Real freedom
With Melbourne coming out of lockdown restrictions, there’s been a lot of talk of freedom. As we enjoy the newfound sense of physical freedom (and deservedly so!) I’ve been thinking a lot about what it really means to be free.
The relative world is one of constant change. Moments change, people change, jobs change, feelings change, everything changes. We are taught that the relative world is really all there is, and that any sense of happiness, fulfillment or freedom comes from how much we do or have in the relative. We base our expectations on a constantly moving and changing target, so invariably end up unhappy, stressed and unfulfilled, and trapped by the pain that comes from an eternally shifting world. Why? Because expectations often go unmet, and nothing in the relative world lasts forever. The relative world is constantly in a state of flux. Things come and go. If we attach our happiness or sense of freedom to them, we find we often just end up on a roller-coaster of struggle.
Real freedom is an inside job. And what is real inner freedom? It’s living in a state of surrender, where there’s no bondage from unmet expectations of how something should be. We cultivate inner freedom by being grounded in a place of Being. When we’re established in that place of Being, our identity is with something deeper.
Being is the deeper aspect of yourself. It is unbounded, expansive, creative, infinite and beyond the relative world. It is eternal and unaffected by the comings and goings of life. It has many names: Being, Consciousness, Self, Awareness, Witness, Source, God, Spirit. All refer to the deep inner nature that underlies everything. It is beyond the fluctuations of the mind and is a silent direct experience. But from it comes all of our creativity, intuition and knowing. This is what we reconnect with when we meditate.
One of my favourite slokas from the Bhagavad Gita is yogasthah kuru karmani which translates to established in Being, perform action.
Each time we meditate, we establish ourselves in Being - a place of no change. With regular practice, we begin to experience ourselves differently and we find a foundation that is unshakeable and does not depend on the relative world. When we know of ourselves as this, we are less likely to be swayed or influenced by life as it changes around us. We can instead flow with it and enjoy. The relative world opens up to us as an opportunity to play, be creative, and enjoy its experiences. We can go out and perform action, knowing that it cannot give or take away from who and what we are - this is fulfilment, and this is freedom. It doesn’t mean life isn’t challenging, but with this perspective we lose the tendency to suffer.
So, we must meditate. Each time we meditate we have the experience of being something other than our thoughts, feelings, history, opinions, job, income etc. We start to merge with Being, to whatever degree. This deepens with time, but we can get active in our own process too. When we come out of our meditation, we can make a conscious effort to see if we can notice that sense of Being, even with the eyes open.
What does inner freedom look like in action?
Less need to prove your point or make someone agree to your perspective during a debate or conversation.
Flexibility and openness when something doesn’t go how you thought. Not getting the job you wanted, a relationship breaking down, or the café has sold out of fresh chai. We adapt, and we do it with a smile.
Less attachment to material things. Note: this doesn’t mean we don’t enjoy material things or become monks with 7 possessions. We still have and enjoy things, but when they break or we lose them, there’s no agony or suffering. We accept what’s happened and move on.
Ability to see gifts and opportunity in even the most challenging circumstances.
Happiness for no reason. Even when something rains on your parade, there’s just no desire to kick up a fuss and get upset.
As with everything for us humans, this is all a work in progress. Sometimes we do great, then slip back into “forgetting” the truth of what we are. This is all part of the process, so we simply surrender to that too.
I’d love to know how this landed for you and whether you had any thoughts on freedom too?