Liberation In This Life

Andrew Tootell's OzZen Podcast

If the image of the Buddha represents the experience of the timeless now, then the image of Janus, the two-headed Roman God of transitions, gateways, beginnings and endings, with one head turned towards what has been, and the other head turned towards what is yet to be, represents our experience of what I call mortal personhood. The smile of the Buddha conveys the sense of completeness – of serenely dwelling, in just this moment. Janus, on the other hand, looks to the past and the future, she knows she is mortal. Her time will come to an end. For the Buddha, liberation in this life, is liberation in this very moment. For the mortal person, liberation in this life, is the capacity to choose the life I wish to lead, knowing that my time is limited, and therefore having the faith to make commitments to relationships and projects, whose future outcome always remains uncertain. Also, given the limitations of time, I have to prioritise what I choose to commit myself too, but paradoxically, it is the fact that my time is limited, that allows me to experience meaning and purpose. Image: Loudon dodd, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Janus1.JPG