fate vs free will - letter shared

[Guest guest]

hariH OM!

 

the following private email may shed further light on

the matter of 'fate vs free will.' (since gummuluruji

has suggested we perhaps ended it prematurely.) also

of note, this was [synchronistically] an exchange had

2 days ago, and just last night this [classic debate]

was the theme of a tv show--i believe called "miracles."

where this guy had a dream [premonition] about a plane

crash the night before he was to board, and got off

after he'd seen things on the plane that were in his

dream. based on a true story.

 

_____________________

 

ron wrote:

> How do I know how to make a decision? Who makes that decision? How do I

> know it is the right decision? When enlightenment arrives who makes the

> decision?

>

> Of course one wants to await for enlightenment before making any dramatic

> decisions. Therefor the correct decision - or a spiritually correct

> decision will be made. Your interesting comments on Osho, Ken Wilber's

> comments on the unbalanced development of humans and much of our previous

> discussions leads me to realise...

>

> There is only one ego to manifest in non-reality and there is only one

> unmanifest I-I. Only the ego acts - only the one unmanifest never acts.

> There is no other to make correct decisions apart from the manifest which

> is the ego. There are not two egos one before enlightenment and one after.

> There are no correct/incorrect decisions. The role of the unmanifest, apart

> from no role is to watch/witness. There is only one ego to manifest.

> There must be a lot of junk, onion skins removed, from the ego for it to

> co-exist with I-I. I notice that when I-I is present a lot of noise of the

> ego can be ignored and therefore less shit happens erroneously. The ego

> cannot totally disappear at time of enlightenment or there would be nothing

> to manifest. Expecting some dramatic other being to take over this body

> after enlightenment is maybe what I have been waiting for. If a trend I

> see continues - the lack of identification, importance of, this being

> called Ron is replaced by the strong identifications with silence/peace.

> For me is seems to be like a stage rheostat that moves the light gradually

> from green to red - a slow gradual transition from one to the other.

 

hariH OM! ron-

 

i agree with most of this...however [especially] not that the ego is

manifest in non-reality. i would say it's quite real, yet only an

*infinitesimal fraction* of our totality in the Self or 'I-I.'

 

yet i would also say that this 'ego theory' is ultimately just as

valid or invalid as any other 'ego theory.' however we attempt to

define what's happening, is in the final analysis merely arbitrary.

the important thing to understand is that whatever path (line of logic,

training) is taken, is for the *sole purpose* of defusing the ego-Mind's

obsession with needing to know and behold Reality [which it is incapable

of doing]. so that, whatever philosophical system or theory we allow

ourselves to settle upon, works to the end of releasing this Mind's

frenzied pursuit [to behold the Unknowable], then that system is

effectively doing its job.

 

as the toltec shaman don juan matus (a la castaneda) said, "we're

surrounded by pure Mystery...anything we think we know of it is

pure folly."

 

our capacity to co-exist in that Mystery (which is also the source

and *manifest* essence of what we are...thus it should really be

phrased: our capacity to exist in *this* Mystery), and remain silent

in its (our own!) midst, is the true arrival of Self-realization.

the ego is brahman's leela. let it play its game of Relativity:

the good, the bad, and the insane! :-) it's an inevitable setup.

the only one possible! all we have to remember is not get trapped

in its Show. its Show is, afterall, for *our own entertainment*.

we (brahman) willed it thus!

 

the most monsterously devastating, horror-jambed tragedy we can ever

conceivably imagine can never be more than an event in the Mind!

the most anxiety-ridden, deviously clever act of human betrayal can

never be fabricated by anything in the universe beyond the Mind!

it is this ancient bastard of egoic machinery we're charged with

conquering...who we've allowed over time the reign of terror in

manipulating our awareness. and it's this selfsame Mind that manages

to convince us that the task of defeating it will be difficult *if

not utterly impossible*!

 

fact is, it's already *BEEN* conquered. the notion of its reign

and our consequential suffering, is the alpha and omega of illusion.

how it came to be and why, is, again, a trick of the Mind.

 

the solution: allow all thinking [its infinite possible creations]

simply to go where it wants...without resisting! this is choiceless

awareness. our true nature is in fact found in its endless variety

of forms, exploring the vast range of the dark and the light...yet

this [even colossal] range is only a *fragment* of our true Being!

the key is to never lose contact with the Substratum Self, beneath

all [its very own! - *our* very own!] appearances in the Play.

 

OM shaanthi

namaste,

frank