Letting go of Control

Spiritual maturity is usually considered a necessary for true awakening, and I am often asked if there is a sign of spiritual maturity. It is true that spiritual maturity is a necessity. 

This kind of maturity, however, has little to do with how people usually conceive it. 

It is not related to the number of years you have devoted to spiritual practice; or the number of years that you have prayed, or the number of years you have "been good". 

At the most basic level, spiritual maturity has to do with the realization that you are not in control. 

This is, of course, a shattering realization, because from the age of two you have believed in the possibility of control, and much of your attention and energy has been funneled into the fight for control. The desire to be in control, the illusion of being in control, and the hope of being in control, are all based on the megalomaniacal belief, that you know when and what the outcome should be.

 Obviously, you can control many things to a greater or lesser degree, but there is nothing that you can totally control. 

You can control your bodily functions to a degree, as well as circumstances, thoughts, emotions, position and survival. But you can never have complete control. 

You need no model for letting go. You cannot "do" letting go. Neither is letting go a kind of saintly passivity; not being bothered by anything. The mind is very slippery. And can even use the desire to let go as a tactic for control.

 Letting go of control is a deeper relaxation, a floating on the ocean. You can become aware of where you are holding on and you can just let go and allow the ocean to hold you. You can become aware that all your tension and clinging are unnecessary. And then relax and let yourself be supported. 

In this same way, you can become aware of all the mental and emotional energy that gets exerted in holding on to a particular story, and you can just let it all go. 

There is a deeper intelligence than the one you use to control, and it is present to be recognized in all of our lives, at all moments. Different emotions may arise including fear, because to let go means that you could fall or you could lose something. 

Yes, be willing to lose everything. It is the same as meeting your death. 

Consciously meeting your death, means discovering what cannot be controlled and what is bigger than anyone's power to control. There can be a blessed surrender to that.

 If you are searching for a safe, comfortable life, than the freedom I am pointing to is not for you. The invitation to accept the "diamond of life" is not an invitation to safety and comfort. It is an invitation to live life fully and completely, which is never safe and is often uncomfortable. Comfort and safety are often searched for because of the belief that they will bring happiness and fulfillment. "If I am just safe enough, then I can relax." 

But I am talking about recognizing that you can relax right now, even though you aren't completely safe and you never will be. In that understanding, is more than safety for the body, mind or emotions. There is safety not in any particular form of being, meaning "your" body, or your loved ones bodies, but of "being-ness", which is eternal. "Diamond in your Pocket".....Gangaji