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Freedom
& Oppression
Ven. Peradeniya
Sujatha Thero
Throughout
history, ancient and modern, there has been oppression in the world.
The domination of one group of people by another.
It’s a problem that is as old
as humanity. And it is still with us today.
Oppression often gives birth to revolutions.
Sometimes peaceful revolutions.
Sometimes violent ones. One
of the important lessons of history is that freedom from oppression is
not simply a matter of the oppressed achieving an external victory over
their oppressors. History is
full of examples of revolutions that were successful on
the surface, but then, when the formerly oppressed people take
power, they themselves become oppressors of some other group!
For example, in the country that has been my home over the last
several years, America, I am sad to say that we have fallen into just that
sort of trap. We fought hard
for freedom from British rule, and yet we still became the oppressors of
the native American population, the owners of African slaves, and the
sponsors of our own system of colonial domination.
But this is not just an American problem.
It is an Australian problem. And
a Sri Lankan problem. And a
European problem, and so on. Because….
It is a human problem.
We can be quite clever at ridding ourselves of external threats to our
freedom. And that is good!
But how skillful are we at removing the roots of oppression from
within our own minds?
The heart of the problem is that the uncultivated mind sees itself as
superior and others as expendable. The
uncultivated mind needs an enemy in order to maintain its illusion of superiority.
It needs a bad guy. Someone
to wear the black hat. Someone
to take the blame when bad things happen.
Someone to punish. Someone
to dominate and exploit. And
when that is our state of mind,
God help anyone who has the audacity to try to dominate or exploit us!
That state of mind has been the fuel
behind many a revolution. When
that is the case, after we eradicate those who oppressed us, we, in turn,
typically become oppressors ourselves.
And there’s no mystery why.
It’s because we’ve misunderstood the fundamental nature of the
problem. In the final
analysis, oppression is a problem in the mind.
And it’s only within that territory that it can be ultimately
solved. Otherwise, there is
no real freedom, no real end to tyranny.
We need to learn how to live a simple life,
how to be content with what we have within our own borders.
This skin of ours is the
first border that we have to recognize and respect.
This is the primary border in life.
It’s all that separates inside from outside. We need to learn how to be content with what we have within this
border. How to find within
ourselves a deep sense of adequacy and goodness. Then, we will naturally
and easily have respect for the borders of others.
We use the word “ego” to describe that
false sense of self which is not content with what lies within, which is
driven by a desire to conquer others, to take
what they have, to build an empire as a monument to its sense of
superiority.
The irony is that the ego is really
not that big and scary at all. It’s
really nothing at all. And
yet it can be the cause of wars, oppression, and great suffering.
So it must be taken quite seriously.
It is this ego that is the real
enemy of freedom, an enemy far more dangerous than any external
oppressor, and an enemy that cannot be stopped through any outer revolution. It
calls for a different strategy.
All genuine spiritual paths guide us through a process of inner evolution.
A process where the ego becomes less and less central, and a more
simple, peaceful, and caring life emerges.
Revolutions may still be necessary from time to time in this world.
But this inner evolution remains the only really adequate answer to
the problem of oppression.
May the blessings of the Triple Gem – the Buddha, the Dhamma, & the
Sangha – fill your life and open your minds to the path that leads to
ultimate freedom and happiness.
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