Leo's take on Surrender

[seeking_brilliance]

@Beginner Mind If you want to sit in the couch, you can. Do it long enough and you might die. Or you can go out, get some bread and water, and see what's going on outdoors.  Either scenario can include total surrender.  

[seeking_brilliance]

7 hours ago, Leo Gura said:

If you want to understand surrender imagine yourself being locked into a cage and tortured every day for the rest of your life with no possibility of escape.

Your only option then is surrender.

So subtle ????

[Beginner Mind]

On ‎2020‎-‎02‎-‎07 at 7:36 PM, Nahm said:

@Beginner Mind Become aware of the I. Bring awareness to the bottoms of your feet, then the palms of your hands, then the I. 

I'll continue to work with this practice.  Thanks.

[Beginner Mind]

8 hours ago, Leo Gura said:

If you want to understand surrender imagine yourself being locked into a cage and tortured every day for the rest of your life with no possibility of escape.

Your only option then is surrender.

A few years ago I experienced a "psychosis" or so I'm told (I'm skeptical of the diagnosis but whatever), and at one point during this experience I found myself in a police station in South Korea, experiencing extreme mental suffering.  And then at some point my body started shaking uncontrollably, followed by a period of crying and uncontrollable laughter, followed by a sense of deep peace.  Looking back on it, I believe what happened was a total surrender.

So I know from experience how surrender can look in extreme circumstances, but I guess I'm wondering how surrender looks for the average joe just going about his day?

Edited February 9, 2020 by Beginner Mind

[Beginner Mind]

1 hour ago, seeking_brilliance said:

@Beginner Mind If you want to sit in the couch, you can. Do it long enough and you might die. Or you can go out, get some bread and water, and see what's going on outdoors.  Either scenario can include total surrender.  

So what does surrender look like for the person going out and, as you said, getting some bread and water and going outdoors?

[seeking_brilliance]

@Beginner Mind @Beginner Mind 

Well on your way to find food, you step under a tree and a bird shits on your head.  There can be surrendering to the circumstance, or it can ruin your day.  If it ruins your day and you find your food, are you getting the full sustenance?  Is the food as sweet when you are focused on your bad day? 

[Nahm]

@Beginner Mind I don’t mean to be pushy, but how do you feel about simply doing it right now for a few minutes? If so, what did you find?

[Beginner Mind]

2 hours ago, seeking_brilliance said:

@Beginner Mind @Beginner Mind 

Well on your way to find food, you step under a tree and a bird shits on your head.  There can be surrendering to the circumstance, or it can ruin your day.  If it ruins your day and you find your food, are you getting the full sustenance?  Is the food as sweet when you are focused on your bad day? 

I think I understand what you're saying.  Thanks.

[Beginner Mind]

1 hour ago, Nahm said:

@Beginner Mind I don’t mean to be pushy, but how do you feel about simply doing it right now for a few minutes? If so, what did you find?

Bringing awareness to the feet and hands was pretty straight forward, but being aware of the "I" was not so easy.  I found nothing.

[Leo Gura]

2 minutes ago, Beginner Mind said:

Bringing awareness to the feet and hands was pretty straight forward, but being aware of the "I" was not so easy.  I found nothing.

Lol

What did you expect you'd find? A space kangaroo or something?

[Beginner Mind]

20 minutes ago, Leo Gura said:

Lol

What did you expect you'd find? A space kangaroo or something?

Lol.  So was that the point of Nahm's exercise?  To realize there's nothing there?  No "me"?

[Nahm]

@Beginner Mind ?? 

[Beginner Mind]

@Nahm So there's no "I", and yet, there's clearly something here.  How to recognize that something and bring it to the forefront?

[Nahm]

@Beginner Mind You already brought it to the foot and palms. Same for the heart. 

[Beginner Mind]

@Nahm I am able to be aware of my hands and feet, but it seems I cannot be aware of awareness itself.  Any suggestions?  Or should I stick with alternative practices like allowing everything to be as it is (which I've recently re-discovered through Adyashanti's program "True Meditation")?

[Nahm]

@Beginner Mind The you aware of sensation (feet, palms) is awareness. Fisherman are fishing, dog sitters are dog sitting - awareness is aware. It’s that simple. Awareness did not find a separate self, an “ I “. Simple. You are already obviously the awareness. Now notice you don’t have to believe thoughts, like “my “. Or “feet”. Or “palms”. Meditation is for letting go of thoughts, making it easier and easier to discontinue the old paradigm, of believing them. 

Of course, as you let go of believing the thoughts, and concepts...attachment, identity...you actually “become” / experience...The Beginner’s Mind. Is everything always working out for you or what?! Nice. 

[Beginner Mind]

@Nahm I've heard Adyashanti say that awakening is as simple as not believing your next thought.  Would you agree?  I feel like that might be oversimplifying it.

[Nahm]

@Beginner Mind If the thought doesn’t feel good, let it go. Nothing to do with “awakening”.

 

[Beginner Mind]

@Nahm So how would you define awakening?

[Matt8800]

On 2/7/2020 at 1:25 PM, Beginner Mind said:

I was just watching Leo's video, "What is God? Part 1" where he briefly mentions surrender.  This is a concept that has confused me for a long time now.  What does it really mean to surrender?  How does one surrender?  Surely it doesn't mean giving up all personal desires while sitting on your couch, waiting for God to arrange everything in your life for you...?  I'd love to hear Leo's take on this topic, and of course anyone else is welcome to respond.

@Beginner Mind I think Taoism explains it best as not straining or forcing thinks against the flow of the Tao BUT Taoism says that we should use our full effort, without forcing, to flow WITH the Tao. Flowing with the Tao is another way of saying surrendering to the Tao.