Aug. 13, 2024
The Free Will of the Individual in Relation to the Action of the Modes of Nature
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YouTube reference: Sri Aurobindo and the Mother, The Hidden Forces of Life, Ch.8 Life — A Mass of Vibrations, pp. 179-180 This episode is also available as a blog post at https://sriaurobindostudies.wordpress.com/2024/08/08/the-free-will-of-the-individual-in-relation-to-the-action-of-the-modes-of-nature/
Video presentations, interviews and podcast episodes are all available on the YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/@santoshkrinsky871
More information about Sri Aurobindo can be found at www.aurobindo.net
The US editions and links to e-book editions of Sri Aurobindo’s writings can be found at Lotus Press www.lotuspress.com
1
00:00:00,880 --> 00:00:04,840
The ego consciousness lives
within the illusion of having
2
00:00:04,840 --> 00:00:08,600
free will and making its own
independent decisions.
3
00:00:09,520 --> 00:00:13,320
A closer examination shows us
that the individual is not an
4
00:00:13,320 --> 00:00:18,440
island unto himself.
Rather he is a result of
5
00:00:18,440 --> 00:00:22,840
innumerable factors from
genetics to prenatal influences,
6
00:00:23,320 --> 00:00:27,760
to interactions with family,
friends, peers, coworkers as he
7
00:00:27,760 --> 00:00:31,520
grows and develops, to the
health factors and condition of
8
00:00:31,520 --> 00:00:35,080
his physical body, nervous
envelope and mind.
9
00:00:35,720 --> 00:00:40,560
Environmental factors, societal
factors, economic factors,
10
00:00:40,920 --> 00:00:45,440
political factors, and the
influence of media, marketing
11
00:00:45,520 --> 00:00:50,400
and advertising and manufactured
needs created by those
12
00:00:50,400 --> 00:00:53,880
influences that push and mold
his choices.
13
00:00:54,920 --> 00:00:58,800
There is also the impulsion
caused by past action, the law
14
00:00:58,800 --> 00:01:03,920
of cause and effect, the law of
karma, which may even transcend
15
00:01:03,920 --> 00:01:07,920
a specific lifetime and carry
impulsions forward in the
16
00:01:07,920 --> 00:01:11,760
overall growth of the psychic
being and the maturity of the
17
00:01:11,760 --> 00:01:14,360
consciousness through numerous
lifetimes.
18
00:01:16,040 --> 00:01:18,840
All of these forces operate
under the impulsion of the
19
00:01:18,840 --> 00:01:23,880
gunas, the modes of nature.
The Bhagwad Gita describes how
20
00:01:23,880 --> 00:01:27,440
man's decisions and actions are
driven by the gunas as if
21
00:01:27,720 --> 00:01:31,720
mounted on a wheel.
The universal forces act through
22
00:01:31,720 --> 00:01:35,240
the various modalities of
interfacing with the individual,
23
00:01:35,840 --> 00:01:41,760
in most cases unrecognized and
unseen, and once we internalize
24
00:01:41,760 --> 00:01:45,280
them, we believe that we have
made a free and independent
25
00:01:45,280 --> 00:01:49,160
decision.
In this case, free will is very
26
00:01:49,160 --> 00:01:53,240
much an illusion.
True free will resides in the
27
00:01:53,240 --> 00:01:57,280
divine consciousness, and only
when the individual ego is
28
00:01:57,280 --> 00:02:01,560
transcended and merges its being
into that divine consciousness
29
00:02:02,160 --> 00:02:06,240
can it be said there is truly an
action of free will at the
30
00:02:06,240 --> 00:02:10,360
individual level.
A disciple asks.
31
00:02:11,240 --> 00:02:16,000
I have not understood this.
At best we have only the poor
32
00:02:16,000 --> 00:02:19,520
relative freedom, which by us is
ignorantly called free will.
33
00:02:20,200 --> 00:02:24,360
But that is at bottom illusory,
since it is the modes of nature
34
00:02:24,360 --> 00:02:27,280
that express themselves through
our personal will.
35
00:02:28,080 --> 00:02:33,920
It is force of nature grasping
us, ungrasped by us, that
36
00:02:33,920 --> 00:02:37,640
determines what we shall will or
how we shall will it.
37
00:02:38,280 --> 00:02:43,160
Nature, not an independent ego,
chooses what object we shall
38
00:02:43,160 --> 00:02:48,480
seek, whether by reasoned will
or unreflecting impulse, at any
39
00:02:48,480 --> 00:02:53,120
moment of our existence.
Citation from Sri Aurobindo, The
40
00:02:53,120 --> 00:03:00,160
synthesis of Yoga, page 88.
The Mother responds quote not
41
00:03:00,160 --> 00:03:02,960
understood.
What do you mean not understood?
42
00:03:03,520 --> 00:03:06,320
It's a fact.
There's nothing to understand.
43
00:03:06,360 --> 00:03:09,680
It's like that.
I have explained this to you.
44
00:03:09,680 --> 00:03:13,680
I don't know how many times you
think it is you who decide.
45
00:03:14,200 --> 00:03:16,680
These are impulses coming from
outside.
46
00:03:17,360 --> 00:03:19,360
You think you are conscious of
your will.
47
00:03:20,040 --> 00:03:24,000
It is a consciousness which is
not yours and everything.
48
00:03:24,520 --> 00:03:27,800
You are made-up entirely of
something which is the forces of
49
00:03:27,800 --> 00:03:31,960
nature expressing a higher will
of which you are unconscious.
50
00:03:32,720 --> 00:03:36,800
Only one doesn't understand
this, except when one can come
51
00:03:36,800 --> 00:03:41,520
out of one's ego, though it'd be
only for a moment for the ego.
52
00:03:42,000 --> 00:03:45,560
And this is its strength.
It's convinced that it alone
53
00:03:45,560 --> 00:03:50,760
decides, but if one looks
attentively, 1 notices that it
54
00:03:50,760 --> 00:03:54,840
is moved by all sorts of things
which are not itself.
55
00:03:55,520 --> 00:03:59,920
End Quote reference Srioro,
Bindu and the Mother.
56
00:04:00,320 --> 00:04:04,160
The Hidden Forces of Life,
Chapter Eight Life A Mass of
57
00:04:04,160 --> 00:04:07,920
Vibrations, pages 179 to 180.
00:00:00,880 --> 00:00:04,840
The ego consciousness lives
within the illusion of having
2
00:00:04,840 --> 00:00:08,600
free will and making its own
independent decisions.
3
00:00:09,520 --> 00:00:13,320
A closer examination shows us
that the individual is not an
4
00:00:13,320 --> 00:00:18,440
island unto himself.
Rather he is a result of
5
00:00:18,440 --> 00:00:22,840
innumerable factors from
genetics to prenatal influences,
6
00:00:23,320 --> 00:00:27,760
to interactions with family,
friends, peers, coworkers as he
7
00:00:27,760 --> 00:00:31,520
grows and develops, to the
health factors and condition of
8
00:00:31,520 --> 00:00:35,080
his physical body, nervous
envelope and mind.
9
00:00:35,720 --> 00:00:40,560
Environmental factors, societal
factors, economic factors,
10
00:00:40,920 --> 00:00:45,440
political factors, and the
influence of media, marketing
11
00:00:45,520 --> 00:00:50,400
and advertising and manufactured
needs created by those
12
00:00:50,400 --> 00:00:53,880
influences that push and mold
his choices.
13
00:00:54,920 --> 00:00:58,800
There is also the impulsion
caused by past action, the law
14
00:00:58,800 --> 00:01:03,920
of cause and effect, the law of
karma, which may even transcend
15
00:01:03,920 --> 00:01:07,920
a specific lifetime and carry
impulsions forward in the
16
00:01:07,920 --> 00:01:11,760
overall growth of the psychic
being and the maturity of the
17
00:01:11,760 --> 00:01:14,360
consciousness through numerous
lifetimes.
18
00:01:16,040 --> 00:01:18,840
All of these forces operate
under the impulsion of the
19
00:01:18,840 --> 00:01:23,880
gunas, the modes of nature.
The Bhagwad Gita describes how
20
00:01:23,880 --> 00:01:27,440
man's decisions and actions are
driven by the gunas as if
21
00:01:27,720 --> 00:01:31,720
mounted on a wheel.
The universal forces act through
22
00:01:31,720 --> 00:01:35,240
the various modalities of
interfacing with the individual,
23
00:01:35,840 --> 00:01:41,760
in most cases unrecognized and
unseen, and once we internalize
24
00:01:41,760 --> 00:01:45,280
them, we believe that we have
made a free and independent
25
00:01:45,280 --> 00:01:49,160
decision.
In this case, free will is very
26
00:01:49,160 --> 00:01:53,240
much an illusion.
True free will resides in the
27
00:01:53,240 --> 00:01:57,280
divine consciousness, and only
when the individual ego is
28
00:01:57,280 --> 00:02:01,560
transcended and merges its being
into that divine consciousness
29
00:02:02,160 --> 00:02:06,240
can it be said there is truly an
action of free will at the
30
00:02:06,240 --> 00:02:10,360
individual level.
A disciple asks.
31
00:02:11,240 --> 00:02:16,000
I have not understood this.
At best we have only the poor
32
00:02:16,000 --> 00:02:19,520
relative freedom, which by us is
ignorantly called free will.
33
00:02:20,200 --> 00:02:24,360
But that is at bottom illusory,
since it is the modes of nature
34
00:02:24,360 --> 00:02:27,280
that express themselves through
our personal will.
35
00:02:28,080 --> 00:02:33,920
It is force of nature grasping
us, ungrasped by us, that
36
00:02:33,920 --> 00:02:37,640
determines what we shall will or
how we shall will it.
37
00:02:38,280 --> 00:02:43,160
Nature, not an independent ego,
chooses what object we shall
38
00:02:43,160 --> 00:02:48,480
seek, whether by reasoned will
or unreflecting impulse, at any
39
00:02:48,480 --> 00:02:53,120
moment of our existence.
Citation from Sri Aurobindo, The
40
00:02:53,120 --> 00:03:00,160
synthesis of Yoga, page 88.
The Mother responds quote not
41
00:03:00,160 --> 00:03:02,960
understood.
What do you mean not understood?
42
00:03:03,520 --> 00:03:06,320
It's a fact.
There's nothing to understand.
43
00:03:06,360 --> 00:03:09,680
It's like that.
I have explained this to you.
44
00:03:09,680 --> 00:03:13,680
I don't know how many times you
think it is you who decide.
45
00:03:14,200 --> 00:03:16,680
These are impulses coming from
outside.
46
00:03:17,360 --> 00:03:19,360
You think you are conscious of
your will.
47
00:03:20,040 --> 00:03:24,000
It is a consciousness which is
not yours and everything.
48
00:03:24,520 --> 00:03:27,800
You are made-up entirely of
something which is the forces of
49
00:03:27,800 --> 00:03:31,960
nature expressing a higher will
of which you are unconscious.
50
00:03:32,720 --> 00:03:36,800
Only one doesn't understand
this, except when one can come
51
00:03:36,800 --> 00:03:41,520
out of one's ego, though it'd be
only for a moment for the ego.
52
00:03:42,000 --> 00:03:45,560
And this is its strength.
It's convinced that it alone
53
00:03:45,560 --> 00:03:50,760
decides, but if one looks
attentively, 1 notices that it
54
00:03:50,760 --> 00:03:54,840
is moved by all sorts of things
which are not itself.
55
00:03:55,520 --> 00:03:59,920
End Quote reference Srioro,
Bindu and the Mother.
56
00:04:00,320 --> 00:04:04,160
The Hidden Forces of Life,
Chapter Eight Life A Mass of
57
00:04:04,160 --> 00:04:07,920
Vibrations, pages 179 to 180.