The Depths Of Surrender: The Meditative Path To Self Realization
There are as many techniques to meditation as there are sayings in Chinese fortune cookies
. All of them have their place and value, and yet most of them are variations of the mind trying to conquer itself. On the deepest level, the purpose of meditation is to experience the realization of ones true nature or essence. This is not accomplished by going off on some astral adventure, or in bringing in some outside energy or consciousness. It is the falling away of ones illusions which reveals the truth of what we truly are. In order to embody Self Realization and the higher states of Enlightenment, one must embrace it first in the mind, then in the heart and lastly on the gut level. Only then can the awakening be permanent.
While there may be other variations of this theme, here are three basic categories of meditative surrender. The first is allowance, Let It Be, is the surrender of control as to what one perceives during meditation. The second is to surrender the personalitys/egos Will to that of a higher consciousness/power (Divinity) as you understand it, through the gateway of the consciousness of the heart. The third is that of Self-inquiry, or more accurately consciousness enquiry. It is the practice of asking a question, which is slipped past the mind and directed to awareness itself.
Let It Be, the title of a Beatles song of guidance from Mother Mary, is simply surrendering the struggle to control that which is uncontrollable. It is the recognition of what is. In meditation, it is the allowance of awareness to roam, to what it will illuminate at any given moment. If there is anything for the mind to do it is to Let It Be, which is usually somewhat of a challenge for it. As we let go of control we find that it is awareness itself, which directs our perceptions as it dances from here to there. There is nothing to do or any significance to assign. The object is to simply experience that at our core, we are pure awareness.
Thy Will Oh Lord, Not Mine is a Christian prayer of surrender. In Islam, it's "Inshallah" "God Willing". Buddhism and Hinduism have their own versions. It is the ego minds wishes and desires which are being relinquished and surrendering the outcome to a higher awareness. The gateway to higher consciousness is not through the mind but rather through the consciousness of the heart.. At least one Zen teacher frames it as Thy will oh heart not mine. Whichever path or practice one engages in it is the opening of, and surrendering to the hearts consciousness, which is the objective here.
Self-inquiry has been used for ages as a tool to help one reach the State of Enlightenment. It is the practice of asking a question and surrendering the expectation of an answer. Instead, the awareness slowly infuses itself within ones very essence. Nisargadatta Maharaj was given the question of: Who am I? by his Guru and Ramana Maharshi taught it to his students as just a few examples. What Am I? can be even more effective as at our core we are not a who, but simply consciousness, inhabiting a human body. The question is most effectively dropped down below the mind, so that we can have a gut response to it. If the mind grabs it than the proper response is No Not That or in Hindu culture Net Neti, not this, not that.
There are other applications for self inquiry, some of which can help us along our path towards Self Realization and ultimately enlightenment. For those who have had an opening only to bounce back to their core beliefs, the question Is That True can be very effective if dropped into the belief itself. For the beliefs, which interfere with everyday life issues like depression, one can simple ask; I wonder what it would be like to be happy? What would it take for me to enjoy life? The details of the words are not as important as is surrendering any expectation of a reply.
Ultimately if you boil down every religion, the core teachings are surrender. When asked what or who are we to surrender to, one teacher simply stated that it is to surrender itself that we must surrender. It is one of, if not the, ultimate practice.
Copyright (c) 2010 David Lowell
by: David Lowell
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