Sometimes, we wonder how we can get liberation from life. But how can we eliminate the cycle of birth and death when we always wish for something or the other in life and then take action to bring those worldly accumulations? How can we connect ourselves with desires, greed, jealousy, ego, anger, infatuation, etc, for worldly gains despite knowing they are not eternal?  However, this imagination or desire to gain liberation from life, ‘Moksh’, is good because the sole purpose of coming into this life is to achieve liberation from life forever to never return to the cycle of birth and death on this earth. A ‘Jeev’ is a soul which is immortal and eternal. It enters the mortal, material world as a body, aiming only to achieve enlightenment and get ‘Moksh’, absolute liberation from life. However, due to the conditioning and training of society, we get sidetracked and move away from our sole purpose.

The only purpose of our life, our birth in this material world, is to attain liberation from life. Whatever you name it – Enlightenment, Moksha, meeting with God or merging into the ‘Daata’. But how is this absolute liberation possible? Absolute liberation, ‘Moksh’, ‘Jeevan-Mukti’ or liberation from life is impossible without first achieving liberation in life, ‘Mukti’, liberation from desires, greed, jealousy, ego etc., for worldly possessions. Unless you have attained ‘Mukti’, liberation in life, how can you even imagine getting liberation from life? And the day, the time, the moment you get Mukti, liberation in life, the path to absolute liberation from life will automatically open for you. The doors to absolute liberation will open for you when you have clarity about things and facts.

So, how can we get liberation from life?

I will tell you how to attain liberation from life in nine simple steps. These are not even nine steps, as one step automatically leads to the next.

So, what’s the first step?

The first step is ‘Selfless Action’ – ‘Akarma’. ‘Akarma’ means something that is not ‘Karma’, which is not an action. Now, how is that possible? How can an action be no action?

Do whatever you are doing precisely in the same way, but change your understanding, perception, and consciousness. Do the same work from the consciousness of the soul by moving away from the physical consciousness. Do ‘Akarma’ to remember the ‘Daata’, the God. Do it without desire for any fruits from that action for selfish gains.

You have to act, you have to perform actions, you will do ‘Karma’ because you are in life. Actions will be performed from morning to night. You do them exactly as you do but with a changed consciousness. Selfless Action – ‘Nishkam-karma’ or ‘Akarm’ is to reject all rites and duties meant for personal gain.

We work with our mind, not our body. If the mind is engaged with the ‘Daata’ and we work from soul consciousness, the actions performed remain the same, at least superficially, but the consciousness is changed.

Actions done for personal gain include ‘Kamya-Karm‘ or desirable actions and ‘Nishidh-Karma‘ or prohibited actions. ‘Kamya-Karma‘ are those good deeds which are worth doing. Prohibited actions are those that you should not do, prohibited by society or from a spiritual point of view, such as stealing, lying, deceiving, etc. So, when we talk about ‘Akarm’ or  ‘Nishkama–Karma’, it is the rejection of all kinds of rites and duties done for personal gain, including ‘Kamya-Karm‘ and ‘Nishidh-Karma‘. Truly ‘selfless action’ – this is the first step.

The path to absolute liberation unfolds in nine stages, with the first stage being the most crucial. It may be challenging, but it is undoubtedly attainable. As you embark on this journey, remember that every selfless action you perform is a step closer to your goal.

And what is that second step?

The second step is the ‘dissipation of sins from the mind’. As you practice performing ‘Akarm’ and start doing selfless actions, you will observe that the sins automatically disappear from the mind. As this experience grows over time, you will begin to feel a firm distinction between the permanent and the temporary. This feeling and emotion will continue to get stronger with regular practice of performing ‘Akarm’.

As sins are removed from the mind and the mind is freed from sins, the realisation of distinction between the permanent and temporary will continue to strengthen. The feeling or realisation of what is permanent and what is temporary is necessary for further progress in your spiritual journey. This gesture is significant in the path of absolute liberation. This is possible only when we complete the first step of performing ‘Akarm’. It will take time. But it is possible.

And then the third step.

In the third stage, the complete control or subjugation of the mind and organs will gradually follow and ‘Vairagya’ – detachment from this material world will start happening in life, leading you towards renouncing all worldly possessions and attractions. As soon as the second stage is accomplished, the dissipation of sins from the mind happens, and the distinction between permanent and temporary becomes apparent; the control of the mind and organs will start happening. And this is your major milestone in bending towards the soul.

Control over the mind and, thereby, our organs is important in our journey towards liberation from life. The biggest obstacle is the human mind, which is developed through the upbringing and conditioning of society. Control over the mind is the first major achievement in this spiritual journey.  You generally ignore the soul and listen to the mind. And, when the mind is transformed, the same mind will also be equally powerfully helpful in our spiritual progress. So, the third step is ‘Vairagya’ – renunciation of worldly things, including complete control of the organs. This is a crucial step, but it will automatically happen. You must perfect the first step of ‘Nishkam-Karmyog‘ by constantly making every possible effort.

And then the fourth step.

As the disinterest in and subjugation of the organs increase, so will your longing for liberation start growing. And this fourth step will be your knock at the door of liberation – the longing for liberation. This step is the doorway towards liberation from life that you aimed for when you took the first step of performing ‘Akarm’. This fourth step is a booster, and this booster dose is so strong that you might be unable to even stop yourself from progressing. In this fourth step, wonderful coordination of physical and spiritual intellects will happen, which will provide a pathway towards your next destination.

And now the fifth step.

The fifth step is the search for a teacher. In this step, you will start looking for a teacher. By now, your longing for liberation would have become so strong that your search for a teacher would begin. You will go out in search of a teacher. The search for someone you can follow who will lead you to your next destination. All this will happen automatically and naturally; how and whom you will find as a teacher will depend on your circumstances, exposure, location, situation, and the grip of social conventions such as religion, etc., on you. And after you have found a suitable teacher, you will want to hear from him. You will want to listen to him. You would like to learn from him. You would like to know and ‘unhide the hidden’ through him.

The sixth step.

The sixth step makes you follow the teachings of your teacher.

The Seventh Step.

The seventh step is practising deep meditation. After listening and understanding from the teacher and following his teachings, your mind would completely surrender and start listening to the soul. Your mind will now hear the voice of your heart, your spiritual intellect in this seventh stage, free from all the influences of the impressions of this birth and previous births on the soul, and thus will draw you into deep meditation practice in this stage. After the sixth step, you will crave deep meditation and be compelled to practice it. Deep meditation practice in the seventh step will automatically lead your path to the important eighth step. Just remember that strong commitment and appropriate methodology of meditation practice are important.

In the eighth stage,

the mind becomes free from all impurities, and when the mind is freed from all impurities, then the knowledge of reality arises. This is the destination of mind purification, which starts when you realise the distinction between the permanent and the temporary.  You start realising the knowledge of reality in the eighth stage. Knowledge of reality is nothing but the clarity of things and facts.

And, When the mind is freed from all impurities, the unitary vision emerges. Unitary vision means immediate knowledge of the ‘Brahm’ and the ‘Self’. This unitary vision creates a feeling of non-duality, ‘Adwait’vision’, between the ‘Daata’ and the ‘self’. ‘Advait’ means ‘not two’. But Advait does not mean ‘one’ either. This is such a non-dual vision in which you find yourself completely absorbed in the ‘Brahm’, the ‘Daata’. For enlightenment and to achieve the stage from where one can get ‘Moksh’, liberation from life or freedom from the cycle of birth and death, this eighth step is very important to reach that highest point.

Now, the ninth and the last step.

By the power of ‘Brahm’ and the knowledge of the Self, the fruits of the deeds done in the present and past lives are destroyed. Though the effects of past ‘Karma’ can last for a long time, the effects of Karma are still not eternal. The effects of the actions of your past lives and the actions of this birth can last for a long time, even in future lives, but because the power of knowledge can remove these effects, they are not eternal. By the perfection of knowledge, the effects of the deeds of the previous births and of this birth till the time of attaining knowledge are destroyed. After achieving knowledge, the unitary vision of the self and the ‘Brahm’– whatever actions you perform- do not bear fruits; they do not carry future effects for you. However, the effects of all those past actions, which have already started bearing fruits at the time of attainment of knowledge, cannot be destroyed. But they can be eliminated; they can be removed. That’s why this last ninth step is very important and requires careful consideration of the reality, strong determination, acute commitment and intense dedication.

All the ‘Karma’ that you have done till now, till the time of attainment of knowledge, in previous births and in this birth, the effects of which have started bearing fruits at the time of attainment of knowledge, can also be removed through ‘Sanyam’. ‘Sanyam’ is the strongest of all disciplines, through which you can even eliminate or nullify the effects of those ‘Karma’ that have started bearing fruits.

And what is ‘Sanyam’? ‘Sanyam’ is a triad of ‘Dharana’, ‘Dhyan’, and ‘Samadhi’.

‘Dharana’ means a combination of concentration, determination, and focus.

‘Dhyan’ means meditation, but deep meditation practice is not possible without ‘Dharana’—concentration, determination, and focus.

‘Samadhi’ means absorption; when you begin to get absorbed in meditation, a stage comes which is called ‘Samadhi’, where you forget yourself and get engrossed somewhere else and are not even aware of your body. Abstinence in this stage is essential as ‘Sanyam’ is the strongest discipline one can follow. There are various stages of ‘Samadhi’; the last stage is a divine gift that reveals itself when all efforts have dissolved. This stage is Enlightenment, ‘Moksh’, ‘Jeevan-Mukti‘ or liberation from life while still in a physical body.

In the ninth stage, you have to be cautious of following ‘Sanyam’ because in this stage, you may waver even after destroying the effects of all your ‘Karma’ of current and previous births because this is the time when you have to eliminate the effects of even those actions which have started bearing fruits at the time of attaining knowledge. If your mind is wavering now, then understand that the effects of some ‘Karma’ that are still not destroyed have started bearing fruit. It is necessary to follow ‘Sanyam’ at that time.

So, these nine steps are for your liberation in life and liberation from life. They are for your biggest goal of achieving ‘Moksh’ and not entering this life by taking yet another birth. I wish you all the very best! My sincere wishes in your spiritual journey.