Freedom is a complex issue to understand. We talk about religious freedom,political freedom and freedom to do what we want. Have you observed the birds flying and the vastness of the sky? To observe, you have to pay attention.
When your mind is obsessed with the self, can you notice the marvel of the sky and the blooming of a flower? When your mind is pre-occupied with your ‘self-talk’, can you observe beauty? You cannot see the beauty of the mountains if you are filled with worries, problems or concerns. Your mind has to be still and calm to observe beauty. From such a calm mind, sensitivity arises and in that sensitivity, freedom is born.
Merely having independence is not freedom. Many people are independent, yet they are bound and not truly free. Freedom is a state in which you are not a victim of your fear or hurt. You are not a victim of your world of thoughts and emotions.
They are passing clouds, and you are the free sky. Clouds do not bind the sky. You are the sky of consciousness in which the clouds of thoughts and emotions move. Such is the space of freedom. When your inner world is silent, you are free, and in that freedom, you are not bound by anything. Freedom is not just doing what you want to do. It is something much deeper. For example, one should be free to observe the beauty of the morning and the chirping of the birds. But when one’s mind is preoccupied with personal concerns, it is not free.
We like to be free, but our liking to be free is part of our bondage. Our bondage and inner prison are built through our likes and dislikes, and this very material called ‘like’ tries to be free by ‘wanting’ to be free. Can anyone truly be free by wanting to be free? Not ‘freedom from’ or ‘freedom for’, just being free.
As long as one is not in the core of one’s being, the need for dependency will persist. Unless one truly knows oneself as pure freedom, the need to depend will remain. When you are alone, you feel lonely, and when you are with others, you feel suffocated.
One remains trapped in this vicious cycle. When you are alone, you feel lonely because love is not there. Love is a caring energy. When you are with others, you feel your aloneness is lost, as love can seem suffocating and binding.
One must bring love and freedom together in wise harmony. This is a complex issue. Please observe and examine yourself deeply. Most people choose love over freedom, while monks, by renouncing the world, choose freedom over love.
A person who has blended love and freedom is an awakened one. This blend is possible if you can see the difference between ‘freedom of the self’ and ‘freedom from the self’. We confuse freedom by wanting freedom of the self. This is looseness. Freedom from the self, from the ego, is true freedom. When the ego exists, you are in bondage. Freedom of the self is the ego wanting to be free. Freedom from the ego is true renunciation.
So, find out for yourself what it means to love, what it means to be dependent, and what it means to be free. Observe and examine, and don’t continue living mechanically. We must discover ourselves, and then you will see how love and freedom go together. You will understand why one is dependent.
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