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On November 15, 2009, the Yoga in Daily Life Society organized in Prague a lecture for the 20th anniversary of the Velvet Revolution – called “The Way to Freedom”.
The lecturer, Mahamandaleshwar Paramhans Swami Maheshwarananda, or Swamiji for short - spiritual master from India, humanitarian worker, and ambassador for peace, who has been visiting our country since 1973, spoke about a way how to achieve inner freedom and about the obstacles which we must face on this way.
In the broadest sense, Swamiji sees the path to freedom in the elimination of ignorance and desires that are the most common source of bondage in its various forms: political, social, emotional, and intellectual.
In his lecture, Swamiji said: "Every creature is trying to gain freedom. Sometimes we see the path to freedom, but we do not know how to follow the path. I remember an Amnesty International poster that etched itself deeply in my memory when I first saw it more than 30 years ago: it shows a prisoner, in the form of a pigeon, in a dark basement cell. Above his head there is a small window, through which daylight can be seen. The window is open, and under normal circumstances, the pigeon could fly out through this window, but it is chained to an iron ball many times heavier than itself."
As a means to achieve freedom, Swamiji advised the audience of around 1600 visitors to follow two steps:
1) reduce desires and needs – this is the light of hope – the direction symbolized by the open window for the pigeon in its cell
2) gradually decrease the burden of karmas, which is symbolized by the iron ball the bird is chained to. Swamiji further explained that we create our fate by our own actions. Good deeds bind us by good karma, bad deeds bind us by bad karma. A specific procedure to dissolve karmas may consist of prayer, meditation and mantra practice, or in the development of child-like innocence, inner purity and gradual elimination of the ego - that will lead to the development of love, compassion, understanding and a desire to help those in need.
When all the past karmas are removed and no new karmas are created, we will get the freedom we desire.
Finally, Swamiji appealed to all present: “Change yourselves, do good deeds as much as you can, help others, practice Yoga in Daily Life, and be as pure and innocent like the small child that makes everyone smile.”
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