I am not the doer ?

[GSX-R girl]

Hi I have recently become interested in advaita vedanta and I can understand

most of the concepts but this one I am struggling with ?

Does it mean I have no control over my actions - according to Stephen

Wolinsky, the action occurs and then I think I did it .

If someone would please explain this I would be very grateful

This is very interesting that you have taken interest in adwaita Shankaraycharya, some 1200 years ago had this philosopy propouded and that got great popularity now.

The does is somewhere and we are just puppets and have no roles, but having this said does not mean we should not take accounts and of course there is consciousness in us likened to what we call free will that makes us bound

I think it is better to think that you do have control over your actions and to devote each and every action to the Lord. I think this is the way of bhakti.

Originally Posted by GSX-R girl

Does it mean I have no control over my actions.

Hi,
No, not really, because it points to the misconception that one is the body-mind 'I'.
So there really is no-one present in the body somewhere to be a puppet or to have no control.

[GSX-R girl]

Thank you all for your replies, I understand that there is no I that does

the actions - I was wanting to know if all 'my' decisions have already

been decided and that 'I' can't make a wrong choice because my only

path has already been set ?

Am 'I' learning about Advaita because the one source that is everything

wants to ?

Originally Posted by GSX-R girl

I understand that there is no I that does.

It's a little bit deeper than that, it means there is no 'I'.

Originally Posted by GSX-R girl

I was wanting to know if all 'my' decisions have already been decided
and that 'I' can't make a wrong choice because my only path has already been set ?

No, Advaita isn't about predestination.
It's not saying choices are being made for you, it's saying there is no you.

The ignorant have a choice, the enlightened have not.

"Even if the sun were to rise from the West, the Bodhisattva has only one way."
Shunryu Suzuki

[andrew g]

Originally Posted by GSX-R girl

Hi I have recently become interested in advaita vedanta and I can understand

most of the concepts but this one I am struggling with ?

Does it mean I have no control over my actions - according to Stephen

Wolinsky, the action occurs and then I think I did it .

If someone would please explain this I would be very grateful

Hi GSX-R

Most humans believe that actions occur and that we have individual responsiblity for those actions. For example, if the arm on this body reaches out and turns the kettle on, then I assume that I have done that. When its just not like that. The totality of all that is brings these things to be (or to pass). The totality of all that is moved this arm and turned the kettle on.

As humans, we have believed in cause and effect i.e. that there is a single cause for things happening. Sometimes we might identify several causes but we tend to assume that some causes have more influence or impact than other causes. Actually there is no single cause, and even though it seems that some things that happen have a bigger impact or effect than other things, its really all just one movement, working together AS one, and evolving as one. Basically everything is affecting everything simultaneously i.e. its all infinitely interconnecting and inter-relating, which means that its all sacred, all has its place and all has its purpose in the grand scheme of things. The blade of grass is as relevent, significant and worthy as the sun.

Are you familiar with the idea of 'dependent origination'? Might be worth exploring.

Originally Posted by andrew g

Hi GSX-R

Most humans believe that actions occur and that we have individual responsiblity for those actions. For example, if the arm on this body reaches out and turns the kettle on, then I assume that I have done that. When its just not like that. The totality of all that is brings these things to be (or to pass). The totality of all that is moved this arm and turned the kettle on.

As humans, we have believed in cause and effect i.e. that there is a single cause for things happening. Sometimes we might identify several causes but we tend to assume that some causes have more influence or impact than other causes. Actually there is no single cause, and even though it seems that some things that happen have a bigger impact or effect than other things, its really all just one movement, working together AS one, and evolving as one. Basically everything is affecting everything simultaneously i.e. its all infinitely interconnecting and inter-relating, which means that its all sacred, all has its place and all has its purpose in the grand scheme of things. The blade of grass is as relevent, significant and worthy as the sun.

Are you familiar with the idea of 'dependent origination'? Might be worth exploring.

Yes, but Advaita cuts deeper than that.
It's not a question of 'do I have no control' - or 'I have no control because everything is interconnected'...
It's pointing to the fact that there is no-you to whom these notions relate to.

[GSX-R girl]

Many thanks for the explanations - I? think I? get it