Liberations

First, here is a short run down on each of the previously-mentioned Liberations:

Liberation from the self
Ego is the sense of separation. When there is “me” and “the other,” fear arises – fear of what the other can do to me. Out of fear is born a fight for survival, comparison, jealousy, hatred, etc. “The self is only a concept,” says Sri Amma Bhagavan. A concept is something that does not really exist in reality. It is an illusion.

Liberation from work
Sri AmmaBhagavan differentiate between activity and action. Activity is an escape from an inner, existential emptiness, sensation or pain. This is done to achieve a purpose. You are working, traveling, cooking, cleaning, praying, because there is a psychological need behind that which needs to be satisfied.

Action instead is a destination or a purpose done on a physical basis or impulse, but not for psychological reasons. The experience is an end in itself. It arises from an inner state of joy and freedom. While the Awakened one also works, he/she is free from the suffering that can come with work.

Liberation from the mind
The usual view of freedom of the mind is that the mind stops and you go into a state where there are no thoughts or the mind is transformed and you experience more freedom and peace of mind. The freedom Sri AmmaBhagavan speak of is none of these. It is the cessation of effort to get rid of or change the mind. Then you are free “with” mind. The mind, with its contents, exists independently from you and helps you with the practical things in life, but does not bother you when it comes to experiencing life fully.

Liberation from knowledge
When Sri AmmaBhagavan speak of freedom from knowledge, it is freedom from the grasping at knowledge and not  knowledge itself. When knowledge is not transformed into an experience, it becomes an obstacle to getting the experience you seek. If knowledge has become an obstacle to experiencing  life, and becomes a burden and a prison, it must cease.

Liberation of the senses
Broadly speaking, Awakening is to “experience life.”  Ancient, sacred texts  define an enlightened person as someone who had control over their five senses. According to Sri AmmaBhagavan, awakening is rather about relieving sensory impressions from the mind’s grasp.

The mind, with its judgments and comments, meddles in every sensory input and makes everything dead and lifeless. Without involvement of the mind, the human nervous system is capable of experiencing bliss through every sensory input, whether it is sight, hearing, smell, taste or touch, regardless of which object is perceived.

The person whose senses are liberated, therefore, goes beyond the mind and experiences life directly through sensory impressions.

This is the evolution.

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.