tiltbillings wrote:So, you do agree that there is choice. I may be confronted with the option to this or do that, I can choose what to do. So, what is the problem here?
That all the thoughts, all the deliberations, and the final outcome of deliberation is fully conditioned. When there is this set of conditions, this result follow and never anything else. When there is another set of conditions, that result follow and never anything else.
And have I ever said choice is not conditioned? Nope, but the neat thing is that we can alter our conditioning by the choices we make, otherwise awakening would not be possible.
Us altering our conditioning is conditioned itself. Awakening occurs because of many conditioning factors beyond anyone's control such as "hearing true Dhamma, associating with wise people, seeing danger in samsara, not being so deluded at the time of hearing the dhamma so not to understand it at all, etc"
Just like there is no control over 5 aggregates, there is no control over what causes are put to condition them in the first place. Some say that "
OK, you can't wish for the plant to magically appear. There is no free will, no control there. But you can put in required conditions to make it grow". But even putting in conditions (water, seed, proper soil, proper amount of sunlight, etc, etc) is fully conditioned.
Trying to control the causes one sets for future result is still trying to control, just on a different scale.
That is because via the choices he made he is not longer conditioned by greed, hatred, and delusion. They do not condition his choices.
Buddha's functional intentions were not conditioned by greed/anger/delusion, but they were conditioned by non-greed/non-hate/non-delusion and all other qualities (such as 10 paramis). A superb conditioning, but still conditioning. He couldn't revert to becoming a worldling, no free choice there, and that is great!
He couldn't become Angry, Greedy or Deluded - no matter what. Where is free choice (to be deluded or wise) for the Buddha? Ultimately there isn't free choice.