Free Will or Fate? Are You Truly Creating Your Own Reality?

Throughout history, the problem of free will vs. determinism has sparked major debates between philosophers. Determinism is the belief that all things, including human behavior, are casually determined in a manner that they could not be otherwise. Indeterminism is the view that some things, possibly human will and behavior, are free from casual determination. Though this problem raises many issues in itself, it also sparks many questions and arguments concerning other topics, such as religion and morality.

To believe in free will is not to say that human behavior is random or uncaused. It simply means that, to some extent, people have control over their actions. In addition to other factors, external and internal, people have the freedom to choose what actions they will take. The mere fact that man is aware of cause and effect indicates that he in some way takes part in the process. Are individuals merely a pawns in the world of cause and effect? If so, then what is the purpose of man's ability to reason and calculate outcomes in his mind when he cannot act on his own reasoning, but is forced to follow some predetermined path?

The Perennial Philosphy: Timeless Wisdom of the Ages

The central idea of the Perennial Philosophy is that Divine Truth is one, timeless, and universal, and that the different religions are but different languages expressing that one Truth. The symbol most often used to convey this idea is that of the uncolored light and the many colors of the spectrum which are made visible only when the uncolored light is refracted.

In the Renaissance, the term referred to the recognition of the fact that the philosophies of Pythagoras, Plato, Aristotle, and Plotinus incontrovertibly expounded the same truth as lay at the heart of all major world religions. Subsequently, the meaning of the term was enlarged to cover the metaphysics and mysticisms of the great ancient wisdom traditions such as Kabbalah, Gnosticism, Taoism, Sufism Vedanta Hinduism, Mahayana Buddhism, and Shinto.

The Underlying Essential Unity of All Religions

An in-depth presentation on esoteric wisdom traditions and how these ancient philosphies have evoloved into a paradigm shift toward spiritual unity." Additionally, "the defining moment of spiritual transformation is examined.