The mighty ocean has but one taste, the taste of salt.
Even so, the Noble Path has but one flavor, the flavor of freedom.
―Buddha Shakyamuni
We are in control
It is important to realize that there is nobody else who can wake us up and save us from samsara. There is no such thing in Buddhism. That may be Buddhism’s biggest drawback, and at the same time its greatest advantage. This view shows us that there is nobody else in control of our lives, our experiences, our freedom or our bondage. Who is responsible? Who is in control? It is us. We are in control. We can bind ourselves further in samsara or we can free ourselves from it right now. It is all up to us. We are the ones who have to keep looking at our thoughts, looking for the nature of our mind. There is no guru, deity, buddha or bodhisattva out there to look for it for us. Although they would happily do this, it would not help us; it would only help them. We have to do it for ourselves. That is the key point.
– Ponlop Rinpoche
from the book “Mind Beyond Death”
With thanks to Just Dharma Quotes
The meditation of freedom
The meditation of suffering is
The meditation of:
I am this body
I am this story
I am these thoughts and
I am these emotions.
The meditation of freedom is
The meditation that lacks
A meditator.
-Wu Hsin
Freedom Lies in the Wisdom to Choose
We establish some stability and focus in our mind and see which elements in it lead to greater peace, which to greater suffering. All of it — both the peace and the suffering — happens lawfully. Freedom lies in the wisdom to choose.
– Joseph Goldsteinfrom the book “Insight Meditation: The Practice of Freedom”
With thanks to Just Dharma Quotes
The Zen Experience of Life
“When we practice zazen our mind always follows our breathing. When we inhale, the air comes into our inner world. When we exhale, the air goes out to the outer world. The inner world is limitless, and the outer world is also limitless.
We say “inner world” or “outer world,” but actually there is just one whole world. In this limitless world, our throat is like a swinging door. The air comes in and goes out like someone passing through a swinging door.If you think “I breathe,” the “I” is extra. There is no you to say “I.” What we call “I” is just a swinging door which moves when we inhale and when we exhale. It just moves; that is all. When your mind is pure and calm enough to follow this movement, there is nothing: no “I,” no world, no mind nor body; just a swinging door.
So when we practice zazen, all that exists is the movement of the breathing, but we are aware of this movement. You should not be absent-minded. But to be aware of the movement does not mean to be aware of your small self, but rather of your universal nature, or Buddha nature. This kind of awareness is very important because we are usually so one-sided.
Our usual understanding of life is dualistic: you and I, this and that, good and bad. But actually, these discriminations are themselves the awareness of the universal existence.
“You” means to be aware of the universe in the form of you, and “I” means to be aware of it in the form of I. You and I are just swinging doors. This kind of understanding is necessary. This should not even be called understanding; it is actually the true experience of life through Zen practice.
When we become truly ourselves, we just become a swinging door, and we are purely independent of, and at the same time, dependent on everything. Without air, we cannot breathe.
Each of us is in the midst of myriads of worlds. We are in the center of the world always, moment after moment. So we are completely dependent and independent. If you have this kind of experience, this kind of existence, you have absolute independence; you will not be bothered by anything.
So when you practice zazen, your mind should be concentrated on your breathing. This kind of activity is the fundamental activity of the universal being. Without this experience, this practice, it is impossible to attain absolute freedom.”
~Shunryu Suzuki
Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind
The possibility of being generous
Freedom is the possibility of being generous. You can afford to open yourself and walk on the path easily – without defending yourself or watching yourself be self-conscious all the time. It is the absence of ego, the absence of self-consciousness. That is the ultimate freedom. The absence of self-consciousness brings generosity. You don’t have to watch for dangers or be careful that you are going too far or too slow. It is the confidence which is freedom, rather than breaking free from chains of imprisonment, exactly. Developing confidence and breaking out of psychological, internal imprisonment brings freedom naturally. In other words, it is generosity.
– Chögyam Trungpa
from the book “Transcending Madness: The Experience of the Six Bardos”
ISBN: 978-0877736370 – https://amzn.to/13S49Vg
Just Dharma Quotes
No coming, no going
No coming, no going,
No after, no before
I hold you close
I release you to be free
I am in you
And you are in me ..
– Thich N. Hanh –
If we cling to anything we cannot be free
“At any moment, you have a choice, that either leads you closer to your spirit or further away from it. Letting go gives us freedom, and freedom is the only condition for happiness. If, in our heart, we still cling to anything – anger, anxiety, or possessions – we cannot be free.”
~Thich Nhat Hanh~
Freedom is the only condition for happiness
“At any moment, you have a choice, that either leads you closer to your spirit or further away from it. Letting go gives us freedom, and freedom is the only condition for happiness. If, in our heart, we still cling to anything – anger, anxiety, or possessions – we cannot be free.”
~Thich Nhat Hanh~
Freedom is the only condition for happiness
“At any moment, you have a choice, that either leads you closer to your spirit or further away from it. Letting go gives us freedom, and freedom is the only condition for happiness. If, in our heart, we still cling to anything – anger, anxiety, or possessions – we cannot be free.”
~Thich Nhat Hanh~
Freedom is the only condition for happiness
Letting go gives us freedom,
and freedom is the only condition for happiness.
If, in our heart, we still cling to anything –
anger, anxiety, or possessions – we cannot be free.
~ Thich Nhat Hanh ~
Source: Sojourners Path
Teaching freedom to others
greatmiddleway.wordpress.com
In teaching freedom to others,
the best way is to first establish five things.
Which five? When teaching others, think:
I will teach gradually and confidentially.
I will speak with the goal in mind.
I will speak with gentleness.
I will not speak in order to gain anything.
I will not speak with a view to harming anyone.
—Buddha Shakyamuni, Anguttara Agama
Zen Flash 
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