The Meaning of Freedom

In spiritual terms, freedom can mean so many things. We can experience different levels of liberation from our suffering, and there are stages along the way. We all experience freedom in the way we experience it, whether it’s incremental signs of less reaction to complete non-attachment to our ego identity.

There are variations as you progress, and nothing – in my experience – is a final goal. We keep opening to new levels, infinitely growing towards Union with God. Some people describe events that are completely heart opening that eventually fade away. There are other incidences where the heart is able to be opened permanently. This requires a more refined energy and an accumulation of higher consciousness to function as a container for this kind of freedom.

I’ll lay out some of these waystations of freedom, as defined by different cultures and religions.

Kenshō

In Buddhist terms, Kenshō is an initial insight or sudden awakening, not full liberation or “Buddhahood”. It is to be followed by further training, which allows one to learn to express it in daily life and gradually removes the remaining negative mental states. This is how the higher energies are accumulated. Through our own inner struggle, we learn to choose rightly.

Kenshō is used interchangeably with the Japanese term satori; a stepping stone to permanent freedom. It sets the stage for objective self-observation in which we see outside of our dualism. We glimpse our true nature and the ultimate reality.

One can read about the efforts of Zen Buddhist students to find this awakening in the book The Three Pillars of Zen by Philip Kapleau.

With enough self-observation and inner struggle, we create a secondary energetic body which becomes a vessel for higher consciousness. How do we know this has formed?

Distinct heart openings remain with us as permanent states of Being when the secondary body is formed.There is enough conscious energy concentrated to hold this level of perception and contact with life force. We are able to live in more than one World. We live in the world of function and being, with every present moment being full of potential. This is where we directly create our lives; repairing the past and preparing the future.

Citta

Citta is a Buddhist term referring to the unified field of heart and mind that experiences the unity and diversity of all things. We see with awareness, compassion, and neutrality. It is the world of the higher emotional center where we play an active role in creating our destiny. This opening is the vehicle for the ultimate liberation. Many people feel they have reached enlightenment with this opening, but it is actually a beginning stage toward that.

It presents a new opportunity of spiritually working in the world.

There are many terms for this level of transformation where the lower and higher selves merge: Soul Realization, Fana-baqa, Bodhicitta, and Higher Emotional Center (Fourth Way), to name a few.

This level sets the stage for a higher union with God. A second ‘higher being’ body is formed (even higher than Kenshō and citta) in which this is possible. I have listed some aspects of this unitive station below:

Samadhi

Samādhi (Sanskrit: समाधि) most commonly refers to a high state of meditative consciousness and concentration in Indian religions like Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism. It is the eighth and final limb of the eight limbs in Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras. This state means “to integrate,” where the observer becomes one with the observed. In Buddhism, it is the final step in the eightfold path. (adapted from Wikipedia)

Moksha

The Hindu term, Moksha, means the ultimate spiritual liberation and freedom from the endless cycle of birth, death, and rebirth.

Core Concepts of Moksha (per Wikipedia)

• The Ultimate Goal: In Hinduism, moksha is the final and highest of the four goals of human life (Purushartha), following dharma (moral duty), artha (wealth), and kama (pleasure).
• End of Reincarnation: It represents breaking free from the karmic wheel of existence, where a person's soul (atman) is no longer bound by worldly desires, ignorance, or suffering.
• Oneness with the Divine: Reaching moksha involves the realization that the individual soul is connected to or merges with the supreme universal consciousness (Brahman).
• Living Liberation: While often thought of as post-death freedom, attaining the state of realization while still alive is known as jivanmukti.

I have listed these latter terms to let us know what is possible, but not commonplace. In fact, it is quite rare and does not happen without regular practice. That practice cannot be goal-oriented, but rather one of acceptance again and again.

Ultimately, it is our daily practice on and off the cushion that will add up to freedom in greater degrees as we go along. It's important to have a practice in order to learn to accept whatever happens in a given moment.

Pema Chodron puts it best:

“The safest and most nurturing place to begin working is during sitting meditation. On the cushion, we begin to get the hang of not indulging or repressing and of what it feels like to let the energy just be there. That is why it's so good to meditate every single day and continue to make friends with our hopes and fears again and again. This sows the seeds that enable us to be more awake in the midst of everyday chaos. It's a gradual awakening, and it's cumulative, but that's actually what happens. We don't sit in meditation to become good meditators. We sit in meditation so that we will be more awake in our lives.”

May you find freedom in your awakening. 

Molly Knight Forde is the founder of the Awareness School and author of Be Present: Reflections On The Way.

If you are interested in experiencing a shift in how you see things, what you believe, and what you think you know, consider taking our 3-week meditation course: 21 Day Meditation. 

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