Impersonal Forces

The disturbing daily events and history of man is nothing but a constant course correction in relationship to the physical, psychological and moral laws of the universe, better known as the dharma field. Forces bump into the wall of the field, which in turn, cause the opposing forces to be pushed back within their set boundaries. The result, inevitably, is a restoration of balance and harmony. 

In spite of all appearances, the drama of life and world events is nothing but God bouncing off the restraining walls of its own creation. A few men and women may live to brag about scaling the wall, but they don’t do so for very long. When they finally come down it’s usually with a loud splat!  

Viewed from this perspective, the drama of life loses its threatening appearance and dispassion arises within. It also gives meaning to the fact that the world is perfect the way it is and can’t be otherwise. After all, from Vedanta’s point of view, the world’s apparent chaos is just these impersonal forces ricocheting off the aforementioned walls.  

Those who take the chaotic world to be a battle between “good” and “evil” miss the point. There is no good and evil, just the conditions of unconscious internal and external forces making their course corrections. Sometimes these forces ricochet like tennis balls being thrown in a small room. But all forces eventually wind down, as they must, until stirred again.

What are these impersonal forces? The gunas*.

From "The Broken Tusk - Seeing Through the Lens of Vedanta"

*The three basic constituents of creation (intelligence, energy, matter) as used by God to create, sustain and dissolve the world. Within the mind, the gunas also act as impersonal mental conditions that must be managed by the individual in order to lead a peaceful life.