The word ”surrender“ has an ironically powerful energy to it, it implies the release or relaxation of the action of resistance. Even through this relaxation, it is an action in and of itself, a decision made by a person, to not do something. To stop pushing, pressing, trying, resisting.
There is no such thing as surrender. There is no person who can make the decision or effort to surrender. There is no resistance, there is no thing, no force to push against, nothing to relax. Life is happening, without force.
Surrender.
Let go.
Allow.
All of these are actions, by someone or something. Even though they appear to be less forceful or imply more grace in approach as one goes down the list, they have a body-mind stickiness to them rooted in the activity of a doer.
As a pointer, one could say allowing everything to be as it is is a softer approach, one with less friction, more flow-like. But there is no allowing in What Is. There is no allowing, because there is no preventing.
A branch does not surrender to the tree, a sand castle does not need to let go to be sand, and a wave does not allow itself to be the ocean.
I listened to an Adyashanti talk called “surrender or suffer” and found it a useful pointer. At the time it was helpful to have the apparent choice of either giving up or feeling shitty. Maybe it was helpful to break free from the “never give up” programming here, even though it was ultimately discovered that there is no surrendering and there is no suffering that happens. In fact, the night after listening to it, I softly said “I surrender” over and over in my head until I feel asleep.
Adyashanti - Surrender or Suffer
“Let It Go” was one of the most popular songs on the planet a few years back and seemingly very few got the message, but it’s not a bad pointer. Less energetic friction or stickiness than Surrender, but still an action performed by a Doer.
Even though it’s a pointer like the others, I do like the gentle feeling of the word Allowing. It has less of a “give up” energy to it and more of an acceptance, a element of trust.
No one surrenders.
No one lets go.
No one allows.
Surrendering, letting go, and allowing aren’t even happening. They’re just thoughts arising as the apparent opposite to what’s happening.
This is the end of surrendering, of seeking, of suffering. It’s the total acceptance of What Is. Even the word “acceptance” has a stickiness to it because it implies there can be non-acceptance. 🙏🏼