Excerpt from "Freedom from Buddha Nature"
Written by Thanissaro Bhikkhu
The Buddha thus based all his teaching on freedom of choice. As he said, if
everything were predetermined by the past, there would be no point in teaching
a path to Awakening. The number of people who would reach Awakening
would already have been set a long time ago, and they would have no need for a
path or a teacher. Those preordained to awaken would get there inevitably as a
result of a long-past action or an essential nature already built into the mind.
Those preordained not to awaken wouldn’t stand a chance.
But these things are not preordained. No one is doomed never to awaken, but—
until you’ve had your first sight of the deathless at stream-entry—neither is
Awakening assured. It’s contingent on intentional actions chosen in each present
moment. And even after stream-entry, you’re constantly faced with choices that will
speed up final Awakening or slow it down. Nibbana, of course, is independent and
unconditioned; but the act of awakening to nibbana depends on a path of practice
that has to be willed. It happens only if you choose to give rise to its causes. This, as 2
the Buddha noted, involves determining to do four things: not to neglect
discernment, to preserve truth, to develop relinquishment, and to train for peace.
Here's the link for the complete essay :)
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