Is it possible to be totally free?

What do we mean by 'free'? Is the mind capable of freeing its self? It seems that if there is something to be free from, then that very acknowledgement is an admission of failure. Do we mean that through some act of will, which is through practice or method, we will achieve freedom? Or will we achieve it through the guidance of either an individual or organization?

In an awakened state, one may come to the realization that freedom is not: freedom from something. That 'something' is the illusion mind creates for the purpose of maintaining its conceptual grasp of reality. Fundamentally, their is actually nothing to be free from, but mind, through the illusion of self, is trapped in the web of its own making. The 'conditioned mind' is the self that is caught within the limitations of its experience and knowledge. When one 'actually' sees in the moment that ones actions and thoughts are conditioned, and fully realizes the results of that conditioning, then it is possible to go beyond the limitations of mind. Freedom is the byproduct of a mind that is in full realization of the activity of thought, not as a concept but as a continuous awareness of its movement; awareness that is without discrimination or conclusion.

Mind does not naturally desire freedom. Mind seeks the security of the known, which is the content of the conditioned mind. Freedom is insecurity, it is the not knowing. It is the state of existence in which there is unattachment to the things that mind has created to give its self a sense of security. The truth is there is no such thing as security. Security is the illusion. One actually exists in insecurity. However mind does not want to accept this, so it creates the conceptual world, which can be predicted. It can become (in our mind) predetermined destiny. It is our attempt to bring the unknown into the known. But the unknown can never be the known and this is the self imposed conflict and misery of what we call living.

It is very difficult for us to accept the fact that reality is in a constant state of change. Every day, and in fact, each moment is different from the previous. We are also in a state of change, we are constantly evolving. But we fight it; we see change as the enemy. We want to stay young looking, and maintain the status quo, to seek the acceptance of the majority who live in illusion.

Freedom is the outcome of total self realization. Complete acceptance of life as it is. The falling away of attachment and identification with the known. It is the beginning of intelligence and understanding that is not a "result" or "compensation for effort". It cannot be sought out and made to happen through a method or practice. Freedom creates the atmosphere for transformation. Transformation from the self to the selfless, the enlightened.