Most of us grew up with the notion that time is linear and absolute. That it happens in only one direction and that and is the same for everyone. One hour in New York, is one hour anywhere in the world, in the universe even. However, Albert Einstein proved that time was not absolute and that time like space can be bent by gravity, meaning time can move differently in one place than another. Also, Einstein's theories also allowed for the concept of time travel either by moving faster than the speed of light or through black holes or worm holes. Buddhist texts written 2500 years before contained many ideas which may seem impossible, but which Einstein's theories proved is possible.
One of the most vexing concepts of time discussed repeatedly is the idea of one being capable of knowing or seeing the future. For example, Buddha is able to see into the future of beings and tell them when they will attain Buddhahood and the characteristics of their world and rule. While at first glance, this may seem like bluster, can it actually be the case, and if it is, what are its ramifications for the idea of free will?
Buddha always warned his disciples not to accept ideas just because they are spoken by self professed experts or because of tradition or because they are written in books, rather one should only accept an idea after thoroughly thinking through it for themselves. So we should not accept the idea that Buddha can see the future just because he said he could. We should think through whether such an idea is not just possible but more probable than not. First, we have to think whether or not our future exists in our present, or is it merely a muddled soup of possibilities until it materializes into the present. If it was a muddled soup of possibilities then the laws of randomness would rule and each second should bring with it infinite possibilities some of which would surely have inconceivable consequences like a mermaid popping up in Manhattan, or somebody turning into an orange. As such things have not happened, then the future cannot be completely random, but rather they follow some sort of guidelines that keep it going in a logical and straightforward manner. I suggest that such guideline is karma. Karma keeps our wheels of time running and running in a certain direction and in a certain manner. While natural and nonkarmic forces do exist they are not as powerful as karma in guiding our path. So if one accepts that karma is what is causing time to move, then one who has mastered the understanding of karma can also master the understanding of time. As such, when Buddha says that someone will become a Buddha in so and so many years, he can in fact see such time as clearly as he sees our present.
Now if one was to accept the idea of Buddha being able to see the future does that in turn mean that our future is already written and what we do today is not in our control. I don't think it does. To illustrate think of your existence like a video camera. As you live your life the camera is capturing every thing you do. You can choose to eat a burger today, go see a movie, get married, etc., these are all your decisions, time is merely recording it for you. But even though to you the tape is constantly recording in present time, unbeknownst to you the tape is much longer than you know. Like a river flowing, although you can't see all the way downriver, there is no denying the river exists and it contains all the qualities of the river upstream.
One of the most vexing concepts of time discussed repeatedly is the idea of one being capable of knowing or seeing the future. For example, Buddha is able to see into the future of beings and tell them when they will attain Buddhahood and the characteristics of their world and rule. While at first glance, this may seem like bluster, can it actually be the case, and if it is, what are its ramifications for the idea of free will?
Buddha always warned his disciples not to accept ideas just because they are spoken by self professed experts or because of tradition or because they are written in books, rather one should only accept an idea after thoroughly thinking through it for themselves. So we should not accept the idea that Buddha can see the future just because he said he could. We should think through whether such an idea is not just possible but more probable than not. First, we have to think whether or not our future exists in our present, or is it merely a muddled soup of possibilities until it materializes into the present. If it was a muddled soup of possibilities then the laws of randomness would rule and each second should bring with it infinite possibilities some of which would surely have inconceivable consequences like a mermaid popping up in Manhattan, or somebody turning into an orange. As such things have not happened, then the future cannot be completely random, but rather they follow some sort of guidelines that keep it going in a logical and straightforward manner. I suggest that such guideline is karma. Karma keeps our wheels of time running and running in a certain direction and in a certain manner. While natural and nonkarmic forces do exist they are not as powerful as karma in guiding our path. So if one accepts that karma is what is causing time to move, then one who has mastered the understanding of karma can also master the understanding of time. As such, when Buddha says that someone will become a Buddha in so and so many years, he can in fact see such time as clearly as he sees our present.
Now if one was to accept the idea of Buddha being able to see the future does that in turn mean that our future is already written and what we do today is not in our control. I don't think it does. To illustrate think of your existence like a video camera. As you live your life the camera is capturing every thing you do. You can choose to eat a burger today, go see a movie, get married, etc., these are all your decisions, time is merely recording it for you. But even though to you the tape is constantly recording in present time, unbeknownst to you the tape is much longer than you know. Like a river flowing, although you can't see all the way downriver, there is no denying the river exists and it contains all the qualities of the river upstream.