Unconditioned Posted November 5, 2008 I believe that divine will allows us to have free will but it's not as 'free' as it appears to be.  What I mean is this: divine will, Tao, God, the dancing form of Shiva, etc. etc. provide the possibility for free will. The divine will is the electricity that powers the universe. It doesn't judge, it's not a puppet master, it's simply the power behind action, be it mental, physical, or otherwise.  Free will is a result of consciousness. By being conscious we believe that we make our own choices. "Will I pick the blue shirt or the red shirt?" But, as someone pointed out earlier in the thread, what are our choices based on? Prior experiences. So our 'free will' is not as free as we think... it is based on conditioning (mental/memory and/or physiological/genetic).  So as we become more aware of the divine and lessen the power that conditioning holds over us we are able to be spontaneous. By being spontaneous we are able to be more rational in our decisions rather than basing them off of strictly prior experiences.... we develop more intuitional intelligence.  Hope that makes sense... just one seeker's view on the topic  All the best, Nate Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ddilulo_06 Posted November 5, 2008 (edited) & thanks to you as well- It is a boon when what I offer here rings true for someone- who replys -  this kind of connectivity is perhaps what some of us seek here  and once again in the opto-mystic spirit of self -promotion please check out my book -the Wayfarer Sonnets -  I really need to boost my sales or Lulu may "down-grade" me on their site!  Is this your book? Can you give me the cliff notes and/or your website?  http://www.amazon.com/Wayfarer-Sonnets-Pat...2225&sr=8-1 Edited November 5, 2008 by ddilulo_06 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Wayfarer64 Posted November 6, 2008 (edited) Is this your book? Can you give me the cliff notes and/or your website?  http://www.amazon.com/Wayfarer-Sonnets-Pat...2225&sr=8-1   yep- thats it!  but the best place to preview &/or buy one is here-  http://www.lulu.com/pdgart   & "cliff notes" here:  http://www.pdgart.com/Wayfarer.html   I hope you enjoy what is there...  I will also send you an autographed thank you note once its a done deal- I did have several pre-signed copies that a few TaoBums were lucky to have gotten directly from me- but I no longer have any copies for sale of my own... If I do reorder a box-load I'll let this site know- right now I have no $$ to buy my own for promotion!  in any case thanks for the interest & letting me know that Amizon is now hawking it as out of ptint -it isn't!  love to all- better days ahead!-Pat Edited November 6, 2008 by Wayfarer64 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JewelsNorth Posted November 6, 2008 The truly enlightened here don't post. They just read and laugh.   Michael   Whew, now I don't feel so uncomfortable lurking here while I'm getting my feet wet. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wuliheron Posted November 7, 2008 (edited) I believe that divine will allows us to have free will but it's not as 'free' as it appears to be.  What I mean is this: divine will, Tao, God, the dancing form of Shiva, etc. etc. provide the possibility for free will. The divine will is the electricity that powers the universe. It doesn't judge, it's not a puppet master, it's simply the power behind action, be it mental, physical, or otherwise.  Free will is a result of consciousness. By being conscious we believe that we make our own choices. "Will I pick the blue shirt or the red shirt?" But, as someone pointed out earlier in the thread, what are our choices based on? Prior experiences. So our 'free will' is not as free as we think... it is based on conditioning (mental/memory and/or physiological/genetic).  So as we become more aware of the divine and lessen the power that conditioning holds over us we are able to be spontaneous. By being spontaneous we are able to be more rational in our decisions rather than basing them off of strictly prior experiences.... we develop more intuitional intelligence.  Hope that makes sense... just one seeker's view on the topic  All the best, Nate  A related possibility is the pantheistic beliefs of people like Spinoza. He proposed that everything is part of God and, therefore, all of us have free will in at least the sense that there is nothing else to oppose God. His ethics are based on this idea and include both our thoughts and feelings as guides to what is ethical. The more serene we are, the more in touch with God's will. Edited November 7, 2008 by wuliheron Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Wayfarer64 Posted November 7, 2008 A related possibility is the pantheistic beliefs of people like Spinoza. He proposed that everything is part of God and, therefore, all of us have free will in at least the sense that there is nothing else to oppose God. His ethics are based on this idea and include both our thoughts and feelings as guides to what is ethical. The more serene we are, the more in touch with God's will. Â Â I've always thought that Spinoza had read Taoist texts to get to where he came from... For me, Taoism is accepting of everything as being part of a whole...and thus helps us to remain calm amid the turmoils and trepidations- inner contact with the devine -by any name would smell as sweet... the knowledge of the devine within us seems to be the very basis of most "spiritual" thinking, beliefs,.Constructs or systems... Â we are all one in essence if not practice. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
