Seeking Inner Freedom

The great mystic, Swami Vivekananda inaugurated the Vedanta movement in America in the early twentieth century. He was a tireless adherent of freedom. He was fascinated by the history of the American struggle for freedom and independence.

In his poem, "To the Fourth July," he expressed his belief that the American experiment was of spiritual origin and was the forerunner of the ultimate freedom of all oppressed people. Much of his writings were concerned with attaining freedom, more so of, inner freedom. Thomas Jefferson, one of the leading architects of American independence wrote, "The God who gave us life also gave us freedom." John Adams, the second president of the United States, died with the words, "Independence forever" on his lips.

Significantly, death claimed both these great Americans in the same year and on the same day - the fourth of July. Jefferson and Adams were primarily concerned with the political freedom. Freedom also has the broader concept, which embraces all spheres of human existence. With the first breath, the instinctual urge for freedom is born. A baby in arms methodically advances from the crawling stage to standing and then to walking. Each of these stages symbolizes its eagerness to experience freedom. And the sense of freedom expands constantly and endlessly. Both physical and mental growths always challenge all hurdles and every obstruction to our inherent urge for freedom.

A voluntary restriction of our actions is vital in order for greater freedom to ensue. When translated from theory to practice, the noble concept of freedom is inevitably confronted by many pitfalls, if not ably and wisely directed. Should it be imperfectly understood or misapplied, it will inevitably cause degeneration affecting all spheres of life.

One who craves for freedom from ignorance and undesirable passions should seek for God through prayer and meditation. From a spiritual standpoint, the man made universe constitutes bondage. The realization of the implications of this bondage is a slow and arduous process. For example, political bondage, social barriers, and all other material achievements are impediments to inner freedom. A spiritually evolved person becomes ever more conscious of the insidious subtleties of material bondage. This great revelation however is denied to those who are not on the spiritual path. They are deluded by the material senses, which are treacherous and unreliable. One of the results of spiritual growth is the realization that bondage to the material senses poses the greatest threat to on inner freedom.