True Surrender

All the Gurus recommend that we should surrender ourselves. Naturally a question arises in the mind - what is surrender and to whom we should surrender? Should we surrender to any person, to our Guru, someone with a superior mind than us? Or should we surrender to God / universal mind?

The surrender really means ‘Not my will but Thy Will be done’. This means aligning oneself to God's will. It acknowledges the fact that God has far superior intelligence and much greater power as compared to us. In fact whatever power or intelligence we may have is derived from Him only. Surrender keep us connected to the ultimate source of power. It actually empowers us making us stronger.

If we surrender to a person who we consider to be superior, noble or our guru, what happens? We bestow to the other person the power to control us. The Power move away from us. As a result we feel dis-empowered and therefore weaker. We allow that person to take significant decisions for us. We follow that person blindly. We allow ourselves to be controlled or manipulated. We do it in order to feel secure that we are moving in right direction; that we are being led by an experienced person; that we will surely reach our destination. We feel lighter and feel less responsible and therefore less stressful. We do not feel the fear of failure.

What is the result of such a surrender? If the person is a true guru he will definitely guide us without any kind of exploitation. If he is a fake guru or pseudo guru we are doomed. The results can be very devastating. We may spend years in vain hope, being exploited in variety of ways.

What is the remedy? It is next to impossible to judge whether a guru is a true guru or not especially when we are ignorant fools and the people are so deceptive? Does this kind of surrender really help us? It actually disempowers us. It takes away whatever little power we might have.

Even if we accept that there is no difference between God and true guru why should we look for an intermediary between God and us? Even when we seek guidance from our superiors, from more experienced persons, we should retain ultimate responsibility of our life with us.

If we surrender to God we can be sure that we will be guided at each and every step. The guidance can take any shape or form. May be we see a dream, meet someone, read a relevant book or article or get a plain direct insight in our mind. Even if we fail a number of times we will learn from such failure. We will come out stronger and wiser from such an experience.

Surrender is sometimes confused with weakness of mind. Surrender doesn't mean allowing any Tom, Dick or Harry to walk over us. Only a weak mind will allow that. Surrender in fact strengthens the mind as it connects us to the ultimate source of power.

What should be our approach to other people? Should we try to exert power over them, trying to control them? If we understand the power dynamics clearly God or universal mind is the ultimate source of power and everyone is connected to it efficiently or inefficiently. Trying to control people therefore makes no spiritual sense. There is nothing to be gained from them which we cannot obtain from God directly. The best approach I think is to be neutral ‘Live and Let Live’ which means neither try to dominate nor allow oneself to be dominated.

What is the nature of mind that has truly surrendered? First of all it is strong and quietly confident. This confidence is not arrogance. It does not feel superior to others as it acknowledges the potential of each and every one person. It is composed, not easily ruffled. It cannot be manipulated by praise or criticism. It understands the interconnection with other minds It motivates them to realize their potential. It expresses love, compassion and empathy towards others. It radiates positivity but does not absorb negativity from others. It protects itself from negativity coming from anywhere. So at times it is aloof and unattached to the surroundings especially during hostile situations.

Anand Wardhan