Philosophy of free will

Considering the last post on genes, natural selection, mutation & the 100th Monkey syndrome, I thought it appropriate to now bring up the age old question of free will vs destiny comparing classical vedantic concepts of karma against scientific concepts of nature, nurture and the emerging philosophy of consciousness.

3 types of Karma

Sanchita Karma = the total karmic records of a jiva's entire evolutionary past

Prabadha Karma = the karma chosen by Iswara (God) to be experienced in a lifetime

Agama Karma = the effort made and the new karma created over and above the Prabadha karma

Classical Model

The classical vedantic concept is of two forces; individual and collective (environmental) meeting each other like two rams hitting each other head on, self-effort (Agama karma) vs prabadha (force of past karmas), and the stronger winner or force determining the outcome as destiny. The difference of fate from destiny seems to be those karmas that are inevitable (fate) vs those that can be modified (destiny).

Some of the best answers to this topic from the traditional vedantic point of view that I have come across are from Ramana's own words in the book "Be As You Are" (edited by David Godman) and the books by his disciple SS Cohen and another disciple Reddy who brilliantly explains advaita in physics terms (full name not coming to me).

Also there is the classical work of the Bhagavad Gita given by Lord Krishna on the explanation of our nature (prakriti) and the need to make effort doing selfless (Nishkama) karmas in accordance with this nature; this is called our swadharma and Krishna explains in the Gita that it is better doing this swadhrma rather than another "better" karma which is not in accordance with our nature or dharma. He also teaches that surrendering the fruits of our actions and karma through dedication is the ideal way to sublimate (rather than change) this nature from a tamasic to a satwic mode. This prepares us for the purification of our nature to allow grace, unity (our role in the apparent diveristy) and Truth to be reflected in the subtle intellect in the heart. Similarly, Swami explains the karma of work becomes the bhakti of worship and this grants us the wisdom of experiencing oneness or Jnanam and freedom whilst in the body (Jiva Mukti) through the loss of ego, limited identity and doership.

Modern

But the topic is always controversial and is becoming more of a topic in science since the introduction of quantum mechanics, Bhor's work on Wholeness and a science of consciousness.

For me this became apparent through reading the book "From Brains to Consciousness" edited by Rose which is a series of essays from experts starting from a very scientific neurobiological approach to mathematical physics to psychological to linguistic to suggesting a multi model approach and finally introducing the question of free will and a philosophy of consciousness.

And more recently, the documentary "What the Bleep Do We Know" has brought this more to the attention of all.

And very recently, I was told by one of Swami's most prominent devotees that another physicist devotee is organising a world symposium on quantum mechanics that is going to reveal through science the remarkable connection to nature of consciousness and the mysteries of "God".

Contemporary

Then there are also the recent philosophers who have a Vedantic scientific advaitic point of view. They have mainly been western disciples of Advaita whose interest in physics and explanations has led them to forge holistic explanations that integrate science with a philosophy of Consciousness. These have included many readers of Nisargadatta's work (1981), especially the work of his main disciple Ramesh Balsekar who, through his books, has used analogies from modern physics concepts of wholeness into his advaitic philosophy.

Balsekars approach is that everything can be explained by God's Will and, to me, is less advaitic than Ramanas or Nisargadattas work as it entertains and emphasizes causal and dualistic concepts in an attempt to prepare the seeker for the more non-dual advaitic practice of "Being". Like a thorn is used to remove a thorn in ones foot, his preliminary approach is to clarify and decondition the heavily educated rationale brain before releasing this thorn of relative ignorance to the deeper advaitic teachings (ie. in my opinion found in his early work "Pointers from Maharaj" and from his teacher Nisragadatta Maharaj).

He uses an almost Newtonian cause and effect, full proof mechanistic, yet Advaitic, explanation on destiny that satisfies the obsessive type of intellects need for a closed solution; that everything is Gods Will. It is very deterministic and pre-ordained in its explanation, doing most the thinking for the reader. In my opinion it helps for those heavily biased by physics but can also can trap the unripe intellect in a false sense of understanding without having to compliment it with an attitude of humility and integrated sadhana (spiritual practice) for Gods Grace. ie. intellect tricks itself into a false spiritual and intellectual pride and artificial libertine approach to freedom rather than the freedom born of balanced control born out of the evolution of character (control) with inquiry (understanding). On the other hand, it gets the "western" seeker ready to accept the more fundamental advaitic understanding and practice of "being" that Eckhart Tolle deals with.

Controversial

And Ramesh subscribes to the concept that the "movie has already need played". Like Eintstein made out through relativity that time is the illusion that is necessary so that everything doesn't happen now, Ramesh appears to agree with this notion of pre-destination.

My analogie is a wheel. When one is along one of the spokes of the wheel, the relativities of time and space appear real due to the relative motion caused by the distance along the moving spoke but when one is in the hub nothing appears to be happen or, at least, is happening by itself with no individual (spoke) involvement.

And even Ramana apparently replied to a question referring to the details of destiny being completely fixed replied, as read in the last chapter of the book "Be As You Are" - with the word "certainly". Generally, Ramana generally did not detract too much from his central non-dual point of view as it was closer to the truth than causal theories and explanations of karma. And in fact, the book "Be As You Are" is extremely well edited presentation of Ramana teachings starting with his central teachings before entertaining ideas of re-incarnation and karma. Even to this, his approach was why worry about such theories as it is not conducive to ones happiness; but rather why not find out the source of who you are and transcend both free will and destiny.

But Nisargdatta when posed this question in the book "I am That" appears to deny this absolute fixed approach to destiny as ridiculous (or something like that). Yet, to both him and his disciple Balsekar, everything was one consciousness but there explanations differ in how it operates with Balsekars more detailed in its explanation of determinism.

One of Nisargadatta's famous quotes is that he said when everything is me (consciousness) that is Love and when nothing is me (fixed underlying reality in which the illusion appears including apparent multitudes of separate individuals) that is wisdom (freedom). Another explanation is that everything happens by itself from the level of consciousness and nothing is happening from the level of Reality.

Swami

But then there is the Poorna Avatar of the Godhead, the living Eshwara, and supreme controller Sai as the source of consciousness itself, whose self-regulating karmic law distributes a cosmic accounting system that can only be intervened by His Grace.

And Swami, Himself, says that; "everything is in My Hands but your life is in your hands" and "even destiny can slip out of your hands if you do not make the necessary effort to fulfill it". And, he likes to cite the story of Markendaya (who held the lingam at the time of his appointed death) to reveal how Siva (God's) grace can, in rare cases change things (Karma). Swami has explained there are 3 types of grace, the first of which does not alter karma but gives the strength and anesthetic effect to not experience the pain despite going through the circumstances but the last of which, like in Markendayas case, does completely change his devotees destiny.

And even more recently, the popular quote by swami on "Surrender", Swami re-iterates that if the devotee trusts in Him completely and drops all his problems and worries into His hands ,He does intervene and even performs miracles for the devotee. For He who has all the 3 worlds in His hand, it shouldn't be a problem, and and this prayer sounds very much like what Swami said as Krishna when he told Arjuna that if nothing of the earlier exposition on the Gita was understood by humanity (represented by Arjuna) that all he needs do is just fix ones mind on Him and He will bear all; His karma and burden.

Astrology

But then can the intellect and ego surrender its control. I know in my case, astrology can be helpful when used for self-knowledge and helping this surrender through wisdom, but a danger can arise when the science is taken too seriously as far as prediction is concerned. And swami warns of this indirectly. In the recent astrological classes that have begun in Puttaparthi which Swami has sanctioned for the boys to attend, He reminded one of the boys that His Upagraha is more powerful than the grahas (planets), again reiterating His Grace over the power of destiny and His Law or the Creator over Creation.

This helped me because in the past too much analysis without purity, intuition and trust can make the ego try understand the mind of God too much and be perfect in the outcomes that prediction required, leading to paralysis (by analysis). An astrologer and chart must always be read considering this aspect of effort and Grace; whether one believes it or not, to give the success and errors to God and maintain a humility with the client. Much like doctors and financial planner should become more consultants rather than planners for their clients decisions.

Hearing this aspect of Grace also helps get one out of the excessive philosophical analysis on the question of free will by trusting Swami. Despite investigating into ones nature with the intellect, surrendering this aspect of it's questions as being too mysterious to fully fathom seems to be Swami's message; ie. to enjoy, love and trust Him but do not try to understand Him. This can require a lot of intellectual surrender; especially after hearing of, reading and experiencing the validity of the astrological nadi leaves written over 5,000 years ago by Sages that predict people lives today, and when geniune, often with incredible detail and accuracy. The plam leaves ususally contain the clients relatives names (such as one parents), timing of events (including the pre-ordained date of arrival for the reading) and the charts with birth data, all available written in an ancient Sanskrit, Tamil or Pali? Even Swami's leaf is there revealing the details of the unfoldment of his mission in His own cosmic dream - from the Golden Charoit to the Murugan installation to the work and his world acknowledgement 8 years before his passing at 96 (which Swami has openly revealed in His incarnation).

So the common questions are, are we all dreamers in His dreaming and any amount of thinking cannot paradoxically wake one out of the dream of thought?! Only by recognising this and the falsity of it all can understanding awaken and the wisdom that transcends destiny and free will release one by the ever-present inherent Grace of Reality stilling the intellect out of this conceptual trap (Nirivkalpa Samadhi).

So this leaves the whole concept of free will very controversial. I think Swami also says from the individual level that there is free will but from the Absolute there is not. All becomes polemics and open to a pedantic intepretation of words perhaps best avoided.

I know from an astrological point of view, the timing of events is the perfect fruition and reflection of the character inherent in the superconscious to conscious levels of the chart. And when the unconscious karma is made conscious on teh surface through prabadha karma of astrological cycles that becomes the experiential opportunity for knowledge to return us to the awareness that can liberate us from karma.

Swami, in fact says there are 3 reasons from birth;- ignorance, desire and karma (sin). In astrology, the nodes are the psychic point of Maya and duality that keep the jiva in the play of karma (ruled by Saturn). Whislt Ssaturn reveals the outer law and limits if relative reality, Rahu reveals the karmic cause for ones birth being desire and ignorance and kethu reveals the experiences already churned and turned into the nectar of knowledge for immortality and realeasing the jiva from karma, astrology and consciousness.

But, if ones chart can be that accurate today from the nadis written 5,000 years ago and everything is inter-dependent, free will does not make sense. Especially when the real spiritual concept of freedom is within by the equanimity that forebearance, tolerance and understanding grants rather than the external freedom of human rights. Either way, all choices that lead to karmas, involvolving the discrimination and ways of knowing are dependent on the memory that is already conditioned and further conditions the intellects and its karmic responses; and despite being more evolved, complex and discriminating it could be argued that these higher responses are also preordained. And if there is any freedom it is in this freedom to turn within to the source of consciousness which can be equated to Self surrender afterwhich Grace operates by itself anyway.

But perhaps it is the danger of the intellect to get trapped in this conceptual realm too much and, as mentioned above, it is best just to trust swami when it comes to this philosophy of karma and free will. It seems enough for us to know that there is a Abstract Siva principle that manifests as the Guru when the relative time is right to wake one out of this dream. For peace of midn at least, best accept that His Grace (from yoga of meditaion and inquiry within or yoga of prayer or action without) is reciprocated through the means of Love and does permit his intervention in a game that is not fixed, and until one experiences and become the Reality Itself and all be made know and clarified, effort to turn to Him and follow His command must be accepted as true. Then Swami translates our faith into confidence through His series of tests as His taste until through his 11th hour approach He makes us more and more dependent on Him within as the Supreme confidence of conscience leading to the conviction of a fully matured consciousness whereby we arrive at our divinity in Absolute union with Him as the Unfathonable Formless Reality and source of all power and love, all names and forms, including His one in this Incarnation.

In the meantime, I would like to look at the scientific comparisons of free will and destiny, making correlations on the basis of the last post; nurture vs nature. Will keep it in short after the long post above; using simple contrasts to hopefully express more clarity through the simplicity of them.

Scientific

Nature vs Nurture

Gene vs Environment

Natural Selection vs Mutation

(Karma) Newton vs Quantum Mechanics (Free Will) =>

Both on the One Consciousness (Bhor & Einstein) of the 100th Monkey (God as Nature?!)

Philosophy of Free Will

* Effort (nature vs nurture) vs Grace of 100th Monkey (Karma of Consciousness as Etheric Intelligence of Nature)

* All the above on the trinity of Consciousness (experiencer, experiencing, experienced)

* The understanding of Self Inquiry liquidates the experiencer (as the body) to the process of experiencing (as the one consciousness) and then Grace dissolves even the experiencing or witness to the timeless and spaceless reality

* That free will and destiny are transcended by Self knowledge

* Only real freedom is the freedom to turn within and inquire or to trust the higher power following its inner voice implicitly

* faith vs confidence => faith is symptom of trust but action is sign of confidence eventhough it is not the proof and conviction of realisation (such as complete clarity and spontonaeity and profound peace in its presence)

OK. Sorry for the rambling nature of this post. Hope it gave more clarity than confusion. Anyway, as usual post your comments if u want. Will follow up the next post on what swami says before getting onto disrimination in the world through research, invention and applied creativity.