This question is a difficult one because we tend not to be completely forthright with our answer. God, we will say. And yet the truth is we are idolizing our egos, our sense of self. We are in fact committed to serving the ego in everything we do and are not aware of this.
If it serves my ego to do it, then I do it. Are you egoing? Do you know what that looks like? Here is a clue; if you take everything personally then you are serving your ego. All is about you.
Once we assume, we are cutting off reality. Our ego, our sense of self is telling us how to see the world, and our read IS the truth. No matter what is being said by anyone else, we know better because our assumption is as good as if not better than any other read.
The problem is, it never gets easy for the ego. Struggles, fights, fortifications, rationalizations, justifications are all we get and our poor ego never wins. There may be a momentary, apparent victory only for us to watch it get crushed in a flash. Encounter after encounter and we never win, we only struggle and fight. The elation of the apparent win drives us further down into the depths of despair. We call this the ups and downs of life.
Acceptance means we do not assume; we accept whatever is. No matter how ugly, if it in front of us, we need to accept that it is ours. We then surrender, which is actually accepting life. Refusing to accept does not bring us to independence. Refusing to accept reality brings us to separateness and an internal death.
When we accept life as it is, we are alive; we connect, and are a part of everyone and everything.
When we avoid life and pretend that life really is our assumptions, our projections, we remain distant and are apart from everyone and everything.
What we each have to learn is that acceptance is what causes us to move forward to resolve. If we serve our ego, then the only way forward is to accept it. Do not fight it. Surrender to the reality of where you are and accept. Then the knots will begin to loosen. We can choose resolution for ourselves. We actually can choose to change no matter where we are.
Every level of nature is based on Tamas, Rajas, and Sattva. In nature, inertia, activity and calm are present in different combinations. Our level of discernment and ability to see what is and accept is based on whether we are tamasic (inert), rajasic (active) or sattvic (calm). As we become more sattvic we are less personal and not so solid.
For the person committed to their ego tamasic is the highest level. They do not see their actions, and they feel they deserve the most. These people do not see that they contribute to any of their problems. Inertia reminds us of Dante walking through Hell. No one knew why they were in Hell.
Rajas brings us to a state similar to Dante’s Purgatory. People are aware of their sins and are facing the consequences. The difference, however, is that rajasic people tend to oscillate between unaware action and conscious action. They are reflective some of the time and lost some of the time. This depends on whether they are closer to Tamas or Sattva. They are unsteady.
Sattva is likened to Paradise, but in the case of spiritual practice even this must be transcended. Sattva as a quality brings us clarity and peace, brightness and calm.
We live amid combinations of these qualities permeating all of nature, both within and without. Our job is to learn to discern on every level. So if we learn clarity on the mundane level, we are then ready to go deeper. We can and will move on to deeper and deeper levels and arenas. The tools we learn at the beginning of practice are the tools we use all the way through.
Yoga Sutra I.14 tells us: Practice becomes grounded and fully integrated when it is done for a long time with no interruption and with great reverence and devotion.
This practice is simple, yet not easy. To be who we truly are, our job in life is to move from serving the ego to serving and completely surrendering to God.
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