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We all know the feeling of being haunted by an issue, no matter how we try to
ignore it, avoid it, or run away from it. Sometimes it seems that we can get
rid of something we don’t want by simply pushing it away. Most of the time,
though, the more we pushy, the more we get pushed back. There are laws of
physics and metaphysics that explain this phenomenon, which is often summed
up in this pithy phrase: that which you resist persists.
Resistance can even strengthen the thoughts and feelings it is attempting to
fight by giving them power and energy to work against. Additionally,
resistance keeps us from learning more about what we are trying to resist. In
order to fully understand something, we must be open to it enough to receive
some of its energy; otherwise, we remain ignorant of its lessons. There is a
Tibetan story of a monk who retreats to meditate in a cave only to be plagued
by demons. He tries everything -- chasing, fighting, hiding -- to get the
demons out of his cave, but the thing that finally works is surrender. He
simply lets them have their way and only then do they disappear.
Now, this wisdom must be applied practically. We are not meant to get
ourselves physically injured. Instead, this story speaks to our inner demons.
What plagues and pursues us in our minds has a way of manifesting itself in
our environment, in the form of people, events, and issues that appear to be
beyond our control. But all these external expressions are reflections of our
insides, and it is inside ourselves that we can safely experiment with
surrendering to what we fear and dislike. It may feel scary, and we may find
ourselves in the company of a lot of resistance as we begin the process of
opening up to what we fear. But the more we learn to surrender, the more the
demons that plague us disappear in the process and the more courageous we
will become.
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