My ego can lead to self-centered thinking, isolating me in the cocoon of my thinking patterns and a false sense of security that depends on the need to control external conditions. Fear and the need to preserve and maintain a separate identity fuel it. It can disconnect me from the flow of the Universe, which is much larger, timeless, and rich with boundless potential. Surrendering and opening up to the universal consciousness can enrich me with the abundance and healing – it can open up potential, possibilities, and a profound sense of connectedness.
Albert Einstein:
A human being is part of a whole, called by us the Universe, a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts, and feelings as something separated from the rest — a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty. Nobody can achieve this completely, but striving for it is, in itself, part of liberation and a foundation for inner security.
Interdependence
I am an integral part of the Universe – an interconnected node in the vast web of relationships. I am a link through which the Universe evolves and expresses its consciousness. All phenomena, including us, are the products of infinite causes and conditions. There is nothing separate or independent. Everyone and everything around me touches me. They shape me, and in turn I am shaping them – that is both knowingly and unknowingly. The awareness and acknowledgement of interdependence nudge me to surrender my mind, ego, to merge and be one with all – a kind of unfoldment of my mind, body, and intellect to be part of the collective whole.
Sky-like Openness
Surrendering opens my mind like the sky – it creates space and expands horizons, offering answers to questions and insights to grow and develop. The spacious awareness can let the weather of thoughts and emotions pass through, enabling healing from within.
Impermanence – let go
All compounded phenomena disintegrate. That includes us. Nothing is permanent. Everything is in a continuous process of arising and dissolving. There is nothing I can hold on to. I let go of resistance to the change. Grasping for permanence – I don’t like surprises – I cling to the past and don’t let go – I create plots of mental drama disconnected from reality. If I am not aware, the thoughts can get stronger, and the drama can become even more intense over time. Accepting the impermanence makes it easier for me to surrender to the Universe evolving through me – to the life living through me.
Multiplicity
Following clear and singular views can simplify navigating life. However, I am not the discrete, independent “self” – it’s an ever-evolving landscape where mind, body, and experiences constantly change, shaped by a multitude of conditions and internal causes. So, being open and vulnerable to new ideas can help me revise the maps of what actual reality is.
Finding the Drive and Fuel
Surrendering to something way larger than my mind, body, and intellect can help drive and fuel – and also provide a new perspective and meaning – to connect with the purpose from inside and follow through to make things happen.
George Bernard Shaw:
This is the true joy in life, being used for a purpose recognized by yourself as a mighty one, being a force of nature instead of a feverish, selfish little clod of ailments and grievances, complaining that the world will not devote itself to making you happy. I believe that my life belongs to the whole community, and as long as I live, it is my privilege to do for it what I can. I want to be thoroughly used up when I die, for the harder I work, the more I live. I rejoice in life for its own sake. Life is no brief candle. It is a sort of splendid torch which I have got hold of for the moment, and I want to make it burn as brightly as possible before handing it on to future generations.
Shakti Gawain:
To whatever degree you listen and follow your intuition, you become a creative channel for the higher power of the universe.
Pray
I surrender to the universal consciousness. I surrender to the divinity. I pray to the gods, archangels, and gurus, as they symbolize and embody that divine energy. I pray with trust, faith, and surrender – with ભક્તિભાવ. I invoke or invite healing, peace, blessings, and all good things to help me clarify my mind.