Sadhguru uses an analogy to explain how cosmic will is always in play, and how our will is able to use cosmic will. He looks at how instead of doing things with will power, doing things with love and devotion can make life a joyful process. This is the difference between “I have to do it” and “I want to do it.”

Questioner: Sadhguru Namaste. Sadhguru what is cosmic will and what is free will? Is free will same as cosmic will or is there anything like cosmic which is predestined?

Sadhguru: What you… what you call as cosmic will is not will as you know it, as human will, as your mind’s will. It has a certain pattern, it has a certain quality. That which rules the cosmos has a certain… a consciousness and a tendency of its own. That is always there, that you and me right now exist is cosmic will, but right now, you decided to come to sathsang is of course your will, isn’t it? Isn’t it so? So cosmic will is not like a decision. It is just there. It is because of cosmic will, we have taken on this form. It is because of cosmic will, the planet is going around the sun. These are not as human thoughts are; this is just the quality of the nature. Right now, water flows from a high place to a low place. Try to stop it whichever way you want. It seems to have a will of its own, but that is not a will; it is flowing according to the laws of gravity.

So cosmic will is like the gravitational force and various other things. It just is there always. It only acts that way because the very framework of life is based on the cosmic will, but today you decide to do this or that, that is definitely your will. Cosmic will has no role in this, but you can use the cosmic force to make it… make your will into a reality. Right now gravitational force is working, using that I am sitting here, otherwise I would be floating all over the place. Yes? I would need an anchor to stay here. Because gravity is working I am enjoying sitting here, otherwise using the same gravity I can dance. It’s my will. Sitting is my will, dancing is my will. If I want, I can jump down, that is also my will, but all these things cannot happen without the gravity. That’s the nearest analogy we can get there probably.

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So cosmic will is always in play, we are enjoying it every moment of our life or we are suffering it sometimes. The gravity can make you dance, the gravity can make you fall if you’re not in tune with it. So that is where your will plays. Your will determines and your will is able to use the cosmic will. Without that your will wouldn’t even exist. It is cosmic will that you must have a will, but do not try to fulfill your life through your will because your will is generally empowered by a thought and your thought is essentially an accumulated stuff. Your thought is what you have gathered from around you. It’s the data that you have gathered that you’re reprocessing, recycling in so many different ways. Doing things with willpower is okay if you are aiming for small little things. Today morning you want to get up at 5.00 o’clock, you’re doing it with willpower or alarm power? (Laughter) If the alarm rings also, you still need willpower to come out of your bed. If you do this, you may get to do things, but at the end of the day you will have a long face. Instead of trying to do this with willpower, you do it with devotion, you do it with love. Now I want to get up at 5.00 o’clock because I have something that I really want to do. Not that I have to do this, there’s nothing in my life that I have to do. Everything in my life are things that I want to do. So if alarm is at 5.00 o’clock, I get up at 4.30, because I want to do it. If you conduct your life as I have to do it, because that’s willpower. ‘Oh, no matter what I must do it, I must do it, I must do it!’ You may get to do it, but your face will become long, miserable face. Everything happened, but at the end of the day you have a long face; purpose is defeated, isn’t it? The purpose of doing all that is already been defeated. Isn’t it so? Because you did not enjoy it, it does not fulfill you, what is the point?

So there is no need to do things to conduct your life with willpower. Here and there small things, sometimes when your body is aching, on that day you need willpower to push yourself a little bit, but do not try to conduct the life process itself with willpower because you will become a long successful face. Ulcer in your stomach, success in your bag, face so long nobody wants to see it or your chin will be scraping on the Hyderabad roads. (Laughter) Not good, because I have a cushion; what will you do? (Laughter)

We will leave it here I think, it’s… I am okay, but people are in a rush to… So many burning people. (Laughter) Okay, give it to him. (Laughs)

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