One more time: Predestination, Free will and Karma

I had a little “flash” last night while in “meditation” on this topic that I’d like to share.

Most individuals are afraid of finding out that their personality is a made up product of their minds, which in turn are only layers of conditioning. It is that fear the one keeping us with the continuous thought that “I am separated from everything else.” Thus, free will is another belief going along with the idea that “ I am separate.” When a religious belief is based on the mind, duality is unavoidable. That is, there is “I” separated from “you,” “them” and “God.” That is why, self exploration through “meditation” or “contemplation” is encouraged, to find out through our own experience.

Therefore in mainstream religion or spirituality, there is separation (duality) and free will as cornerstones of their idea of how Life is.

However, there are many instances when predestination is obvious. In my case, I had accurate predictions about my Life. Things that I was told will happen in my “future” which has happened. Perhaps that is not the experience of many but maybe this video of a scientific experiment could help: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6VZqho-8iJY

Read the comments on that video and we may understand with how much passion many are willing to defend their ideas of free will. After all, they are just ideas. What “it is” will happen whether we are aware of it or not.

In the Brahma Kumaris, there is the philosophy of an “eternal recurring cycle of time.” That is, time is cyclical and repetitive just what Nietzche pointed out in his “eternal return.” Then, Am I a puppet of destiny?

Of course not. We do not feel like that, we make “choices” right? although… there is no “I.” 🙂 Neither is there something as “time,” although we have made up our world of senses ruled by “time.” Can we see that we are slaves of our minds and perceptions through the sense organs? What we call “real” is the experience of the mind, but to discover what is beyond and “real” from another perception, we need to abandon the mind. Naturally.

As we can see, our unwillingness to be open to discover and investigate is hindering the development of our consciousness. Rather we attach to ideologies or ideas and label them as “truth.” It is safe. It is easy. I can find lots of support from others and make our own little club. “we have the truth” others do not. We are the “chosen ones.” That is self delusion.

If there is karma, there is self. Correct?

It depends on what we call “self.” For most “self” is about “my” ideas, behaviors, conditioning, memories and family genes making up an “individual,” which is given life by our own minds. However, is there any self while in deep sleep? Of course not. We do not need a scientific proof of that. We have experienced ourselves that. Any karma there? Yes. There may be things going on affecting what I believe “me” is, even while “I am not “ there which “I” will be aware of when I come back. Thus, there is karma going even if there is no self.

Q: Is karma predestined?

It happens while I am aware of it or not. While I wish it or not. It is simple action and reaction based on the quality of “my” intentions or past intentions.

Q: Then, I do not have to DO anything if everything is predestined?

Without DOING my part, things will not happen. For instance, I want a job. It will happen if it is predestined, right? No. without doing my part, karma, there is no reaction to that action. Whether that happens or not, that is according to the laws of karma.

That “DOING my part” it is what is known as the “role” to perform in Life.

Basically: I need a job (free will) but that need happened through previous karma (predestined.) I got a job because “I” searched for it (free will) but also because of karma of the right jobs lining up in my search (predestined.) Do we see the game? “We” are not separated at any moment from what we perceive as Life. Thus, this idea of being a separated self is an illusion but a very persistent illusion which makes our Life “real” although illusory.

Q: One more thing: This accumulated karma has to happen to “someone” right? But you just said that there is no self. 🙂

Correct. There is consciousness. That is the Ocean itself. A drop of it plays a role, which we call an individual embodied in a physical body. This individual is in a particular set up with family, friends, etc. Thus the experience of that role will be felt as “I.” BUT, there is no possibility of feeling anything without that which all sentient beings share, which is consciousness, the Ocean itself.

The drop of Ocean cannot feel anything unless it was the Ocean itself.

Q: Well… I do not understand.

Ok let us make it easy and comfortable. Let us call that drop of water, the soul.

As we can see… None of the above is necessary to gain self awareness, self realization. It is only a past time of the mind, a waste of time when what truly matters is to realize the Ocean, consciousness, the “real” self, Brahman, etc. Names are abundant, the experience is all it is needed to “understand.” Paradoxically, we are already that which we are looking to realize.