Utterly Awake – In Gita Verse 18.10 The intelligent renouncer situated in the mode of goodness, neither hateful of inauspicious work nor attached to auspicious work, has no doubts about work.
A person who does not harbour aversion towards harmful actions and is not drawn to beneficial actions, embodies pure Sattva Guna, signifying intelligence and true renunciation. Such an individual does not discriminate between what should or should not happen, between night and day, sorrow and happiness, death and life. The ego persists as long as one makes choices. To be free from ego, one must become choiceless.
It is advised to relinquish concerns about what is harmful or beneficial. Only a comprehensive understanding of the entirety can make such discernments. Individuals should surrender completely, allowing their actions to be guided by a higher power. In this state of profound surrender, one’s hands, eyes, and heart become instruments of that higher will. This leads to a transformative state where the individual ceases to act independently but rather becomes a conduit through which actions are performed. This level of surrender signifies an ultimate trust in the higher power, where personal desires and aversions are set aside, and one becomes an embodiment of divine intention.
Renunciation is fundamentally the abandonment of the doer and the ego. True sacrifice involves the dissolution of the ego, ensuring that it does not survive the act of renunciation. The art of all religious traditions is to achieve renunciation in such a manner that the individual does not emerge as the one who renounces. This is accomplished by surrendering oneself entirely to the divine will, embracing whatever role is assigned, whether it be that of Ravana or Ram, a king or a scoundrel. The essence of this practice is to accept and perform any given role with complete dedication, without personal preference or aversion, thus allowing the divine will to manifest through one’s actions.
Enlightenment is attained through surrender, which in turn requires great intelligence. Only those with profound insight can truly surrender. Intelligence leads to the realisation that one is not separate from existence, and this realisation is the pinnacle of understanding.
There is no contradiction between intelligence and surrender. In fact, surrender is facilitated through intelligence, and in the process of surrender, intelligence itself is transcended. This concept is particularly emphasised in the teachings of Buddha, where the path is one of awakening intelligence. According to these teachings, true enlightenment and surrender are achieved through the highest exercise of intelligence. Intelligence leads to the realisation of the futility and limitations of the ego, thereby paving the way for genuine surrender. In this state, intelligence recognises its own boundaries and, in doing so, allows for the complete dissolution of the ego, resulting in true enlightenment and a profound state of surrender.
The term “Buddha” signifies awakened intelligence. The Heart Sutra uses numerous terms related to intelligence, all stemming from the root “Budh,” which encompasses many dimensions, including awakening oneself and others from the slumber of delusion.
An ordinary person, though seemingly awake, is often in a state of internal sleep, filled with dreams and thoughts. True awakening occurs when the mind is free from these distractions, allowing one to be fully present. Intelligence is the capacity to live in the present moment, free from the past and future.
To be utterly awake, one must live each moment with intense awareness, as if in a state of emergency. This intensity brings insight, freedom, and truth.
Bhagavad Gita and the teachings of Buddha underscore that genuine renunciation and enlightenment stem from a profound comprehension and surrender of the ego, enabling an individual to exist in the present moment with full awareness and intelligence. To be in the present signifies that, in that moment, one has renounced all that is non-essential.
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