The Myth of Freedom

“The attainment of enlightenment from ego’s point of view is extreme death.... It is the ultimate and final disappointment. Treading the spiritual path is painful. It is a constant unmasking, peeling off of layer after layer of masks. It involves insult after insult.”

The Myth of Freedom was published shortly after Cutting Through Spiritual Materialism in the mid-1970s. Like Cutting Through, it presents a grand tour of the Buddhist teachings in essential form, from Hinayana to Mahayana to Vajrayana. And like Cutting Through, it presents a ferociously uncompromising view of the genuine spiritual path that is strangely comforting. Having abandoned hopes and fantasies of spirituality, having completely surrendered to what is, we can view any state of mind and anything that happens to us as workable. Both books should be required reading for anyone considering commitment to a spiritual tradition, and for anyone forgetful of what commitment means.

Granted these similarities, The Myth of Freedom covers significantly different ground from Cutting Through. It is a bit more diffuse. The five elements / five Buddha Families are not mentioned here, but there is an extensive commentary on the ten paramitas in relation to the ten bhumis. Another section details how the nature of devotion and the teacher-student relationship changes through the different yanas. The sections on sitting meditation, working with emotions, and practicing with daily life situations are full of pithy, practical advice not found elsewhere in Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche’s writings. The chapter called ‘Love’ is perhaps the most useful four pages about romantic relationship to be found anywhere outside Ngak’chang Rinpoche and Khandro Déchen’s writings. Anyone interested in the Khandro Pawo Nyida Mélong Gyüd teachings of Aro should check out this short essay.

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