The second, ultimate, and uniquely Buddhist goal described by the Dhammapada is liberation. This is a form of spiritual freedom that involves a radical personal change. It consists of a purification, often described forcefully in these verses as the elimination or destruction of one’s mental defilements, attachments, and hindrances. Since these mental forces keep a person bound to the cycles of rebirth, when they are overcome the practitioner is liberated from these cycles. For those who don’t share the Buddhist belief in rebirth, it is hard to appreciate the central importance that Buddhism
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