What Is Freedom?
The following are excerpts from a discussion between SGI President Daisaku Ikeda and Soka Gakkai youth leaders.
[© Jason Hoskin/Getty Images]
An American businessman and his wife told me something very interesting. They remarked that they knew some of the richest people in the world, but they had seen many whose lives were really very sad: widows who felt hollow and empty after their husbands died, people who had lost all sense of purpose, and those who, having reached their goal of financial wealth, were suddenly confronted with their true selves and felt sad and lonely.
Real freedom ultimately hinges on what you decide to dedicate yourself to with all your heart. It doesn't mean simply to amuse oneself. It isn't spending money like water, nor is it having all the free time in the world. It isn't taking long vacations. Doing only as you please is not freedom; it is nothing more than self-indulgence. True freedom lies in the ongoing challenge to develop yourself, to achieve your chosen goal. This path is paved with the glittering gold of freedom.
--It's true that we tend to think of leisure as freedom, but the two are quite different. . .
If you're passive you'll feel trapped and unhappy in even the freest of environments. But if you take an active approach and challenge your circumstances, you will be free, no matter how confining your situation may actually be. . . In Buddhism, true freedom can be correlated to one's life-condition. Someone with an expansive life-condition is free even if confined to the most restricted prison on Earth.
Argentine human rights activist and Nobel Peace Prize winner Adolfo Pérez Esquivel once told me that prison taught him to have a conscious appreciation of freedom.
Natalia Sats, the late president of the Moscow State Children's Musical Theater, fought against oppression. She turned her prison cell into a place of learning, and encouraged her fellow prisoners to share with one another their unique knowledge. One could lecture on chemistry, another could teach medicine. Mrs. Sats, herself a singer and entertainer, sang songs and recited poetry by Aleksandr Pushkin, striving to inspire courage and hope in everyone. . .
SGI President Ikeda sits in on a class at Soka University [© Seikyo Shimbun]
--Those who refuse to be defeated by circumstances, no matter how harsh, are truly free.
Yes. I'm sure you know the story of Helen Keller (1880-1968). At the age of 18 months, she lost her sight and hearing. Her deafness also made it difficult for her to speak. But by working together with her teacher Anne Sullivan, she gradually learned to read, write and speak, and eventually graduated from Radcliffe College in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Surely no one could have been as restricted as she was--unable to speak, hear or see. Hers was a world of darkness and silence. But she drove the darkness out of her heart. . . As a result of unimaginable hard work, she went on to travel the globe to lecture and offer encouragement to people with disabilities. She came to Japan several times. She brought courage to the entire world. She refused to be beaten. She always turned her face to the sun, seeking the bright light of hope.
Being only human, however, she at times would feel forlorn and disheartened. . . She wrote:
I slip back many times, I fall, I stand still, I run against the edge of hidden obstacles, I lose my temper and find it again and keep it better. I trudge on, I gain a little, I feel encouraged, I get more eager and climb higher and begin to see the widening horizon. Every struggle is a victory. . .
--She lived her life with incredible strength and courage. One young person has a question. "I want to do my best, but the combination of school, family responsibilities and Buddhist activities wears me out. What should I do?"
You need to develop strength. The stronger you are, the freer you will be. Someone without a lot of stamina may have a very difficult time climbing even a small, thousand-foot mountain. And a person who is sick might not be able to manage it at all. But a strong, healthy person can do it easily with zest and enjoyment. That's why it's important to develop your strength. . .
Freedom exists in self-restraint. In human society, there are rules and an order by which we live and work. There is rhyme and reason, direction and purpose.
This is evident in the natural world, too. The sun rises at dawn and sets at dusk. The stars shine at night. They each have their role. They each follow a certain rhythm and order. They do not appear at random or on a whim; so, in a sense, their activities are restricted. . .
--In other words, running away from responsibilities is not freedom.
You can run away, of course. That freedom exists. But it is a very small, petty freedom. It leads only to a life of great hardship, a life in which you are powerless, weak and completely frustrated. Alongside this small freedom, however, exists a much greater freedom. The well-known Japanese novelist Eiji Yoshikawa (1892-1962) writes, "Great character is forged through hardship." Only by polishing yourself through repeated difficulties can you build a self that sparkles as brightly as a gem. Once you have developed such a state of life, nothing will faze you. You will be free. You will be victorious.
Once you realize this truth, even hardships become enjoyable. Daring to take on tough challenges--that in itself is immense freedom. . .
Freedom and lack of freedom are two sides of the same coin. The busiest people may seem to have the most constraints and demands on their time, but they often actually enjoy the most freedom.
Freedom cannot be measured in terms of time--the amount of "free time" we have has nothing to do with the amount of "freedom" we have. It's what we do with our time that counts. Two people with the exact same amount of free time will use it differently: One might savor it, while the other might complain, finding it either burdensome or too short. Similarly, you can spend the same hour watching television, the time passing by in flash without anything to show for it, or studying, feeling a satisfying sense of achievement when you finish. That one hour can be a turning point in your life. Freedom is determined by your values, by what you place importance on in life. . .
In one sense, none of us can attain true happiness unless all others are happy. Basing one's life and actions on this awareness is what Buddhism calls the way of life of the bodhisattva.
Similarly, we cannot enjoy true freedom unless all others are free. In our world today, far too many people are chained by poverty, oppression, fear and ignorance; far too many are robbed of their freedom by war and discrimination. One who stands up to fight for the freedom of such people is truly free. I hope each of you will become that sort of person.
It is therefore important that you squarely face and challenge the tasks that lie before you, and complete them successfully. Then, just as a tree grows, blossoms and bears fruit by sending down roots and extending its branches to the sky, you will naturally come to know greater and greater freedom. For that reason, may you always advance toward the sun of hope.
Regards,
Mr Chang C.L.
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http://MrChang.com
