"...our freedom is never in question. We're born free. The true nature of our mind is enlightened wisdom and compassion. Our mind is always brilliant awake and aware. Nevertheless, we're often plagued by painful thoughts and the emotional unrest that goes with them. We live in states of confusion and fear from which we see no escape. Our problem is that we don't see who we truly are at the deepest level. We trust the reality we see before our eyes and accept its validity until something comes along-an illness, accident, or disappointment-to disillusion us. Then we might be ready to question our beliefs and start searching for a more meaningful and lasting road to freedom.
On this road, what we free ourselves from is illusion, and what frees us from illusion is the discovery of truth. To make that discovery, we need to enlist the powerful intelligence of our own awake mind and turn it toward our goal of exposing, opposing, and overcoming deception. That is the essence and mission of 'rebel Buddha;: to free us from the illusions we create by ourselves, about ourselves, and from those that masquerade as reality in our cultural and religious institutions."
-- Punlop Rinpoche in his wonderful new book - Rebel Buddha