Most of us, if not all, would love to be free. In fact what we endeavor in life, like it or not, has its purpose of freedom as its end. We wish to earn more money so that we won’t be burdened by debts, meaning to be free. We want a relationship that allows support and also freedom to be who we are instead of being dictated. We want good health so that we won’t be bogged down by burden of immobility. We want a career that promises freedom of expression of our creativity and skills. Isn’t freedom what we are all seeking, albeit in different pathways and directions?
Yet many a times what we take on as a mission does not turn out to be what we envisioned. We start to feel trapped by what we are in. We feel bonded by whatever we thought in the beginning would seemingly give us freedom. In the midst of it, somehow, disillusion sets in. Probably we have been challenged to consider changing our directions, or maybe, fixing what is out there to fit into what we perceived as bondage. Whatever we do, we can be sure they are not resolutions to the equation that we have begun with.
Who on earth has been given lessons to be free except to find their own ways? Fortunately, there are teachings out there that can lead us to it yet many a times those teachings are pretty profound and illusive as they are merely symbols of symbols, many times misinterpreted when they finally reach our hands. By the time we work it out ourselves, what is left are the remaining years of god-knows-when number of days for us to enjoy that fleeting freedom that we have, hopefully, acquired. Even that many a times many still feel that freedom is still not it yet. What has gone wrong?
It is interesting how the entire game can be turned around by simply shifting our attitude towards the meaning of freedom. Many a times, the word freedom is being defined by having the freewill to do what we like to do. In truth that meaning is already the beginning of bondage – for that is where we give limitations to what is either already in our space or what is coming to our space. We go against the nature of reality that what is in our space is not what we want – we want it otherwise by dictating that what we want is what should happen. Well, as we all would have known by now, that can never happen – not in the past, not now and not even in the future. For our wants are merely from the direction of what we do not want – a tainted wish that is exactly what we are asking for and hence has to be experience as such repeatedly – not wanting, again and again.
The secret to freedom is this – what is here is already perfect as it is – resisting it merely creates the illusion of bondage for what is already here is in perfect freedom, freed from your should and should not. It is all in the mind, as the saying goes. Hence flowing with it merely reflects what is already here in process – freedom! Only by experiencing the little moment of this kind of freedom can the ultimate Freedom be achieved, if ever there is such a thing! Isn’t it illogical to experience constant running hoping to ultimately find freedom at the end? Isn’t it more true by facing whatever bondage is freedom found? The meaning “facing” is not about confronting or having a showdown with what bothers us but rather acknowledging, and importantly, not interfering with what is, either through resisting or fixing it so that what is here is being given a voice to be known. Only then can you figure out and recognize the source from where it springs from.
Thus the next time when you feel triggered by resisting or moving away from a situation, consider turning around your attitude – instead of other’s need is not my need, how about trying the other way of – other’s need is indeed my need – what is it that I am not listening? I am not inviting doormats into your space but rather the world is merely reflecting me either directly or indirectly – what is outside merely points to me what and where I have erred. Surely there is a better way of resolution instead of continuously running away from it, interpreting the situation as burden or bondage. As a Tibetan saying goes – the more you run away from suffering, suffering will keep chasing after you :).
Without sati, no freedom, living subjected to conditions. When we remember(sati), we get to choose, whether to be free. We may or may not choose wisely. When we have wisdom, then we realise that we are actually free, despite subjected to conditions. Attitude defines wisdom or wisdom defines attitude?
Right Attitude itself is Wisdom and one main basic characteristic of Right Attitude is non-interference on the object, meaning, neither resist or hold on to it.
Hi Tuck Loon,
Do you mean the moment we yearn for freedom, we have also activated the opposite?
By that I mean we are still living in duality as by knowing bondage only we know there is such a thing called freedom?
Hope I make sense. Welcome to the world of duality.
Yes, the mere yearning for freedom is already an indication of awareness of bondage for if one is not aware there is bondage, wherein freedom? Yet many a times we tend to do something about bondage to achieve freedom instead of taking on bondage as a path to freedom.
Thanks..Gonna contemplate on the “taking on bondage as a path to freedom means” instead of doing something about bondage..
Recognize that when we “do something to it” we are already having the meaning of fixing it, a subtle way of introducing defilements, or wrong perception into the mind.