What is the difference between Tolerance and Surrender?
Question:
What is the difference between tolerance and surrender?
Answer:
Tolerance is like a potential volcano. There is a dislike hidden within which just churns and burns inside and can erupt at any time. Tolerance is just a temporary cover-up. When you are tolerating something, you do not recognize that the harm that you cause to your own self is twofold.
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- You do not make an attempt to let go of the dislike, this increases the bitterness in your heart itself and makes you a bitter person.
- You do not recognize the degree of burns you are experiencing because of your own dislike churning inside.
So what is a sensible option? Surrender is the higher road. When you are in a difficult situation or with a difficult person, you do your best to make the situation better and then surrender.
What is Surrender?
Surrender is not defeat. Surrender is letting go of the stubbornness of the mind. Surrender is recognizing that there is a higher power that is taking care of everything and everyone. Surrender is letting go of your ego and accepting that higher power. Surrender is not giving up, surrender is doing your best action and then surrendering the fruit of that action [karmaphalam] to the highest power.
Surrender what?
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- Surrender your anger, hatred, jealousy, greed, etc.
- Surrender the habit of constantly thinking about the situation or person.
- Surrender is simply letting go of the thirst for the fruit of action [karmaphalam] and just being 100% with the action.
- Surrender is being in the present moment, from moment to moment.
Only Surrender can bring peace of mind, tolerance cannot. Got it?
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Powerful
Again a beautiful post by Ektaji.
“Tolerance is like a potential volcano” Totally agree.
“Surrender is not defeat. Surrender is letting go of the stubbornness of the mind.” Again, I totally agree. Only thing I would say is instead of using the word “Surrender” use the word “Acceptance”.
Surrender word conjures up armies surrendering, giving a feeling of total defeat.
Again Ektaji is right, this is a higher road. We are surrendering all our negative proclivities and accepting other parties’ viewpoints.
Other parties may be saying something because they have alternate vantage points. In Jainism there is the concept of Anektavad. Meaning multi-sided view of things. So, something might be “6” from one vantage point, but it will be “9” from alternate vantage points. The party that is arguing with us, is portraying points from their view. Even if they are totally opposite to what we are saying, accepting their point of view is complete acceptance.
Swami Vivekanda said “Never argue, it disturbs the mind. What is kept in school boy fights? There are higher truths to discover. Just walk away from arguments.”
Just accepting and letting go, even if the opposite party is vindictive, derogatory, vile, keeps us stable. It is for our good, that not a single thought is invested in unwanted arguments. Just, Surrender/Accept and keep our mind from running behind every innuendo hurled at us.
Thank you so much