10 Mar 2013 Question

Q223: Surrender?

Question 223:

Amma says: “Surrender and living in the present are one and the same.”
How do you understand this?

Please make your answer brief and clear (maximum 5 or 6 lines).

Join the conversation! 24 Comments

  1. i think living in the present means you are like a good pilot.
    A good pilot tries to help lots of others, is very focussed on doing her job well second by second, and surrenders to she cant control the weather but can respond to it. Multitasking spiritually, (i.e. you can chant constantly, AND take lots of opportunities to serve selflessly (not expecting reward or thanks) too. That helps bit by bit get to your destination (self realization) no matter what clouds in life are in the way

  2. To surrender is to leave everything to God. When we leave everything to God, we accept any circumstance and live whatever comes fully, without being conditioned by the past and future… Maybe this is what Amma means.

  3. (poem)
    We are ripe and ready warriors on a journey toward this moment.
    Mother hands us a quagmire to unravel and polish for atonement.
    This plane has taken off and will land where it may,
    our charge is to live skillfully, for we have dues to pay.
    Give up the very breath of life, you used to know,
    and you’ll find this moment pressed up against you, stretching you to grow.
    This freeze frame is your epic mission, close your eyes and see mother’s face,
    Do you any choice but to surrender to her grace?

  4. Amma says, the past is history and the future, a mystery. Today is a gift, that is why we call it the present. We have not much control over the past or the future. We should accept things in life with an attitude of surrender. That is to dwell happily in the present moment, contented with what life has to offer, without any regrets about the past or expectations regarding the future. Amma says that even the next breath we take is not in our hands. Accepting the Divine Will and surrendering to it thus amounts to living in the present moment.

  5. When we surrender , we let God, our creator take the driving seat and let Him guide us in our path. Living in the present is the same as it means being ever aware of ‘who you are'( pure soul) , and why and for whom we have come here, on this earth, and thus do not get embroiled in the affairs of this world and remain children of Creator doing His bidding for His pleasure.

  6. Everything that has happened is for my good, everything that is happening is for my good and everything that will happen is for my good.
    So I need not regret my past, not worry in my present or fear my future, for All is taken care of by Creator,and so let me surrender!

  7. In its true meaning, going beyond our likes and dislikes created by our ego ( i and mine ) will help us to live this experience. Amma repeatedly gives this message to us, in all Her sathsangs, bhajans and lives/leads by example. As true children, we just have to put our sincere efforts and dedicate this life time to follow Her simple instructions where ever we are and we are sure to reach there

  8. Just like a kid playing happily and creatively with whatever toys that are given to him by his parents, and with whomever neighboring kids he has got, we should make best use of our current opportunities to lead a happy life, and also bring joy to others.

  9. Amritesvaree Charanau Saranam Prapadye (Surrendering to the Lotus Feet of Immortal Goddess)
    Everything perishes except God. God alone is Real and everything else is evanescent or just a mirage, illusory and has no substance. Everything is supported by God alone. God is nearer than the nearest and farther than the farthest. Knowing which we must surrender and dedicate our lives to God i.e., AMMA, living in the present, with the thorough understanding that the All-knowing Mother, the Most Compassionate one cares and takes care of every moment of our life or lives.
    Anyatha Saranam Naasthi, Tvameva Saranam Mama | Tastaamt karunya Bhavena, Rakshmamaam Jagadeesvari ||

  10. I saw this in Chinmaya Tej, a beautiful passage by Eckhart Tolle which sums up the present moment living. “Through the present moment, you have access to the power of life itself, that which has traditionally been called God. As soon as you turn away from it, God ceases to be a reality in your life. and all you are left with is the mental concept of God, which some people believe in and others deny. Even belief in God is only a poor substitute for the living reality of God manifesting every moment of your life.” So yes living in God is surrendering to Him and how does one do/get this ? Purely through Grace!

  11. What do I understand and what do I imbibe is different. I fully understand that living in present are synonms to each other. But oflate, I am not able to live in my real life. AMMA please help me in coming back to my original track. Love U MAA

  12. B0dy is the effect of past and mind is the seed for the future.Awareness is the present I.e.,the now.As long as one is enamoured by the body. and mind,one’s attention will not be focused on the present.In the present moment there is no mind.And also not the body. Only Awareness.This is the stage of saranagati(Surrender).Th e egoless state.All yogas other than sarangati(surrender) keep the the yogi intact.Bhakthi or saranagati completely swallows the yogi.Only yoga remains ,no yogi.Hence this surrender is the terminus of all spiritual paths.As rivers lose their names and forms in the ocean all yogas lose their separate identity in the ocean of SARANAGATI.

  13. While living in the present we enjoy what is happening around us without worrying about the future or regretting about the past- this is indeed complete surrender to Her 🙂

  14. To Live in the present moment is to surrender the past (memories and conditioning) and the future (hopes and aspirations).

    To live in the present moment is to be in touch with what IS.

    To live in the present moment is to be what IS.

  15. I think Renu is on track. It’s critical to be able to separate wishful thinking, imagination, and intellectual understanding for what we’ve really taken in at a deep level. From my experience I feel surrender is not a choice but something that happens in a serious life situation through Grace when nothing else works. It’s not just becoming a victim nor can it be cooked up by the mind. Since we can’t have surrendered by holding onto old ideas from the past or speculating about the future, also based on the past, this leaves the mind unemployed and gives the space for something new to occur in the present. The fear and insecurity that the mind worried about when surrender was just a thought evaporated magically for me.

  16. Surrender is my prayer to Amma. Help me Divine Mother to experience it.

  17. Surrender(as i understand) means you give the reins of your life in God’s or Guru’s hands. Every thing one does after that moment will not bind them in Karmic cycle. When one does not worry because of past and the future because he has surrendered the only place he, but naturally, will dwell in is the present. Hence to me this is probably what Amma means. I don’t know for sure though.It could be much more than that. I am neither surrendered nor living in the present. So my view might be greatly flawed.

    Om Amma.

  18. Surrender all my desires, surrender my will and let God driving me to his Light, to his love and awareness for the benefit of all is realistic . It is the only way to live in this present time of injustice.
    Justice, wisdom, courage, tenderness and discernment is necessary in the present time and all this comes from God.

  19. Simple, you can’t change the past its over, and you can’t change the future because you don’t know what holds for you in the future and can only cross the bridge when you come to it.Present is the reality live every moment as it comes by happily , surrender yourself to the ways of god,because he will lead you to your ultimate destiny.

  20. as this body breathes in, it will again breath out.

  21. Oneness

  22. When you understand that you are no more than an instrument in the play of the Divine and a tool for His expression, and then finally accept this fact wholeheartedly and joyfully.. When you surrender to it forsaking identification with anything else, there is no place else to be anymore but in the present.

  23. Surrender means giving up everything to the decision of almighty. Living in the present is selflessly engaging oneself in his /her destined duty. In both cases, there is no anxiety on the outcome, focus is on meeting the present challenges. Selfless performance of the destined duty with utmost care and devotion will lead to happiness and contentment. Yoga-kshemam of such people who maintain pointed attention to the destined duty is taken care by Bhagavan

  24. The present is important-and we must focus and do the right actions in the present situation. This affects not only us-but also many others around us. So actions in the present are very important.
    Easy as it sounds-it is often very difficult and we need the Divine Grace of GOD and GURU like AMMA-to guide us so as to be not carried away by temptations and the foolish egos that many of us possess.

    Thus we need to be balanced and surrender our ego to do the right actions at each moment of our lives-stay focussed to the Divine voice guiding us throughout.

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