave society and its influences and to lead a solitary life where they could work on themselves. These renunciates became known as sannyasins but this is an extreme example of the sannyasa lifestyle because if we follow the principles of our nature then we can live any kind of life anywhere, be involved in everything and continue to maintain our inner clarity and balance.
1994, France