Surrender is a way of being in the world, the source from which your actions arise. It is not the actions or words themselves. Surrender is about BEING surrendered, not DOING surrender. BIG difference. It’s not about the outer actions you take, but about your inner state of being, who you truly are at your very core. This can not be faked.

What would it feel like if you were constantly saying “YES” to the way things are right now. You don’t have to necessarily like them, agree with them, or disagree with them, but what if you were to simply allow things to be the way they are right now? This is what surrender is about.

The words “I surrender [blank] to God” are simply a pointer to help direct you back into this state of being.

At first it may seem forced, taking a large amount of effort, but like walking, keep doing it enough and it’ll become totally natural. It will be an effortless way of being, your natural state, and you won’t have to keep reminding yourself to “put one foot in front of the other.” It’s just practice.

Thanks for your question.

The way i surrender is by thinking the thoughts of ‘I surrender blank to god” or “i surrender to god” and just choosing to surrender things to god, letting them go. Is what I described what you talk about?

I wanted to know if you had any wisdom about surrendering all the time, i know that one can simply go back to surrendering if they started thinking and whatever but i wanted to know if you know anything that helped you keep doing it over and over again.

Thanks

The personal will is our own individual efforts to try and do something while seemingly cut off from a larger power. Our own personal will feels like a craving, forcing, pushing feeling, doesn’t it? It’s like we’re struggling to really make things happen.

Surrendering into spiritual will involves trusting God (however you understand him) to help you overcome things such as the compulsion to think.

For a perfect example of surrendering to spiritual will, check out the first few steps of the twelve step program. They are a key reason why programs like AA are so powerful.

The results don’t happen by you but to you, perhaps through you. You are not the source. “You” are the allower, the observer, the appreciative and trusting receiver.

When you say that you cannot silence the mind with personal will what exactly is personal will? Is the difference between personal will and spiritual will the difference between demanding an outcome and asking for an outcome. Where the results come not from your actions but rather from a source responding to your request?

Ultimately there’s two things needed.

1) The mind is getting a lot of motivation to think. Thinkingness keeps the false self feeling like it exists. It helps make “me” feel important as the star of my own mental show. It’s important to surrender (just letting go of the compulsive craving sensation, or release (via the sedona method… both techniques accomplish basically the same thing) all pleasure or pain that arises due to thinking.

2) Instead of focusing on the thoughts, the awareness that you are needs something to focus on. The best thing the awareness could focus on is itself. This is the Self looking directly at the Self, or “looking within.” Simply notice the part of you that is aware of your thoughts and feelings. Take that awareness and turn it back in on itself. Be aware of the fact that you are aware.

Remain in this state. Be aware of your own awareness while also allowing yourself to surrender all attachments and aversions to things of this world. This will both let go of the necessity of thinking as well as give you something else to pay attention to so that the mind doesn’t jump back in instead.

Practice these two continuously and the mind will grow progressively quieter until it ceases to run on its own entirely.

Hope that helps!

Thank you!!!!

The key point is that one can not trasncend the mind via their own personal will for personal will is part of the mind and the mind will not transcend itself.

In order to do this, you absolutely MUST surrender to a higher power, call it God’s Will, Spiritual Will, Divine Grace, or something else. It is via the Spiritual Will that this can happen.

Constant prayer to God is great.

The watching is the conscious awareness that sees thoughts as they arise, knows them. The yin stance.

As they go by I ask for their removal.

I notice consistent growth using this method, but I wouldn’t say I’m at a stage that my mind is permanently quiet. Rather it doesn’t have a hold on me and it attempts to take me away less often.

Jarrod – Warrior Developments last blog post..My Brief History