This book is the first full-length study of renunciation in Śaṅkara's Advaita Vedānta. It shows that a major misinterpretation occurred concerning Śaṅkara's position on renunciation early within his own tradition, and has persisted amongst modern Indologists. Most interpreters of Śaṅkara understand that he saw the monastic way of living as a sine qua non for full knowledge of the Self and spiritual freedom. But this study brings Śaṅkara's real position to light and shows that, for him, inner renunciation of ego and doership was the only indispensable form of renunciation. Monasticism was quite useful, but not mandatory. Using Śaṅkara's own hermeneutical principles as well as the modern philological approach, Marcaurelle shows the basic processes of interpretation and misinterpretation that can shape fundamental aspects of a spiritual tradition.

Included with the work is a discussion of particular interest given the world-wide revival of Eastern forms of meditation: a clarification of Śaṅkara's view of the value of meditation.