The Opposite Of Trying

[Maisy]

Some might think the opposite of trying is to not try. But see both involve doing. The one who is trying or not trying. So really they are the same. The "doer" doing something, either trying or not trying. The true opposite is no doer. A state of being or a state of consciousness where no one is there to try or not try. There is someone there still. But the one there (or here) has no interest in any doing or trying, whether in a positive direction (asserting), doing/trying or in a negative direction (resistance) not doing or not trying.

To just be, without any movement, with no asserting or resisting. I'd say that is the true opposite of trying.

[Hemera]

Maybe the opposite of trying is surrendering? I'm almost certainly biased due to where I'm currently at, but to me 'trying' feels like I'm resisting life as it is rather than going with the flow and letting what will be, will be. I suppose it's getting out of the way of one's ego and letting something much bigger take over.

I agree that not trying is also a doing. Surrendering is a doing.

There is a place for trying...when studying for an exam, for instance, and that's using energy to meet personal goals. But not trying/surrendering is trusting that life will unfold in its own way and surrendering to that as Life itself.

[Maisy]

We can only try or not try in the present moment. I wonder what the goal is in this now if we are trying to give up trying and not trying? Maybe the goal is we want to not feel any stress now. We want a little mini vacation from our own mind or "ourselves." Take a vacation from being ourselves. We want to feel totally at peace now. To be completely and fully relaxed. Not wanting or needing or desiring the now to be anything different. Just not thinking about such things.

It's kind of like taking a deep breath to let go. It's just asserting an aware empty presence. It's kind of what we are. So we didn't have to do anything to be what we are. Just take our attention off our mind and thought. If we "do it" we have not done it. There is nothing to do. It's just what is. We can be awaraness plus mind or just awaraness. No action is required for us to be what we have always been.

Many animals do just seem to be in the present moment. I don't think I have ever seen a dog or cat day dreaming while awake. Being lost in thought. I'd say the souls or spirits of dogs and cats do have to deal with their brains and bodies, but it is just what is present. Fear or rage or whatever. They experience the natures of their conditioning and bodies and brains and programming as it all relates to their environments. Sometimes dogs and cats are just presence when nothing in their brains or bodies is triggered. But they don't think about it. They are just present to whatever is. But they are always present as an animal. They can't step out of that. When they as an "animal" is quiet, not being triggered by something in their environment, they are just soul or presence. Just soul.

Human souls seem to be able to step out of being human. As a human is awaraness plus mind and thought. We can just be awaraness without any mind or thought. It is something we can be. Not that we can make thought go away, but we can ignore it or have no current interest in it.

[FallingLeaves]

Originally Posted by Maisy

We can only try or not try in the present moment. I wonder what the goal is in this now if we are trying to give up trying and not trying?

(yeah i know i know i get slapped around for addressing you... but... so what?)
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its the path back to eden and we all know that... although I'm sure I'll get arguments from everyone because noone knows that!

anyway i treat it like a rubber band... rather than trying to directly flatline (which does not seem to work) I take the direction it is stretched in and stretch it entirely another direction. On the theory the two forces will eventually balance themselves out and I won't have to continue with all this effort lol!

well don't blame me for such idiocies, it is a thing apparently that sometimes if you wanna get somewhere you've got to go wildly off in the opposite direction...

[Nathaniel]

I would say a lack of trying is the same as being.

The trier tries not to try - the ‘mind’ doer.

For me there is also a natural doer in this 3d existence even when being is the primary state of consciousness - the physical body, which is itself the entry point into being for the mind doer.