The most prevalent meaning of freedom is to be able to live according to the whims and fancies of the mind. Swami Chinmayananda famously said, “Not to do what we feel like doing is called freedom.” Please do not misinterpret this statement. Otherwise, you will say, “I felt like praying to God, but now I will not, as that is slavery!”
Bondage at the subtlest level is to identify ourselves with something that is not our true nature. Look at the body — it is our place of residence, our vehicle and the instrument through which we work in the world, but to think that we are the physical body is the first bondage. Even to consider it as ours is bondage. How much control do we have over it? The second bondage arises from the first notion that “I am the body”. As a result of this thought, we want more and more comforts, pleasures and security for it.
This is what is happening in life; we want happiness but are living in sorrow because of the erroneous belief that objects will make us happy. Vedanta states that if you can be happy without objects then you are free — that is real happiness.
One beautiful definition of knowledge states that non-insistence on any particular thing is a sign of knowledge. Insistence should be on abidance in one’s own true nature.
Swami Tejomayananda is the head of Chinmaya Mission Worldwide
