{"id":66,"date":"2013-07-13T01:25:39","date_gmt":"2013-07-13T01:25:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/localhost\/?p=66"},"modified":"2013-07-13T01:25:39","modified_gmt":"2013-07-13T01:25:39","slug":"49-fate-and-free-will-vol-03-the-harmony-of-virtue-volume-03","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/01-works-of-sri-aurobindo\/01-sabcl\/03-the-harmony-of-virtue-volume-03\/49-fate-and-free-will-vol-03-the-harmony-of-virtue-volume-03","title":{"rendered":"-49_Fate and Free Will.htm"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n
\n

\n
\nFate and Free-Will<\/font><\/b><\/p>\n

\n <\/p>\n

\nA<\/font> <\/font><\/p>\n

QUESTION <\/font><\/p>\n

<\/b>
\nwhich has hitherto divided
\nhuman thought and received no final solution, is the freedom of
\nthe human being in his relation to the Power intelligent or unintelligent that rules the world. We strive for freedom in our
\nhuman relations, to freedom we move as our goal, and every fresh
\nstep in our human progress is a further approximation to our
\nideal. But are we free in ourselves? We seem to be free, to do
\nthat which we choose and not that which is chosen for us; but
\nit is possible that the freedom may be illusory and our apparent
\nfreedom may be a real and iron bondage. We may be bound by
\npredestination, the will of a Supreme Intelligent Power, of blind inexorable
\nNature, or the necessity of our own previous development.<\/font><\/p>\n

\nThe first is the answer of the devout and submissive mind in
\nits dependence on God, but, unless we adopt a Calvinistic fatalism, the admission of the guiding and overriding will of God
\ndoes not exclude the permission of freedom to the individual.
\nThe second is the answer of the scientist; Heredity determines
\nour Nature, the laws of Nature limit our action, cause and effect
\ncompel the course of our development, and, if it be urged that
\nwe may determine effects by creating causes, the answer is that
\nour own actions are determined by previous causes over which
\nwe have no control and our action itself is a necessary response
\nto a stimulus from outside. The third is the answer of the
\nBuddhist and post-Buddhistic Hinduism. "It is our fate, it is
\nwritten on our forehead, when our Karma is exhausted then
\nalone our calamities will pass from us"; \u2014 this is the spirit of
\ntāmasika<\/i> inaction justifying itself by a misreading of the theory of
\nKarma.<\/font><\/p>\n

\nIf we go back to the true Hindu teaching independent of
\nBuddhistic influence, we shall find that it gives us a reconciliation
\nof the dispute by a view of man’s psychology in which both Fate
\nand Free-Will are recognised. The difference between Buddhism<\/font><\/p>\n

\n <\/p>\n

\nPage <\/font>
\n\u2013 379<\/font><\/p>\n

\n

\nand Hinduism is that to the former the human soul is nothing,
\nto the latter it is everything. The whole universe exists in the
\nspirit, by the spirit, for the spirit; all we do, think and feel is
\nfor the spirit, Nature depends upon the
\nātman<\/i>, all its movement,
\nplay, action is for the
\nātman<\/i>.<\/font><\/p>\n

\nThere is no Fate except insistent causality which is only
\nanother name for Law, and Law itself is only an instrument in
\nthe hands of Nature for the satisfaction of the spirit. Law is nothing but a mode or rule of action; it is called in our philosophy
\nnot Law but dharma<\/i>, holding together, it is that by which the
\naction of the universe, the action of its parts, the action of the
\nindividual is held together. This action in the universal, the parts,
\nthe individual is called karma<\/i>, work, action, energy in play, and
\nthe definition of dharma<\/i> or Law is action as decided by the nature
\nof the thing in which action takes place \u2014 svabhāva-niyatam karma<\/i>. Each separate existence, each individual has a svabhāva
\n<\/i>or nature and acts according to it, each group, species or mass
\nof individuals has a svabhāva<\/i> or nature and acts according to it,
\nand the universe also has its svabhāva<\/i> or nature and acts according to it. Mankind is a group of individuals and every man acts
\naccording to his human nature, that is his law of being as distinct
\nfrom animals, trees or other groups of individuals. Each man
\nhas a distinct nature of his own and that is his law of being
\nwhich ought to guide him as an individual. But beyond and
\nabove those minor laws is the great dharma<\/i> of the universe
\nwhich provides that certain previous karma<\/i> or action must
\nlead to certain karma<\/i> or results.<\/font><\/p>\n

\nThe whole of causality may be defined as previous action
\nleading to subsequent action, karma<\/i> and karmaphala<\/i>. The
\nHindu theory is that thought and feeling, as well as actual
\nspeech or deeds, are part of karma<\/i> and create effect, and we
\ndo not accept the European sentiment that outward expression
\nof thought and feeling in speech or deed is more important than
\nthe thought or feeling itself. This outward expression is only
\npart of the thing expressed and its results are only part of the
\nkarmaphala<\/i>. The previous karma<\/i> has not one kind of result but
\nmany. In the first place, a certain habit of thought or feeling
\nproduces certain actions and speech or certain habits of action<\/font><\/p>\n

\n <\/p>\n

\nPage <\/font>
\n\u2013 380<\/font><\/p>\n

\n

\nand speech in this life, which materialise in the next as good fortune or evil fortune. Again it produces by its action for the good
\nor ill of others a necessity of happiness or sorrow for ourselves
\nin another birth. It produces, moreover, a tendency to persistence
\nof that habit of thought or feeling in future lives, which involves
\nthe persistence of good fortune or evil fortune, happiness or
\nsorrow. Or, acting on different lines, it produces a revolt or
\nreaction and replacement by opposite habits which in their turn
\nnecessitate opposite results for good or evil. This is the chain
\nof karma<\/i>, the bondage of works, which is the Hindu Fate and
\nfrom which the Hindu seeks salvation.<\/font><\/p>\n

\nIf, however, there is no escape from the Law, if Nature is
\nsupreme and inexorable, there can be no salvation; freedom becomes a chimera, bondage eternal. There can be no escape, unless there is something within us which is free and lord, superior
\nto Nature. This entity the Hindu teaching finds in the spirit ever
\nfree and blissful which is one in essence and in reality with the
\nSupreme Soul of the Universe. The spirit does not act, it is nature
\nthat contains the action. If the spirit acted, it would be bound by
\nits action. The thing that acts is Prakriti, Nature, which determines the svabhāva<\/i> of things and is the source and condition of
\nLaw or dharma<\/i>. The soul or purusa<\/i> holds up the svabhāva<\/i>,
\n<\/i>watches and enjoys all the action and its fruit, sanctions the law
\nor dharma<\/i>. It is the king, Lord or īśvara<\/i> without whose consent
\nnothing can be done by prakrti<\/i>. But the king is above the law
\nand free.<\/font><\/p>\n

\nIt is this power of sanction that forms the element of free-will in our lives. The spirit consents not that itself shall be bound,
\nbut that its enjoyment should be bound by time, space and causality and by the svabhāva<\/i> and the
\ndharma<\/i>. It consents to virtue
\nor sin, good fortune or evil fortune, health or disease, joy or
\nsuffering, or it refuses them. What it is attached to, that Nature
\nmultiplies for it, what it is weary of, has vairāgya<\/i> for, that Nature
\nwithdraws from it. Only, because the enjoyment is in space and
\ntime, therefore, even after the withdrawal of consent, the habitual
\naction continues for a time just as the locomotive continues to
\nmove after the steam is shut off, but in a little while it slows down
\nand finally comes to a standstill. And because the enjoyment is<\/font><\/p>\n

\n <\/p>\n

\nPage <\/font>
\n\u2013 381<\/font><\/p>\n

\n

\nin causality, the removal of the habit of action is effected not
\nspontaneously and freely, but by an established process or one
\nof many established processes. This is the great truth now dawning on the world, that Will is the thing which moves the world
\nand that Fate is merely a process by which Will fulfils itself.<\/font><\/p>\n

\nBut in order to feel its mastery of Nature, the human soul
\nmust put itself into communion with the Infinite, the universal
\nSpirit. Its will must be one with the universal Will. The human
\nsoul is one with the universal Spirit, but in the body it stands out
\nas something separate and unconnected, because a certain freedom is permitted to it in order that the svabhāva<\/i> of things may be
\ndiversely developed in different bodies. In using this freedom the
\nsoul may do it ignorantly or knowingly. If it uses it ignorantly,
\nit is not really free, for ignorance brings with it the illusion of
\nenslavement to Nature. Used knowingly, the freedom of the
\nsoul becomes one with surrender to the universal Will. Either
\napparent bondage to Fate in Nature or realised freedom from
\nNature in the universal freedom and lordship of the paramātman
\n<\/i>and parameśvara<\/i>, this is the choice offered to the human soul.
\nThe gradual self-liberation from bondage to Nature is the true
\nprogress of humanity. The inert stone or block is passive sport
\nof natural laws, God is their Master. Man stands between these
\ntwo extreme terms and moves upwards from one to the other.<\/font><\/p>\n

\n <\/p>\n

\nPage <\/font>
\n\u2013 382<\/font><\/p>\n

\t\t<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Fate and Free-Will   A QUESTION which has hitherto divided human thought and received no final solution, is the freedom of the human being in…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-66","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-03-the-harmony-of-virtue-volume-03","wpcat-4-id"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/66","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=66"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/66\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=66"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=66"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=66"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}