Right Liberation is the final step in this series and follows the previously discussed Right Knowledge. As we started with Right View and went through the subsequent steps on the noble Eight-fold Path, learning and investigating the Buddhist teachings is deemed one of the five kinds of wealth:

“Monks, possessing three qualities, a monk is best among devas and humans: one who has reached the ultimate conclusion, won ultimate security from bondage, lived the ultimate spiritual life, and gained the ultimate consummation. What three? (1) Right view, (2) right knowledge, and (3) right liberation.” — AN I.292

All this learning, introspection, and putting what has been learned into practice is supposed to lead to Right Liberation. The Dhamma is not just to be learned, it is to be realized. Let’s see what this means in the Buddhist context. The Anguttara Nikaya commentary has a brilliant summation of the process towards it:

“He directly knows one thing, a wholesome Dhamma, the noble path.

By means of knowledge he reaches right liberation, emancipation by the fruit of arahantship.”

Striving is an important factor in leading one towards the purity of Right Liberation. In combination with virtue, purity of mind, and right view, striving leads to emancipation from clinging of the mind [setting your mind free]:

“And what is the factor of striving for purity of liberation? That same noble disciple, possessing this factor of striving for purity of virtuous behavior, this factor of striving for purity of mind, and this factor of striving for purity of view, detaches his mind from the things that cause attachment and emancipates his mind through the things that bring emancipation. He thereby reaches right liberation. This is called purity of liberation.” — AN II.196

Right Liberation also has as it’s aim the uprooting of the causes of ignorance (avijja), here called the ‘splitting’ of ignorance:

“Just as the warrior splits a great body, so too the noble disciple has right liberation. The noble disciple with right liberation has split the great mass of ignorance.” — AN II.202

A common analogy of Nibbana in the Buddhist teachings is the reaching of the ‘other shore’ and ‘going beyond’. This in contrast to the ‘near shore’ that pertains to mundane living in the cycle of birth, death, and suffering. The near shore is considered wrong liberation, and the other shore being Right Liberation, while the noble Ten-fold Path is the raft to take one from the near shore to the other shore:

“Wrong liberation is the near shore, right liberation the other shore.

When the Dhamma is rightly expounded, those people who practice accordingly, are the ones who will go beyond the realm of Death so hard to cross [into the deathless].” — AN V.232

Knowing and realizing are two different things, and spiritual experience without the uprooting of the causes of suffering is not equal to Right Liberation:

“And what, monks, is liberation more spiritual than the spiritual? When a monk whose taints are destroyed reviews his mind liberated from lust, liberated from hatred, liberated from delusion, there arises liberation. This is called liberation more spiritual than the spiritual.” — SN IV.237

Right knowledge (samma-nana) is the wisdom of the [10-fold] path of attainment, and right liberation (samma-vimutti) is the liberation from the defilements that occurs through right knowledge. The process bound together can be explained as the taintless liberation of mind, and this liberation is realized through wisdom. Right Liberation is also referred to as Deliverance and/or Emancipation, giving it a more spiritual character.

In conclusion, I offer you the pen-ultimate reference to anyone who thinks that Buddhism merely teaches for one to become a better human being, and that there are no further spiritual aims to be had:

The Nikayas are Buddhist books that form the earliest Buddhist canon of scriptures containing the teachings of the Buddha.

First of all, it really helps to have these books in digital form, so you can search for a particular word easily and be able to read how it is mentioned and in what context it is placed in the teachings of the Buddha.

The following English translations of the primary texts are available and used:

• The Connected Discourses of the Buddha: A Translation of the Samyutta Nikaya (SN)
• The Long Discourses of the Buddha: A Translation of the Digha Nikaya (DN)
• The Middle-Length Discourses of the Buddha: A Translation of the Majjhima Nikaya (MN)
• The Numerical Discourses of the Buddha: A Translation of the Anguttara Nikaya (AN

1. Right livelihood (samma-ajiva)

1. Right effort (samma-vayama)
2. Right mindfulness (samma-sati)
3. Right concentration (samma-samadhi)

1. Right knowledge / wisdom (samma-nana)
2. Right liberation / release (samma-vimutti)

Note: Quotations follow the PTS (Pali Text Society) naming and numbering format:

• AN = Anguttara Nikaya,
• DN = Digha Nikaya,
• MN = Majjhima Nikaya,
• SN= Samyutta Nikaya); followed by book number in roman capitalized numerals and verse number (for example, AN I.30 = Anguttara Nikaya book 1 verse 30).

• Right View
• Right Intention/Thought
• Right Speech
• Right Action
• Right Livelihood
• Right Effort
• Right Mindfulness
• Right Concentration
• RIGHT KNOWLEDGE / WISDOM

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