Fate Vs Free Will - Part 2

Here I am trying yet again, probably for the final time (as of now), to explain my views on eternal question of Fate Vs Free Will? Is everything happening around us is Fated/Destined by some superior power or We, the humans, are responsible for our life events?

I am splitting the article in two parts due to the length of the article. This is part 2. Please access part 1 here - https://www.astrosaxena.com/FFW5-1.

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Initial Views – When I first wrote on this topic of Fate Vs Free Will (https://www.astrosaxena.com/ffwse), my initial view was that everything is fated or destined. For me, Destiny or Fate is a way of surrendering my ego to the divine. It is a trick or technique by which we can let go of our ego and accept the life’s circumstances to evolve.

Misuse of the concept of Destiny – But soon I realized that human mind can interpret anything in its favor. Hence, it is very common to see that people who are lazy and don’t want to take any action, they take the shelter of the concept of Destiny. You will see very commonly that people who don’t put any effort and don’t work hard for their success usually put it on Destiny.

This reminds me of an interaction where a person said to Osho that why we need to put all these efforts to reach up to God? If it is in our destiny to get God then we will anyways get it.

Osho replies, this is very true and in what other areas of life you apply same logic? If you are destined to get a job then you will anyways get it; if you are destined to get promotion then you will anyways get it; if you are destined to get married then you will anyways get married. Why you put efforts there if you are so much about Destiny?

But this is how cunning human mind works!!! Whatever we want to achieve in life, for that we are very much working hard and become a person of Free Will in that moment but when we don’t want anything in life then we get into this logic of Destiny or Fate.

Best of the rules or ways can give us worst of the results if they land in to wrong hands. So, before we decide that X person is very much into destiny and has surrendered his Ego to the Divine, just make sure that this inclination towards Destiny or Fate is not coming out of laziness. Just see if this person is applying the same logic of destiny towards those things which he desperately wants in life or not.

Concept of Destiny is not concept of Laziness or Procrastination. The best way to understand Concept of Destiny is that it is the way by which we continue doing actions but let-go of the doer. We can devote and surrender ourselves to divine and say that Divine functions through me.

But most of humanity has taken the concept of Destiny as the concept by which they let-go of actions but they continue to be the doer.

So, I realized very quickly that this approach towards Destiny can lead people into laziness and hypocrisy.

Later Views – Then slowly but surely I shifted to the concept of Free Will in my later articles on this topic ( https://www.astrosaxena.com/ffw2. , https://www.astrosaxena.com/ffw3 . ,  https://www.astrosaxena.com/FFW4 , https://www.astrosaxena.com/Destiny) and became strong advocate of the concept that our life is result of our actions only and that nobody else is to be blamed for it, not even the concept of God or Divine.

Same view was asserted again in my recent articles on Purpose of Astrology - https://www.astrosaxena.com/CPA1 , https://www.astrosaxena.com/CPA2 ,  https://www.astrosaxena.com/CPA3 .

Different Levels of People – But then as I said, people are functioning at different levels; i.e.

• either at mind level (controlled by emotions and impulses or trying to control them) or
• at conscious level (in control of emotions and impulses)

As per my experience of dealing with people, 99.99% of population with whom I interacted is settled/established and functioning at mind level. They are ruled over by their emotions, impulses and desires. Only a rare few 0.01% of people with whom I interacted is settled/established and functioning at Conscious level, if at all.

No matter how minimum is the number of people at conscious level but they are still there and it will be unfair to include them with people who are living in mind and make a generic rule for whole population on the matter of Fate Vs Free Will. As we have this broad division of people in two categories; i.e. Conscious people Vs Unconscious people or Unconditioned people Vs Conditioned people, we have to have two conclusions of this discussion or question of Fate Vs Free Will.

Final Results – So, my final conclusion on this topic of Fate Vs Free Will is as follows –

• If person is settled in Conscious State of Mind and functioning from there then everything is Destined/Fated or done by God. That is to say, if person is conscious of all his actions/emotions/impulses and can direct them in right directions then everything is Destined/Fated or done by God.
• If person is settled in Unconscious State of mind and functioning from there then everything is Free Will and done by the person. That is to say, if person is unconscious of his actions/emotions/impulses and functioning merely on his impulses then everything is Free Will and done by the person.

Osho gives a beautiful example –

• If a child is walking with Father holding Father’s hand and then he falls down; then Father is responsible.
• But if child lets go of Father’s hand and runs away and then falls down; then child himself is responsible.

So, if we are working at consciousness level then everything is done by God. No blame is coming to us. But if we are working at mind level then everything is done by us. We should be honest and sincere to accept our responsibility of our mind or desire driven actions.

And fun part is that if we are 100% honest in either of these two options then final result is same.

If I truly feel that everything is done by God and I am just an instrument then I cannot do anything wrong as blame of my actions will go on to God.

And if I truly feel that everything is done by me only then obviously I cannot do anything wrong as I will be blamed for my actions.

But again, here is where cunning human mind comes into fore. Whenever we achieve something then we say that it is result of my smart actions and whenever we fail at something then we say that why God did it?

What is required is an honest introspection. Just look within honestly if you can surrender EVERYTHING to God then follow the path of Fate and if you have even slightest of desire to assert your own will then follow the path of Free Will and take full responsibility of your actions on yourself.

How to know our level? – Now, how can we be aware of our own level? Below are a few examples of person of Fate or Destiny - 

• A man comes and spits at Buddha face. He cleans his face and asks the man, anything else?
• Jesus is being crucified and says, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” or “Let Thy will be done”.
• Meera is sentenced to be poisoned and she drinks it gladly.
• Socrates is sentenced to be poisoned at 6 pm and at 6.10 pm Socrates goes and asks people, “Why haven’t you brought poison so far? Why so much delay in following God’s Wish?"
• Twice knives were thrown at Osho during his preaching session and he continues his preaching without blink of an eye. Once a woman came up to the stage where Osho was sitting and slapped him twice and Osho asked, what else? Once a shoe was thrown at Osho. Osho caught that shoe and asked the person the 2^nd shoe too, so that he can use them.

If you feel any inclination/relevance/resonance to these stories then you are a person of Fate or Destiny. Follow that path.

And while reading these stories, for even a second, if you had this question/doubt/thought in mind that how to know if these stories are true or actually took place then you are a person of Free Will. Follow that path.

It is because Thinking/Questioning/Doubting is a faculty/trait of mind and Will or Free Will originates from mind.

Is everything Destined? – As 99.99% population is still living in unconscious or conditioned mind, I will still say (https://www.astrosaxena.com/Destiny) –

“Everything is destined but no one knows whose destiny is what? Destiny can only be seen in hindsight. We cannot see it beforehand.

Understand it like this,

a. If I had continued in my job setup work then also I would have reached somewhere and that would have become my destiny.

b. Now, as I am in business setup work, now also I would reach somewhere and that would become my destiny.

So, one destiny is always ready for us. Whatever we do in life, we will reach somewhere and it will be our destiny and people would say that he was destined to reach there. It is interesting to note here that Destiny is root word of Destination. Whichever path you tread, one destination is bound to be there.

As I said that destiny is always seen in hindsight. None can know it beforehand as to what is his own or anyone else destiny. No one, including me, knew 10 years ago that I will be working as an Astrologer. Likewise, no one, including me, knows that where I will be after 10 years from now.

Hence, everything is destined but we have no idea what is that which is destined?

In ignorance of that destiny, we are supposed to continue to take our conscious actions with perseverance to reach our destination. So, we can say that whatever we get after putting our best efforts, utilizing our resources and exhausting our ego, is our destiny.

As long as you have this feeling in mind that “If I take this action too then things would change”, then understand that Ego is not yet exhausted and you have not reached your destiny.

Destiny = “Whatever we get after putting our best efforts, utilizing our resources and exhausting our ego.”

Before that, it is our mind playing tricks and games. :)”

As 99.99% population is still living in unconscious or conditioned mind, the popular concept of Destiny that “Everything is taken care by God” is a dangerous concept. And I know that remaining 0.01% are not reading my articles. J

Conclusion - Finally,

• If person is settled in Conscious State of Mind and functioning from there then everything is Destined/Fated or done by God. That is to say, if person is conscious of all his actions/emotions/impulses and can direct them in right directions then everything is Destined/Fated or done by God.
• If person is settled in Unconscious State of mind and functioning from there then everything is Free Will and done by the person. That is to say, if person is unconscious of his actions/emotions/impulses and functioning merely on his impulses then everything is Free Will and done by the person. Person needs to take sincere responsibility of his actions in this case.

Hope this helps. Thanks,

Swami Premanand Bharti