Unexpected Freedom

Unexpected Freedominto flowers which fall to the ground. And when the armiespass the Buddha they are lost under the sea, and as they fallthey hold up flowers asking for forgiveness.When we remain resolved to see through the appearanceof these forces that unsettle or frighten us, we come to seethat what we thought was threatening us is in realitysomething that can help us. All the forces within us, whetheranger, greed, lust – even hatred – should be regardedappreciatively as the raw energy which, once understood,fuels our effort towards awakening. The arrows turning intoflowers can be considered a metaphor for what happens inour minds as we strengthen our resolve and determinationto see beyond our habits, to let go of that which is false; to letgo of our addictions, the false energy we’re feeding on andthe false identity that we’re holding onto. We trust in realityand allow ourselves to receive these energies inside usmindfully and sensitively, without acting upon them, andinstead allow natural compassion, clarity and wisdom togrow, without our attachment and manipulations.The more determined we are to follow our heart’slonging to realise truth, the more likely it is that we are goingto encounter fear. Fear of loss; fear of losing our friends; fearof losing our sanity – these are common experiences. Thefear of losing our friends is quite natural. Sometimes you dolose your friends when you practise. You become lessinteresting! You don’t go out drinking anymore. You don’tspend so much money on clothes and getting your hair done.These things are superficial; there’s nothing immoral aboutthem, but they are not exactly the most important things inlife. You’re just disinclined to invest in these kinds ofconcerns and so some friends fall away.When you first join a monastery, like the anagarikasliving here, you might still have lots of friends outside. But176