Chapter 10 Free Will and The Suffering of Existence

The Essence of Happiness and True Freedom

2.2-The.Essence.of.Happiness.and.True.Freedom Chapter10 Free Will

Today, let’s learn more about the truth of life.
As we know, human beings can think subjectively and act freely; in other words, human beings have free will and the power to create.

According to natural science, in the second law of thermodynamics, there is an isolated system that tends to increase in entropy (shāng), it will eventually reach the maximum state, which is the most chaotic state throughout the whole process.

However, within an isolated system, if there is "an organism with free will”, the entropy of the isolated system will continue to decrease before the organism dies.This seems to violate natural science.

For a simple example, a stream flowing eastward into a great river, that’s the law of nature. In a great river, everything without free will must flow eastward. Imagine however, living organisms with free will, they will be able to swim against the current all the way to the source of the great river. Whatever is under the control of human beings’ free will, will have the ability to go against the current.

Human beings are regarded as spiritual beings due to innate spirituality reflected in their free will. Although human beings have free will, humans do not understand the universe, the truth and the absolute truth of life. Thus, free will acts mindlessly, becoming the catalyst for restless behaviour. Free will produces inertial energy, that does not disappear but stored in the form of energy in everyone’s consciousness.

Free will is constantly fabricated, and in the process of fabrication, it accumulates more and more habitual energy. We refer to this inertia energy accumulated by free will as karma. Karma, through the continuous practice, accumulates energy, which is called habitual karma.

There is good karma, bad karma, and neither good nor bad karma.

The practice of good karma is the positive habitual karma; the practice of bad karma is the negative habitual karma. The practice of neither good nor bad karma (neutral karma) is referred to as indifferent habitual karma. All these karmic habits are kept in everyone’s consciousness in the form of energy.

In our daily living, we have all heard the term “zào yè". “Zao" means fabrication and creation, and "yè" refers specifically to the inertia of the energy accumulated by creation. It doesn’t carry the meaning of zàoniè (committing evil.) Zàoniè refers specifically to "doing evil deeds". We have also heard about the term ”shìyè”(career) and "jiā yè”(family property), which mean the wealth and property accumulated by family members through the hard work of creating wealth.

“Yè” refers to the accumulated inertial energy, which will act upon free will, the force that acts against free will is called karma.

In short, it is very important for us to have a clear and profound understanding of the term "karma". As habitual karma and karma can intensity over time, human’s feeling of comfort begins to diminish.
On the feeling of comfort, we will explain in later chapters.

For example: smoking, if one does not smoke at all, one neither has habitual karma nor is subject to the karma of smoking. Therefore, one is completely at ease in regards to the matter of smoking.

However, one day, out of the blue, a friend tempts one to smoke. In the beginning, one only smokes a few cigarettes occasionally; one has not yet become addicted. One’s sense of compulsion to smoke is very weak. That is to say, the karmic habit of smoking is very weak; one’s degree of freedom is still relatively large.

After a period of smoking habitual practice of smoking, one pack every two days gradually becomes one pack a day, the karmic habit of smoking slowly increases; in consequence, smoking has become a little more addictive. At this point, the karma of smoking will make that person faintly feel pressured and uncomfortable.

We call this sense of pressure and discomfort brought about by karma as the Suffering of Existence.

Then, when the craving for smoking has gotten stronger and stronger, later two packs or even three packs a day is required. At that time, the karma generated by smoking is already very strong, and one now has almost no qualms in regards to smoking. If one were to stop smoking, the karma would make that person feel very miserable; if one were succumb to the karma and smoke, that person would feel "the Suffering Of Change" (pleasure).

From there on, under the drive of karma, due to the Suffering of Existence from addiction, every day that person would be forced to live a life of non-stop smoking and would constantly experience **the transformation between suffering and the Suffering of Change (pleasure),**and create a vicious circle. Smoking, which once was a state of ease and happiness has devolved into a state of unease and unhappiness.

Another example: playing video games. If a person does not play video games at all, that person has neither karma nor habitual karma, therefore, they are at ease.

However, one day under the influence of a friend, they start to play video games. Initially, playing only on occasions; they have not yet become addicted. One’s sense of compulsion to play games is relatively weak. So, the habitual karma to play video games is very weak. At that point one still owns one’s freedom, relatively speaking.

In a short timespan, after playing for one to two hours a day, then to four or five hours a day, the habitual karmic action of playing video games has been gradually intensifying overtime. During which, the person becomes addicted to the game little by little. The karma of playing games will make one feel faintly oppressed and uncomfortable; that is, that person has already experienced the Suffering of Existence.

Later, the addiction becomes more and more pronounced, as a result, one will play all day and all night long; it could happen that one might just collapse or even die suddenly. Such news coverage is not out of the ordinary.

At this time, the karma generated by playing games is already very strong, and one is almost not at ease when it comes to playing games. If one is not playing, karma will make one feel miserable. If one follows one’s karma that leads one to play, it will make that person feel the “Suffering Of Change ”(pleasure).

From there on, with the addiction that is brought by the Suffering of Existence, under the force of karma, that person will be compelled to the addiction of gaming and be constantly experiencing the transformation between suffering and the Suffering Of Change, and be lost in a vicious circle. Playing games, which once began as a state of ease and happiness has ended up in a state of unease and unhappiness.

In the conscious mind of most people, the so-called freedom means that when someone wants to do something, if one has the proper conditions and ability to do it, one will perceive it as freedom. When someone is driven to satisfy one’s own desire, and one has the proper conditions to do so, one mistakenly considers that as freedom.

In actuality, that is not true freedom. Because when one wants to do something but lack the means to fulfill one’s desire, one will be subject to the force of karma, the Suffering Of Existence. When one wants to satisfy one’s own desire but has fail to do so, that person will also experience the Suffering Of Existence.

Therefore, this so-called "freedom" is nothing but a choice made under the drive of karma. “Pursue freedom”-It is merely a move into karmic bondage to temporarily relieve the Suffering of Existence.

The ruthless action of free will eventually will lead to the Suffering of Existence on humans.

Human beings experience the Suffering of Existence, and further pursue “freedom”; when they undergo the suffering, they continue to seek for “happiness” the Suffering of Change.**

We will continue to discuss these issues in detail in later chapters.