What is "independence" in Buddhism?

Pfc. Sandoval, Dhr. Seven, Seth Auberon, Sheldon S., Wisdom Quarterly

The Mundane: This World

The Fourth of July, "Independence Day" in the U.S.A., is all well and good. It's when we overthrew the colonial shackles of British rule. We still seem to be ruled by their central banking system though no one realizes it. The U.S. (Washington D.C.) is the military arm, the Vatican (the Holy See of the Holy Roman Empire) the religious arm, and London the financial center. It's the Ring of the City, with each of these autonomous regions acting as city states apart from the countries that surround them. But who's interested in that fact? Who's going to believe anything not promoted by the mainstream media news?

Vatican City Explained

(CGP Grey) April 9, 2013. The Holy See (formerly the Papal States in Rome) is one of the world's few remaining absolute monarchies (of the current pope-king), a big corporation, like London and its royalty, and whoever really rules the District of Columbia (as the USA was first named Columbia after the goddess/devi who looked a little like the Statue of Liberty). Help support videos like this at patreon.com/cgpgrey. See the blog: cgpgrey.com/blog/vatican-city...

We're still an British colony, an arm of the UK, an active semi-autonomous arm of a world empire, the Evil Empire who first set off on an imperial adventure in the Philippines, Hawaii, Mexico, the Caribbean, Guam, Puerto Rico, and all those hundreds of military bases we own in countless countries that don't want us there but can't do anything about it because we have coerced contracts with the people we prop up to be in charge and grant us that legal permission to operate an empire there. Just look at the real London and its Fleet Street banking system (and its quasi-independent status). Most Americans must have at one time wondered why Washington D.C. is neither a state nor really part of the country it rules, no?

The Supermundane: Buddhism

But we're talking ultimate matters here, not mundane ones. There are Engaged Buddhists, it's true, but let the din of the mundane cease when we enter the dojo, the temple, the meditation hall.

True, we are ruled by overlords and are ignorant of their true power and reach, their reptilian (raja naga) connections, their maritime laws and binding legalist ("demonic") contracts, and so on. But also true is that there's a higher truth: training in higher morality, higher mentality, higher wisdom. And these are for the purpose of letting go and being free.

• Go beyond "training" (sikkhā)
• There is the "trainee" in training (sekha)
• And there is the accomplished adept (asekha)

According to Buddhism, what is "independence"? One becomes independent of a teacher and any other authority -- including the Buddha himself -- when one directly perceives liberating insight or vipassana.

Then, indeed, one heeds the call of the Kalama Sutra, lives as a noble one (arya), freed from all fetters and further becoming or, in any case, put a limit on suffering and within seven lives makes an end of ALL suffering. See the Four Stages of Enlightenment.

One has a change of lineage (gotrabhu) from the experience. Knowing it oneself, there is no reliance on the Buddha, sutras, texts, or anything else. That's independence. That's liberation (moksha). That's complete freedom (nirvana).

There's more to say, but we must now adjourn to the Barbie-Q for the ritual lighting of the dolls, Ken and his gal-pal (lol). We'll edit and reword this later. Happy Fourth of July!