Nebulae Bred Posted June 22, 2018 I'm a novice at most things spiritual and esoteric. But my way has led me here. I'm learning to surrender to myself. I have no formal teacher. I am forging ahead on my own path. What lies ahead, I am eager to unveil. I hope to share my insights with all of you, and likewise I hope to learn from everyone. See you around 7 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Fa Xin Posted June 23, 2018 Hello, Nebulae Bred, and welcome. Your membership is approved and we're happy you found your way to us. We look forward to accompanying you on some of the way that you still have to go. Please take the time to read the post pinned at the top of this Welcome page and take a look at the forum Terms and Rules. This covers all you need to know when getting started. For the first week you will be restricted to ten posts per day but after that you can post as much as you like. Also, until you’ve posted fifteen times in the forums, you’ll be a “Junior Bum” with somewhat restricted access and will be allowed only two private messages per day. Good luck in your pursuits and best wishes to you, Fa Xin and the TDB team Welcome Nebulae, Surrendering has really been a very transformative practice for me too. Enjoy the forum! Looking forward to discovering your insights too. You are welcome to jump right in to the ongoing discussions, revive an older thread, start a new thread of your own, or start a discussion in the "Newcomer Corner" sub-forum to expand on your introduction or ask general questions to help you get started. May you enjoy your time here. Fa Xin 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Marblehead Posted June 23, 2018 Hi Nebulae. Welcome. I will surrender after you have pried my weapon from my cold, dead hands. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Limahong Posted June 23, 2018 (edited) 1 hour ago, Marblehead said: I will surrender after you have pried my weapon from my cold, dead hands. Hi Dada-da, Charlton Heston (October 4, 1923 – April 5, 2008) ~ American actor and political activist. - LimA Edited June 23, 2018 by Limahong Enhance ... 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Limahong Posted June 23, 2018 19 hours ago, Nebulae Bred said: I'm learning to surrender to myself. Hi Nebulae Bred, Welcome to TDB. - LimA Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Lost in Translation Posted June 23, 2018 Hi Nebulae Bred, Is "surrender" something you have recently come to realize, to see strength in? I recall a time, about thirteen or fourteen years ago, when I first saw surrender not as a weakness but as a strength. It changed my world. For days I walked around thinking "A ha! I figured it out!', but life has a way of tempering us and soon my everyday world came crashing back upon me. I very much look forward to hearing from you in the threads to come. I suspect you have much to say. -Lost in Translation 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Nebulae Bred Posted June 23, 2018 3 hours ago, StormHealer said: Welcome to TDB. Thank you 2 hours ago, Lost in Translation said: Is "surrender" something you have recently come to realize, to see strength in? I recall a time, about thirteen or fourteen years ago, when I first saw surrender not as a weakness but as a strength. It changed my world. For days I walked around thinking "A ha! I figured it out!', but life has a way of tempering us and soon my everyday world came crashing back upon me. Surrender has been a spectrum of discovery for me. Currently im working surrendering to my truth. A lot of my past was spent on getting what i want through subtle manipulations. I didnt really know that what i was doing was manipulation, and whenever i had that suspicion id always have an excuse ready for myself (its harmless, everybody does it so its fine, etc.) I was only able to confront this part of myself after I surrendered to the truth of what i was doing to myself and others. So truth is the common thread, surrender to the truth. And embrace the truth. And breathe it, and let it fuel and guide. Its easier said than done though. But i have faith that ill overcome the obstacles ahead. Ive come this far and thats enough proof for me to know that I can reach these ever-more coundounding answers to questions i probably dont even know yet. 4 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Limahong Posted June 23, 2018 5 hours ago, Nebulae Bred said: Surrender has been a spectrum of discovery for me. Hi Nebulae Bred, - LimA 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
thelerner Posted June 24, 2018 There is the strong surrender. The surrender where you don't stop. You trust the process, and even when its hard, you keep going, because you've surrendered to it. Open eyed, with faith and endurance you make room for grace. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Nebulae Bred Posted June 24, 2018 2 hours ago, thelerner said: There is the strong surrender. The surrender where you don't stop. You trust the process, and even when its hard, you keep going, because you've surrendered to it. Open eyed, with faith and endurance you make room for grace. I saw a youtube video of some prodigal-child-turned-mountain-hermit, who survived two months without food while his cultivation cave was covered ice. He seemed relatively young. Probably in his 30's or 40's. He said something that inspired me. He said, and I'm paraphrasing and probably butchering the quote, something along the lines of "...I was lead [here] by my way..." It connected a few dots for me. It made me realize what it meant to cultivate behavior. This is my current, long-term goal with surrender. To be lead by my Way. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Marblehead Posted June 24, 2018 But being led by one's Way (true nature) has nothing to do with surrender. It is refusing to surrender that allows one to walk their own path. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Nebulae Bred Posted June 24, 2018 25 minutes ago, Marblehead said: But being led by one's Way (true nature) has nothing to do with surrender. It is refusing to surrender that allows one to walk their own path. Thank you for clarifying that for me. You're right that they are different. However, I do not see the two as mutually exclusive concepts. Is there not an element of surrender to the uncertainty of the future, and a surrender to the possibility of infallibility? 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Marblehead Posted June 24, 2018 12 minutes ago, Nebulae Bred said: Thank you for clarifying that for me. You're right that they are different. However, I do not see the two as mutually exclusive concepts. Is there not an element of surrender to the uncertainty of the future, and a surrender to the possibility of infallibility? Now you are causing me to think rather than just respond spontaneously. But that's okay. No, they aren't mutually exclusive. For now I will neglect following one's path and return to only the concept of surrender. I almost always speak negatively to the concept of surrender. But I associate this concept with its opposite of never giving up on our realistic goals in life. To surrender to failure is, in my mind, unacceptable. But on the other hand, if our goals are unrealistic or beyond our capabilities and capacities then yes, we should surrender to the fact that these goals are unattainable by us. (But they could be attainable by others.) True, the future is unpredictable with certainty. We can, however, make plans based on past causes and effects and make fairly accurate predictions. This means we don't sit on our behind and let things happen to us. We make things happen as close as possible to what we intend to accomplish. Acknowledging that we may fail in any of our attempts is just acknowledging reality. It doesn't require surrendering to anything. And just because we fail in our first attempt doesn't mean we have to surrender our goal. But it does likely mean that we need to change some of the variables. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jonesboy Posted June 24, 2018 I have found that surrendering or as I use the term letting go is very much a key part of the process. Amazing what one can realize if they can surrender and trust. Welcome and good luck on your journey. 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Nebulae Bred Posted June 24, 2018 1 hour ago, Jonesboy said: I have found that surrendering or as I use the term letting go is very much a key part of the process. Amazing what one can realize if they can surrender and trust. Welcome and good luck on your journey. >letting go This is also a phrase that comes to my mind when I think about it. I've still got lots of work ahead of me. Thanks for the welcome and the good wishes 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
silent thunder Posted June 24, 2018 (edited) 4 hours ago, Marblehead said: But being led by one's Way (true nature) has nothing to do with surrender. It is refusing to surrender that allows one to walk their own path. I see why you say this, yet for me, walking (or any action) involves an element of surrender... the surrender into the motion of walking, or the surrender into the thought chain, or emotion. Perhaps it's only the intent with which one approaches the action/thought, but the potency of release and surrender continues to amaze me. Release has become the empty space around which my awareness and life process pivots these days... yet release is often assumed to be a 'giving up', just as the notion of surrender is often confused, or assumed to deal with non action and pacifism, when my experience of release, surrender and letting go manifests not as a rejection, cowering, but a releasing more fully into an action than to avoid it... or a deep surrender more fully into an emotion, to not resist what is at all, but release into the full natural authentic expression of it. This pivot of release is the wei wu wei of action and non action for me. If action arises, release into it fully. When stillness abides, release into it completely. Surrender in all aspects of the natural and authentic expression of awareness in presence. edit to add: far from being weak, passive and door mattish... surrender is so full of potency to me due to the lack of resistance to natural, authentic flow, power is not diminished in action/stillness thought/silence... it rather flows with greater power and effectiveness. Edited June 24, 2018 by silent thunder 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Limahong Posted June 24, 2018 (edited) 2 hours ago, silent thunder said: Perhaps it's only the intent with which one approaches the action/thought, but the potency of release and surrender continues to amaze me. Hi Creighton, Nebulae Bred is not surrendering per se - he is learning to surrender. Nebulae Bred => New Blood Bled => ... - Anand Edited June 24, 2018 by Limahong Enhance ... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dawei Posted June 25, 2018 I personally don't think there is anything we can call 'learning to surrender'... that sounds like, learning to like avocado, olives or jalapenos Like, if you eat it enough, you will eventually force yourself to like it... and then surrender to its first, offensive taste as now some sublime palate experience Surrender is from the heart. I always found it easiest to just let go as soon as I realize what there is to let go. Have no attachment to it. The problem is, we're all wired and programmed and influenced differently so my way doesn't work for another's way... so I get it. I was strongly influenced by a line from Baopuzi who said, 'practice is not natural'... that made me realize we are spending time trying to get to some point... trying to cultivate... trying to change our thoughts and actions and mindset. Then I asked, what I think is an important question: How did we get so far off-track? Simply residing is a good practice as you should not be 'trying' to do that... when you fall into a pool to swim, I feel completely one with water... there is no effort to float, turn, swim under or over. Now, someone's going to say, but you have been practicing that all your life, right? Well... children do naturally take to water if exposed early enough. Child never exposed to the water have a very difficult time overcoming the fear of it. And my observation is they are older and then taught to swim like an adult with never learning how children first come to swim, under the water. The foundation is missing. I've seen this with many children. There is just an inner sense that may arise. And I think that is the ultimate issue: We are trying to unlock a dormant side to wake up again. That is where we got off-track. Zen might say, with a slap of the stick to the back of your head: WAKE-UP ! And your response should be something along the lines of, the peaches are quite ripe this time of year... 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Limahong Posted June 25, 2018 (edited) 12 hours ago, dawei said: ... the peaches are quite ripe this time of year... (1) Hi dawei, - LimA Edited June 25, 2018 by Limahong Enhance ... 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Limahong Posted June 25, 2018 12 hours ago, dawei said: the peaches are quite ripe this time of year... (2) Hi dawei, Go with the flow... - LimA 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Limahong Posted June 29, 2018 (edited) On 6/22/2018 at 10:36 PM, Nebulae Bred said: I'm learning to surrender to myself. I have no formal teacher. Hi Nebulae Bred, Surrender at your own time and at your own comfort level. You are your own best teacher and... - LimA Edited June 29, 2018 by Limahong Enhance ... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Nebulae Bred Posted July 9, 2018 (edited) haHA! Thought I was crazy, or broken, for a while there. Stumbled upon this video: Realized I've been developing this subconscious..sense? essence? being?, this part of myself for years, now. I used to be obsessed with the notion of genius and intelligence. I thought that the only people with value were those that were the most intelligent, as they were the one's who kept moving humanity 'forward,' while the rest of us were dead weight. Mind you, i've matured much since then. Thank god. But the result of this is that where my conscious mind failed to recognize these intelligent aspects of myself, my subconscious mind would take over. In conversations I would say something that only after a few seconds of thought I would realize was actually very witty. I'd always refer to these moments as 'subconscious treats.' So i've been peripherally aware of this phenomena in myself for a while. Another manifestation i've found of it's existence is the fact that I have a keen sense of intuition, something that i've now attributed to this larger mind of mine. I realize that i'm growing more and more spontaneous as I explore and exercise my consciousness. And that spontaneity is helping me in ways that always have amazing payoffs. I think that this is part of what i've been learning to surrender too. As I grow in mind and body and spirit, as I 'mature', I will be able to trust my true self more and more. I think that today i'm going to meditate on this, and find the joy in my own presence. I hope you all have an amazing week Edited July 9, 2018 by Nebulae Bred 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Limahong Posted July 9, 2018 (edited) 1 hour ago, Nebulae Bred said: haHA! Hi Nebulae Bred, Great to register laughter. How about wu-wei at TDB? - LimA Edited July 9, 2018 by Limahong Enhance ... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
