The Pre-requisites for Existential Experiences: Space-Time Continuum, Causation, Observation & Motion

Life can be sensed only through activity. No activity indicates the absence of life. The three basic prerequisites for activity to take place are Space, Time and Causation. There is a fourth critical factor for the perception and registration of activity which has even been emphasized by modern physics is that of Observation. Without any observation the occurrence of ‘the activity cannot be known at all. The dimensions of Space, Time, Causation and Observation that together facilitate the process of experiencing Existence - as Life, in the way it happens - are being analyzed in this article.

SPACE

Space is the expanse or room around any reference point or around an observer whether occupied or unoccupied which-is or can-be, freely available for movement in any direction. Geometry describes Space in three dimensions viz. length, breadth and height whereas in terms of directions it has six dimensions viz. North, East, South, West, Above and Below. In Indian Astrology, Space has been directionally considered to be ten dimensional, namely Uttar (north), Ishaan (north-east), Poorva (east), Agni (south-east), Dakshin (south), Nairiti (south-west), Pashchim (west), Vayavya (north-west), Aakaash (upwards or above) and Paataal (downwards or below).

All things that exist in this universe exist-in and occupy space. Similarly all things that move in this universe do so in space alone. Without space there can be no existence or movement nor any activity. In other words one of the basic requirements for the play of life to happen in this universe is the Element of Space.

Modern science considers Space at the cosmic level to be ever expanding. Right from the big bang moment, space has rapidly expanded and is expanding continuously. Some scientists have likened space to an air balloon which expands all around as more and more air gets filled in the balloon however it has been found to be too simplistic and far from the true nature of space. It is generally presumed that space is homogenous and uniform throughout and can be mapped entirely by applying the Cartesian coordinates which is termed as the Galilean view but scientists such as Einstein and others who have studied space after him have found space to be non-uniform with its behavior and coordinates varying depending on the unique position of a ‘locality in space’. However the Galilean view holds true at the boundaries of space. Thus space can be visualized as a large container with standard Galilean properties on its surface and which ‘contains’ all entities of the universe within; however space also plays a part in the construction of all universal entities which gives it a special character in the vicinity of the location of each unique entity. In short, Space can be said to be a complex element which has yet to be fully deciphered in its true nature.

In Hindu philosophy the universe has been considered to have been created out of five elements. One of the five elements is the element of Space. In fact the pride of place in the order of importance and criticality has been assigned to the element of Space because Space houses the other four elements which are Air, Water, Fire and the Earth. Space called Kshitija in Sanskrit represents Sound denoted by the sacred sound of ‘Aum’ represented by the sacred symbol shown below :

Out of the five sensory perceptions, Space representing Sound is perceived through the Ears. Being the one critical element for existence to happen, Space is also identified as the ‘Principle’ of existence and is considered to be the closest approximation of Brahman (the potential or Infinity) and thus it is taken to be sacred for which reason all mantras in Hindu religious rituals begin with the sound Aum.

Note: The symbol of AUM has five segments viz. the three semi-circular limbs that are joined at the centre and the over-riding ‘chandra-bindu’ (representing the sound syllable called Pranav) that rests on the outwardly extended third limb. The chandra-bindu sign itself consists of an arc holding a dot on top making in all five segments. The three limbs represent the three geometric dimensions of Space; the three dimensions of eternal Time i.e. the past, present and future; the three states of ‘experiencing’ in life i.e. the waking state, the dream state and the deep sleep state as well as the three concurrent bodies of living beings i.e. the sthool sharira (physical body), the sookshma sharira (the subtle body) and the kaaran Sharira (the causal body). The chandra-bindu represents the Life principle wherein the dot holding arc represents Matter and the Dot itself represents the Spirit or Consciousness. AUM therefore represents the Life as it is experienced in the Space-Time continuum. In this way the symbol AUM represents Existence as a whole and that is why it is held so sacred by the Hindus.

TIME

Time is the notional experience of duration(s) marked by the irreversible continuous progression of successive Events in Existence from a reference point in the Past, through the Present, extrapolated into the Future counted or measured in terms of standard or relative intervals either subjectively by one observer; or else objectively by one or more observers with accepted preset standards / norms for observation and measurement.

The past, present and future can be either subjectively assigned nomenclature in a relative sense to the temporal and arbitrary considerations of the observer as notional experiences or in terms of measurable quantities of some standard units such as years, months, days, hours, minutes or seconds; Or else the past, present or future can be objectively assigned nomenclature through accepted preset norms of observation and measurement by one or more observers as per agreed relative notional experiences or in terms of measurable quantities of some standard units such as years, months or days etc.

Let us take an example to illustrate the foregoing definition of Time. A person states: “I am having tooth ache since some time which continues till now. I consulted a doctor who gave medicine and said it will go away soon.” In this case the event is tooth ache and the observer is the person experiencing it. He has been experiencing it since some time which is the notional reference point in the past from where the subjective observation started. It has been present in every successive ‘now’ since then and has irreversibly progressed in the intervening time interval till the present ‘now’. The interval / duration since the event was first observed by the subject (observer) till now is the experiential time that has passed, being expressed in relative terms as ‘since some time’ which is an arbitrary subjective expression of the observer. Further the assurance of the doctor ‘will go away soon’ is an extrapolation in to the future when the event is likely to pass out of the observer’s experience. The expression ‘soon’ also falls in the category of ‘arbitrary subjective’ expression. Thus the remarks of the observer in respect of the time durations expressed as ‘since some time’ (historical time) and ‘will go away soon’ (futuristic time) are arbitrary, subjective and relative in nature. Suppose the person had stated: “I am having tooth ache since ten days which continues till now. I consulted a doctor who gave medicine and said it will go away in two days.” There is a basic difference in the two statements; since both the historical and the futuristic dimensions of time are no more arbitrary and relative in nature being expressed in terms of standard units of time measurement (as days) however the assignment of time duration continues to be subjective being in the realm of the observer’s own experience alone.

As per the foregoing explanation of Time, it may appear that time is linear in nature however it is only as linear in nature as is the experience of the world being flat when one is walking on the road knowing full well that the globe is actually spherical. It is quite like the small arc on the circumference of a circle with a very large diameter which appears almost like a straight line. Time is actually cyclical in nature but the time-cycles of nature are quite large hence in the short run of our day to day experiences Time gets experienced as being linear. It can be argued that if time is cyclical then it should retrace its original path, howsoever large the cycle may be, but the experience is otherwise, since the time that has once passed is never known to have repeated itself. It is true that time once passed never retraces its original path from wherever it is measured however that would be the case if it was circular in nature. Time is cyclical as stated earlier but it is not circular otherwise it would retrace itself. It does not happen that way because time exists in three-dimensional space and the circle exists in two dimensions. Therefore time is cyclical as in a Spiral wherein the repetition of cycles happens continuously in the third dimension whereby there is never ever any retracing of the path taken earlier.

Time forms the component basis for the comparison and measurement of other dimensions of a phenomenon such as speed, span or rate of change etc as in Astronomy, Economics or Physics etc. It is useful in sequencing or planning of events such as for navigation or for recording conscious experiences of which History is an example. It is referred to as the fourth dimension on the Space-Time continuum along with the three dimensions of Space. The Newtonian view of Time as an essential dimension of the universal structure independent of events but in which events occur sequentially, called the Realist view has long been shelved in favor of the Leibnizian and Kant’s view that Time is neither a physical entity that ‘flows’ nor a ‘container’ through which events and objects move. It is not a thing that can be quantified or measured instead it is a notional structure within which human beings sequence and compare events.

Since our birth we get so conditioned by the clock-time in our day to day living that our understanding of time revolves around the clock time only. The clock time is Relative Time quite different from Real Time and the Absolute Time. In reality there is no fixed physical entity called Time. It exists in perception and therefore only in the mind. It is actually an interval or the duration between two reference points of experience (events) that is measured as time which can be expressed in relative terms or in terms of standard units as already explained. The clock time measures the duration or interval in standard units. The standard unit of the clock time is the Second in the internationally accepted standard measurement systems whether in the FPS system or in the MKS system. The letter ‘S’ in both systems stands for the basic unit of time – the Second. The measurement unit of time i.e. the second has been standardized as the duration of 919, 26, 31770 periods of the radiation corresponding to the transition between the two hyperfine levels of the ground state of the  Caesium-133 atom at rest at a temperature of 0 deg. K. The astronomical definition of the second has been 1/ 24 x 60 x 60 of a day i.e. 0.00001157407^th part of a day. The astronomical definition of the second was shelved in favor of a more scientifically accurate definition since the length of the day could vary during observations as per location and time. That the ancients were very well aware of the concept of time is obvious from the term ‘second’ being used to name the unit of time. They knew that time can be experienced only when there is a second event following the first event otherwise there is no experience of time; that in all probability may be the reason why they named the unit of time as the ‘second’. The clock time is Relative time as it is standardized in relation to some well defined astronomical or atomic event in the universe and it does not have any locus standi of its own. Real Time is an expression for the ‘immediate and now’ and is used in the context of responsiveness of a system or an observer for registering an event as soon as it occurs or for reacting to the exigency immediately. It has no relation to the clock time or to the standard units of time.

The Absolute time is a concept that was first introduced by Newton, who defined it as the independent aspect of objective reality. According to him, absolute time exists independent of an observer and progresses at a constant pace throughout. He believed that absolute time was imperceptible which could be only understood mathematically. He held the view that the human beings could only perceive relative time based on the measurement of perceivable objects in motion such as the Sun and the Moon.

Newton’s view is the scientific view and understanding of absolute time. However the Hindu’s have closely studied time from antiquity. The Rig Veda has references to Kaal (time) and has well defined references to both the relative and the absolute time. The Hindu way of assigning symbols and deities to all universal concepts applied to the concepts of time as well. Whereas Mahaa-Kaal is associated with absolute time, the deity Kaal-Bhairava is associated with the relative time. In Hinduism absolute time (Mahaa-Kaal) has been defined as an aspect of the Supreme Consciousness – the Shiva tattwa. The un-manifested universe exists in absolute time. Only when the manifestation of the universe takes place does the relative time come into play. In other words the stillness in which the manifested universe recedes at the time of Pralaya (dissolution of the universe into potential energy) is the immeasurable and unperceivable absolute time. In this way the universe stays in the womb of stillness or absolute time (Mahaa-Kaal) till it manifests out of stillness in the Kinetic form as the splendorous manifested universe and is thereafter guided by relative time - Kaal-Bhairava. In this way the relative time is a subset of the absolute time. The duration of the manifestation of the dynamic universe between its emergence from the womb of absolute time until its dissolution back into the womb of absolute time is the domain of relative time i.e. the Kaal-Bhairava. The manifested universal form is a form of kinetic energy which is deified in Hinduism as Shakti (Energy), as a female form or as Devi (female deity). This is why there is a Kaal-Bhairava temple on the outskirts in close proximity of every ancient Hindu Devi temple. A pilgrimage to any such Devi temple is considered to be incomplete without paying respects to the Kaal-Bhairava temple guarding the Devi temple. The principle behind this order of Devi temples highlights that the manifested universe is bound and protected by relative time – Kaal-Bhairava. Yet another interesting fact about the Hindu understanding of time has been deified and coded in the location of the only temple dedicated to absolute time or Mahaa-Kaal in India located at Ujjain. In ancient India Ujjain was taken to be the zero point for the measurement of standard time somewhat like what Greenwich is today. Recent studies have revealed that the natural zero point the (geodetic datum) for the GPS navigation system for the Everest ellipsoid applicable to the Indian sub-continent falls close to Ujjain and probably would have been at the temple’s location itself when the temple of Mahaa-Kaal was built, from where it has shifted due to the continuous flattening of the Mount Everest.

The unperceivable and immeasurable absolute time (Mahaa-Kaal) is all that is. As and when the universe manifests out of the womb of nothingness, the big bang moment, the relative time begins in the play of Creation. With the manifestation of the universe emerges Space within which the dynamics of experiential existence happens. Thus space, like relative time, too is a product of absolute time and it can be conceptually taken to be hemmed in between absolute time and the relative time: Absolute time - Space - Relative Time. At the time of the dissolution of the manifested universe back into nothingness (Pralaya), the big crunch moment, the relative time and space lose their existence as they get absorbed into the absolute time. In this manner the cycle of unmanifest to manifest universe back to the unmanifest is repeated eternally which has been propounded by scientists as the String theory. The present subjective experience of existence for every living being happens in real time. Thus each ‘Now’ of our experience is the still picture of ‘our world’ in real time and all such stills together form the present picture of the universe in the ‘Now’ i.e. in real time which is also the concept of another scientific theory of the universal phenomenon called the Platonia model of the universe. Thus real time is a subset of the relative time.

Suffice it to say that time is the essence of all that is manifest as well as that which is unmanifest. Thus absolute time is Omnipresent which manifests as relative time when experienced with respect to intervals between successive events and which takes the form of real time in the closest approximation of the present as ‘now’. The entire play of the manifested universe happens within the three dimensional space and the realm of relative time which is together referred to as the Spatiotemporal frame or the Space-Time continuum that forms the four-dimensional framework for all experiences.

CAUSATION

Having established the framework for experiences in life in terms of space and time dimensions as the space-time continuum the question arises: ‘Why do events happen or actions are carried out?’ Newton’s first law of motion states ‘Every object persists in its state of rest or uniform motion in a straight line unless it is compelled to change that state by forces impressed on it.’ This law explains that any change in a given situation occurs whenever there is a causation affecting that change. It follows therefore that whatever happens in the universe is an effect of some preceding cause. Since events keep on happening all the time, it can be easily inferred that each and every effect becomes a cause for subsequent effects. It shall be an overly simplistic understanding that an effect can be the result of one cause alone. Even a surface level analysis would establish more than one cause for any effect. It is however possible that the apparent role being played by one of the causes to an effect may seem to be most critical for the occurrence of the effect which in most cases is a subjective assessment. Thus it can be stated that every event is an effect of a set of causes and that the same event together with other such events / effects becomes the cause for other events or effects. In other words every event has a dual nature; one of being an effect and the other of being the cause. In this way every event that happens has a twofold role wherein the first role is that of an effect in the current scenario and the second role is in becoming a cause for another effect for another scenario. This fundamental principle forms the bedrock of the classical Theory of Cause and Effect. It follows from the foregoing that no effect can precede its cause / causes and similarly there cannot be an effect without a cause. In other words if there is an effect, the fact of the existence of atleast one cause for the effect is an undeniable reality.

In his Theory of Causality, Aristotle identified four types of causes for all events that happen in the universal phenomenon including actions carried by living beings. These four types of causes were termed by him as:

Material causes – ‘that out of which’ the effect happens;

Formal causes – ‘that which leads to a specific form or shape’;

Efficient causes – ‘the primary influence that brings about the change from the existing state’;

Teleological causes – ‘the final objective or the end for the sake of which some action was carried out’.

The above classification of causality presupposes the ‘presence’ of the causes that lead to the effect however it does not consider the fact that even the ‘absence’ of something(s) can be the cause of an effect. Those causes that create the effect due to their presence are called the Immanent causes whereas those factors which lead to an effect due to their absence are called Transcendent causes. Another aspect of causation which needs to be pointed out relates to the fact that sometimes what appears to be a cause for some effect may not be the real cause but actually it is something subtler which is latent within the apparent cause that is responsible for the effect. Such latent causes are called the ‘Fine grain’ causes.

The following example explains the categorization of causes:

A clay molder has created dolls of clay for selling in the market. In this case the clay used for making the dolls is the material cause, the dolls’ shape and form is the formal cause, the molder himself is the efficient cause and the selling of the dolls in the market is the teleological cause. The role played by these four causes is relatable to their being present in the event hence these are immanent causes however this whole process could get facilitated by the absence of rain hence the rain becomes the transcendental cause for the event to take place. The clay molder appears to be the efficient cause on the surface but the real efficient cause is his molding skill which is latent in his being the molder thus by the previous definition the molding skill is the fine-grain cause for the event.

The classification of causality or causation as described in the foregoing are all confined to the macro level observations and perceptions only. Causation at the atomic and sub-atomic levels as defined by modern physics follow an entirely different set of rules which is not the concern of the present narration.

It follows from the foregoing description of causality that for any event or action to take place within the dynamic universal phenomenon there is a fifth necessary prerequisite in addition to the four dimensions of the spatiotemporal frame or the space-time continuum that needs to be fulfilled which is the dimension of Causation. Thus an action or an event occurs in three dimensions of space, within the dimension of relative time as a consequence of some causation.

OBSERVATION

How can it be known whether an event happened or did not happen; Or whether something is present or absent in a given spatiotemporal setting? The simplest and the surest way for a deterministic conclusion to answer such a question can only happen through Observation. An event can be said to have occurred, if and only if, it has been observed by an observer. Such an observation can be direct or indirect. The direct observation is the observation made through one’s own sensory perception whereas the same becomes indirect for another agency to which such an observation is conveyed or reported for perusal. An example of the direct observation is the watching of a sports event in the field whereas listening to its commentary on the radio is an example of indirect observation. An observation can be qualitative when it is for the purpose for determining the occurrence of an event or it can be quantitative when it is for measuring or quantifying the observed phenomenon or an aspect thereof; however some of the observations can very well serve both - the qualitative and the quantitative objectives.

Observations can be identifiable or alien. An identifiable observation is one that falls within the realm of existing knowledge of the observer; in other words the observer carries the memory of a similar or identical observation made earlier, be it direct or indirect; On the contrary an alien observation is the one which does not belong to the realm of previous knowledge of the observer. The best example of an alien observation is when we encounter a word the meaning of which is not known to us.

Sometimes observations of the cause(s) lead to an assumption on the basis of past experiences that a certain effect is most likely to follow or shall certainly follow. In such cases the effect itself has not been observed but is presumed to have been observed. Such presumed observations can be termed as derivable observations. Derivable observations remain in the domain of uncertainty till confirmed by subsequent direct or indirect observations. Derivable observations have an important role to play in planning and allocation of resources.

Needless to say, the observer is a necessary element in the process of observation. The reality of an event cannot get established without observation, therefore it follows that an observer is necessary to establish the occurrence of an event. This observer can be a part of the phenomenon being observed or he may remain outside it; for example, the participant in a sports event is very much within the phenomenon while observing the event whereas the spectator is outside the phenomenon while observing the same. All observations are subjective in nature and therefore get influenced or colored by the prejudices and biases of the individual observer. Moreover all observations take place through the sense perceptions of some observer and since the senses of each individual have varying degrees of efficiency and effectiveness due to unique limitations of the individual’s sense organs, the observations too get influenced subjectively in each case. The spatiotemporal factors including relativity also play an important role in the quality of observations made by an observer.

Whether the observations are direct or indirect; qualifying or quantifying; accurate, biased or derivable in nature, there cannot be any denial of the reality that it is the fact of observation that finally establishes the existence of any entity or of the happening of any event in this universe. In other words all experiences are but observations in the spatiotemporal framework (space-time continuum) occurring as a consequence to some causation. 

MOTION

Motion has been defined as a change in position of an object over time. It is usually described in terms of displacement, distance, velocity, acceleration, speed and time. Generally motion signifies a continuous state of change in the position of an entity with respect to some frame of reference but since there can never be an absolute frame of reference, all observations of motion are relative in nature e.g. the observed motion of planets from earth are relative to the motion of the earth. Even if something appears to be stationary in the relative sense, it only signifies that the thing being observed is moving at the same speed as the reference frame itself and its apparent stationary status is not factual. In this sense everything in the universe is actually in motion. The earth is encircling the Sun at approx. 30 kms./sec. while the Sun itself is moving at approx. 200 kms./sec. and our galaxy= the Milky Way- is moving at approx. 600 kms./sec. It can thus be seen that every observation of motion can only be relative, whichever be the reference frame.

The dynamics of the universal phenomenon is always a consequence of ‘energy exchanges’ in varying time cycles however always maintaining the universal reality of ‘conservation of energy’. Whenever an exchange of energy occurs, there is motion and activity. The visible universe is observed as ‘a snapshot frozen in a moment of time’, although it actually consists of all its constituent entities in continuous motion.

The obvious question that arises at this juncture is: Why is the whole universe dynamic in nature? The answer to the question lies in the fact that the total cosmic energy transforms itself from the potential state of nothingness into the kinetic state when the universe manifests; however the total cosmic energy remains conserved in both the states. The cause for the repetitive manifestation and annihilation of the material vesture of the universe is to maintain the equilibrium of the two energy states on an eternal time scale. The manifested universe is a kinetic energy state which is identified by its inherent dynamism only. Therefore it is an essential necessity of the universe to maintain its dynamic character. This dynamism permeates all aspects and dimensions of universal existence in the form of motion and activity. This explains the fact as to why all phenomena of the universe, right from the largest galaxies to the tiniest subatomic particles, are in motion all the time. Life on earth both at the mundane level as well as at the individual level is experienced in a dynamic state in varying time cycles whether experienced as changes in seasons, as day and night, as blood circulation, as the beating heart, as growth and decay or as birth and death. These dynamic existential experiences of all living beings are consequences of the dynamics of the universal phenomenon as explained in the foregoing narration. Motion in the universe is what heart beat is in a living being. In short motion is Life itself.

There are five basic types of identifiable motions which may appear as the fundamental building blocks of all activity. These are:

      1. Linear motion which is the movement or progress in any single direction e.g. the flight of an arrow.
2.   Rotary motion which is a circular movement either on a circular or a spiral path e.g. the motion of the wheel;
3.      Oscillating motion which is a swinging motion from one end to another on a fixed path e.g. the motion of a clock pendulum.
4.  Reciprocatory motion which is the repetitive forward and backward movement e.g. the movement of the saw.
5. Random motion which does not follow any pattern in movement e.g. the flight of a bird.

Motion is fundamental to all activities and as described in the foregoing paragraphs occurs within the six-dimensional reference frame of the Space-Time continuum, Causation and Observation.

The three motions of Earth: Like all other entities in the universe our own planet Earth is always in motion which obviously affects life on earth. There are three distinctly identifiable motions of the planet Earth which are being described here-in-after:

Rotation around its Axis: The Earth spins on its axis from West to East (counter-clockwise). It takes the Earth 23 hours, 56 minutes, and 4.09 seconds to complete one full turn. Day and night are produced by the rotation of the Earth. The speed of rotation at any point upon the equator is at the rate of approximately 1,038 miles per hour, decreasing to zero at the poles.

Revolution around the Sun: While the Earth is spinning on its axis, it is revolving around the Sun in a counter-clockwise direction. It takes the Earth one full year to complete one full revolution around the Sun. This path is known as the Earth's orbit which is elliptical and very nearly a circle. The mean distance of the Earth from the Sun is about 93 million miles and the distance varies by 3 million miles, forming a slightly oval (elliptical) path.

The revolution of the Earth around the Sun traverses a distance of 595 million miles in 365 days, 6 hours, 9 minutes and 9.5 seconds. This means a speed of 18 miles a second (or 66,000 miles per hour) while at the same time rotating once each (approx.) twenty-four hours.

The wobbling motion of the earth around its polar axis: This effect is called Precession and one full turn lasts almost 26000 years. The effect of this motion of earth is not generally perceivable even in a life time however it is an important factor for the purposes of Astrology particularly Indian astrology.

ASTROLOGY versus THE MYTHS OF FREEWILL AND DOERSHIP

The basic premise for any form of prediction, astrological or otherwise is pivoted on the assumption that the future trends shall follow a certain determinable course that is unlikely to change. Any prediction or any futuristic assessment shall not prove to be accurate if the assumptions, on which it is based, undergo change during the time preceding the occurrence of the predicted event or behavior. If there can be any form of control due to individuals’ actions on the factors affecting the ultimate outcome then any form of futuristic assessment is meaningless. The very foundation of astrological analysis and prediction is the premise that the future trends are determined by factors beyond the control of any individual action. This fact, more often than not, does not resonate with the egocentric mind and intellect of the modern human being, leading to a skeptical approach towards astrology.

The ego centric manifestations in the form of “ I am the doer “ or that “ I have a free will ” are so strongly engrained in the mind and deeply embedded in the intellect of the average human being that any idea contrary to such a belief is not only vehemently challenged but is usually rejected by the indomitable Ego. Hence, unless and until a clear and firm understanding that ‘free will’ and ‘doership’ are myths and that the ‘conditioned will’ and ‘doing’ are the only truth gets firmly realized, the relevance of astrology can never be appreciated..

The design and construction of the human being needs to be examined thoroughly for establishing the fallacy of the concepts of freewill and doership. In this context the role of the genetic code or the DNA program, the environmental conditionings, the training of the intellect through education as well as the unique matrix of ongoing experiences of the individual that shape the human being in each moment need to be investigated.

The DNA programming

Human beings are equipped with three faculties - the body, the mind and the intellect. Of these, the body’s design as well as its functioning are programmed vide the code present in an individual’s unique DNA. Though human bodies are normally equipped with the same number and type of organs embedded in the similar basic design, each one of us is actually uniquely different in our constitution. This uniqueness of our physical entity is a manifestation of the program coded in our DNA. Encoded within the DNA are the directions for traits as diverse as the color of our eyes, our height, the form of the nose, the tone and quality of our voice, our susceptibility to specific infections or diseases, our tastes as well as what attracts or repels us. It has been established by modern science that our DNA entirely determines our physical constitution. Whether we like it or not we do not have any say or control in this matter at all. In other words we are bound by our DNA program and it is nearly impossible for us to transcend this limitation. The aspect of heredity is only a reflection of this basic truth.

The DNA program therefore becomes a very important determinant of our physical uniqueness and individuality. Looking at it from a broader perspective, it will not be an exaggeration to claim that this program comes into play in all spheres of our living since all our actions and reactions happen through our physical body. The limits, to which we can stretch ourselves physically, are thus preset. For example, a person with weak lungs cannot hope to become a medal winning athlete or for that matter a person with a stammering drawback can never dream to become a great orator. We therefore are programmed with some strengths and some weaknesses and we have had no say in such a programming. This undeniable reality is the key - We have had no say in our DNA programming. Our actions and reactions therefore always have an inbuilt dimension of predetermination that gets carried in all aspects of our living and existence. With this inherent bondage can we really claim to have freedom to act or react with freewill? The DNA program can be compared to the parts or roles written down in a play. Each character of the play is preconceived wherein the actor has no choice whatsoever but to faithfully enact the assigned character in the drama, having no right (freewill) to modify the assigned role in any manner. Much in the same way, we have been assigned specific roles in the play of this universal drama for which we are programmed in the physical sense by our unique DNA. Thus the question of freewill in the play of life does not arise at all.

The programming of the mental faculty

We do not choose the environment of our birth instead we inherit our parents, our relatives, our neighbors, the geopolitical, social and the economic surroundings at birth. Our attitudes, our unique personality, the language we speak, the traditions and customs that we follow, the religion, the value system and the philosophical background to which we subscribe are all learnt from the family and the environment of our birth. Our inner faculty called the Mind gets conditioned by the specific features and characteristics of our birth environment. The mind absorbs and adopts the special properties of the given environment and makes it an essential part of our being. Our mind thus gets tuned to the specific environment so that we can comfortably blend, exist and flow with the surroundings. This conditioning of the mind is unique and it happens after birth in many ways at multiple layers.

The first and the foremost layer of conditioning comes from the family. The structure of the family, the nature of the parents and siblings, the family’s historical as well as its current economic and social status, its adopted way of life and its value systems etc. play a crucial role in defining the first layer of conditioning of an individual’s mind.

The second layer of mental conditioning comes from the (birth) society. The rules and norms of the society, its hierarchal structure, its accepted value system, its beliefs, traditions and customs ( both historical and current ) create specific and unique influences on the individual’s mind after birth in the given society. The prejudices and biases which are prevalent in the birth society are learnt and accepted by the mind which in turn conditions its responses, attitudes and reactions. It is for this reason why an individual born in one country develops ill will towards another country which is apparently inimical to his or her own country of birth. Similarly an individual born in a football crazy nation is more likely to become an ardent football lover.

The actions and reactions of a human being get expressed through the body as directed by the mind. When both, the mind and the body, are bound by factors outside individual’s control then can it be claimed that there can be any truly ‘free-willed’ action through the individual’s body-mind system. The answer is simply and truly ‘No’.

The intellectual programming through Education

Human beings have evolved from primitive nomadic creatures into modern cultured, social and progressive beings. This transformation is unique only to the human race. The plant or the animal kingdoms have not changed much over the years. This evolution of the human beings has been made possible due to the divine gift to humanity in the form of the faculty of the Intellect.

The intellect provides the human species with the capacity to reason, to infer, to discriminate, to distinguish, to know, to learn, to understand, to think abstractly and profoundly as well as to plan thereby enabling the human race to observe and to learn about all aspects of its existence. This knowledge helped human beings to continuously improve upon and to develop better means and methods for living in this world as well as to shed many of the animalistic behavioral attitudes and to learn, develop and cultivate value patterns for healthier coexistence. The development of music, poetry, literature and various art forms as well as of science and technology has all been possible as a result of the intellectual expansion of the human race as a whole - an unparalleled success story.

This enormous intellectual evolution has pushed the horizons of knowledge and development further and further, so much so that the mighty forces of nature have been tuned to serve the human species. The human evolution can be best described as a continuous relay race in which the runners from one generation have been passing on the baton of knowledge and development to the next generation who in turn run further on the evolutionary path passing on the baton of evolution to the upcoming generation. This passing-on of the baton has been made possible by the process of Education.

Education is the programming of the Intellect through the process of learning and gathering knowledge. The level of knowledge available at any given epoch in the world is the sum total of all the knowledge gathered and processed by humanity over the ages up to that point in time. This enormous knowledge has been branched out into different categories as different sciences to facilitate understanding and specialization. It is difficult for a single individual today to have knowledge in all the fields hence modern education has two important stages namely - the primary stage during which the student develops knowledge necessary for the next stage, which is the stage of higher learning and specialization wherein the student focuses on a single branch of knowledge or science, best suited for his aptitude and interest. Throughout this entire educational process, the intellect gets programmed with knowledge. Not all persons pursue knowledge to the very edge of its existing horizon which is why the level of evolution varies from person to person, even within the same epoch and within the same branch of knowledge.

The degree of evolution through education becomes an essential and inseparable part of the total personality of the individual having a direct bearing on the behavior, attitude, actions, reactions, vision, enterprise as well as placement in social hierarchy that gets reflected in the manner in which the individual applies oneself in a given situation. Thus whatever one does carries the dimension of one’s education. This establishes the fact that one is bound by one’s intellectual development thereby leaving no room for the so called Free Will.

   

The conditioning from Personal Experiences

Life is a string of experiences occurring continuously as long as one lives. No two persons can have the same set of experiences in life even if they have lived in the same geopolitical and economic settings within the same epoch; their experiences not only differ but are unique to each one of them. Our inclinations, motivations, opinions, actions and reactions are influenced greatly by our past personal experiences. In fact our personal experiences are also some of the most powerful lessons learnt by us which orient us one way or the other in a given set of circumstances or situations. The following illustration highlights this:

If while dealing with one Mr. A, I had an unpleasant experience, I shall record in my memory that Mr. A is not good enough. On the other hand a friend of mine who has also dealt with Mr. A has found his experience of dealing with him to be a good one therefore he shall register favorable remarks for Mr. A in his memory. Mr. A is the same whether for me or for my friend but to me he is not so good a person whereas for my friend he is a pretty nice man. This contradictory acknowledgement of Mr. A is purely based on the unique personal experiences of my friend’s and my own dealings with him which shall color our future dealings related to Mr. A.

Experiencing is a regular and continuous process in our lives due to which we keep learning and reorienting ourselves every moment of our life even if the change is insignificant or unnoticeable. The following story brings forth this fact of life very effectively:

Once upon a time a great Zen master called one of his disciples and asked him a simple question on a topic which had been recently taught. The disciple gave the correct answer. The next day the master called the same disciple and asked him the same question, to which the disciple gave the same correct answer as was given by him on the previous day. The following day the master once again called the same disciple and asked him the very same question. This time the disciple got puzzled however he gave the correct answer to the master but now he had a doubt in his mind on the master’s real motive so he respectfully questioned his master as to why he has been asking him the same question every day? To this the Zen master replied that on all the occasions you gave the same answer to my question which showed that you have not modified or upgraded your understanding of the topic in question  with respect to your experiences during the intervening time since I taught you this topic. You are not the same today as you were on the day you learnt this lesson then how can your understanding remain the same? It only shows that your learning has only become a part of your memory but not a part of yourself.

This story highlights the importance of the subtle changes in our personality due to our experiences of life on a moment to moment basis. Our entire personality is always in a state of flux. One or more dimensions of our Self are always changing. Like the minute hand in the clock whose movement goes unnoticed but when looked at after some gap tells another time, we too keep changing in a subtle and unnoticeable manner on the basis of our experiences however over a sufficiently long period of time, the changes in our personality become clearly evident.

It is not without reason that while recruiting employees, the employer normally looks for a candidate with relevant and sufficient experience over and above the educational qualifications.

Knowledge by itself is only gathered information and unless this knowledge is seasoned by experience it does not become Wisdom. Whereas knowledge is a part of memory, wisdom becomes the part of understanding which comes into play all the time and in all aspects of living. Richer is the experience greater is the wisdom. By education one can gather knowledge but wisdom comes only through experience. The value addition to one’s personality is therefore directly related to one’s education and one’s experience which in turn determines one’s utility and place in society. In other words one’s status, position and success etc. are directly proportionate to one’s experiences.   

One’s experiences are neither due to one’s choice nor due to one’s ‘doing’ alone. When experiencing itself is not in one’s control, then how the changes that occur within one’s system as a result of the experiences can ever be as per one’s choice or will? In which case the ‘Person’ both before and after the experience is not in control either of the experience or the changes within the Self caused by that experience. Extrapolating this analogy for the entire life, it can be easily arrived at that at no point of time during one’s Life; one is in control either of the happenings or of the consequent changes occurring within one self, in which case the question of freewill does not arise at all. 

Everyone at every moment is unique, having a unique constitution determined by the DNA code, with a unique personality fashioned by the environment, having a unique level of evolution determined by the education and having a unique disposition caused by the experiences in the life up to that point in time. In all these aspects one has had no choice. The choices one makes or the expressions of one’s Will are not independent of one’s total conditioning. The so called willful actions are completely influenced by one’s overall conditioning and orientation as has been described in the foregoing paragraphs. The choices made or willed cannot be termed as freewill. At best the will of the individual can be called the Conditioned Will. It is the ego which labels the Conditioned Will as Free Will. The ego rejects any form of its subjugation being always insecure and afraid of annihilation of its identity and therefore it asserts itself by declaring that all choices are a result of one’s own freewill alone.

If there had been freewill in human beings then there would have been total chaos in this world. Reconciliation would not have been possible for the expressions of contradictory willing by different persons? There would have been a total absence of system and coexistence would not have been possible at all. Even a simple thing as the digestion of food would have been disturbed. It is not without reason that the power that created and may be managing this universe has not provided the human species with Free Will. Even with the limited or conditioned Will the human race has created enough imbalances in nature in the form of ecological disturbances leading the entire universe to the brink of a colossal disaster. Today all living beings including humans are living on the edge. The tragedy would have been much more horrifying and would have come even more quickly, if the human being had freewill.

The concept of Free Will has another dimension to it in the form of ‘Doership’. The so called freewill is meaningless until and unless it results in the accomplishment of its objective - the willed result. Merely by making a choice or by willing, nothing can be achieved. An element of doing or action is necessary to make the Will a reality. The strong belief that merely by my action I can achieve my willed objective is what is called ‘Doership’. There cannot be a greater illusion than this belief of ‘Doership’ which is often expressed as ‘I am the doer’ or ‘I shall do it’ etc. Whereas action or doing is an inseparable part of living or existence, the idea of doership is illusory. Actually doership is synonymous with being in control in a given situation which is never the case and is an illusion created by the ego. Why the concept of ‘Doership’ is illusory is being explained in the following paragraphs:

The fallacy of Doership

The strong belief that in any given situation I am fully capable of taking any action that I want to take, as well as that my action alone is sufficient to ensure the desired result is ‘Doership’. To understand the fallacy of this belief, we have to look at the process of ‘Action’ itself. Every action is preceded by a thought. There cannot be any action without a thought behind it. We get thoughts; we do not generate or create thoughts. A thought which is strong and compelling enough leads to action. The thought comes to us either from memory or as a reaction to external stimuli and we then label it as ‘my thought’. Whereas our memory is the register of all our past observations and experiences leading to our unique conditioning, our reactions always result from our total conditioning up to the point in time of the reaction. Thus any thought we get is never independent of our total conditioning. When the thought itself is not our creation then how can we call the action resulting from that thought to be our own action? It is our ego which identifies itself with the thought as well as with the connected action and calls it ‘my action’. Truly speaking none of our actions are actually ours. The actions only happen through our Body-Mind-Intellect system which has been conditioned in a certain unique manner as has been explained in detail earlier. This is the reason why different persons act differently in the same or similar situations. The very basis for the belief of ‘Doership’ is therefore a misplaced one.

Even if we accept the argument that I am what I am at any moment due to my total conditioning and that the ‘Person’ that I am, acts in a certain manner’ then the action happening through me is ‘my action’; the other part of ‘Doership’ which makes us believe that I shall be able to achieve any desired result due to my action alone is fallacious. The following example shall clarify this point:

In a football match, the forward line players are assigned the role of putting the ball into the opposite goal as soon as they get an opportunity. When the goal is scored by a player, the credit of hitting the goal goes to him. The goal may have been finally accomplished by the said player but that act of hitting the goal is only the final act which would not have been possible if the other players of his team had not brought the ball up and passed it on to him. The goal scored is a result of the efforts of all the players of the team. If the player who scored the goal finally takes the entire credit, it is his mistake. He could score the goal only because the other team mates had done their part in the game. In the total effort his effort was only a part. Similarly in life too our effort in the form of our actions is only a small part of the total effort which goes into the happening of an event. We cannot take credit for the whole effort or claim that our effort was the only one to have made the event happen. The misunderstanding that ‘my action’ alone is responsible for the happening of an event is caused due to the fallacy of ‘Doership’.

Every event that happens is the net result of the actions of innumerable beings. In fact it can be stated that every event that happens is due to the effort put in by the entire universe. We are at all times dependent on the whole of this universe. This fact of interdependence is however taken for granted and conveniently overlooked by our ego due to which we fall into the trap of believing that ‘I am the doer’.

Buddha declared “Events happen deeds are done but there is no individual doer there-off”. This is one of the greatest declarations wherein it has been clearly stated that the happening of an event can never be the result of any one individual’s doing or action.

The Hindu sages and seers institutionalized this understanding in their rituals. One of the most important rituals for the Hindus is the Yagna or the Homam. During the performance of this ritual the community participates by offering their oblations into the sacred fire. This sacred fire signifies the fire of Creation and the oblations signify the effort or actions of each member of the community which are offered as contributions to the total effort in the form of the ongoing Creation. The idea behind the ritual is to make everyone aware that whatever one does is only a contribution to the universal process of creation. During the performance of the ritual, each oblation is offered with the chanting of the mantra “Idam na mamah” which means “This (action or offering) is not mine”. What a great idea to educate people to transcend the ego and its manifestation in the form of ‘Doership’.

Another idea highlighted by the ritual of Yagna was that all actions happen for the fulfillment of the universal agenda only. The community was educated through the rituals to keep the welfare of whole of humanity as the supreme consideration while deciding on a course of action. Any personal agenda or desire prompted action was considered to be a low grade action or an undesirable action. Unfortunately with the passage of time under the influence of greed and lust this ritual degenerated into an exercise for seeking divine blessings for one’s desire fulfillments which goes against the very purpose for which the ritual was designed.

The same idea was also proclaimed by Lord Krishna in his teachings to the prince Arjuna. Krishna said “One can only carry out his action but he can by no means ensure the result”. The natural corollary to this assertion is that the result or the happening of the desired event is dependent on the contribution or involvement of many agencies, not just on one individual’s action.

The actions or contributions of other agencies are never in control of any one individual. The best of shooters can at best set the aim perfectly before actually shooting at the target but if the target shifts as soon as the shot is fired, the effort shall fail. The behavior of the target is not within the control of the shooter. In much the same way the quality of the action alone does not determine its success. This fact highlights yet another dimension of the erroneous belief of ‘Doership’. 

One’s existence in this world in a given life is not for the purpose of self achievements or enjoyments. Everyone is assigned roles for each life in the universal play with the primary objective of fulfilling the universal goals set by Creation. One’s personal goals have no bearing except when they happen to be in line with the objectives of Creation. The entire universe is committed to the goals of Creation and only those of our actions are likely to fructify which directly or indirectly conform to those goals. It is difficult for anyone to know the objective of Creation at any point of time, hence one can only act as one should (as per one’s programming) with the awareness that the result of such an action may not unfold as expected or desired. Success or failure is one’s personal experience but the overall objective of Creation is always fulfilled.

One’s action based on one’s personal considerations is only a contribution to the universal process. The circumstances which compel someone to act one way or the other as per one’s personal conditioning are never in one’s control. The circumstances get created to motivate one to act in a certain manner which is required as a contribution to the universal process. One’s existence is like the tiny particles in a kaleidoscope where one’s orientation is important only for the final picture that emerges from time to time in the kaleidoscope. One is neither in control of the picture nor of one’s own orientation in the picture but nevertheless one has an important role to play. In such a universal design of which we are only a tiny part where is the scope for ‘Doership’. One has only to look around to realize this Truth. The Sun shines and provides heat and energy to the world. The Sun may or may not be aware of its importance for the sustenance of life on earth but nevertheless its existence is crucial for life on the earth. The role played by the Sun in Creation is not its choice and certainly Sun cannot claim to be a doer so far as its role is concerned. Similarly even the tiniest form of life in this world has a crucial role to play for maintaining the fine ecological balance for life to go on smoothly.

The sense of ‘Doership’ is an illusion created by the ego which needs to be replaced by an understanding that all doing that happens through one’s system is necessary for the ultimate happening of an event which may or may not be exactly as desired or expected by the individual doer. In the ultimate analysis however, ‘doing’ is essential-an essential part of one’s existence but it should not necessarily be tied to the happening of any desired event as a result of such ‘doing’. As a corollary to this, it should be understood that ‘doership’ falls only within the authority of Creation or Totality of Existence but is out of bounds for the individual human being. We as individuals are the unique tools in the hands of Creation prepared and conditioned for the specific roles to be played by us in the ongoing process of creation. Even the personal goals and objectives we set for ourselves as per our desires and expectations are actually necessary to motivate us to act in a certain manner so as to actually fulfill the requirements of Creation in the process of making efforts for our own personal fulfillments. Creation in fact follows the ‘carrot and stick policy’ to get its work done through us as individuals.

In the foregoing paragraphs, the myths of Freewill and Doership have been addressed. That Freewill and Doership are mere illusions has been explained. Unless these illusions are cleared it is difficult to develop a meaningful understanding of Astrology. A majority of questions that are frequently asked on Astrology arise from the illusory belief that ‘I’- the limited individual-have unlimited power to ‘do’ as I want to do and achieve whatever I want to achieve. These illusions get reinforced by the talks and writings of experts on Motivation and the self-help Gurus since such talks and writings generate hopes and create a feel-good factor by flattering the Ego. As the master business coach Mike Jay puts it and I quote ‘---let’s get real---we’re not equal. I suppose that’s the most difficult thing to swallow.’ He goes on to say that most of the self-help Gurus would make us believe that ‘we come into this world as blank slates and that we can become anything we want to.’ In this process the self-help Gurus promote the illusory hope ‘If I can do it so can you.’ There can never be a formula for personal success or personal achievement. The same set of principles can bring success in one setting one day and can be the cause for a disaster in a similar setting another day. Once it is understood that there is nothing like personal success but only moments in life when one’s own objective coincides with that of Creation thereby giving the false notion of personal success or achievement, then and only then one can be truly realistic in one’s understanding and approach towards life and living.

There is some possibility of misunderstanding the concepts stated here-in-above as fatalism which is the other extreme of denying Freewill and Doership and it can lead one to develop the attitude of ‘all accepting impotence’ or fatalism which can be even more if not equally destructive as the diehard belief of Freewill and Doership. In no way cowardice or lack of entrepreneurship is being advocated or encouraged in the above paragraphs. Planning, programming and setting goals in the short term as well as in the long term is essential for any well directed action. Activity is the very essence of existence or living. Planning for the possible in any given situation is ‘conditioned willing’ not ‘free willing’ and similarly making a sincere effort as planned is ‘doing’ not ‘doership’. The false ego-centric understanding that ‘I am in control or that I can be in control’ in any situation is all that is being discouraged here. The following illustration shall help in clarifying this further:

A student from a weak economic background will not plan his education from an expensive institution. While planning his future education he shall keep his economic limitation in mind. This is conditioned willing, which is a realistic way of looking at things. Much in the same way an aspirant in a competitive examination can only work hard and give his best possible performance- which is ‘doing’- but he can never remain assured of his success- which is ‘doership’.

In the final analysis what is being advocated is a ‘Realistic’ approach to living as against a bravado approach to life. It is hoped that the readers will get their answers to the questions related to Freewill and Doership as well as to the questions related to the degree of control one has on one’s own life.