We can attain freedom in its true sense by getting rid of emotions and expectations, says Rajyogi Brahmakumar Nikunj
All of us everywhere and anywhere crave and strive for freedom which has been the most sought after ideals in human chronicle. Profound yearning for freedom has got us into the fiercest of protests, struggles, revolutions, civil wars and even the world wars. But even today after living for so many years amidst free societies, majority of us still continue to struggle and fight for what we perceive as true freedom. So what exactly is true freedomIJ Majority of us are deceived about the true concept of freedom. We cannot realise until we know what freedom is. To put it in simple words, true freedom is accomplished when all of us are free internally and externally. When we liberate ourselves from hatred, greed, anger, lust, attachment and ego, then there are no bondages of the subtle or gross vices that trap us, also enabling us to free others from the chains of negativity and sorrow, for it is only human beings who are capable of creating so many traps and prisons for themselves as well as for others. These prisons are not the one’s that we see in world, but they are the one’s that are subtle and are out of our realisation.
The trap of depression created by negative thinking, hopelessness and brooding; the trap of attachment that leads us into co-dependent and destructive relationships, the trap of ego that never allows us to be content, to be simple and humble, the trap of anger that creates conflict in our lives wherever we go, the trap of greed that binds us onto the treadmill of wants, the trap of lust that pulls us away from our original self into bondage with the five sense organs. As a result of all these traps, our body becomes the target of abuse involving the soul. We stoop so low by promoting ourselves for the sake of our senses, thereby creating a spiritual, mental and physical prison for ourselves from where attainable freedom becomes a distant dream.Our soul longs for freedom, but does not realise that it has created its own hell of misery. Our mind needlessly torments and keeps worrying over trivial issues, creating mental insecurity, which in-turn leads to mental fatigue. This form of bondage creates a lot of sorrow and at times becomes difficult to escape, especially when there are limited physical resources, for instance, good house , secured job etc...as a result of which our mind gets trapped into extremity with devastating effect.
All of us dream about a peaceful society without political or military strife with complete freedom to follow any faith, for speech and choice. However today this dream has turned out to be scary reality with many countries driven by ideologies of fear and enforcing dictatorship to the point where they create living prisons for their citizens.
Whatever may be the reasons for this extremism, the fact remains that these kinds of atrocities creates a trail of misery and anguish for people living under such a regime. likewise the illusion of freedom, absence of moral standards and indiscipline among youngsters too creates devastating trail. Hence, without any structure, standards or guidelines, young people flounder in a sea of directionless insecurity and suffer in the prison of wilderness and despair.
True freedom means balance between the soul that we are and the body that we have acquired to play our role. Till we realise for what role we came to this earth and execute same, people continue to feel the suffocation like a prison.
When the soul knows itself and the difference between itself and the body, it gets the benefit of true identity. likewise when we are aware of the laws of karma and benefits of virtuous actions, then we save ourselves from the negative consequences of our own actions (karma), thereby making our relationships sweet and without any kind of bondage and dependency. This quality of freedom can be achieved through spirituality. With self-introspection, self realisation and application of divine laws of karma, we can build for ourselves a beautiful world rather than a cage, thereby encouraging others to live in sovereignty.
If one thinks that nirvana is true freedom, then think again, because in the state of nirvana or “liberation”, the soul is free from all the bondages, above the limited physical world, but it is not experiencing the fruits of its good karma either.
Hence, to be liberated in life means to enjoy the highest levels of human life whilst in the body, ie to be in a free world along with free people, yet at the same time, be within the boundaries of a perfect family, perfect society and pure elements of nature.