What are you doing?

It is quite obvious that most people have no idea what they are saying when they state that they want enlightenment or awakening. For, almost all questions placed before awake or enlightened teachers are not about how ultimate freedom can be achieved. Instead, people want to find their soul mate, have their business succeed, have more money and financial stability, have less trouble with their partner, their children, their parents and other people. They wanted more love, more safety, more security, more bliss, more joy, more this, more that. I find it quite strange that teachers of awakening and enlightenment actually answer such questions as they are of a psychological nature. They pertained to personal well being, satisfaction and happiness. And I know from direct experience that pursuing personal happiness has absolutely nothing to do with ultimate freedom. In fact, ultimate freedom lay in the exact opposite direction. 

It is essential that I state that the ambitions mentioned above are really important in order to live a satisfying life and are truly worth striving for. Yet, they are not in any way related to the freedom that various religious scriptures and teachers are describing and the freedom spiritual and religious aspirants of past ages were after. In fact, ultimate freedom was diametrically opposite from the world's relative freedom. For this reason, a point was made by previous seekers of ultimate freedom to retreat behind monastic walls and to leave the world with all its many goodies behind. By devoting themselves one-pointedly to nothing else but coming to know ultimate freedom, it was believed that one might have a chance at attaining it in a deep and lasting manner. An integral part of the whole process was overcoming all worldly ideas, concepts, beliefs, needs, wishes, wants, hopes and desires, along with all the incalculable attachments to it all. Therefore, it is fascinating to observe that modern-day aspirants say they want ultimate freedom while at the same time are longing for a better, more satisfying and happier life. That's a complete oxymoron.