Soul
Freedom is such, that it is desired by every creature. From this we see that it is the soul's tendency and the spirit's longing to become free. Animals and birds, however carefully educated and tended by us, still have the instinct to avoid being confined.
Where does the desire for freedom begin? Its beginning is explained in a very beautiful way in some of the ancient stories. The stories from the Hebrew and Arabic scriptures tell us that when God made Adam, He commanded the spirit to enter the body of Adam, which he had made out of clay and water. When the spirit was commanded to enter, it refused, saying, 'No, I will never become a captive in this dark prison, I, who have always been free, dwelling anywhere without bondage, without barrier. I will never become captive in this place.' Then God said to the angels, 'Sing.' And when they sang, the spirit fell into ecstasy. It became intoxicated by the beauty of the singing. While in this state of intoxication it did not know where it was going, and thus it was that it entered the required place. So when Adam opened his eyes, the spirit was there. Adam was alive.
When we inquire into the tragedy of life, the very first of all causes is this separation from freedom. This tragedy can be seen in all kinds of people. From rich to poor, from the most illiterate to the most educated, everyone has this grudge. Maybe one confesses it, while another does not, but the grudge is in everybody's mind just the same: that he has entered this objective world. For this entry seems to be the cause of all the tragedy of life, the tragedy that man's spirit cannot be satisfied in life, cannot have lasting happiness, as long as he stays in it.
But if you ask someone you meet, what the cause of his life's tragedy is, he may say, 'O, I long to have more money. I am very poor, and without resources. I am so unhappy.' Another person may say, 'O, I have everything I want, but my relatives are quarrelsome and very unkind to me.' Another
Where does the desire for freedom begin? Its beginning is explained in a very beautiful way in some of the ancient stories. The stories from the Hebrew and Arabic scriptures tell us that when God made Adam, He commanded the spirit to enter the body of Adam, which he had made out of clay and water. When the spirit was commanded to enter, it refused, saying, 'No, I will never become a captive in this dark prison, I, who have always been free, dwelling anywhere without bondage, without barrier. I will never become captive in this place.' Then God said to the angels, 'Sing.' And when they sang, the spirit fell into ecstasy. It became intoxicated by the beauty of the singing. While in this state of intoxication it did not know where it was going, and thus it was that it entered the required place. So when Adam opened his eyes, the spirit was there. Adam was alive.
When we inquire into the tragedy of life, the very first of all causes is this separation from freedom. This tragedy can be seen in all kinds of people. From rich to poor, from the most illiterate to the most educated, everyone has this grudge. Maybe one confesses it, while another does not, but the grudge is in everybody's mind just the same: that he has entered this objective world. For this entry seems to be the cause of all the tragedy of life, the tragedy that man's spirit cannot be satisfied in life, cannot have lasting happiness, as long as he stays in it.
But if you ask someone you meet, what the cause of his life's tragedy is, he may say, 'O, I long to have more money. I am very poor, and without resources. I am so unhappy.' Another person may say, 'O, I have everything I want, but my relatives are quarrelsome and very unkind to me.' Another