Total Surrender

Total Surrender

Trusting, acceptance, faith or self-realization; any true path, even a pathless one, includes one of these. A spiritual awakening that does not bring about one of these cannot be called an awakening. Unless there is either a seeing or a willingness to see that you are not in control, (the only realization that warrants surrender), the awakening has not happened or is not mature.

If there is a measuring stick of spiritual maturity, it is surrender. Trust is the way it has been talked about in the west. Trusting, or having faith, is their way of getting out of the way. Acceptance is an expression common to the east. Being synonyms, both achieve the same results and the same complaints.

If achieved, the result is rest, if not, the complaint is 'I can't." "I can't surrender." "I can't accept." "I can't trust." "I can't believe." When that is the case, when nothing else works, self realization or self-inquiry, is like the card up your sleeve. It strikes at the very heart of the dilemma. It asks, "who is this 'I' that cannot accept?" "Who is this 'I' that cannot trust?" "Is that what I am?"

Rarely, does one ask such a question. One who succeeds at trusting, surrendering or accepting will not ask such a question. He or she is satisfied, not curious. Either one is satisfied with being a separate someone who is surrendered, or one is satisfied with being a failure who cannot.

Self-realization is an altogether different approach. It challenges, it questions a very basic assumption. "Is it so? Is it true that I exist as a separate somebody?" "Is it true that this verbal 'I' is what I am?"

If the realization is deep enough, this belief in "I", along with the inner dialog, such as: "I have to trust." "I must trust." "I should trust." is vanquished altogether. The thoughts, "I have to accept." "I must accept." "I should accept." are seen for what they are.

To see that there is no individual controller, but only an illusion of control, is the freedom of self-realization. Their is neither one in the way, nor is there one to get out of the way. The surrender is total and irreversible.