July 5, 2006
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The Spiritual Teachings
If we read enough spiritual books, we will find that all spiritual teachings lead us ultimately down to one path: surrender. They tell us to take the path of surrender if we want to achieve enlightenment. What do they mean by surrender? And why do we want to achieve enlightenment? When they say surrender, they mean to drop the ritual: the past, the known, the learned, and the beliefs. They mean to detached or let go. Surrender means surrendering the false identity. That’s what letting go is. That’s what detachment is. We want to achieve enlightment because we are discontent with life. We want to end our pain and suffering. And to end our pain and suffering, we must let go; we must detached; we must surrender. This is why sometimes, the enlightened person has a second name. Their name change is a symbol that says that they are no longer a part of their past. All that are connected with the past is gone. They begin a new way about their beings.
These teachings have one goal and it is to lead us down the path of surrender. They will tell us that our current identity is not ours. Our name is False. Our form is False. All is False. We are not our names. We are not our forms. We are something beyond both, but we don’t know who you are until we surrender and face life as it comes with the new consciousness. They tell us to allow the wind to carry us to our destination. We must allow existing itself to take us to our destiny.
The teachings say that in order for surrender to happen, we must allow ourselves to be one with the universe. To die before we die. To allow for the death of our individualities. Why? So that we can get to the essential. When we surrender, the non essentials disappear and the essential appears. Other terms for non essentials include: ego, trappings, onion layers, masks, personalities, garbage, shits, and many more. They said that about 99% of who we are is the non essentials and 1% percent is essential. Other terms for essential include: the real you, an inner voice, the core, the center, the Self, no-thing-ness, diamond, and so on. But first we have to strip off the non essentials to discover the essential; we have to discard all the garbage to discover our diamond.
What do you think about these spiritual teachings? Do these teachings make sense to you in the head or in the heart? Are they a hindrance for your spiritual journey because they set the musts and the shoulds?
Comments (13)
I MUST follow these teachings! I like the metaphor of the raft. Ideas, teachings are only rafts to help us get to the other side. Anything can be a hinderance. Even the most wisest teachings.
Recently I read a book about the Heart Sùtra written in Vietnamese. When I read it I thought of two people on Xanga who may find the book interesting because the two people are spiritually oriented and because they can understand the Heart Sutra. You and Ron. Unfortunately, it is written in Vietnamese. I can’t translate it because I do not understand the Heart Sutra. Your post carry a touch of Buddhism in surrender self to find enlightenment. I have not yet learn how to let go of my self yet. Poor me!
Very nice spiritual post, Sis.
Ahh, there is a disagreement in budget.
A very good point made. To let go of our knowledge, our reason, to live as nature lives. To escape from physical form. Always a peaceful feeling.
thanks for sharing. .the beautiful spiritual post….. i wondering.. yoga is one of them……. thanks for the comment chi. anh have a great day…
I think they focus alot on the surrendering part of things is because that’s the hardest part. Letting go. It’s usually holding onto something that keeps things from flowing freely.
On the other hand, if you base your whole life on letting go. It almost like you’re attached to letting go itself.
I like the analogy of the raft. I’ve come across it in the form of healing. Where some people are so attached to the healing process that it is the very thing that keeps them from being well. Thin line that separates things eh?
Great post.
woww.. how did you come up with all these spiritual thoughts…. awesome!!!!
Of course, if we take the attitude that we “must” or “should” surrender, then we are still no better off. I think the foundation of all religion ultimately leads us to some version of the ethic of reciprocity. (http://thejourneyofa1000miles.blogspot.com/) *see list in right hand column.
However, if you say to yourself, I “should” or “must” do a certain act to show love to my neighbor, you fall back into the same trap. I think that as we reach a certain stage of spiritual enlightenment, we become love. Instead of being a struggling creature attempting to live in and do “acts” of love, we become love, it becomes our nature and flows naturally.
Religion is a problem for me, because of Musts and Shoulds. Belief is not the problem, but swallowing what any ONE person or doctrine says is Impossible for me. There is simply way too much truth to be found!
The more I explore, and think, and feel, the more I see God all around.The more I see God in the everyday, the easier it is to believe, He is the current that guides me. When I try to take the rudder away and steer, I have to remind myself–turn it back over, to Him! heh.
What you said, about uncovering the garbage that covers us…I have been chewing on this for a couple days now. Thank you for your introspection.
Letting go, mysticism, the Dark Night of the Soul. Being One and letting go of the “little self” is a beautiful theme, and an important one. Letting go and embracing the One is of utmost importance. To me, loving others and loving what Is is my goal, my life, what I should be breathing at all moments. We need to break down or look through or traverse the false barriers between people. Amen.
It sets the musts and the shoulds, but so do lines in the road. We keep to one side of the road in order to protect us from harming ourselves and others. But the lines in the roads don’t tell us which road to take. They’re there for our guidance, not our mandate.
I need to surrender right now. My struggle is with my ego–I’m not trusting that what’s going on in my life is supposed to happen. But in our surrender, we see later on down the road that the past we had struggled with was for the best.
These teachings live in my head but life pushes them into my heart. Great insights.