The thesis entitled  “A  Comparative  Study  of  the  Concepts  of  Cetanā  in  Theravāda Buddhist Philosophy  and  Free  Will  of  Jean Paul Sartre aims to study the Cetanā in the concept of Theravāda Buddhist philosophy  and to study the concept of Free Will of Jean Paul Sartre and to compare the similarities and the differences about Cetanā in Theravāda Buddhist Philosophy and Free Will of Jean Paul Sartre. The topics of this study have divided into 6 as follows  1) the meaning of Cetanā and Free Will  2)  the scope of Cetanā and Free will  3)  the Action from Cetanā and Free Will  4) the result of action from Cetanā and Free Will  5) the Freedom of action and  6) the ultimate goal of action.    

                    The study found that the Cetanā in Buddhism was the first cause of the Law of Kamma due to man has the intention and willfulness to choose to think or speak freely. It was shown that man has free will. The Sartre’s concept of Free Will was introduced to encourage people to know that they have it. But they misunderstanding that they don’t have Free Will. Sartre introduced his philosophic idea that man has nothing or empty at the first time but man exist into the world cause they have free will to choose to exist or not exist. The differences between Cetanā in Theravāda Buddhist Philosophy and Sartre’s Free Will were the Cetanā that arisen with the Mental Constituents (cetasika) but Sartre did not mention it.

                    The scopes of Cetanā in Theravāda Buddhist Philosophy and Sartre’s Free Will have mentioned that man has their own free will but in the Theravāda Buddhist Philosophy have mentioned on the Cetanā in physical, verbal and mental actions. However Sartre did not divide the Free Will into the processes but he only introduced his philosophic idea that man has their Free Will since they were born.

                    The Theravāda Buddhist Philosophy and Sartre’s philosophy have all mentioned about the relativity of Cetanā and Free Will with the human’s actions. Life need to be closely related to others since human have their free will. As such, they will inevitably consequences to their actions. In the Theravāda Buddhist Philosophy has mentioned the level of human action but in Sartre’s Philosophy did not mention it.

                    Man cannot run away from their fruit of actions in the Theravāda Buddhist Philosophy called Vipaka and in Sartre’s called the responsibility. However Sartre has shown only the responsibility at the present time because the past has gone and the future has not yet come, therefore man cannot be responsible. But in the Theravāda Buddhist Philosophy has mentioned about the Vipaka or the result of Kamma with related to the past, present and future.

                    Do men have the free will to do something freely or not ? While they live their life related to others. In Theravāda Buddhist Philosophy and Sartre have a similar mention of the Free Will of man but the freedom in Theravāda Buddhist Philosophy has something to dictate such actions and Sartre’s view mentioned that men has freedom since they were born.

The ultimate ends of the two schools are to find out the emptiness but the emptiness of the Theravāda Buddhist Philosophy and Sartre are different in its meaning. That is to say, Sartre mentions that at the beginning life is emptiness. It means that human identity is empty but it does not mean non-self that taught in Theravāda Buddhist Philosophy. The emptiness of Sartre means that human identity are  empty and can be put something into mind by their free will.  

                  Men have freedom, but they often misunderstand that they do not have freedom so that they made themselves like a stone or timber and live their life haphazardly. They do not choose anything and find out the way for themselves. This is the focus point of Sartre’s philosophy.