Buddhism, Morality, and Free Will…
Morality based on fear is not morality; it’s prison. Because without free will, there is no morality, by definition, and fear is, if not the opposite of free will, then at least a severe inhibitor of it. But free will is nothing like pure freedom, of course, of which possibly none truly exists. Because true freedom would be chaos incarnate, respecting neither boundaries nor seasoned suggestion; but a freedom tempered by wisdom and perspicacity is a warrior’s finest weapon, steel sharpened with diamonds and polished by words.
Because words are the wickedest weapon ever invented, and that is easy enough to prove by archeology or history, that several longstanding species disappeared quickly after the ‘wise men’ of the neighborhood perfected language to a point where they couldn’t be stopped. But they can be among the finest tools ever invented, also, capable of precise planning and incorrigible logic, in the face of life’s murky details and total lack of coordination.
Language defines us now, for better or worse, and that is simply a fact that we must face. Many people can’t imagine that there was ever a day when consciousness was something besides a form of language. But there was. Consciousness came first. Language came later. Ask any non-human animal. That’s why meditation is so important. It’s a return to that pre-linguistic consciousness that I call proto consciousness. That’s important. We may feel like victims. We’re not. We’re older, but wiser…
streaming consciousness... 
Reply