Mok>a

Is it freedom from ‘suffering’ or freedom from ‘birth and death’?  Basically, there is no difference between these two since there can be no experience of suffering without coming into life.

Before we seek for an answer, here are the fundamentals: (i) nature of suffering, (ii) cause of suffering, (iii) nature of freedom and (iv) means to freedom.  This is the paradigm of suffering and freedom that is commonly found in almost all schools of thoughts in India.  For example, S§/khya K§rik§ opens the discussion by this idea: ‘du#kha-traya-abhigh§t§d---’: ‘here is an endeavor made to finally overcome all three kinds of suffering forever’. 

Be it Buddha or Advaita, freedom from pain and attainment of mok>a are common theme in all schools of Indian thoughts.  Is this possible to get rid of suffering? All these schools equivocally assert that it is possible to transcend suffering and enjoy ultimate Freedom for good (§tyantika-du#kha-niv&tti).  In certain schools, in place of suffering, cycle of birth and death has been used.  Body-mind complex i.e., coming into human life is the only cause of suffering. Life and suffering are corelated. 

Therefore, freedom means to get rid of endless cycle of life and death. However, in certain parts of the world, particularly in Abrahamic cultures, existence of endless cycles of life and death is not widely accepted.  So, in such contexts, getting rid of suffering can be discussed.   

Ved§nta propagates path to mok>a which is paved through discriminative wisdom.  That is done by dissecting absolute from the relative, permanent from impermanent, eternal from mundane, self from non-self, avidy§ from Brahman.  

Yoga of Pata_jali has the concept of ‘catur-vy%ha-v§da’: suffering (heya), cause of suffering (heya-hetu), freedom from suffering (h§na) and means to freedom from suffering (h§nop§ya).   This is supported by the school of S§/khya as well. 

In place of Mok>a, S§/khya uses the term apavarga.  It is believed that despite different words used in different traditions, nature of Spiritual Freedom (or Mok>a) is one and the same.  

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