Freedom is important.
You have to feel the fragrance of your life. Life is beautiful. You have not seen your life; hence, it might appear absurd to you. You need freedom to see your life. You have to be free. Free from all bondage; performing your mundane duty. Yes, it is possible.
There are some people who renounce everything for freedom; and freedom never comes to them. In a quest of freedom; they renounce everything; even their own family; with whom he has stayed; years together.
They renounce everything; even their own family; in the quest for freedom. They did not understand the word ‘freedom’. Result; you have hardly seen any happy monk? The monks might appear happy; but deep down within them are disturbing. Now, there is no way for them; they cannot go back to their family. And that is natural.
The word ‘Renounce’ is being greatly misunderstood. Renouncement does not mean abandoning. The real meaning of the word; Renounce’ is; acceptable. Yes, here you are accepting everything, whatever is happening in your life; unconditionally.
Here, you have to stay, Here; You do not have to go anywhere; here, you do not have to achieve anything.
Here you are not making any difference between right and wrong; you are simply accepting everything; staying aware, alert. The word acceptance is renouncement. For freedom, You don't abandon anything; and you do not have to go to Himalaya, staying naked, practicing meditation; to become a monk.
Being in life; witnessing everything is meditation. This form of meditation; this stage of meditation takes you to a stage; where everything, good and bad, right and wrong; everything appears same to you.
Here, applause does not take you to an unreasonable height. Here, criticism does not pull you down; here you are the same. Here you are not affected by the mundane happening in your life. Here, you are simply performing your duty; for your family. And here you are not affected by the mundane disturbance in your life.
Here, you have understood what life is? Applause never keeps me unreasonably high; and criticism never pulls me down- I know, where I am.
I shall not be defeated”. This should be the mantra. In certain cases, abandoning life, and retiring to an unknown secluded place, in order to get freedom; might be seen as escapism. And an escapist cannot be free; an escapist cannot get freedom.
You are born as a monk. And to realize this; you have to be aware; you have to be awakened.
Accept your life; and its mundane happening, as it is; staying aware, alert. Meditate; only meditation can open doors for you; from where you can look within.
Remember, only meditation can do this. Only through meditation you can reach a stage; from where you can look within.
And the moment, you look within; you will find, that deep within you; are silent. And when that silence of yours touches you; in a cosmic trance, that very moment you are liberated.
And when you are liberated, you will realize that just now, for the first time in your entire life, you met; Freedom. This is freedom from Meditation…
Ashoka
