Question: Sri Ramana Maharshi, Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, and even Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj reject free will, then how does one acquire freedom?
Sri Prabhuji:
Sri Ramana Maharshi says everything the body does is predetermined including small things. Sri Ramana Maharshi says one has a choice to identify with the body and and experience fruits of action (karma phala) or not to identify with the body and be free from fruits of Karma phala. The choice of not identifying with the body is there at any point of time.
Shri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa says all actions are done by God, man thinks he is the doer. When he was asked how can we explain evil behaviour in the world. Shri Ramakrishna says for the person who is ignorant there is a sense of doership (free will) for actions. God has kept the sense of doership and consequently ownership for fruits of action (karma phala) in human beings until they attain wisdom. Wise one knows everything is done by God, he is just an instrument. With this understanding, wise man cannot do any evil.
From the teaching of above two Masters we can conclude following:
1. Body is the result of prarabdha karma. Every experience the body has to undergo is predetermined at the time of birth.
2. There is apparent sense of free will for all human beings. Everyone believes that they have free will, they are doers and enjoyers. Due to this apparent sense of free will, everyone owns up action of bodies and consequently owns up the fruits of the result (karma phala).
3. Everyone has freedom at any point of time not to identify with the body and consequently be free from fruits of action – karma phala.
4. Free will is always there “to be free from apparent free will”.