Surrender, its approach and implications

[atanu]

Um, when Kali kicks your ass all over town, you'll surrender.


ZN
/just saying

Hehe.

I often get the kick on the groin.

Om

[yajvan]

Hari Om
~~~~~~

Namaste All,

Yes, this is the most practical thing to do. True Guru, who is said to appear at appropriate time is also said to be none other than God.
Om

Namaste Atanu,
Yes very wise words... the guru appears at the right time. He is none other then HIM as the best guru is one established in Brahman.

As to willie's observation - the instructions were given, and will be given again in a very simple verse - now will you be able to comprehend it?
Withdraw, then withdraw from the withdrawal - this is the secret to surrender. One must be awake to this....

For some they scratch their heads, for others they know they are touching turiya and on their way.

Knowledge is different for different people, yes? For some A 10 kilo rock is a loathsome object, to be pushed to the side of the road; for others of vision, they see the value - 10 carat diamond that lives inside.

Like that - it is our level of cidakasha (consciousness-space) that one operates from that makes a difference - and by His blessing can be developed.

When the guru comes, does one see a 'customer' ? or the jivanmukti walking in the door?

Thank you again Atanu for your post.

pranams

[saidevo]

Here is a story that illustrates an approach to surrender:

The Road of Life: Relating to God

At first, I saw God as my observer, my judge, keeping track of the things I did wrong, so as to know whether I merited heaven or hell when I die. He was out there sort of like a president.. I recognized His picture when I saw it, but I really didn't know Him.

But later on when I met Christ, it seemed as though life were rather like a bike ride, but it was a tandem bike, and I noticed that Christ was in the back helping me pedal.

I don't know just when it was that He suggested we change places, but life has not been the same since. When I had control, I knew the way. It was rather boring, but predictable it was the shortest distance between two points. But when He took the lead, He knew delightful long cuts, up mountains, and through rocky places at breakneck speeds. It was all I could do to hang on! Even though it looked like madness, He said, "Pedal!"

I was worried and was anxious and asked, "Where are you taking me?"

He laughed and didn't answer, and I started to learn to trust. I forgot my boring life and entered into the adventure, and when I'd say, "I'm scared," He'd lean back and touch my hand. I gained love, peace, acceptance and joy; gifts to take on my journey, My Lord's and mine...

And we were off again. He said, "Give the gifts away. They're extra baggage, too much weight." So I did, to the people we met, and I found that in giving I received, and still our burden was light.

I did not trust Him, at first, in control of my life. I thought He'd wreck it; but He knows bike secrets, knows how to make it bend to take sharp corners, knows how to jump to clear high rocks, knows how to fly to shorten, scary passages.

And I am learning to shut up and pedal in the strangest places, and I'm beginning to enjoy the view and the cool breeze on my face with my delightful constant companion, Jesus Christ. And when I'm sure! I just can't do it anymore, He just smiles and says... "Pedal."

Source: http://www.uwm.edu/~ceil/funstuff/touching.html

[yajvan]

Hari Om
~~~~~

Here is a story that illustrates an approach to surrender:

And we were off again. He said, "Give the gifts away. They're extra baggage, too much weight." So I did, to the people we met, and I found that in giving I received, and still our burden was light.

Namaste Saidevo,
a wonderful story. I was in hopes that some one would take a stab at this... you have rewarded us.

I was also in hopes that some one [too] would look to the Bhagavad Gita, Chapt 9, sutra 27. Krsna says, ' Oh son of Kunti all that you do, all that you eat, all that you offer and give away, as well as all tapas (austerities) that you may perform, do this as an offering to Me.'

This wisdom parallels your story nicely. One can begin this simple 'surrender' with just offering ones daily tasks to Him without becoming overindulgent in this. It's being mindful of Him. As simple people this begins to groom ones thoughts of HIM. Yet we are need of turiya to be part of our daily life and know that our gift's, our actions have been received. How so? that when we give something to Him, there is an acknowledgement of receipt. That we do not end up talking to ourselves in our minds today with no response. The response is possible from Him when we are absorbed in the SELF.

Just as your example points out , 'I am learning to shut up and peddle' this is what happens when ones consciousness is developed in
this transcendental consciousness and one lives the SELF, this turiyatit chetana & bhagavat chetana. One experiences the world as His/Her creation on the level of the senses, but within freedom. No attachments, binding influence, no karma that binds, as we are outside the 3 gunas.

The point is, evening the 'peddling' is done by nature, as we stay absorbed in the SELF. Nature does the actions for us. This grand Intelligence is now driving. This is why it is so practical for us, for society to consider. With this Intelligence at the wheel, all things are taken care of. The rains come on time, the growing seasons are in sync, we as a people begin to live in concert with each other and our surroundings. Very practical; this was once done and was called Sat Yuga. We can do this again.


This level of consciousness is possible for all that wish to puruse it, it's not pretending. How? withdraw, then withdraw from the withdrawal, the simple formula.

Thank you again for this insightful post ... I am in hopes it will bring more inquiry to this, in a sattvic, HDF manner.

pranams,

[Kaos]

Namaste yajvan,

You ask for a how to surrender.

Try this:
Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna, Krishna, Hare, Hare,
Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama, Rama, Hare, Hare.

Hope this helps.

Regards,
Kaos

[Kaos]

There is only one way to surrender, and that is, bhakti.

The Lord is the Supreme Controller, the owner of everything, and certainly neither yajvan nor anyone for that matter is the sole judge and adjudicator on the right approach and who is qualified to surrender.


O son of Prtha, anyone who takes shelter in Me-- even a woman, a merchant or one who is born in a low family-- can approach the supreme destination.
- (BG 9-32)

[atanu]

Here is a story that illustrates an approach to surrender:

The Road of Life: Relating to God

---- It was rather boring, but predictable it was the shortest distance between two points. But when He took the lead, He knew delightful long cuts, up mountains, and through rocky places at breakneck speeds. It was all I could do to hang on! Even though it looked like madness, He said, "Pedal!"

-------
And we were off again. He said, "Give the gifts away. They're extra baggage, too much weight." So I did, to the people we met, and I found that in giving I received, and still our burden was light.

----

Namaskar Saidevoji,

A nice story indeed -- felt like a cool breeze. It seems true that God takes bhaktas through a roller coaster drive, which can be immensely enjoyable if ego grip is loosened or immensely frightening otherwise.

Regarding giving, I have an incidence to relate. For five years prior to 2002, I was in a team that prepared geological data compilation CDs on different petroliferous basins. One such CD related to Cauvery Basin of Tamil Nadu. This CD was required during a recent project completion. I could not find it. In all my backup disks everything else was there except the Cauvery Basin. Meanwhile, I happened to meet a friend, who while discussing other things thanked me profusely for a CD report that I had allegedly given to him, even before the report was completed. I asked him whether he still had the Cauvery CD or not?

And I got back my work.

I later told a few friends of mine "It seems that what one gives away returns and stays. What one hoards surely is lost."

Om Namah Shivaya

[saidevo]

Namaste Atanuji.

I later told a few friends of mine "It seems that what one gives away returns and stays. What one hoards surely is lost."

Your CD incident reads nicely. Yes, giving is receiving, without the burden of having it.

It seems true that God takes bhaktas through a roller coaster drive, which can be immensely enjoyable if ego grip is loosened or immensely frightening otherwise.

The journey of the soul through its life to Godhood is delightfully comparable to many types of journey. For some it is as short as a flight through the air, while for many it is a journey on foot. For Ramana Maharshi, it was a journey in a rocket: he reached his destination very quickly and then settled like the great Arunachala in its laps.

In his book Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance (a book I read avidly in 1991 while I was placed in Delhi), Robert M. Pirsig compares the journey through life to a journey on motorcycle. He says travelling in a car would 'frame' the world within the car windows whereas by travelling in a motorcycle one can experience and enjoy the whole nature from the sky to the ground. This book in pdf form can be downloaded at http://www.design.caltech.edu/erik/Misc/pirsig.pdf

Incidentally, Adi Sankara has this approach to surrender: an Advaitin's total surrender.

"Let my every word be a prayer to Thee,
Every movement of my hands a ritual gesture to Thee,
Every step I take a circumambulation of Thy image,
Every morsel I eat a rite of sacrifice to Thee,
Every time I lay down a prostration at Thy feet;
Every act of personal pleasure and all else that I do,
Let it all be a form of worshiping Thee."

[mirabai]

Devotion and Surrender
So mirabai, this devotion and surrender is two sides of the same coin. This devotion , this bhakti, is to be one pointed, focused , must come from the true bhakta ( from bkaj ' to revere, worship, love').

If one is not established in his/her true SELF, then his/her devotion will be covered by foreign elements - things that are not universally Me - likes & dislikes, invalid emotions that come and go, inspired, then not inspired; the winds of time and graha's acting upon us that influence the kosha's (or those things that surround our true SELF). It's the sheaths ( the kosha's) that prevent the direct contact with the Lord. In other words one needs to be on the same wavelength as the Lord to surrender, to give devotion. Before this is admirable and we do the best we can, and this is ok, but lacking - let me explain.

So bare with me here on this next part... if one is not established in the SELF, this universal, cosmic (just meaning Brahman level, all pervading) level of being, then one's surrender or devotion may be something like this: I am doing this action for the sake of the Lord, but actually I am not doing it, as it is the 3 guna's; I have no desire for its fruits because I am non-attached, like the scriptures say I should be, and I do not care about its fruits. Here lord, here are my actions. This is the mood making I alluded to , pretending, yet well intended and with absence of malice.

When one is naishkararmyam, freedom from binding influence of action, one lives in the SELF. Actions are done by the right owners, the gunas. I am capable of offering something that is pure to the Lord, the SELF. This is SELF Surrender, that blossoms to devotional states in God Consciousness.

Why is it God Consciousness? because one has a relationship with Him/Her..it's not pretending. One see's, smells, touches Her creation. One is established in Brahman, Bhuma ( this fullness) what incentive does desires have ( sankalpha) for the native? All desires are here to fill some lack. In Brahamn, there is no lack, no want, and hence, devotion in its true sense, can be offered (surrendered) because it is done without ulterior motive. It is done from a level of fullness and joy - thus this level of SELF, this is the passport.

This is really quite beautiful to contemplate. I see what you mean by devotion must be focused and one-pointed and must come from true bhakta, and that devotion is lacking which is given without complete surrender.
If there is not complete surrender, the fact is that there is still bondage to the gunas. When we are bound to the physical senses, our acts of devotion are not one-pointed/focused because they cannot be. They are blown and tossed about by the wind of emotion and selfish interest, no matter how noble or knowledgeable we (I) imagine ourselves to be, or how closely we attune our thoughts and actions with the scriptures.
As you beautifully wrote, it must be more than ‘pretending but well intended with absence of malice.’ Thanks for explaining this.

Today part of my reading brought this from the Katha Upanishad:

“He is to be realised first as Existence limited by upadhis and then in
His true transcendental nature. Of these two aspects, Atman realised as
Existence leads the knower to the realisation of His true nature.

When all the desires that dwell in the heart fall away, then the mortal
becomes immortal and here attains Brahman.

When all the ties of the heart are severed here on earth, then the mortal
becomes immortal. This much alone is the teaching.”

Yajur Veda, Katha Upanishad, Part Two, Chapter III, 13-15
http://lists.jnanadana.com/mailman/listinfo/vedas
…and then this :
20. 'The Self, smaller than small, greater than great, is hidden in the heart of that creature. A man who is free from desires and free from grief, sees the majesty of the Self by the grace of the Creator .'
21. 'Though sitting still, he walks far; though lying down, he goes everywhere. Who, save myself, is able to know that God who rejoices and rejoices not?'
22. 'The wise who knows the Self as bodiless within the bodies, as unchanging among changing things, as great and omnipresent, does never grieve.'
23. 'That Self, cannot be gained by the Veda, nor by understanding, nor by much learning. He whom the Self chooses, by him the Self can be gained. The Self chooses him (his body) as his own.'
24. 'But he who has not first turned away from his wickedness, who is not tranquil, and subdued, or whose mind is not at rest, he can never obtain the Self (even) by knowledge.'
http://www.realization.org/page/name...ha/katha_2.htm

So perhaps realization comes in a sequence of two phases; first as existence which is limited by physicalities, which then leads to realization of His true transcendental nature.

It seems as though He comes to meet us where we live then guides us onward. It is not possible for unrealized me to comprehend transcendental nature. I can only conceive of mortal material nature so my beloved – the self of my Self - appears to me in my heart in that form which I can conceive. As knowledge opens up to me I am filled with love and desire to conform to His likeness and longing to feel close to Him and serve because I think it is the way to true happiness. I am not yet free from the binding influence of action and desire.
As I conform more and more to my perception of His likeness, my perception changes until my desires for material happiness fall away and gradually His true self is revealed to me. He was actually unchanged all along, but appeared as changing in my changing perception of Him.

Or so I think.

[yajvan]

Hari Om
~~~~~~

So perhaps realization comes in a sequence of two phases; first as existence which is limited by physicalities, which then leads to realization of His true transcendental nature.

As knowledge opens up to me I am filled with love and desire to conform to His likeness and longing to feel close to Him and serve because I think it is the way to true happiness. I am not yet free from the binding influence of action and desire.
As I conform more and more to my perception of His likeness, my perception changes until my desires for material happiness fall away and gradually His true self is revealed to me. He was actually unchanged all along, but appeared as changing in my changing perception of Him.
.

Namaste mirabai,
Well said, and with the help of Kathopanishad. This is the wisdom of the Veda's to help us get a glimpse, the concept of Him/Her, from those that live this level of consciousness. This is such a boon from the tradition of Masters to help us who are not in Brahman, to paint the picture for us.
For me, it has advanced my sadhana 10X and I am grateful, Jai Guru Deva.

And thank you for your wonderful post... I am in hopes your readings take you to other Upanishads.

pranams,