Surrender

[peteyzen]

Originally Posted by running

there is also a surrender in allowing one to be who they are. however people may percieve that in whatever kind of ego that may be.

this is what my intuition told me and has proven to he true in my experience.

1. i am what i am

2. what im doing i just what im doing. who i am is just who i am


somehow we think that who we are as a person is how we open doors to whats beyond us. that is true. but its us locking us from it. not it locking us out. this is what my intuition calls programming.

I agree Running. When reading your points 1 and 2, I feel there is a sense that `I am what I am`, is a form of acceptance, and so is, `who I am is just who I am`. It never occured to me before that surrender and acceptance are such close bed mates.

[ameliorate]

Surrender to me, spiritually, is to give up control and be open to the influence of a higher power.

We can be well meaning but our intent to finding a solution can be an obstacle! I listen more now to my intuition for wiser, deeper solutions i.e. with an empty, receptive mind I open up and wait....

Often people surrender when it's a last resort...reminds me of Leonard Cohen's beautiful song 'Suzanne'...'and when he knew for certain only drowning men could see him....'

[ocean breeze]

Originally Posted by peteyzen

I wanted to hear peoples thoughts on surrender in spiritual development.

I believe it is possibly the most unspoken about, yet most important practice hidden within every other practice.

If you meditate, you surrender to a single point of focus, if you mantra you surrender all other thoughts and reduce them to a single chant.

If you pray you surrender for a few moments to a greater reality.

If you act humbly you try to surrender to those around you.

At the heart of all spiritual practices is an element of surrender.

One of the difficulties for many aspirants these days is that society doesn`t like to surrender, we live in a world where the ego is big so many struggle to surrender.
What do you think?

Sounds more like an exchange. Like giving up one thing in exchange for something else. Like those who give up their worldly possessions for their imagined ideal of spiritual growth. I don't see that as really surrendering. I see it more as a beginning of a journey to surrendering.

[HITESH SHAH]

Originally Posted by peteyzen

I wanted to hear peoples thoughts on surrender in spiritual development.

I believe it is possibly the most unspoken about, yet most important practice hidden within every other practice.

If you meditate, you surrender to a single point of focus, if you mantra you surrender all other thoughts and reduce them to a single chant.

If you pray you surrender for a few moments to a greater reality.

If you act humbly you try to surrender to those around you.

At the heart of all spiritual practices is an element of surrender.

One of the difficulties for many aspirants these days is that society doesn`t like to surrender, we live in a world where the ego is big so many struggle to surrender.
What do you think?

There are many good contributions and points valid from different views .

With word 'Surrender' comes a feeling of loss of independence and sovereignty and hence instantaneous resistance to it. But people definitely surrender (they don't have choice ) but to the people whom they consider powerful and capable of supporting them in some way. When they feel (not just know intellectually ) that there is nobody powerful than God , their surrender to God is natural and easy .

It's true very few have these realization of omni-potence of God and we have the situation u rightly describe.

[Miss Hepburn]

I see I wrote something last year.
This morning I would comment that surrender means giving up, letting go of
what I think something ought to be; meaning: turning over
my limited, egoic perspective to something that is Higher (by whatever name).
Trusting there is a reason for everything.

Activists comment often they think surrender means complacency,
laziness or doing nothing, thus, having no compassion
for the starving of the world.

No - the meaning could be
to stir action in me to stand up for something.
Thus, seeing the 'purpose for unwanted events', I call the Bigger Picture...rather than having outrage,
yet, watching horrible events continue.

[Molearner]

Originally Posted by HITESH SHAH

There are many good contributions and points valid from different views .

With word 'Surrender' comes a feeling of loss of independence and sovereignty and hence instantaneous resistance to it. But people definitely surrender (they don't have choice ) but to the people whom they consider powerful and capable of supporting them in some way. When they feel (not just know intellectually ) that there is nobody powerful than God , their surrender to God is natural and easy .

It's true very few have these realization of omni-potence of God and we have the situation u rightly describe.

Hitesh shah,

Yes, surrender is a recognition of weakness and at the same time a demonstration of humility.

[ameliorate]

Originally Posted by Molearner

Hitesh shah,

Yes, surrender is a recognition of weakness and at the same time a demonstration of humility.

Spiritually I don't see surrender as a weakness but a willingness to acknowledge a higher power to replace the limits of what we have accomplished with our ego.

[Molearner]

Originally Posted by ameliorate

Spiritually I don't see surrender as a weakness but a willingness to acknowledge a higher power to replace the limits of what we have accomplished with our ego.

Of course I would suggest there are limits to our power......but little interest here in pursuing semantics.....:)

[ameliorate]

Originally Posted by Molearner

Of course I would suggest there are limits to our power......but little interest here in pursuing semantics.....:)

My point was that to surrender is not a sign of weakness, spiritually, but a wise direction to hand over our power; it's a sign of humility i.e. a positive virtue.

[Miss Hepburn]

Originally Posted by ameliorate

My point was that to surrender is not a sign of weakness, spiritually, but a wise direction
to hand over our power; it's a sign of humility i.e. a positive virtue.

Well said.

(But that's cuz you brown-nosed me in the Miss H thread) Kidding!