Free Will | Swami Sarvapriyananda

Swami Sarvapriyananda speaks on Free Will and Karma as part of a keynote address during Anubhava 2020 (an event organized by the Hindu Temple Society of North America). Another lecture on Free Will by Swami Sarvapriyananda: • Do we have Free Will? ...
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ABOUT VEDANTA
Vedanta is one of the world’s most ancient religious philosophies and one of its broadest. Based on the Vedas, the sacred scriptures of India, Vedanta affirms the oneness of existence, the divinity of the soul, and the harmony of religions.
ABOUT US
Vedanta Society of New York is affiliated with the Ramakrishna Order of India. In fact, this is the Order's first Center started by Swami Vivekananda, in 1894. It was a historic event, for the seed of the world-wide Ramakrishna Movement was sown here in New York over a century ago. Swami Sarvapriyananda is the present Resident Minister and Spiritual Leader of the Vedanta Society of New York.

[@youarewhatyourelookingfor4496]

We can choose what we will do, but we cannot choose what we will choose. ❣️

[@FootyFrenzyHD]

The more intelligence and knowledge we have. The more freedom and choices we can make.

[@srinivasyalala1767]

I Love this quote. Jai Shri Ram

[@memoriesandflashback5204]

chant Hare Krishna daily and make deposits in your Eternal bank account

[@angikarroychowdhury6143]

@@memoriesandflashback5204 you should chant for the sake of chanting, for the Love of Krsna, not for maintaining or upgrading some spiritual account or punya! To think about the fruits of action is getting bound , which is a condition on our soul. Niskam karma is all that we need to adopt in our way of life 🙏

[@jodo6329]

Thanks for sharing Sean, but you should really give credit to the person you plagiarized this quote from. 'A man can do what he wants, but not want what he wants' -Arthur Schopenhauer

[@ankitanand143]

The feeling that we are the doer is itself, Maya,... Act as if you have the free will knowing that you don't.

[@indianmilitary]

We do have free will. But we are also bound by prarabtha (which pre-programs situations. circumstances, opportunities) and sanchitha karma (it pre-programs our guna based on vasanas but it can be re-programmed using free will which creates new karma or Agama karma and goes to our future lives). Only animals don't create new karma (so no reincarnation) and don't have free will as well. If there is no free will for humans, then we will be caught in the duality cycle of birth/death perpetually.

[@thelastsamuraiRonin]

@@UmaKantMudgil if there is no free will, they why in Bhagavad Gita Krishna says , we need to work on our mind to become a yogi. If we need to work then it means we have free will through which we can become yogi or Gyani. If no free will then no point of having Bhagavad Gita teachings in real life as everything is determined and goes as per god's will. Right?

[@srinu4995]

@@UmaKantMudgil it's a waste of life, if u think everything is determined

[@kidskidney8027]

Being a doctor I always think about it. Our thought and action could be a life and death question for our patients. Which force determines the stream of thought at that challenging moment when I take a decision on patient's management

[@rsr9200]

How about the divinity of the patient being that impelling force?

[@anatomistnoelectrons9414]

@@rsr9200 Divinity doesn’t need a surgery and trying to look for it in everything could lead to delusions. @anshuman Saha Look at the patient carefully with complete concentration without any other things popping up in the mind and apply the knowledge acquired during the medical college days and later. When you have to make difficult decisions, remember the Hippocratic Oath and follow through.

[@rsr9200]

@@anatomistnoelectrons9414 Yep, I agree that for those who have deluded themselves into thinking that they are all-knowing, seeing divinity in other human beings could compound their delusion irredeemably.

[@memoriesandflashback5204]

chant Hare Krishna daily and make deposits in your Eternal bank account

[@trusharpatel3]

Hari Om Shanti Swami Sarvapriyananda. Happy Krishmas. ☃️

[@benjamindsouza6736]

As usual, an unparalleled explanation of a lofty subject in layman's terms! Thank you dear Swamiji!! You are indeed a guiding light on this planet engulfed in darkness, ignorance & confusion!

[@tzadik36]

Pronaams!🙏

[@anbukkarasimanoharan775]

Thank you Swamiji. I have reached this present state of non duality only because of your profound teachings.

[@lakshmiparasuram4384]

Thank you Swamiji.🙏🏻

[@abhakochar6683]

Swamiji your clarity on every possible subject is commendable 🙏🙏

[@ushams8268]

Pranams & Thanks, Sir🙏🙏🙏

[@ankitanand143]

thanks to swamiji for this wonderful session.

[@nomadexplorer6682]

Great explanation swamiji. My pranams. "From freedom we come, in bondage we exist and unto freedom we go"....a very profound and far reaching conclusion by Swami Vivekananda. I believe that is the purpose of mankind. Science and technology also strives to achieve the same goal through materials available in this universe and synthesising it. That's also karma.

[@anagha.aniruddha16]

Pranam Swamiji 🙏🏻

[@bidurmukherjee9046]

Crystal clear and amazing intellectual discourse on an age-old question. Worth listening to again and again. The conclusion drawn is brilliant. Swami Sarvapriyanandaji Pranam. Joy Thakur Ma Swamiji. 🙏🙏

[@janukisarcar5430]

Jai guru Swamiji🙏 🌹🌷🥀

[@dankrutidholakia3165]

From bad karma through good karma to beyond karma! Thank you Vedanta NY for uploading, pranams to all the organizers as well..

[@memoriesandflashback5204]

chant Hare Krishna daily and make deposits in your Eternal bank account

[@Dharmicaction]

Dharmic action is nothing but action without creating karma. eg If you work hard all day/nigh and hardly sleep, it creates adharma of mind/body which manifests in the form of headache or high blood pressure. If you sleep well, then the balance or dharma is restored. Dharmic intention to provide food to poor people despite poor outcome does NOT create any karma. On the other hand, intention to have name and fame through feeding poor people (despite good outcome) can lead to karma. So, intention also matters. Eating just for hunger without getting caught in taste or tasteless does not lead to karma.

[@kanchanroplekar4748]

So beautifully swami simplified this difficult topic. Awesome

[@prembedi2551]

My heartfelt thanks for enlightening us about the free will, Swami ji. I've never heard so chrystal clear the explanation. Sanatan Dharama is great really...

[@vinodmohan123]

Splendid explanation.🙏🙏🙏 Thanks a lot for uploading this. Expecting more of these kind of talks. Pranam Swamiji

[@mikeq5807]

Thank you both! Insightful!

[@StevenParrisWard]

Always an excellent satsanga from Swami.

[@chaitanyadasgoswami6649]

Swamiji, Namskar. your lessons are always good to hear and based on real life guidance. May I request you too publish 10% of your lessons in Indian languages speak may be in Hindi or Bengali. That may be good for moral development of our country.

[@memoriesandflashback5204]

chant Hare Krishna daily and make deposits in your Eternal bank account

[@saurabhniley4982]

Thank you Swamiji🙏

[@swarnashreeraorajashekar7879]

Pranam Maharaj, it is always a wonderful experience to listen to you. 🙏🙏 This dilemma of free will vs.past karmas is very well solved by your discourse 🙏🙏

[@memoriesandflashback5204]

chant Hare Krishna daily and make deposits in your Eternal bank account

[@inthemomenttomoment]

We don't have free will until we have no more karma, then we have Freed Will, moving about, making our True Actions in Choiceless Awareness in the Universe in the Now of voluntary & involuntary forces of Nature that metamorphosizes US to Be Gods!

[@joyoflearning2124]

So beautiful.. I knew the story of the cow. But bringing its master into picture, and saying that it might let the cow loose or tie it somewhere else where it might be greener, this part of the story - i did not know. Nice, very beautiful..

[@giansingh4710]

ਆਪਣ ਹਥੀ ਆਪਣਾ ਆਪੇ ਹੀ ਕਾਜੁ ਸਵਾਰੀਐ ॥੨੦॥ With our own hands, let us resolve our own affairs. ||20|| Guru Nanak Dev Ji in Raag Aasaa - 474

[@sushantwagh3105]

My salutations to you revered swami ji

[@memoriesandflashback5204]

I am not the body I am living in my body I am not the Doer My past Sanskars and other five factors making me to do. Everything is "Guna Guneshu vartanta" "I am the witness conscious"

[@Dharmicaction]

Shiva is the observer of its Shakthi (observed) for the perpetual duality cycles to happen.

[@ashimpurohit]

Profound insights as always 🙏

[@marinusvandenberg1431]

Thank you so much, past few days I thought a lot about our free will, and I figured out it must be an illusion. Now I just came across your video and you just tell exactly what I figured, amazing 🤩 🙏🏻❤️

[@p.kunwarkushwaha2734]

Hey plzzz tell me the summary of whole lacture

[@rosappan]

Namaskaram Guru 🙏🙏🙏

[@sanatha3646]

i like the way you compared it with sports. its Just WOW Thanks a lot

[@vimaleshprana3552]

I am feeling blessed, positive, peaceful and one powerful soul when I listen you my brother maharaj. Pranams.

[@vioora4113]

Awesome perspective on the seeming ambiguity between Free will and determinism in our lives...Nice listening to Swami Sarvapriyananda

[@rekhav4757]

🙏🙏🙏 for sharing your knowledge n your thoughts with us

[@omkarswaranjali826]

प्रणाम स्वामीजी !

[@watchwitness6407]

Pranams Taqur Maharaj🙏

[@Hydrasword89]

The concept of free will falls apart when the I gets challenged.

[@kayokk-]

This helped immensely... Thank you 🙏🏼

[@amiteshjha8902]

So insightful 🙏 The way Guru Jee explains with example gives immense clarity. We are free if we can see that. „ Spritual advancement „ 🙏

[@SpiritualReform]

We are free even when we don't see that we are already free and acting on it. Because, to an extent we are also momentarily choosing to not see that we are free.

[@madhupande7472]

🙏🙏🙏 Thank you guruji always.

[@storiesbysudhirsingla8637]

Very knowledgeable. Thanks Swamiji. 🙏🙏

[@spuodohniarm]

Great Swami ji...

[@paramshabdam2332]

Namaste Guruji🙏

[@jalajamenon8664]

Thank you so much Swamiji🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏

[@nishanthdk7836]

Pranams swamiji

[@AjithKumar-B117]

Thank you Swamiji. One way of looking at freewill is the choice we have to feel happy or otherwise in that circumstance. If you decide to remain happy then you develop a positive attitude and similarly we have people with negativity. This could determine the general state of one's life. So this could be another view of freewill that Prabhu has given us. The life takes it's turn and twists depending on nature. Depending on how freewill is exercised one remains happy or otherwise. All humans directly or indirectly strive to remain happy all the while. Om

[@SB-ho3vt]

This gives so much clarity....splendid!!

[@joejoe7702]

There is only the appearance of choice. ‘Events happen, deeds are done, you are not the doer thereof.’ - Buddha

[@FootyFrenzyHD]

Who is ? Some magical conciousness experiencing itself? What's more likely? A brain making the choice or some metaphysical awareness?

[@FootyFrenzyHD]

@@Theactualstoic How can actions happen without a doer? What is your evidence to support this?

[@ankitanand143]

@@FootyFrenzyHD The body is an instrument through which the action happens, it is not truly the doer of that action.

[@ankitanand143]

This quote is apocryphal, this is something Ramesh Balsekar Ji thinks that Buddha had said. Though I agree to the quote completely.

[@FootyFrenzyHD]

@@ankitanand143 what good does that belief do for your life? You have no control and everything is just happening? That's sounds awful. But if that's what you believe fair enough. I can't change your mind. I believe we all have some of agency. Even if it's not complete "free will" we still make choices.

[@SurabhiKrishnac]

Love the way you balanced different (3) school of thoughts. I was wondering if you would let us know which way you are tilted, but by not doing so, you enhanced our free will 😂.

[@hanumantareddy6294]

Deterministic nature of events Cause n effect. Action n Reaction. Automation. Programmed way of events. Simplified here the secrets of the nature's operations. We all are bound to be with in the limits of the nature that are set or programmed. Free will is something out of this programmed system of Universe. That is TRANSCEND. Breaking of bondages. Again I bow to the team of this vedio Om Shanti Shanti Shanti!

[@ivapantjoshi1273]

Thankyou swamiji

[@sonaligarg81]

Thank you so much... Jai Shree krishna🙏

[@franco4928]

beautiful ✨❤️

[@swamivedantanandapuri1322]

Pranaam maharaj🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏

[@arpanarpokharel]

Thank you Swamiji

[@shivsivaram9872]

pranam to Thakkur and to you all.

[@memoriesandflashback5204]

chant Hare Krishna daily and make deposits in your Eternal bank account

[@soumillll]

Great one, guruji really insightful 🙏❤️

[@meetalisengupta7886]

Pronam Thakur Maa Swamiji

[@jaganath7]

Guru ji speech makes us enlightenment.....🙏🙏🙏

[@memoriesandflashback5204]

chant Hare Krishna daily and make deposits in your Eternal bank account

[@VedantaKesari]

This is SO GREAT! Sri Siddharameshwar Maharaj said "Act but know that you are not the doer." When you take yourself to be the lower, separative self, you are bound. When you realize your real Self you are free.

[@hanumantareddy6294]

As this vedio starts it punched me. Indian devi like appearance appeared there & then the voice; my God- I can't remain stable at that moment. Remarkable. That was really remarkable to have this experience. I was experiencing something that is extraordinary for me. What an introduction it was! Optimised number of accurately deserving words with optimum clearity of voice. Though it was delivered in American accent yet I was able to grasp the message in its wholeness. It seems there is neutrality & stability in her perceptions. I can add something to my perceptions it seems after I watched this complete vedio session. Thank you so so so much.

[@minnievenkat]

The same! It took me a minute to take it all in. She is every woman in the US of Indian origin’s benchmark now.

[@rovdog9268]

Free will is an illusion. Similar to the illusions of time, space, causality and separation. Relatively, it feels as if we have free will but fundamentally, we don’t.

[@Seanus32]

Well, we do. I can demonstrate agency.

[@FootyFrenzyHD]

@@Seanus32 I agree

[@rovdog9268]

@@Seanus32 what makes you think you’re able to demonstrate agency?

[@JonasAnandaKristiansson]

@@rovdog9268 Yes, it is thought based. Both as an answer to your comment and your answer to our people above!

[@atmannityananda-autognosia]

@ROV DOG, Do you really know what Free will is? I don't think so. Firstly you have to investigate and find and be sure what free will is then to investigate if we have or not. To generalize and say that we have or we don't have free will is false by default.

[@CaptainSanchez]

Powerful talk. Very thought provoking

[@bosesinchan1983]

Swamiji, you are just splendid...

[@luzmartinez6889]

To the Messenger- gratitude.

[@subramanianvv2847]

Swamiji, your eloquence yet simplicity in such topics makes it insightful and inspiring! In the context of freewill I wanted to ask about purushartha in shaping our actions and consequences, and also about working towards eliminating our vasanas. These two concepts taken together presumes we have free will, no? I am a novice in this field, pardon my ignorance!!

[@bauddhbhaarat5943]

We have karmic tendencies. We have free will in the sense we can try to fight them. We definitely have free will to not do evil. A murderer saying he murdered due to determinism from his previous states of mind is absurd. We have free will. That is why human life is so precious and unique.

[@rajgopalreddy8958]

Swamijee charansaprash thought process insight WILL is generated it is turbine enrolled with two wires means cause ad effect light of consciousness is generated but tobe in the being of life such gurujee is needed Jai Bharat 👏

[@deepasinghal4729]

Best part is from 23:00 onwards. Indian philosophies are so complete and comprehensive that all the western researcher theories fail in front of it. Request you to please speak on Indian religion and philosophies more than western theories as it is simple, hits the core and highly advanced than any other existing research work which only rebrands Indian philosophy. We come here to learn about life and manushya from you and the vedas

[@JayakPandala]

the moment you think about it it goes...otherwise totally free as oneness

[@ishanchakraborty2732]

🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻 love hearing Swamiji like nothing

[@aditighosh8068]

🙏🌹pranam

[@tapaspal1620]

RAMKRISHNA SARANAM

[@sonaligupta4707]

Swamiji Wonderful explanation

[@GayanPapi]

Nice

[@srinivasangopalan3145]

Thank you Guru Ji for the illuming clarity and simplicity in expression.🙏

[@abhic9386]

Try explaining it to a a muzlim.

[@nomadexplorer6682]

@@abhic9386 Inshah Allah...they chant which is God willing.... Sat Chit Ananda....

[@abhic9386]

@@nomadexplorer6682 yes true. They also chant olaa hu uber performing peacful acts

[@krishnapartha]

Keep up the good work and meaningful conversations. We are all grateful. 🙏🏾

[@rosappan]

Swami, I never seek a personal freedom. I want the Truth for entire Humanity in this Planet. Either I want liberation for all Or I am completely willing to be bound to this planet for eons. Namaskaram Swami 🙏🙏🙏

[@sahajasamadhimahayoga969]

Aum Arunachala Siva! You have a dream, and you see thousands of people in the dream. When you wake up, where will those thousands of people, of the dream? everything vanishes, you alone remain.... saying that, 'I wan liberation for all' - when we ourselves remain in bondage, is like asking, 'will those thousands of people who were there in my dream, wake up when I wake up? well, they are part of your dream.... Aum Namo Bhgavathe Sri Ramanaaya!

[@anatomistnoelectrons9414]

tadhaasthu!

[@prabhasreenivasan6524]

🙏pranams swamiji

[@memoriesandflashback5204]

chant Hare Krishna daily and make deposits in your Eternal bank account

[@jasraikhy2264]

Very nicely described. Thank You.

[@jimpiekarski6940]

How about this? I have a tendency to think or act in a certain manner in response to a certain situation,and normally I would act this way. However, due to my spiritual practice, when the situation arises I have a quiet mind, which holds in abeyance all my pre-conceived notions on what to do. In this open awareness I can choose an action that aligns with wisdom and love. This response may be something totally new for me. So, the question is, Is this free will or just more conditioning?

[@LifePurposeCoachIndia]

My personal experience, every time I choose action in alignment with wisdom and love which I called path of Dharma, which is above my personal likes and dislike, I expand my circle of free will. I fill more and more empowered.

[@vithobabansode5127]

Thanks a lot

[@suradi100]

Very nice

[@laika5757]

Music to my ears... 🎼🎶🎸

[@palakraval6677]

Thank you guruji. I am listening to you with my mother.

[@JonasAnandaKristiansson]

WOW :O

[@jorbamax1080]

Swami ji beautifuly ended by saying to liberate from karma cycle 🙏

[@munjolepadmakar2897]

Free will ,at any rate, being an ontological reality cannot escape the sphere of determinism . The only way out is to regard it as an artificial fact.

[@mokshajetley9244]

Jai Sri Ramakrishna

[@simeondawkins6358]

May your practice bring you closer to the eternal calmness, the radiant light of the void.

[@ahmadsharif1631]

Dear Sir, excellently explained. Sharif

[@etthanstewart3428]

Best explanation I have heard...

[@memoriesandflashback5204]

Surrendering ourselves to supreme conscious, releases us from the affect of Maya, Maya is a kind of bhranti ..................................... Jivanmukta Attaining freedom,

[@shivrajpatil2400]

Absolutely correct guruji. Very nice topic and properly explained thanks

[@claudedupont8233]

I like the Guy.Authenticity is what we need now

[@abhic9386]

Authenticity with Integrity, along with shunning the central idea innate in all Abhrahmic faiths, i.e. Anthropocentrism .

[@atmannityananda-autognosia]

❤ Free will is not a matter of feeling but Consciousness. I have free will not because I feel like this but because I am a conscious Being, Nevertheless, without eliminating subconscious programming and developing higher capacities of the mind and conscious contact with divine Essen, is not possible to exercise our Free will.

[@ranadebray5440]

Nice talk, Swami ji. Little bit confusing at some point, but freedom is the ultimate goal for all of us.

[@srinu4995]

Finally, is there any sense of free will

[@atmannityananda-autognosia]

SWAMI SIVANANDA Bear in mind that every small act that you perform is the resultant of triple conjoint forces, viz., freewill, character and fate.

[@gautamdas7120]

Very confusing subject. But, Swamiji has explained it very honestly. Without self realisation it is not fully comprehensible. Till that, only try to do good karma.🙏

[@Dharmicaction]

There is both free will and pre-programmed karma. Free will cannot achieve anything beyond our pre-programmed prarabtha karma. But at the same time Sanchitha karma can be re-programmed by free will which creates new karma and goes to our future lives. Of course, causes for free will is usually based on what we experience in this life but it does not mean everyone desires for the same change. eg If 2 people suffer due to poor financial situation, one could desire for a rich life in the next life and another could desire for spiritual evolution. This is the difference free will can provide.