Surrendering is Recognizing All is Moving on Its Own (Ashtavakra Gita 3.11-3.14) - 27th Oct. 2016

Verse number 11: 'Realizing that the universe is illusion, having lost all curiosity, how can one of steady mind fear death?' We discussed all of this. Realizing the universe is illusion, having lost all curiosity, how can one have steady mind, fear death?

Verse 12: 'With whom can we compare the great soul who, content knowing Self, remains desireless in disappointment?' We talked about this. You see that whatever comes and goes, whatever might be the appearance in this world, whether it is joyful or disappointing, the sage abiding in the Self, not going in the pretense of the false, allows everything to just flow, to come and go.

He who is unattached, untouched by opposites, free of desire, experiences neither pleasure nor pain as if fast asleep. So, I like to modify a bit of what we say. Do not think that they experiences—these energetic experiences of pleasure and pain—they go away. It is only the sense 'I am experiencing pleasure, I am experiencing pain' that goes away. And this is really, really important. Because if you look at many, many psychotherapy sessions, but most of life, it is all about pleasure-seeking and pain-avoidance. That is the normal human existence.

But as soon as the sense goes away that 'I am the experiencer of pleasure, I am experiencing this pain,' when the sense of individual 'I' is away, then life doesn't seem to be constricted within this pleasure-seeking and pain-avoidance. And unless we see this to be true, you cannot truly be open. If we are still avoiding pain, still avoiding situations, it is still 'me.' I mean, how to get more and more pleasure? Strategizing for how to make life pleasurable? And that is not openness.

Openness is the willingness to allow everything to come and go. And it can be recognized when you see that that which is moving this realm is consciousness, and everything moves only with the will of Ram. It is seen that there is nobody here. No blade of grass moves unless it is the will of this Being itself. And openness just happens. And there is actually just a happening; it is not a doing. So when there is a recognition that all is moving on its own, really, by the light of consciousness, of this...