Is This A Prison Planet?

The Bodhisattva of transcendent wisdom, Manjushri, cites this planet as the ‘dungeon of existence’ – the endless cyclical wheel of birth, death, conditioned routines and worldly misery. This is the heart of samsaric suffering – and the path to enlightenment.

We are not imprisoned by governments or technocrats. We’re incarcerated through our own attachments, fears and ignorance.

Every time we blindly react, chase social status or obsess over modern pressures, we are letting our conditioned habits build the dungeon walls even higher. The system’s ability to feed our cravings and fears gives it power over us and, as a result, we become so exhausted that we give in and comply.

In traditional iconography, Manjushri is depicted holding a flaming sword high in his right hand, symbolising discriminating wisdom which severs the chains of illusion, cutting through the mental conditioning that keeps us feeling trapped in duality.

This make-believe prison is fragile illusion, and is maintained entirely by human participation.

When we actually experience samsaric suffering and have had enough,
this is the first step toward liberation.

The bars we grip are an illusion.
The exit is inside.