Ananda Sangha of Portland--Inner Freedom by Swami Kriyananda

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Inner Freedom
Chapter Seven of the book Eastern Thoughts--Western Thoughts, published by J. Donald Walters (Swami Kriyananda) in the late 1960s for the young adults of that era. As the book is no longer in print, we're pleased to offer this chapter in its entirety.

Part I | Part II | Part III

(continued from Part II)

A rather worldly relative of mine said to me one day, "Let’s face it, the only thing in life worth striving for is money!" If I had bothered to ask him, "What about freedom?" he would have answered, "Sure. Money gives me the opportunity to do whatever I want. And that’s freedom!" But there are more suicides among rich people than among paupers. Why is that?

* * * * *

Desire is only an affirmation of limitation. It says, "I’ll never be happy until I get ‘this’ and ‘that.’" But not even the fulfillment of desire brings lasting freedom from its own nagging importunities; it creates false expectations that only bring it bounding back again—like a dog, after retrieving a stick that you’ve thrown to keep the animal from pestering you.

Desire places a condition on your happiness: "I’ll be happy if I can get invited to that party." Fulfillment of the desire removes that condition on your happiness; in your relief you feel "good." Actually, all you have done is remove a quite unnecessary obstruction to your happiness, but it isn’t long before you find yourself thinking, "If I can create that obstruction again, then remove it all over again the relief I felt in removing it the last time will feel as good as it did then." And so it is that desires even when we fulfill them, lead again and again to the creation of new desires.

I read this morning about a woman who had just won a $27,000 jackpot, gambling on a slot machine. And I thought: How long before she wastes that money, gambling again?

* * * * *

Young people in a rebellious mood often cry, "Why shouldn’t I do what I like? This is a free country, isn’t it?" To them one might reply:

"The bear is free, too—to enter the trap, or to stay out of it. But how free is he, once he’s been caught?"

* * * * *

"Discipline—ugh!" Many people today, young people especially, insist on "flowing freely" life’s passing currents.

Their point must be understood, because in part it is valid. Too rigid an outlook will only turn people into what Paramhansa Yogananda called "psychological antiques." To be able to bend before the raging floods of adversity, and to flow with the tides of opportunity or inspiration, is truly one of the signs of a free spirit.

But this sort of freedom never comes without discipline. Think of the surfboard rider. His ability to ride the waves depends on his degree of self-control. The inept surfer doesn’t flow with the currents: He tumbles with them!

The wise person disciplines himself, not in the name of social rigidity, but in the name of growing freedom.

* * * * *

Freedom must be lived. It is an attitude of mind, not a social condition. If you want freedom, tell yourself that you are free already. If you want to get rid of inharmony, concentrate more on harmony. If you want to get rid of evil, concentrate more on goodness. Anger over the injustices of life only adds darkness to darkness.

As Paramhansa Yogananda used to say, if you want to get rid of darkness in a room, don’t beat at it with a stick. Turn on the light!

* * * * *

"So okay," you say, "I want freedom. I really do, even if it means giving up a few habits. (I mean, it’s hard. Some of them are my best friends.) But how can I get them to renounce me, even if I manage to renounce them?"

What can you do, I ask, if your dog is holding your slipper in its mouth? You may try a little diplomacy at first, but if that doesn’t work, try offering him something tastier to chew on than that slipper. He’ll quickly drop your cheap "beef jerky" (sorry, nothing personal !) in favor of the Gourmet Special.

That is how you might treat your mind when it holds fast to a bad habit. Don’t coax it. Don’t even beat it. Offer it something "tastier in exchange.

Positive, serviceful actions, cheerful attitudes, chanting mentally to God, and meditation all help to banish bad habits by substituting an inner happiness for the agonizing fluctuations of moods that are the unfailing "rewards" for bad habits.

* * * * *

Conformity vs. non-conformity: Does one mean bondage, and the other, freedom? Not necessarily.

Non-conformists often end up conforming to an accepted pattern of their own. The youthful rebel who doesn’t wear his hair the length that is "IN" for youthful rebels, or walk with the accepted slouch, or converse knowingly on certain accepted topics, is an outcast among his own kind. An attitude of mindless rejection is worse, if anything, than an attitude of mindless acceptance.

It is within himself that the wise man looks for his standards. His inner conscience, not a system of outer rules, is his guiding principle.