Acknowledge and Surrender

Whangapoua Beach, Coromandel, New Zealand

Our unhappiness, anger and frustration are caused by unexamined thought.

We can begin to experience the peace, love and joy that is our very nature once we decide to bring awareness (i.e., attention without judgment) to our thoughts.

It takes courage to examine our thoughts.  Our thoughts were driven into our subconscious for a reason: in order to protect us from being hurt.  However, our subconscious thoughts infect our lives in ways we cannot imagine.  They color everything we say and do.

No thought can hurt us if we examine it without labeling or judging it.  It is the emotional response to the thought which causes us pain.  A thought triggers additional thoughts and memories which are consistent with the original thought.  Our mind spins into a cycle of regret and despair.

We can end this cycle of pain by acknowledging our thoughts and surrendering them to the Void.  The thought arises.  We bring our attention to it without judgment of any kind.  This prevents our thoughts from becoming a breeding ground for similar thoughts and negative emotions. Once we bring our attention to the thought without judgment, our attachment to it dissolves.

When we are stressed, it is very difficult to examine our thoughts because they are coming too fast.  It is very helpful to build some space around our thoughts by slowing them down.

We can slow down the pace of our thoughts by bringing our attention to our breathing, meditation, yoga, walking in nature, etc.  It is then much easier to examine and acknowledge our thoughts.

Let's acknowledge and surrender our thoughts.