The Power Of Surrender

When you hear the word “surrender”, what’s the first thought that pops into your mind? With the Western mentality that you need to plow your way through life, like a bull in a China Shop, it’s understandable that the thought of surrender might be associated with weakness, helplessness, hopelessness, subservience etc.

The Buddha said that our greatest source of suffering is our resistance to what is. What is, is. You’re stuck in traffic and you resist it. While the outside conditions don’t suit you, you internalize them so that the chaos on the outside matches what is on the inside. Your blood pressure begins to rise. You are worried about being late for work, the look your boss might give you, etc.

Surrender is not bad thing

You resist what is, as though the resistance in and of itself will change the situation in which you find yourself. I say, the opposite is likely happen. Do you ever notice how one negative experience often precipitates a series of them? That’s because we attract energies that resonate with our own. If you’re angry, you will attract angry people. When you are filled with love, you will draw to you loving people. It’s that simple. There’s only one problem that people run into when faced with this concept. It is their inability to change states quickly and effectively.

So how does one go about changing states? There are many techniques that can literally at the drop of the hat take you from explosive rage to a deep inner calm. I’ll share some with you at a later time. In the meantime, it’s important to first learn to let go of our resistance to whatever we associate as negative experiences, by learning to surrender to the moment. There is a deep sense of peace that can fill you when you quit “trying” so hard to change the outside world or even “trying” so hard to change yourself. When we resist, we inadvertently block the flow of energy through our chakras, causing imbalances and disease of the body, mind and spirit.

One method you can practice to achieve a state of surrender is to silently repeat to yourself, “nothing can be done by me, right now”. Then notice the pressure and your psychodramas dissolve within you, as you surrender to what is happening on the inside or outside. Understand that I’m not saying that nothing can EVER be done by you. I’m not suggesting the idea that vegetating in a catatonic state is the ultimate act of surrender. What I’m saying is surrender is a state where you are neither plagued by a thought of the future, nor a thought of the past. You are in the present moment and you can accept whatever is happening, without connecting it to any past experiences. Instead of saying “why does this always happen to me?” you’ll know you’ve surrendered when you can say in a state of total acceptance, “this is happening to me”.

Now…why not surrender to our masseuse’s magic hands and enjoy a moment of relax….