THE MEANING OF SURRENDER

                                             WHEN YOU GET SURRENDER

                 YOU MENTIONED "SURRERDER" A FEW TIMES. I DON'T LIKE THAT IDEA.IT SOUNDS SOMEWHAT FATALISTIC. IF WE ALWAYS ACCEPT THE WAY THINGS ARE, WE ARE NOT GOING TO MAKE ANY EFFORT TO IMPROVE THEM. IT SEEMS TO ME WHAT PROGRESS IS ALL ABOUT, BOTH IN OUR PERSONAL LIVES AND COLLECTIVELY, IS NOT TO ACCEPT THE LIMITATIONS OF THE PRESENT BUT TO STRIVE TO GO BEYOND THEM AND CREATE SOMETHING BETTER. IF WE HADN'T DONE THIS, WE WOULD STILL BE LIVING IN CAVES. HOW DO YOU RECONCILE SURRENDER WITH CHANGING THINGS AND GETTING THINGS DONE?

        TO SOME PEOPLE, SURRENDER MAY HAVE NEGATIVE CONNOTATIONS, IMPLYING DEFEAT, GIVING UP, FAILING TO RISE TO THE CHALLENGE OF LIFE. BECOMING LETHARGIC, AND SO  ON. TRUE SURRENDER, HOWEVER IS SOMETHING ENTIRELY DIFFERENT. IT DOES NOT MEAN TO PASSIVELY PUT UP WITH WHATEVER SITUATION YOU FIND YOURSELF IN AND TO DO NOTHING ABOUT IT. NOR DOES IT MEAN TO CEASE MAKING PLANS OR INITIATING POSITIVE ACTION.

         SURRENDER IS THE SIMPLE BUT PROFOUND WISDOM OF YIELDING TO RATHER THAN OPPOSING THE FLOW OF LIFE. THE ONLY PLACE WHERE YOU CAN EXPERIENCE THE FLOW OF LIFE IOS THE NOW. SO TO SURRENDER IS TO ACCEPT THE PRESENT MOMENT UNCONDITIONALLY AND WITHOUT RESERVATION. IT IS TO RELINQUISH INNER RESISTENCE TO WHAT IS INNER RESISTENCE IS TO SAY, "NO" TO WHAT IS THROUGH MENTAL JUDGMENT AND EMOTIONAL NEGATIVITY. IT BECOMES PARTICULARLY PRONOUNCED WHEN THINGS "GO WRONG" WHICH BECOMES PARTICULARLY PRONOUNCED WHEN THING "GO WRONG" WHICH MEANS THAT THERE IS A GAP BETWEEN THE DEMANDS OR RIGID EXPECTATIONS OF YOUR MIND AND WHAT IS. THAT IS THE PAIN GAP. IF YOU HAVE LIVED LONG ENOUGH, YOU WILL KNOW THAT THINGS "GO WRONG" QUITE OFTEN. IF IS PRECISELY AT THOSE TIMES THAT SURRENDER NEEDS TO BE PRACTICED IF YOU WANT TO ELIMINATE PAIN AND SORROW FROM YOU LIFE. ACCEPTANCE OF WHAT IS IMMEDIATELY FREES YOU FROM MIND IDENTIFICATION AND THUS RECONNECTS YOU WITH BEING. RESISTANCE IS THE MIND.

SURRENDE IS A PURELY INNER PHENOMENON. IT DOES NOT MEAN THAT ON THE OUTER LEVEL YOU CANNOT TAKE ACTION AND CHANGE THE SITUATION. IN FACT, IT IS NOT THE OVERALL SITUATION THAT YOU NEED TO ACCEPT WHEN YOU SURRENDER, BUT JUST THE TINY SEGMENT CALLED THE NOW.

FOR EXAMPLE, IF YOU WERE STUCK IN THE MUD SOMEHWERE, YOU WOULDN'T SAY "OKAY" I RESIGN MYSELF TO BEING STUCK IN THE MUD. RESIGNATION, IS NOT SURRENDER. YOU DON'T  NEED TO ACCEPT AN UNDESIRABLE OR UNPLEASANT LIFE SITUATION. NOR DO YOU NEED TO DECEIVE YOURSELF AND SAY THAT THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH BEING STUCK IN THE MUD. NO YOU RECOGNIZE FULLY THAT YOU WANT TO GET OUT OF IT. YOU THEN NARROW YOUR ATTENTION DOWN TO THE PRESENT MOMENT WIHOUT MENTALLY LABELING IT IN ANY WAY. THIS MEANS THAT THERE IS NO JUDGMENT OF THE NOW. THEREFORE, THERE IS NO RESISTENCE, NO EMOTIONAL NEGATIVITY. YOU ACCEPT THE "ISNESS" OF THIS MOMENT. THEN YOU TAKE ACTION AND DO ALL THAT YOU CAN TO GET OUT OF THE MUD. SUCH ACTION I CALL POSITIVE ACION. IT IS FAR MORE EFFECTIVE THAN NEGATIVE ACTION, WHICH ARISES OUT OF ANGER, DESPAIR, OR FRUSTRATION. UNTIL YOU ACHIEVE THAT DESIRED RESULT, YOU CONTINUE TO PRACTICE SURRENDER BY REFRAINING FROM LABELING THE NOW.

LET ME GIVE YOU A VISUAL ANALOGY TO ILLUSTRATE THE POINT AM  MAKING. YOU ARE WALKING ALONG A PATH AT NIGHT, SURROUNDED BY A THICK FOG. BUT YOU HAVE A POWERFUL FLASHLIGHT THAT CUTS THROUGH THE FOG AND CREATES A NARROW, CLEAR SPACE IN FRONT OF YOU. THE FOG IS YOUR LIFE SITUATION, WHICH INCLUDES PAST AND FUTURE. THE FLASHLIGHT IS YOUR CONSCIOUS PRESENCE, THE CLEAR SPACE IS THE NOW.

 NON-SURRENDER HARDENS YOUR PSYCHOLOGICAL FROM, THE SHELL OF THE EGO, AND SO CREATES A STRONG SENSE OF SEPARATENESS. TEH WORLD AROUND YOU AND PEOPLE IN PARTICULAR COME TO BE PERCEIVED AS THREATENING. THE UNCONSCIOUS COMPULSION TO DESTROY OTHERS THROUGH JUDGEMENT ARISES, AS DOES THE NEED TO COMPLETE AND DOMINATE. EVEN NATURE BECOMES YOUR ENEMY AND YOUR PERCEPTIONS AND INTERPRETATIONS ARE GOVERNED BY FEAR. THE MENTAL DISEASE THAT WE CALL PARANOIA IS ONLY A SLIGHTLY MORE ACUTE FORM OF THIS NORMAL BUT DYSFUNCTIONAL STATE OF CONSCIOUSNESS.

NOT ONLY YOUR PSYCHOLOGICAL FORM BUT ALSO YOUR PHYSICAL FORM- YOUR BODY- BECOMES HARD AND RIGID THROUGH RESISTANCE. TENSION ARISES IN DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE BODY, AND THE BODY AS A WHOLE CONTRACTS. THE FREE FLOW OF LIFE ENERGY THROUGH THE BODY, WHICH IS ESSENTIAL FOR ITS HEALTHY FUNCTIONING, IS GREATLY RESTRICTED. BODYWORK AND CERTAIN FORMS OF PHYSICAL THERAPY CAN BE HELPFUL IN RESTORING THIS FLOW, BUT UNLESS YOU PRACTICE SURRENDER IN YOUR EVERYDAY LIFE, THOSE THINGS CAN ONLY GIVE TEMPORARAY SYMPTOM RELIEF  SINCE THE CAUSE- THE RESISTANCE PATTERN - HAS NOT BEEN DISSOLVED.

THERE IS SOMETHING WITHIN YOU THAT REMAINS UNAFFECTED BY THE TRANSIENT CIRCUMSTANCES THAT MAKE UP YOUR LIFE SITUATION, AND ONLY THROUGH CIRCUMSTANCES THAT MAKE UP YOUR LIFE SITUATION, AND ONLY THROUGH SURRENDER DO YOU HAVE ACCESS TO IT. IT IS YOUR LIFE, YOUR VERY BEING - WHICH EXISTS ETERNALLY IN THE TIMELESS REALM OF THE PRESENT. FINDING THIS LIFE IS "THE ONE THING THAT IS NEEDED " THAT JESUS TALKED ABOUT.