Finding Freedom
Freedom means that you stand free of making demands on others and on life to make you happy; which means taking full responsibility and not blaming anyone, no longer being a victim of life.
How to get the most out of these Wisdom Quotes:
Put aside everything you think you already know.
Open your mind and heart to receive something new.
Take your time going through each point.
Return to any points that particularly touch you.
In the coming days, listen carefully to the wisdom within you.
1. The Freedom of Not Wanting Anything
“Those who are free don’t want anything.
They don’t want anything from their mind, they don’t want anything from their emotions, they don’t want anything from anyone, and they don’t want anything from life.
They don’t want anything.
If you don’t want, all that’s left is an incredible sense of being free.”
~Adyashanti, The Impact of Awakening
COACHING NOTES:
We begin this week's exploration with a picture of freedom which may seem unattainable and difficult to relate to.
Our whole lives we have been chasing the objects of our desire, believing in the promises of the fulfillment they will bring. And yet, what we all truly long for is freedom.
Consider Adyashanti's words and how they align with your ideas and ideals about life.
See this post in the Facebook Group
2. The Freedom of Not Chasing Impermanence
“That which comes and goes is not real; quit chasing it. It doesn't matter.
What haven't you lost? That is what‘s important. What always is? What is there in bliss and in misery?
Who you are is always present and is always the same.
That which doesn't come and go is real. That is where Freedom is found – nowhere else.”
~Adyashanti, The Impact of Awakening
COACHING NOTES:
What is meant by "real" here is permanence, that which is unchanging. If you think about it, almost everything that we consider to be important is transient and fleeting.
What does Adyashanti mean by telling us to quit chasing these things and that they don't matter? Of course, our relationships matter, as do many other things, like our work and passions, etc.
But what he is pointing us to here is our deepest essence, the truth of who we are. We live in a world where humanity is so distracted by world events and personal thinking that we could easily live our entire lives without ever exploring the truth of who we are, at the deepest level. Yet this is what we must do if we are to find freedom.
See this post in the Facebook Group
3. The Freedom of Not Arguing With Reality
“If you think that people should be nice to one another, then by all means be nice.
But when you project that belief onto the people and the world around you as if it were an objective reality, or worse still, as if it were their job to be nice to you, you put yourself at odds with what is, and suffering will surely follow.”
🌿
“When you argue with reality, reality always wins.”
🌿
“Now is just what's happening – minus everything you think.”
~Adyashanti
COACHING NOTES:
How many beliefs are you projecting onto the people and the world around you? Notice any indignance which may arise with this question and thoughts such as: "But I have a right to expect people to be kind and treat me well. I'm not going to put up with being disrespected!"
As always, there's no judgment needed, only the value of noticing what arises within you. Every time you shift from reacting to noticing, you wake up from unconsciousness and are present in the truth of life.
What if you stopped bothering yourself about everything? What if you surrendered your resistance to reality and allowed things to be as they are, without taking them personally?
You don't have to have to agree or like the way things are (and there are situations when it makes perfect sense to seek change) but understand the suffering and enslavement that come with constant resistance to life's unfolding.
See this post in the Facebook Group
4. The Freedom to Give
“Freedom is the realization that everything and everybody gets to be exactly as they are.
Unless we’ve come to that point, unless we’ve seen that this is how reality sees things, then we’re actually withholding freedom from the world. We’re seeing it as a possession, and we’re only concerned with ourselves. How good I can feel? How free I can feel?
True freedom is a gift to everything and everybody.”
~Adyashanti
COACHING NOTES:
Have you been "withholding freedom from the world" by not allowing everyone to be as they are? Ask yourself this question honestly. Yes, I know it's "normal" to complain about people and wish they could be different, but here we have the opportunity to see something deeper.
"True freedom is a gift." Are you willing to give freedom to these people who you have wanted to change? Will you allow them to be as they are? (This doesn't mean you need to stay in an unhealthy relationship or not seek to improve communication.) If the answer is no, then how can you ever know freedom yourself?
See this post in the Facebook Group
5. The Freedom of Surrender
“As long as you perceive that anyone is holding you back, you have not taken full responsibility for your own liberation.
Liberation means that you stand free of making demands on others and on life to make you happy.
When you discover yourself to be nothing but Freedom, you stop setting up conditions and requirements that need to be satisfied in order for you to be happy.
It is in the absolute surrender of all conditions and requirements that Liberation is discovered to be who and what you are. Then the love and wisdom that flows out of you have a liberating effect on others.”
~Adyashanti, The Impact of Awakening
COACHING NOTES:
Freedom means "that you stand free of making demands on others and on life to make you happy;" which means taking full responsibility and not blaming anyone, no longer being a victim of life.
Don't worry if you feel you're not capable of "absolute surrender." Simply allow yourself to soften and open. In the words of Eckhart Tolle, "Bring acceptance into your non-acceptance. Bring surrender into your non-surrender. Then see what happens."
See this post in the Facebook Group
6. The Freedom of the Whole World
“The important thing is allowing the whole world to wake up. Part of allowing the whole world to wake up is recognizing that the whole world is free—everybody is free to be as they are.
Until the whole world is free to agree with you or disagree with you, until you have given the freedom to everyone to like you or not like you, to love you or hate you, to see things as you see them or to see things differently—until you have given the whole world its freedom—you’ll never have your freedom.”
~Adyashanti, The End of Your World
COACHING NOTES:
It's good to know what true freedom is. Read Adyashanti's quote again. Can you feel the release and liberation that come with his words, with the possibility of letting go of everything that has kept you imprisoned in your own mind?
"The whole world is free." What does this mean? It means that you can give up trying to be in control of things that have always been beyond your control. What freedom this is!
Ultimately, you are always free to embrace and experience the freedom that you are, if you first give that freedom to the whole world.
See this post in the Facebook Group