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Quotes about Freedom by Swami Sarvapriyananda

  • Why would absolute reality want freedom? Freedom from what? There is only one reality. You are that one reality right now. What freedom are you seeking and from what?
  • There is freedom, but nobody who is free.
  • From an Advaitic point of view, there is freedom, not free will … Advaita says there is freedom—you as Atman are free, but as a limited, individual being you do not have free will.
  • The secret of enlightenment: When you are enlightened—when you know the absolute, Turiya—it’s not as an object. No, no. You are that. That’s what you realize. You are not a person who realizes the absolute. If you’re a person who says, ‘I know the absolute’ then you do not know. One who knows that it cannot be known as an object, truly knows. You are not a person who lives eternally; you are that eternal existence itself. You are not a person who knows that ultimate reality; you are that knowledge itself. You are not a person who enjoys various kinds of blissful experiences; you are that bliss itself … You are not somebody who has become free; you are freedom itself.