Freely Given Submission

This text defines spiritual submission not as alienation, but as an act of superior freedom. Drawing on natural analogies and the pillars of The Path, it demonstrates that submitting to inner harmony (Dharma) allows one to gain peace without losing discernment. Through free will, the individual chooses to turn toward Grace to break free from the forces of inertia and realize their true identity.

Indian devotees in prayer for Aarti by the light of the flames.

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Freely Given Submission

Summary: This text defines spiritual submission not as alienation, but as an act of superior freedom. Drawing on natural analogies and the pillars of The Path, it demonstrates that submitting to inner harmony (Dharma) allows one to gain peace without losing discernment. Through free will, the individual chooses to turn toward Grace to break free from the forces of inertia and realize their true identity.

Text

In the spiritual approach of The Path, commitment begins with the knowledge of meditation techniques and their practical application. Becoming an observant of the Agya (the four pillars) consists of integrating the practice into daily life, notably through service (the Holy-Name technique) and formal meditation. This discipline, far from being a constraint, becomes a source of pleasure and consciousness.

Rehabilitating a concept

The word "submission" is often poorly perceived because it clashes with the ego, which claims its freedom and rights in an absolute manner. Yet, human beings accept on a daily basis being submitted to an employer, to their desires, to their dependencies, or to their own mental concepts.

Submission to the source (God) is of a different nature. It leads neither to the loss of free will nor to that of discernment. On the contrary, it is the path toward inner peace.

As the Buddha Gautama taught in the Dhammapada: "Though he recites the sacred texts very little, he acts in accordance with the dharma and, by letting go of desire, hatred, and ignorance, knowing the truth, with a free mind, attaching himself to nothing here or hereafter, this vigilant Man knows bliss."

The natural analogy

To understand spiritual submission, one can observe nature. To say that the sea is "submitted" to solar radiation does not mean it is weak or worthless; it is a factual state linked to its nature. To say that predators are submitted to their instincts does not take away their courage or their nobility.

In the same way, Man freely submits to his creator because it corresponds to his true identity. Free will was given to human beings precisely to make this chosen submission possible. Without free will, there would be no freely given submission, only mechanical necessity.

A renewed choice

The observant who chooses to submit to the peace they find within themselves is not a robot. They retain at every moment the possibility to take themselves back and cease their practice. It is precisely because this love is that of a free being that it possesses spiritual value.

"The love of a free being has more value than that of one who is obliged." (Bhaktimàrga, 93)

Confusion and suffering are part of the human condition. Even when engaged on a path of realization, the individual must deal with the forces of inertia (Guna Tamas). Lasting peace is not achieved by personal merit alone, but through the help of Grace. This force flows within everyone at every moment; freely given submission is simply the means to go toward it and drink from it.

The prerequisite for this realization is the thirst for truth. When this thirst meets the practice, life changes dimension. As emphasized in the text "The Great Secret": "See the truth, simpler and so perfect: God is everywhere, and His temple is within us."

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