Freedom of thinking, action, expression and speech?

Freedom in yoga is about the freedom of being free from ignorance, egoism, attachment, desire and impurities, or suffering. It's not so much about the worldly 'freedom of thinking, action, expression and speech'. But instead, the yoga practitioners constantly restricting one's thinking, action, expression and speech in order to conquer one's mind, to free the mind from ignorance, egoism, restlessness and impurities, or suffering.

For many people in the world, freedom is about the freedom of thinking, action, expression and speech, being free to think, act/react, express and say whatever they like, without any responsibility or consideration towards the consequences of one's action/reaction, or without consideration towards the possibility of many other people's different types of pleasant/unpleasant reaction towards one's particular thinking, belief, action, expression and speech. But, all actions will bring along the consequences of action, whether it's something that we like and agree with, or not.

In the world of egoistic minds functioning under the influence of ignorance and impurities, there will be expected or unexpected desirable/undesirable and kind/unkind reactions coming from different people of different backgrounds, with different thinking, belief, action/reaction or behavior reacting towards other people's different ways of thinking, action/reaction, expression and speech.

Regardless of whether one performs certain action out of 'good' intention, or not, it doesn't and cannot determine how other people should/shouldn't/would/wouldn't react or not react in certain way. One's intention is irrelevant to how other people would react towards one's action.

Expecting all minds are free from ignorance, that all are open-minded, wise and compassionate, that all will react towards everything only with openness, tolerance, peace and understanding, regardless of the different likes and dislikes, agreements and disagreements based on the many different thinking, belief, social, religious and cultural backgrounds, that everyone can act/react/express/say whatever they like 'freely' and expect nobody should or will be offended and react ignorantly, even under intense disagreement, is mere ignorance. It doesn't mean that one should act/react/behave as one is even if it will hurt oneself and/or others, under the 'freedom of action', but most minds will act/react/behave ignorantly out of ignorance. Those who are free from ignorance have consideration and self-control over their action and reaction, but most minds are not free from ignorance and don't have consideration or self-control over their action and reaction.

In yoga, 'freedom of thinking, action, expression and speech' is there when one has the clarity and understanding to decide or choose what one wants to think, act/react, express and say, or not. Being able to decide/choose what to think, act/react, express and say, and what not to think, act/react, express and say, that would promote more peace and harmony in oneself and/or others while living in the world of ignorant impure egoistic minds, is the real freedom of thinking, action, expression and speech. It's not about being able to think, act/react, express and say anything and everything freely, even if knowing that it will most probably inflict reaction or consequence of painful sorrow/suffering to oneself and/or other beings. It's not about appropriateness and disappropriateness either. It's about knowing that most minds are functioning under the influence of ignorance, egoism and impurities, and hence, most people are not free from ignorant action/reaction/behavior. The minds that know this, will not waste any energy into actions/reactions that will deliberately lead to peacelessness and disharmony in oneself and/or in the world of ignorance.

 

Just like we can choose to keep our hands away from contacting with fire directly as much as possible because we don't want to suffer injury or pain from being burnt by fire. It doesn't mean that we have fear towards injury/pain, or have aversion towards being burnt by fire. We just don't need to perform ignorant action that will cause unnecessary pain or suffering to the body and mind.

 

It doesn't mean that we are lack of freedom of action when we choose not to perform certain action that will cause injury or pain to oneself and/or others, thinking and believing that 'freedom of action' means, "I want to be able to do everything and whatever I want to do, even if I know it will hurt myself and/or others, such as be able to put my hands into the fire for as long as I want and I expect there's no consequence of getting injury or pain of being burnt." That's ignorance, not freedom at all.

 

It's everyone's freedom whether they want to be free from ignorance, or not.