Free Will Within Fate

Osho says that existence has created a miracle. It has made the impossible possible.

What is this impossible that is made possible?

It has created Fate and Free Will together.

At first, Fate and Free Will appear to be complete opposites. If everything is already destined, then where is the question of Free Will? And if we are truly free to choose, then how can everything be destined?

But perhaps the contradiction exists only because we are looking at existence from the limited perspective of the individual.

From the existential point of view, there is Fate. From the individual point of view, there is Free Will.

And existence has somehow managed to keep both together.

Is Everything Destined?

I have discussed this question earlier ( https://www.astrosaxena.com/articles/Destiny ): My understanding is that everything is destined, but nobody knows what their destiny is.

This is the important distinction. We can see destiny, but only in hindsight. We cannot see it beforehand.

For example, suppose I had continued with my corporate job. I would have eventually reached somewhere in that career, and wherever I reached would have become my destiny.

But I did not continue with that path. I left my job and moved into Astrology. Now I am reaching somewhere through this path, and wherever I eventually reach will become my destiny.

So, whichever path we take, one destination is always waiting at the end of that path. And once we reach there, we can look backwards and say: "This was my destiny."

Interestingly, the word Destiny itself is connected with Destination. Whichever path we tread, some destination is bound to be there.

Destiny Can Only Be Seen in Hindsight

This is why I feel that destiny cannot really be known beforehand. Ten years ago, nobody, including me, knew that I would be working as an Astrologer. Today, I know that this is what has happened. But even today, I do not know where I will be ten years from now. And that is how destiny works.

It is visible after the event, not before the event.

Once something has happened, we can connect all the dots and say: "Perhaps this was destined." But before it happens, we simply do not know.

Therefore: everything may be destined, but we do not know what is destined.

And this ignorance of destiny is what creates the space for Free Will.

Then What Are We Supposed To Do?

If I do not know what is destined, then what should I do?

The answer is quite simple. I have to continue taking conscious action. I have to put in my best efforts. I have to utilize whatever resources are available to me. I have to persevere. And I have to allow the journey to unfold. Because I cannot sit back and say: "Everything is destined, so I will do nothing."

That too becomes a choice. And perhaps that choice itself becomes part of the destiny. This is why I see destiny not as something that tells us beforehand what will happen, but as something that becomes visible after we have lived through the process. Whatever we finally receive after putting in our best efforts, utilizing our resources and exhausting our ego is what we can call Destiny.

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

When Is The Ego Exhausted?

There is another interesting dimension to this. As long as there is a feeling within us that: "If I take this action also, perhaps things will change." the ego is still alive.

We are still trying to manipulate the outcome. We are still trying to make existence move according to our expectations. We are still saying: "Maybe I can do something more and change the situation."

And perhaps that is perfectly fine. We should make that effort. We should try. We should use our intelligence, resources and capabilities. But there comes a point where all genuine effort has been made. Nothing more is left to do. The ego has exhausted itself. At that point, whatever remains is what I would call Destiny.

Free Will Does Not Change Destiny

This brings us to the most interesting part of the whole discussion. Free Will allows us to move away from the path that could lead us towards our evolution.

We can resist. We can delay. We can repeat the same mistakes. We can remain attached to old patterns. We can continue living through unconsciousness. But does this actually change the ultimate destination?

Perhaps not. It only delays it.

Existence has no problem with that because existence has eternity available to it. We are in a hurry. Existence is not.

This is where the apparent contradiction between Fate and Free Will starts disappearing. Free Will may not be the freedom to change the ultimate destination. Perhaps Free Will is the freedom to decide how long we want to take to reach that destination.

Fate Is The Destination, Free Will Is The Journey

We can understand this through a simple analogy. Suppose a person has to reach a particular city. The destination is fixed. But there can be many roads.

He can take the direct road. He can take a longer road. He can take a wrong turn. He can stop somewhere for ten years. He can return and start again. He can resist the journey. He can make the journey unnecessarily complicated. But eventually, when he is ready to move towards the destination, he continues.

This is how I understand the relationship between Fate and Free Will.

Fate determines the destination. Free Will determines how we move towards that destination. And perhaps even the detours are not outside existence. They are also part of the journey.

Soul Evolution And The Final Destination

From the spiritual perspective, the ultimate destination of human evolution can be understood as Oneness with the Source Energy. We are moving from identification with individuality towards the realization of our fundamental unity with existence.

This is where the concept of Gunas becomes relevant.

We are born into Nature and therefore operate through the three Gunas:

Tamas, Rajas and Sattva.

We keep moving through these different qualities of Nature.

Tamas may bring inertia and identification with the body.

Rajas may bring activity, desire and identification with the mind.

Sattva may bring balance, clarity and awareness.

But even Sattva is still a Guna.

The ultimate movement is towards Nirguna, beyond identification with the Gunas. If we look at it from this perspective, reaching the Nirguna state is Destiny. But how long we remain caught in the Gunas is where Free Will comes into play. We can continue repeating our patterns. We can remain attached to Tamas. We can remain trapped in Rajas. We can become attached even to Sattva. Or we can become aware of these movements, balance them and gradually move beyond them. The destination does not change. Only the time taken to reach it changes.

The Beautiful Paradox

And perhaps this is the miracle that Osho was pointing towards. Existence has somehow created two apparently contradictory realities together.

There is a destined path. And there is individual freedom. There is a destination. And there is freedom to wander. There is an evolution that eventually has to happen. And there is freedom to delay that evolution.

So, from the perspective of existence: Everything is destined.

From the perspective of the individual: I am free to choose.

Both can exist together.

The mistake may be in thinking that Free Will necessarily means that we can change the ultimate destiny. Perhaps we cannot as we cannot even beaware of ultimate destiny, as discussed.

Perhaps Free Will simply gives us the freedom to postpone what existence is eventually going to bring us towards and exhaust our ego in that process.

We can take ten years. We can take ten lifetimes. We can take a thousand lifetimes. Existence can wait.

Fate And Free Will Are Not Enemies

Therefore, I do not see Fate and Free Will as enemies. They are two dimensions of the same existence.

Fate gives us the destination. Free Will gives us the experience of travelling towards it. Fate is visible in hindsight. Free Will is experienced in the present.

We do not know what is destined, so we continue to act. We put in our best efforts. We utilize our resources. We exhaust the ego.

And when nothing more remains to be done, whatever happens becomes our Destiny.

Perhaps this is why existence does not need to reveal our destiny to us beforehand. If we already knew exactly where we were going, there would be no journey. There would be no mystery. There would be no surrender. There would be no need for awareness.

Existence has hidden the destination from us and given us the freedom to walk. And perhaps that is the miracle. The destination is destined, but the journey is lived through Free Will. And somewhere between these two, the whole game of life unfolds.

Gratitude!!!