Sai Inspires - 5th March 2006 from Prasanthi Nilayam

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Dear Reader,

 

Loving Sairam from the Heart2Heart Team.

 

Scroll down to read our Sunday special - 'Free Will'

 

When will God be pleased with us? Swami tells us today.

Did you read the Cover Story"Sundaram - A Prasanthi In Chennai"?Click Here to read now.

 

Sai Inspires - 5th March 2006

If you feel that the person next to you is suffering pain, needing relief, and

that he is a nuisance and decide to move on to some place where your Dhyana

(meditation) will not be disturbed, you surely are not going to get the merit

of that Dhyana. It is certainly a wrong you have committed and you do not

deserve Grace. When God himself has come to serve man He will indeed be pleased

if you too serve man.

- Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. X, p. 220.

Hands that serve are holier than lips that pray. - Baba.

FREE WILL

Loving Sai Ram and greetings from Prashanti Nilayam. Today, we would like to

draw your attention to some aspects of what is often described as free will.

The so-called free will has often been commented upon several times by Swami,

but few seem to be aware of what Bhagavan Baba has said. Free will, so-called,

goes hand in hand with what is perceived as freedom, both individual and

collective. These days there is not only a lot of talk about freedom,

especially freedom of expression, but also many unwanted fallouts from them. It

is therefore important to reflect at least a little, on these critical issues.

 

Swami says that God has hardwired all agencies in Nature except humans. What He

means is that every entity in Nature except humans, be it inanimate like

galaxies or planets, or animate living creatures from single-cell micro

organisms up to the elephant and the monkey, does exactly what it is supposed

to do – no more or no less; this has been the case for millions of years. Thus,

sharks behave today more or less the way they did a hundred thousand years ago.

 

In the case of humans, there is a fundamental difference. God gave humans

several extra capabilities, the most important of which is the ability to think

and reason. Why? Because God wanted humans to realise that behind Creation there

is a Creator, to realise that humans have come from the Creator, and that humans

must use their stay on earth to prepare to go back to God. God thus said, “O

man, I have created this beautiful earth for you and packed it with all the

goodies you would want. Enjoy them but do not misuse them. While enjoying them,

share them with the rest of the living beings. Be balanced and always think

carefully before you do anything. This Mind of yours is very powerful;

therefore, use it carefully and for purposes that would make Me happy. Good

luck! Enjoy your stay on earth and get back quick to Me!!”

 

Unfortunately, in recent times, humans have all but forgotten the advice that

God gave; indeed, most have even forgotten God. Instead, they have gravitated

to the belief that there is no God, that the faculties they possess are

entirely theirs to control and use, and that they have a right to do what they

want. It is this libertarian approach that has led to the concept of so-called

free will.

 

 

Here is an example. Recently, the Vice Chancellor of a leading University in

Chennai, earlier called Madras, ruled that students should not bring cell

phones to class. Promptly, there was a big hue and cry, students claiming that

they had a right to, and preventing them from bringing cell phones interfered

with their rights. The Media, ever on the lookout for controversies,

immediately fuelled this into a big issue where there was none. There are many

other such manufactured controversies, too delicate to mention. The point

simply is this: Almost invariably, the controversies are born out of an

assertion of rights. Swami says that along with rights come responsibilities,

with rights and responsibilities being two sides of the coin. In olden times,

the stress was more on responsibilities whereas these days the focus is more on

rights.

 

Let us now come to the question of free will. People who clamour for rights are

essentially saying, “Listen, this is a free society and we have a right to do

what we want to do.” This point needs some comments. First and foremost, the

word free means without any constraints or obstacles. The second means: no

charge. Let us take these slowly.

 

There are some people who are addicted to smoking, and they would like to smoke

when they want and where they want. This, they believe, is their right and want

no restrictions imposed on them. Just because they believe it is their right,

can they be allowed to do so? For example, can one tolerate smoking in

hospital? Thus it is that Society places some restrictions on the so-called

rights, and this is done for common good. For example, smoking in public places

is now prohibited in most countries and with good reason.

 

In this context, we must not forget what Swami says. He reminds us that when the

individual focuses too much on his rights, he then tends to forget about

Society. Humans must never forget that they are the building blocks of Society

and what they do affects Society as a whole. The human body itself provides a

powerful example. If individual cells misbehave and multiply recklessly, then

the body has cancer, which ultimately decimates the body. Thus, says Swami to

His students, “You are what you are, because of Society. The only right you

really have is to serve Society. If you take care of Society, then Society in

turn will take care of you.”

 

Here is an elementary example of this. These days, movies in India often glorify

crime and obscenity. The producers say that they are merely reflecting what is

happening in Society. However, thanks to excessive portrayal of violence and

all the rest of it, now the movie stars are forced to have security to move

about, and have to shell out a lot of money for it. There are innumerable such

negative fallouts, but we need not go into it.

 

The above remark brings us to our second point, which is that though individuals

and groups may claim that they are free to do this and that, nothing is free in

the sense there is always a price to pay. Sometimes the individual directly

pays and at other times, the payment is extracted via decline in Society. In

short, there is no free lunch, and in that sense, what is done under the

pretext of free will is not at all an expression of freedom.

 

What then is true freedom? Swami has explained that also. He says he who is

totally free from the clutches of sensuality and base desires is alone a free

person. Yes, freedom means being free from the claims of the body and the lower

Mind. One may live in body and possess a mind. But he who is ruled by the Atma

is alone free.

 

During the Indian freedom struggle, the word Swarajya was often used to refer to

political independence. Swami has explained that the word Swarajya which means

Rule of the Self, actually means Rule of the Atma. In that sense, God alone has

Free Will. He can do what He wants and there is no price tag in terms of

consequences. Humans, however, do not have free will, as long as they are

body-conscious. That is because whatever is done under the influence of

body-consciousness has consequences that one cannot escape. It is only when one

feels one with the Atma that one can talk of free will. And when one achieves

emotional and spiritual union with the Atma, one no longer clamours about free

will.

 

Do you agree? May be not! Even so, we would like to know what you think. As

always, write to: h2h (AT) radiosai (DOT) org.

Jai Sai Ram

With Love and Regards,

"Heart2Heart"

RadioSai's e-Journal Team,

In Sai Service.

 

 

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