Freedom Is Not the Same as Freedom — Part Two — Buddhism
The second part of Freedom is not the same as Freedom; how different cultures understand freedom. We in the West tend to believe that our understanding of freedom is the highest form, but that’s only a high form of ignorance, to think this way. In fact, most people in the world interpret freedom differently. If you still have not read the first part of Freedom Is Not the Same as Freedom — [Part One, click here]. Where the European and Chinese viewpoints are described.
How we describe the different views in different cultures will only give a rough overview, focusing on the different views of freedom. In a global world where the Internet is omnipresent, the understanding of freedom is, of course, changing rapidly, but the basic understanding is still strongly influenced by the socio-cultural context.
Buddhism
In the West, the focus on freedom is mainly external; in China, it is collective; and in Buddhism internal.
The concept of freedom in Buddhism is spiritual. This does not mean that worldly matters are negated, but political and individual freedom are secondary, similar to the Chinese view. In Buddhism, freedom is liberation from Samsara [¹] to end the cycle of suffering.
Samsara is the endless cycle of birth, death and reincarnation. In the gravity of attachment, craving, ignorance and in the delusion of a fixed and solid personal self (ego, persona), life always leads to suffering. Liberation from this cycle -Dukkha-[²] is the highest form of freedom in Buddhism. This means that the essence of freedom is liberation from suffering. This liberation is enlightenment.
The focus in Buddhism is on a disciplined practice of the Eightfold Path [³], which includes wisdom, ethical behavior, and spiritual training. As long as the “three mind poisons” of greed, hatred, and spiritual blindness are active, we cannot be free. The absence of these poisons will always lead to (spiritual) slavery. Freedom means no longer being bound to the world, and acting in the world without attachment.
Freedom is linked to inner peace, serenity, and compassion.
Nirvana
The highest form of freedom is Nirvana, enlightenment. This state of being cannot be described in words, but it has qualities that can be shared. The experience of Nirvana transcends the very source of suffering. We are completely at peace and detached from everything; inner and outer attachments are meaningless; they no longer disturb the mind. In Buddhism, it is believed that the cycle of reincarnation ends with Nirvana. When we reach this state, we decide to end the cycle of reincarnation and become a Bodhisattva [⁴], which means that we continue to reincarnate, but for the benefit of all sentient beings.
Freedom and Awarefulness (Mindfulness)
Awarefulness -Sati- and meditation are essential practices to cultivate freedom. It is a kind of mind training without the mind. In Buddhism, the mind has a second name, “Monkey Mind”, always active, never at peace, endless inner conversation or external distraction. The Monkey Mind makes freedom impossible, and even more so when we are attached to it. A mind that is never at rest is a slave of its own projections, illusions, desires, and rejections.
Sati brings space between the content of the mind and awareness. We learn to take out the personal self of the equation. The mental whirlpool, with all its following feelings, is replaced by clarity of vision. We start to see reality as it is, and that is freedom.
Nothing exists on its own
Interconnectedness. Pratītyasamutpāda (Sanskrit)[⁵] and Paticcasamuppāda (Pali)[⁶]. Which can be translated as dependent arising or dependent origination.
It boils down to everything being interconnected or nothing existing on its own.
In Buddhism, this is sunyata (emptiness).
“Emptiness”, in Buddhism, means that nothing has an independent existence. We cannot exist without an environment. We need the earth to walk, food for the body, and social relations (we know only that we are humans because of other humans). What we experience as our identity — the solid and fixed someone, the I — is unreal. The identity we believe in is changing all the time because everything is changing all the time. If there were an independent, solid self, then logically, it would resist time. But this identity was different from 10 years ago or when we were children. Our experience that it is solid is an optical illusion that has nothing to do with reality.
When we understand that the personal self does not exist on its own, then freedom becomes something completely different.
Absolute and Relative Freedom
Buddhism knows two kinds of freedom, the relative and the absolute.
The first is related to normal, ordinary life, all relate to external conditions. The second, absolute freedom, is liberation from Dukkha, illumination, or nirvana. The highest freedom in Buddhism is the absolute freedom.
In Buddhist philosophy, relative freedom is the path towards absolute freedom. Both freedoms are not in competition, they are forming one journey, but it is clear that absolute freedom is the place to go.
Compassion and Freedom
One beautiful aspect of the Buddhist way to understand freedom is compassion.
Freedom makes only sense with a compassionate mind. What worth is freedom being troubled and stressed?
This means my freedom is your freedom. Freedom is interconnected with helping others to overcome suffering.
This altruistic perspective means that one strives not only for individual enlightenment but also to act for the benefit of all living beings. Freedom is, therefore, not just an individual state, but a state in relation to others.
Summary
In Buddhism, freedom has two different dimensions, the worldly (relative freedom) and the spiritual (absolute freedom). In general, the individual freedom has less importance and the ultimate goal is to transcend the personal identity and become enlightened. But not for oneself, rather for the benefit of all sentient beings. Freedom in the highest sense is to overcome suffering and practicing compassion.
Footnote
[¹]: Samsara: “cyclic existence”, “cycle of existence”, etc. It can be defined as the continual repetitive cycle of birth and death that arises from ordinary beings’ grasping and fixating on a self and experiences. https://encyclopediaofbuddhism.org/wiki/Sa%E1%B9%83s%C4%81ra
[²]: Dukkha: translated as “suffering”, “anxiety”, “stress”, “unsatisfactoriness”, etc. — is one of the most important concepts in Buddhism https://encyclopediaofbuddhism.org/wiki/Dukkha
[³]: Eightfold Path is the fourth of the Buddha’s [Four Noble Truths](https://encyclopediaofbuddhism.org/wiki/Four_Noble_Truths “Four Noble Truths”). It is said to be _the path to the cessation of dukkha_, and it is considered to be the essence of Buddhist practice https://encyclopediaofbuddhism.org/wiki/Noble_Eightfold_Path
[⁴]: Bodhisattva: someone who, motivated by great compassion, has generated bodhicitta, which is the aspiration to attain enlightenment bodhi for the benefit of all sentient beings-
[⁵]: Sanskrit is the primary liturgical language of Hinduism: https://encyclopediaofbuddhism.org/wiki/Sanskrit
[⁶]: Pali or Magadhan, was a Middle Indo-Aryan language native to the Indian subcontinent: https://encyclopediaofbuddhism.org/wiki/Pali_language
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