Surrendering To The Light

In order to move towards our natural state, we must learn to surrender to the flow of life, to the moment to moment experiences of the body, breath, mind, and soul. As we surrender, our ego softens, and we let go of resistance and the desire to control outcomes. This allows us to become more present with ourselves as we are, and the world as it is, and opens the door to acceptance, love, and growth. This is a 20 minute talk followed by a 20 minute guided meditation.

Transcript

In last week's class,

I spoke about free will and destiny,

And about how the mind has free will and the soul has its destiny,

And that ultimately,

In order to achieve the happiness,

The freedom,

The true nature that is our birthright,

And which is what we all truly deeply crave in this lifetime,

The mind has to use its free will to surrender to the soul.

If the mind does not use its free will to surrender to the destiny of the soul,

And instead uses its free will to amplify and reinforce the egoic aspects of attachment and aversion,

And of wanting our experience to be some certain way,

Or the outer world to be some certain way,

This leads to a great deal of unnecessary suffering.

This idea of surrender is very important and is present in a lot of different traditions.

And so I thought for today's class,

I would speak more about this idea of surrender.

Surrender can have a lot of different meanings depending on the context,

And often it can have a negative connotation,

Like we're giving up,

But in this context,

Surrender is actually very powerful,

And it takes a lot of courage.

We have to let go of those egoic desires.

We have to let go of wanting to try to control the outer world or our experience.

It's actually a letting go of resistance,

Of letting go of all that is impure,

Of all that is impeding our path.

It's impeding our destiny and our true nature.

It's preventing ourselves from becoming who we are meant to be in this world.

It's a surrender to the flow of life,

To allowing ourselves to immerse in the river of life,

And to not resist.

In this sense,

Surrender is being like water.

It's allowing ourselves to change and transform just as water changes with temperature variations.

Water can become ice,

It can become steam,

It can flow in a river,

It can rest in the depths of the ocean.

It evaporates and becomes clouds that then rain down.

Similar to water,

When we allow ourselves to surrender to this flow of life and to the destiny of the soul,

We continually change.

We let go of this abstract ideal,

This conception that we have of how we are supposed to be at all times,

And in that way,

It liberates us.

We're no longer bound by the idea of the universe,

We're no longer bound by these ideals,

By these conceptions and opinions and judgments about ourselves and about the world.

Instead,

We become like water and we continually change and transform.

In so doing,

Our beauty is revealed and we bring forth our light and what we're here to be and to do.

As I said,

When we surrender,

We let go of these judgments of good and bad.

Those judgments of good and bad and right and wrong are most often expressions of the ego,

Of attachment and aversion,

Of conditioned patterns of thinking and being.

And yet,

If we really look at life and ourselves and our histories and our experiences,

These conceptions of good and bad that seem so static and fixed are not so.

And often it's what we consider bad experiences in the moment,

The suffering,

The difficulty,

The challenges,

It's those experiences that actually provide the basis for so much growth and learning and beauty.

There's a story,

A parable that I've shared before that I think is quite valuable and I think of it often when I find myself judging experiences or moments.

And that's the story of the boy and the horse.

So the story goes that there was an old farmer that couldn't work the land anymore and all he had was a son and one older kind of mangy horse.

But the horse could still work the land and the boy could work the land and so they were able to get by.

One day,

The horse escaped and all the people from the town came out and said,

Oh,

This is so horrible.

You're so poor and all you have is this horse and he left and you're not gonna be able to work the land.

And the old man who had lived a long life and witnessed many changes of fortune looked at them and said,

How do you know that this is bad?

And they thought he was crazy and they went back to the town.

And then a few days later,

The horse returned and it had several horses following it,

Wild horses.

They'd come in and followed this horse and followed it into the corral and they closed them in.

And now they had four horses and the people came out from the town and said,

This is amazing,

Not only has your horse returned,

But three more horses with it.

That's so amazing,

It's so good.

And the old man looked at them calmly and said,

How do you know that this is good?

A few days later,

The son was trying to break in one of the horses and he got bucked off and broke his leg.

And the people came out and said,

Oh my gosh,

This is so bad,

Your only son has broke his leg.

Now there's gonna be no one to work the land.

And the old man said,

How do you know that this is bad?

Couple weeks later,

A massive war broke out and the army came through and conscripted all able-bodied young men.

And it was a very bloody war.

And most of the sons of the villagers never returned.

But the old man's son couldn't go because he had a broken leg.

And so how do we know what is bad and what is good?

So often what we judge as good or bad in one moment is just one moment in time that is part of a culmination of all previous moments and contributes to all moments to come.

And so often those difficult or seemingly bad experiences lead to something so much better.

And sometimes things that seem amazing and great in the moment can lead to something that seems bad later on.

And so letting go of these conceptions of good and bad helps us to soften the ego.

Instead of judging each moment as good or bad and filing it away,

We open to just seeing what that moment is going to bring.

We open to the possibility of working with our suffering differently,

Of working with our experiences and life differently.

And that allows us to surrender to the moment,

To surrender to allowing things to be as they are.

It allows us to let go of trying to bring about that which we think is good.

Because usually when we try to bring about something that we think is good,

It's a conditioned idealistic conception.

It's a static way of being.

And a static way of being is not actually healthy because we are not meant to be static.

We are impermanent and continually changing.

And we're meant to continually grow and shift.

And so this abstract ideal that is static for ourselves or for the world or for others is not actually healthy.

It's actually anti-life.

It impedes the smooth unfolding and development of life as it is.

So when we surrender,

When we let go of that egoic desire to try to control outcomes,

When we let go of resisting seemingly difficult experiences,

It opens us to the present moment.

It lets go of those obscurations,

The judgments and attachments and aversions that cover over the light of the soul.

It allows us to step back and see a bigger perspective,

To see how we are one minute part of the whole that is always connected,

That is always transforming and changing.

We open to our beauty,

To our light.

We stop having attachment to this physical body.

We come to terms with the fact that this physical body that we are currently inhabiting and experiencing life through is impermanent,

That it will pass away at some point.

And when we come to terms with that,

We become aware of that part within us that is permanent,

That light,

That divine aspect of ourselves,

The soul that is always present,

Regardless of the continually changing forms that it inhabits.

As I said,

This surrendering is letting go of control.

In this sense,

It's related to the idea of doing nothing,

As we talked about a few weeks ago.

Because that urge to do something is this desire to try to control ourselves or outcomes or the world.

And when we let go and we find that stillness,

That place of being,

Of surrender,

We find that we already have everything that we need.

We find that peacefulness within that begins to transform our experience of ourselves and of life.

And that peacefulness begins to grow and expand beyond ourselves and to bring greater harmony in our environment,

In our relationships and into the world.

Surrender takes trust.

We have to learn to trust in life.

We need to learn to trust in ourselves,

That no matter what we're experiencing,

We have what we need,

And that our true nature is that light.

And that all of the experiences that we have are simply impermanent expressions of life and impermanent expressions of life.

And manifest expressions of that underlying light.

You know,

Trust is an interesting thing.

Trust and truth actually share the same etymological root,

To be firm,

Solid,

Steadfast.

When we start to have trust and surrender,

It reveals the truth to us.

And we find that stable,

Steadfast place within us that is always there beneath the impermanent,

Continually changing world of form.

As we surrender,

We start to act from a place of purity of intention,

Beyond the ego,

Where the pure compassion,

Love,

And wisdom begins to manifest in various ways.

We bring more beauty into the world and into our experiences.

It also,

As I said,

Allows us to harness harmony that brings beauty.

You know,

We even use harmony when we speak of music.

When there's harmony in music,

It's pleasing to the ear.

It's beautiful.

And when we bring harmony into our relationships,

It's pleasing to the ear.

It's beautiful.

When we bring harmony into our relationships,

Into our experiences,

When we allow ourselves to be a harmonizing force,

It brings forth beauty and peace.

As we surrender,

We begin to accept ourselves as we are and the world as it is more completely.

And by doing so,

We begin to love ourselves as we are.

We see our beauty,

And we begin to love the world and others as they are,

Because we see their beauty.

We see the innate beauty that is always there,

Even when it's covered over by actions that are stemming from the ego or trauma.

And in truth,

Most of our egoic expressions and underlying traumas from the past that have created defense mechanisms and these patterned ways of being and relating to the world.

The egoic expressions are always rooted in fear.

And so when we surrender,

We begin to act from a place beyond fear,

From love.

We become more whole and integrated,

More connected to ourselves and more connected to others and the world.

This actually allows us to release tension within our body,

Because all tension comes from resisting that natural flow,

Comes from resisting the river of experiences in life.

As we let go of resisting and surrender,

We soften.

The body releases its physical tension.

The mind releases the tension that it carries.

The emotions soften and release their tension.

And that softening begins to refine us as individuals.

Our personalities,

Our emotions,

Our personality becomes more refined.

We become more harmonious,

More peaceful,

More loving.

You know,

And the refined personality is beautiful.

When we see or interact or witness someone that is acting from that place of refinement,

Of softness,

Of surrender,

It's beautiful.

This act of surrender requires patience and humility and courage.

We have to have patience to be with the experiences of suffering of ourselves and others in the world without becoming reactive.

We have to allow space for that suffering to do its work of transformation.

We have to have humility to soften the ego and to not act from that place of wanting to impose our will on the world.

We have to have humility to acknowledge that we may not know what is best in the grand scheme of things,

In the big picture and over time.

And we have to have courage to overcome those underlying fears and past traumas that have conditioned us to have this urge to control.

And yet as we do so,

As we surrender through patience and humility and courage,

It gives rise to even greater virtue because we connect with that divine place of love within from which all virtues arise.

I'll share a quote from Words of My Perfect Teacher by Patrul Rinpoche.

The tendency of consciousness to get engrossed in the objects of the six senses is the root of all samsara's hallucinations and the source of all suffering.

So when he says the tendency of consciousness to get engrossed in the objects of the six senses,

That's attachment to that outer world of form.

And so it's that attachment to that outer world that creates all suffering.

And it's a hallucination it's a hallucination,

It's a delusion.

It means that we are not perceiving the underlying truth of reality that is stable,

That is light and stillness and peace.

And so to overcome that attachment to that outer world of form,

We must surrender.

We have to surrender that desire to control.

And that gives us that stability and grounding and peace,

The fulfillment of happiness,

Of love,

Compassion and wisdom of our natural state that we truly and deeply desire.

And as I always say,

It's a practice.

Rome wasn't built in a day and we are all continually transforming.

And as long as we are here in this world of form embodied in this manner,

We always have more to learn,

More growing to do,

More that we can offer.

And so we practice.

We take time each day and throughout the day to remind ourselves of these things,

To sit and meditate and to observe the nature of the mind,

All of its conniving and desires and attachments and aversions and judgments.

And we have to have self-compassion to be gentle with ourselves when we observe all of that arising in the mind.

And as we have self-compassion and a lot of space for that,

It begins to dissolve and we find that stillness within.

And we'll always have moments when we fail,

When we act out and have unskillful words or actions.

And we have to have forgiveness for ourselves for those moments and to have that dedication to keep coming back to the practice.

And as we forgive ourselves,

It makes it easier to forgive others for their unskillful actions.

And we surrender to the moment allowing that to occur while still loving people for that true and and we surrender to the moment allowing that to occur while still loving people for that true nature that they carry within and loving ourselves for our true nature that we carry within.

So let us practice.

If you will,

Please find a comfortable and stable posture for meditation.

You can be seated or lying down.

Most important thing is that you have a stable base so that you can be comfortable and the most important thing is that you have a stable base so you can completely let go of any unnecessary tension or holding or guarding so that you can surrender and drop into the moment to moment play of experiential awareness within your body,

Your emotions,

Your mind,

Your being.

Once you arrive in your posture,

Bring awareness to the natural movement of the breath.

Simply observe the breath as it is.

You might be long or short,

Choppy or smooth,

Shallow or deep.

Notice if any judgments come up about the movement of the breath,

Wanting it to be different.

And let those go and allow yourself to surrender to the movement of the breath as it is.

Notice how sometimes simply in observing the breath and allowing it to be as it is,

The breath begins to shift all of its own accord,

Just as when we allow ourselves and others to be as we are,

When we accept ourselves completely,

Just then we change.

As you continue to observe the movement of the breath,

Begin abdominal breathing with each inhalation allowing the abdomen to gently expand and with each exhalation allowing the abdomen to gently contract,

Allowing the chest and shoulders to remain relaxed and still.

There,

As you continue abdominal breathing,

Bring awareness to the felt sense of the body as a whole.

Noticing if there's any unnecessary tension or guarding,

If there's any aches or pains,

Discomforts.

And allow the body to be as it is and surrender to the moment-to-moment experiential awareness of the felt sense of the physical body.

If you notice any judgments arise,

Wanting things to be different than they are,

Let them go and surrender to the experience of the moment.

Notice how as you accept the body as it is in your body,

You can feel the energy of the moment.

In each moment,

Shifts occur without you trying to change anything at all.

Simply observe any changes that occur and surrender in each moment to the experience.

Let them go and surrender to the experience of the moment.

Beneath all felt experiences within the body,

There is a stillness.

Bring awareness to this underlying stillness and surrender to it.

Let them go and surrender to the experience of the moment.

Let them go and surrender to the experience of the moment.

Within the stillness,

There is light.

Bring awareness to this light within the stillness and surrender to it.

Notice how as you surrender to the light,

It expands.

Let them go and surrender to the experience of the moment.

Let them go and surrender to the experience of the moment.

Rest in the stillness and light.

Let them go and surrender to the experience of the moment.

Bring awareness to the physical felt sense of the body.

Notice if there have been any shifts or changes since the beginning of the practice.

Bring awareness to the breath.

And also notice if there are any changes here.

Bring awareness to the felt sense of all aspects of your experience in this moment.

Notice if there's greater softness and stillness to your experience,

Greater acceptance,

Greater surrender.

Become aware of the stability beneath you,

Supporting you,

And holding you up.

Become aware of the air around you in which you are immersed like a fish in water.

Continue surrendering to the experiences of each moment,

Resting as an individuated being immersed in oneness.

Maintain this connection to the stillness and light as you gently and slowly begin to open your eyes,

Taking in the world around you,

Letting it flow through you,

Surrendering to the experience in each moment.

As we surrender,

It naturally gives rise to the felt experience of the stillness and light within.

Whatever we focus on,

Whatever we bring our awareness to,

Grow stronger in our experience.

As we bring awareness to the moment-to-moment experience of the body and surrender to that felt sense,

The mind begins to still.

As we bring awareness to the stillness beneath the felt experiences of the body,

Our awareness of the body diminishes and awareness of the stillness grows.

As we surrender to the light and stillness that grows in our awareness and in our experience,

And our true nature naturally begins to shine forth.

Thank you all for joining me today.

Reviews

Thank you for helping me experience the beauty of surrender!

Sometimes the challenges of life can be so painful and overwhelming, it's hard to believe it is something we need to experience. Especially when it involves the suffering of someone we love.
This talk and meditation helped to remind me that surrendering to "what is" won't necessarily take the pain away, but may lessen the unnecessary suffering that comes from trying to change something you have no control over.
I am so grateful to have found your teachings Thomas.
Blessings to you and yours in 2025
🙏☀️

Thanks so much again for your words🙏🏼. I honestly can’t remember if I left a review on this one already. Bookmarked this one when you released it and have listened to it countless time now . It never gets old. I love the story about the old farmer/boy and a horse which I know you also refer to in some of your other teachings. Such a simple story, but the lesson in surrendering to the moment is so profound. I also use as inspiration some of your topic here in IT when I’m designing a theme of my Yin yoga class and recently was inspired to share the story about the boy and the horse with my students☺️.
PS: your teachings here in IT are my go-to when I can’t fall asleep at night ( even after listening to yoga nidra) and somehow it does the trick as I always fall asleep before the meditation 😅, very grateful for that too☺️✨✨

It is one of the best things I have ever listened to. I feel very grateful. Thank you 🙏.

Thank you so much, Thomas! Would it be possible to get a list of the full series?

No fancy music. Just soft, gentle, virtuous guidance. Space to explore mind, body and soul. Lovely.

this was really helpful. thank you for suggesting it. i will return to it when i get in those grief funks and just being is challenging. when i listen to this in those moments, it helps me remember that there’s a bigger picture than just this physical body. not that i’m trying to sidestep my grief, but your talk really zeroes in on the heart of the matter for me 🙏🙏🙏

Oh wow! I've been working with the concept of free surrender for a couple of years now and this was an excellent and understandable distillation
I saw lots of light during the meditation
Thank you so much
I'm saving this one for sure

I’m relistening (again) to these fabulous talks. Thomas would you ever consider doing a ‘live’ or two on Insight Timer ? In an Australian friendly time of course 😉 much love to you 🌸

Thank you for being so articulate 🙇🏻‍♀️

thanks.
it was lovely.

My heart and soul feel closer to my source light every time I listen to one of your talks. So enlightening. Thank you for feeding my soul this morning 🙏

As I listened to your beautiful meditation, dear Thomas, I was watching the many different birds at window feeder, watching the rise and fall of Sukanya’s belly as she slept next to me… the gentle flow of my own breath. All of these beautiful moment by moment experiences. How healing it is when we can truly surrender to that. Thank you once again for all the gifts you share. Peace & blessings always.🦋🙏

I absolutely loved first portion of your meditation. I always do. You always bring such clarity to certain concepts and make them SO easy to understand.
But this type of meditation always confounds me. I am good and flowing and and centered... right up until I am told to "see the light" and "feel the light expanding".
I SEE no light... I FEEL no light.
And then I begin searching and wondering why and what I'm doing wrong that I don't see or feel anything. And that's very frustrating and I end up turning the meditation off at that point because it distracts from the quiet and the peace that HAD been feeling before I was told to see and feel something that I can't and don't.
But thank you very much for your words at the beginning. I needed to hear that today. 🙏🏼 💗💥

Thank you oncr again Richard. Namaste!

Thank you 🙏🏼. Surrender is such an important concept for me! My personal mantra:
Surrender to the breath
Surrender to the body
Surrender to the heart
Surrender to the mind

Surrender to the earth
Surrender to the sky
Find balance in between