The Actual Experience of Freedom
The typical human mind is characterized by self-centeredness. We have mental and emotional habits that all are magnetized by the sense of me-ness or I-ness. The more we put energy and belief into me-ness, the more contracted and unhappy we feel. Also, the more we give existence to this sense of I-ness, the less can we live according to what is considered universally good in humans. Egomaniacs can only think about the happiness of their own. This self-delusion creates very basic discontent in life, but there is nothing wrong in life as such. The discontent, the sense that there is something missing or wrong, is actually a good sign because it makes us ask questions. This is how we set our feet on the path of dharma.
Dharma
is an ancient sanskrit word that I like to translate as ”teaching
of reality”. The point of dharma, that is practiced through
different yogas (not only physical), is to help us to recognise the
reality of ourselves. Seeing the reality of ourselves comes through
seeing through the self-centered fantasies and nightmares. The more
we release the idea and belief of this small self or ”me”, the
more we are able to see our lives, its events and happenings as they
are, rather than how we'd like or expect them to be.
The
theory of dharma is very simple and easy to understand but there is
great depth in there because the human psyche is very complex.
However, with functionable practices, it is actually very easy to set
our feet on the path of dharma, or to begin seeing through the
self-centered habits. From the very first shift in perspective, as
the deep rooted idea of me-ness is released, we feel as if a
tremendous burden gets lifted from our shoulders. And as you continue
to have further awakenings or discoveries of reality, the freer, the
better and the more natural you feel. So the main feature of the path
of dharma is that throughoutyour practice, you experience shifts in
your mind and with each shift you keep discovering your true nature
or wakefulness, peace and kindness in more depth.
Then finally, as you keep having shifts – signs of successful practice – you come to a point in practice where all self-centered habits and patterns cease to be. You still think, talk, act, react, sleep, eat, drink, have sex and go to toilet but the sense of me-ness is completely absent. You cease to perceive yourself as a ”me” who has all these daily experiences that people normally have. In this way, your energy becomes full and has no holes. You still have thoughts like before but the sense of me-ness doesn't arise anymore so all you have, whether you have thoughts or not, is perfect existential freedom.
In traditional terms this is the attainment of the so called buddhahood but ”buddha” only means being awake. Being awake means seeing reality, like I just explained. It is not some mystical or heavenly state. Being awake means just that, being awake to reality. This has nothing to do with magical displays, religious miracles, levitating or such. We can all try to imagine how life would be without the sense of me-ness but the actual experience of freedom is vastly better than just dreaming about it. Obviously!
Thank you for reading and I wish you all the best in your path to discovering the reality,
Kim
