Are we ruled by some pre-determined destiny, or are we endowed with
the capacity for the exercise of free will? This question has been the
source of ceaseless debate among philosophers, religious pundits, and
expounders of every persuasion through the ages, and convincing
arguments have been made by believers in both camps, as well as those
who have thoughtfully proposed some sort of middle way.
Rather than merely re-hashing positions that have already been staked
out at length by better minds and more articulate voices than mine, I
would simply like to suggest that the crux of the whole issue invariably
depends upon one’s level of awareness, or interpretation on perception,
which is in turn conditioned by factors such as belief and experience,
but more often than not, by second-hand information.
In brief, depending one’s angle of vision, it may appear that we as
human individuals are “programmed” prior to our first breath, and that
everything that is to happen to us is indeed pre-determined. I will
refrain from speculation at this time on the mechanics of such
programming — whether it is performed by us ourselves, or in collusion
with some “life-between-life” guides, or even by some higher powers who
are directing our “soul” evolution.
From another (and perhaps more pragmatic) point of view, it may
appear that we do indeed have the power to make changes in the quality
of our life, whether in positive or negative ways, and so can indeed
transcend our apparent fate by the application of will. This viewpoint
can lead to a circular argument, however, since it could be noted that
this supposed power is itself pre-determined, or “down-loaded” into the
entity like software into an operating system in order to fulfill a
destiny.
In and of themselves, both views (and/or some variation of the two)
are provisionally true, but all such views are based on the assumed
concrete reality of the “person”. However, the presumption of such a
reality is not borne out by thorough deeper inquiry, and that is the
salient point of this brief consideration. Indeed, the more we
investigate, “To whom does fate or free will apply?”, the more
we will discover that the so-called “person” is nothing but a bundle of
dependently arising thoughts, sensations, memories, and perceptions, all
strung together on an imaginary clothes-line called “I”, and in fact no
such independent and enduring person has ever really existed, except in
the realm of narrative fiction. That is, the persistent sense we have
of some individual person (“me”) is based on a story – a fiction which
is comprised of all that we may yet take ourselves to be in our
ignorance, or amnesia.
Upon awakening, we realize that both destiny and free will ultimately
do not apply. How could they? After all, if there is no concrete and
independent person, than there is no place for the concepts themselves
to land. Nevertheless, as long as we are occupying these human vehicles,
there are two truths that constitute our experience of this realm — the
relative and the absolute.
On the absolute level, with the liberating recognition that there is
no substantial person, opposing notions of fate and free will are de
facto rendered moot. However, since we are currently incarnating in the
objective world, and in the sphere of our everyday relations here, we
certainly have the power to direct our human hosts towards better
behavior and an increasingly more conscious and loving response to life.
Conversely, we can refrain from taking responsibility, thereby allowing
the “animal” to have its way, with the consequent violence and
selfishness that is characteristic of the species when left to its own
uncontrolled nature.
In other words, there is choice and there is choicelessness,
depending upon one’s relative level of awareness, while in Reality,
there is neither. As the great sage Ramana Maharshi noted:
“Find out to whom free will or destiny matters. Find out where
they come from, and abide in their source. If you do this, both of them
are transcended. That is the only purpose of discussing these questions.
To whom do these questions arise? Find out and be at peace.”
Bob O’Hearn 's site: here
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