In part 1, there was a discussion of how free will from one perspective. The perspective being that there is no entity who can have a free will. Now, we will explore the same topic from another perspective. How about if we explore and investigate if there is any individual entity in the first place. If one can investigate for oneself and discover that there is no individual entity called a "me" ( or John, Jane etc.), then the whole argument of free will falls away since there is no foundation for the argument. If there is no individual entity, then where is the question of free will? Well, there are so many ways to approach this inquiry into the existence of an individual entity. We will try to explore in one way. Let us try to keep it simple, since simplicity is the very nature of the Truth.
No one can deny there is LIFE all around. A bug has life. A dog has life. A human has life. A plant has life. Even a micro-organism has life. Yet Life itself does not have any attributes of its own. Despite the diversity of expression, the common factor is what we call LIFE. We can call that the Life Essence, if that word suits one. There is nothing like a white Life, a black Life, a brown Life, is there? Life is just Life, period. Is there anything like a white American Life, or an African-American Life, or an African Life, or an Asian Life? We can add attributes to what we call "my life", but the fact is that there is nothing like "my life". If everyone says "my life", then who is the real owner of life?!!
Is it not true that you KNOW that you are ALIVE? Do you have to be told that you have something called LIFE without which you would not be conscious of your surroundings or yourself? Is it not true that the SAME LIFE is in you and everything that we say is ALIVE? Is it not true that the LIFE is the same in a white Frenchman, or a Black African or a Brown Asian or for that matter in the variety of animals? There is nothing like a WHITE LIFE, A BLACK LIFE or COLORED LIFE!! Would you not agree? Is it not true that the same LIFE expresses itself in a myriad variety of shapes and forms? Is it not strange and ridiculous that a person somehow feels that he is different from all others although the LIFE is the same in him and all others. In fact if the LIFE is removed from you, the body( that you so much identify yourself with) what is left behind is consisting of exactly the same elements as anyone else irrespective of color, nationality, race, education, wealth, poverty, age etc. At a more scientific and an atomic level, the body is essentially composed of the same molecules and atoms irrespective of color, race, sex, age, nationality. Then, how can it be difficult to understand the fact that you are indeed not "you" (the body-mind complex) but LIFE that is manifesting as "you"? Is it not true that "you" are not actually living, but BEING LIVED?!! Is it not true that we are all ONE ( the same LIFE manifesting in different forms, names and shapes)? Is it not true that without the LIFE, you would not be able to say 'I am so and so' and would not know if you had a body, or a mind, or intellect, or knowledge, or thoughts, or sight, or hearing, or taste, or smell, or a feeling? Is it not true that "you" are able to say "I am" because of LIFE? Conversely, can a dead man say " I am..."? Is this LIFE not the most obvious? Does IT have to be searched for? Can LIFE be described in words or does it by itself have any attributes? We look at the diverse manifestations of LIFE and mistakenly assume the forms and shapes to represent different entities. Yet, look closely, and the external appearances turn out to be nothing but the expression of the underlying Oneness. If after reading the above, we replace the word LIFE with Awareness or THAT ( or Brahman, or whatever other word that appeals to you), one can go deeper into this inquiry.
Of course, there can be many opposing arguments to what is written above. It is not a detailed exposition on Advaitic teaching. It is just another simple analogy to point one towards the Reality or encourage one to inquire into the nature of one's true nature.
Whatever way or however one is able to come to the certain conclusion that there is no entity here called "me", it does not matter. Once there is no individual entity, where is the question of free will? Whose free will? No roots, no tree. No building can stand without a solid foundation. Once the individual entity is removed, who can claim the ownership of will?
