Free will, a blessing or a curse?

peteyzen · #1 23-05-2011, 04:20 PM

Although some may argue the point, I think its fairly evident that we have free will. So my question is this, having free will allows us to act independently, which is great, but it also allows us to behave in ways based on our conditioning and habits, many of which are bad.
Is the spiritual journey ultimately about giving up free will and becoming one with god/everything? If so this presumably means giving up our `individual` free will.
I would love to hear peoples thoughts.
god bless

#2 23-05-2011, 05:09 PM

our free will does many many things for us, lots of good, and bad, but even the bad is holy so no worries. progressive learning and mastering the animal within seems to be a wonderful side effect, if you have what it takes, although all journeys are blessed.

#3 24-05-2011, 06:13 AM

Both! As usual!

psychoslice · #4 24-05-2011, 06:24 AM

Well there isn't anyone to give up free will and there isn't anyone to have free will, what you believe to be free will is just a whole big programming and conditioning that you base your free will on. Even if you are living a life as a so called Awakened one, the mind body will still do what it does, any change will just be added programming from the so called experience of Awakening.

#5 24-05-2011, 06:54 AM

Greetings..

Quote:

Originally Posted by psychoslice

Well there isn't anyone to give up free will and there isn't anyone to have free will, what you believe to be free will is just a whole big programming and conditioning that you base your free will on. Even if you are living a life as a so called Awakened one, the mind body will still do what it does, any change will just be added programming from the so called experience of Awakening.

You may not care for it, but there are persons, and they enjoy freewill.. they are temporary as physical manifestations, but they do exist and exercise their will on their environment, which exercises back.. and so, they develop a relationship, the individual and its environment, each free to deal with the consequences of its choices, it's plainly obvious..

Story upon story is told about how there's 'no one' that is real.. then, the explanations, the wordplay, the excuses, whatever it takes to convince anyone that what is plainly obvious is not real.. a pointless exercise in futility as if it were actually true, there would be no conversations about it, it would be self-evident.. so, the stories continue..

Be well..

Gem · #6 24-05-2011, 07:16 AM

What happens to be is what is observed to be, so a person is born and a physical interaction between the body and the rest of the universe stimulates sense organs which we become conscious of... but funnily enough, when I stub my toe you have no clue I did that... what does it mean? Nothing! That's just how it is.

psychoslice · #7 24-05-2011, 08:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TzuJanLi

Greetings..

You may not care for it, but there are persons, and they enjoy freewill.. they are temporary as physical manifestations, but they do exist and exercise their will on their environment, which exercises back.. and so, they develop a relationship, the individual and its environment, each free to deal with the consequences of its choices, it's plainly obvious..

Story upon story is told about how there's 'no one' that is real.. then, the explanations, the wordplay, the excuses, whatever it takes to convince anyone that what is plainly obvious is not real.. a pointless exercise in futility as if it were actually true, there would be no conversations about it, it would be self-evident.. so, the stories continue..

Be well..

Yes there is so called free will, in that sense, that is in the belief that you are the mind body, and like i said the free will that you believe you have as the mind body is just programming and conditioning. But I have realized that we are not the mind body and I am speaking from there, so take your pick to which you want at the moment your replying or not replying to want I have shared.

peteyzen · #8 25-05-2011, 04:38 PM

but surely in sharing , psycho you are demonstarating free will, a choice to share. And my question is, do you think this ability to act, without constarint, is a good or bad thing?

Jyotir · #9 26-05-2011, 06:18 AM

Hi peteyzen,

Human beings have a limited free will. It is a necessity for physical experience. Blessing or curse depends on what one does with it.

Interestingly, as a result, what we call free-will is often a slavery to ignorance.

What we (as ego identified) are afraid of is surrender to God's Will, because ego views this as sacrificing its freedom.

Yet paradoxically, spiritual Masters who have attained this confluence - surrender to God's Will, describe it as complete and total freedom, yet they also say that consequently they have absolutely no free-will in the 'normal' conception.

~ J

psychoslice · #10 26-05-2011, 06:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by peteyzen

but surely in sharing , psycho you are demonstarating free will, a choice to share. And my question is, do you think this ability to act, without constarint, is a good or bad thing?

No there is no free will in my sharing, it just arises, I didn't plane it it just happened, it also took many years of programming to get me to write this very reply.