Freedom

   There is always a lot of talk about freedom – but very little understanding of what freedom really is.  Real freedom is something beyond all talk, something only to be known experientially. But some amount of talking must be done so that we can at least point ourselves in the right direction to make the search for freedom. We experience freedom when there is an absence of restriction, an absence of binding influence, an absence of restraint and hindrance. In order to have real freedom it will be necessary to identify what these restrictions, influences, restraints, and hindrances are, the conditions under which they persistently function, and through a deep understanding learn to simply detach from them.  What we will certainly find is that real freedom is not a concocted event that may happen to us in some future time if we submit to certain guidelines or commandments.  Real freedom is our actual primal nature, or real essential status and all that is lacking in order that we can experientially know this is our understanding of the real situation.

   Our awakening, awakeness, and freedom can continue uninterrupted.   But at first there will be many interruptions and many distractions, many gaps of long and short periods of passive attention and its companions, delusion, wrong thinking, conditioned reactivity, emotional disturbance, daydream and all else that is distraction and false identity.   But it is only understanding that can destroy ignorance and false knowledge; there is no other antidote. Understanding causes the uncertain mind to be dissatisfied with the commotions and turmoils of the samsaric worlds and to aspire toward nirvanic perfection.   Just as there are infinite degrees of ignorance so too are there infinite degrees of understanding.   It is a matter of intensity, but eventually ignorance must perish.   It’s what’s really going on – the final and complete demise of ignorance. Whether or not ignorance remains as an aspect of the present moment, Reality itself remains uninterrupted and never ends. Reality permeates all and even ignorance is real, while it lasts, but when the delusion of mind disappears the Real stands out shining, obviously, and this is the real situation of our real freedom.