(A) IN PURSUIT OF FREEDOM
The fundamental positive thing of Buddhism is to strive for freedom. Those general
freedoms sought by us are freedom of the body, freedom of residence, occupation,
assemble, speech, freedom of the press, publication, belief and thought, and
with the Never-Ending Freedom sponsored by President Roosevelt,
the sphere of freedom has been expanded to a great extent. However, in the eyes
of Buddhism, the scope of all those freedoms is too restricted, their standard
too low and freedom-seeders are too timid to ask for that Fundamental Freedom
which everyone is entitled to enjoy. To illustrate, once a beggar dreamed that
he became a king. Replying to the question what he would enjoy most if he were
a king, he said readily, as a king, I could have doughnuts and pancakes
to my hearts content. Regarding the question of freedom, ironically
we are as miserable and pitiable as that beggar, for although it is in our own
right to enjoy that Fundamental Freedom, yet few of us are aware of it and bold
enough to ask for it. However, the stout-hearted Buddhist takes a radical stand;
to be absolutely free, he would go so far as to break away from all the bounds
of the spheres of freedom and all the criteria of freedom. First of all, he
asks for absolute freedom of the six elements of the body. The functioning of
the eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body and mind should be absolutely free of obstruction
and hindrance. First, the eye. He would ask: why is it that the eye can see
only a small section of the light belt and no more, only the violet light and
not the light waves outside, only the infra-red light but not the light waves
within, and the wave-lengths of radio? ; why is it incapable of seeing those
mountains, rivers, living beings and things of all satellites?; and also electrons,
cosmic rays and the magnetic lines of force? Again, why it cannot see things
of the past and the future? Why is the eyesight confined only to things within
its range and not extended further? In short, he asks that the functioning of
the eye be absolutely free from any impediment. Next, the ear. He would ask:
why is it that the ear cannot hear sound waves below twenty, and above twenty
thousand, periodic vibrations per unit time?; why it cannot hear speeches and
voices and dialects of all sentient beings of the universe?; also the vibrations
of particles?; why is it that it is not free to hear sound waves other than
those of the present moment? In short, he asks that the functioning of the ear
be absolutely free of every obstruction. Next, the nose. He would ask: why is
the nose unable to be free of restrictions of time and space so that it may
smell the scents all over the world? Again, why cant it smell its own
smell? And why cant the various fragrant and bad smells be differentiated
by means of periodical angular and straight line and curve? All he asks is that
the functioning of the nose be absolutely free of every obstruction. Next, the
tongue. He would ask: why the tongue cannot taste itself and tell the taste
of something before touching it? Why cant it speak the spoken words of
all sentient beings? Again, why cant it relay its sayings to all sentient
beings of the world and beyond? Why cant it speak to every variety of
sentient beings in one voice to be comprehensible to them all? He asks that
the functioning of the tongue be absolutely free to speak and to taste without
obstruction. Next, on the bodys functioning, he would ask: Why cant
the body move about freely in the space from one satellite to another without
being subjected to the influence of the gravitation force? Why cant it
transform itself freely at its own will to be large or small, or as large as
the void, or small enough to get itself into an atom so as to disrupt the latters
working system? Again, why cant it push the whole solar system into the
Milky Way? Why cant it feel the sufferings of infinite sentient beings?
So he would ask that the body and every part of it be free to function without
obstruction. Lastly, the mind. He would ask: why is the mind unable to know
the phenomenal transformations of the universe in the past, at the present and
in the future, and also the minds of all sentient beings? Why cant it
be detached from the common eight Categories of suffering? Why cant
it anticipate the conditions of the space above the four dimensions? Also, why
cant it change material things freely at its own will? Why cant
it detach itself from the phenomena confronting it so that it may think freely?
In short, according to the Buddhist, the eye, the ear, the nose, the tongue,
the body and mind should be absolutely free of defilements and obstructions.
If you think what the Buddhist asks in the above is unreasonable, your line
of thinking may be said to be similar to the beggars contentment with
pancakes only. All in all, the positive spirit to seek right understanding of
the Truths of life and the universe, and, meanwhile, not to be contented with
present conditions of the mundane world is something unique in Buddhism and
not to be found elsewhere.